Part I.
Certification of Writing Intensive Courses and Faculty
Course Certification
Faculty members are asked to submit a course proposal to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee that includes the following
supporting materials:
A. A statement of the expected course enrollment and the number of sections offered per semester.
B. A concise explanation (about one page) of how the proposed course will fulfill each of the following criteria:
(1) Writing Assignment Design
Writing assignments should relate clearly to the course objectives and should serve as effective instruments for learning the
subject matter of the course. Instructors should communicate to students the requirements of formal, graded writing assignments
in writing, not just orally. In writing-intensive courses, writing assignments are characteristically designed to help students
investigate the course subject matter, gain experience in interpreting data or the results of research, shape writing to a particular
audience, or practice the type of writing associated with a given profession or discipline.
(2) Treatment of Writing as a Developmental Process
Students will be afforded opportunities to practice writing throughout the semester, with emphasis given to writing as a process
that develops through several iterations. Typically, writing-intensive courses require multiple writing assignments, a sequence of
preparatory writings (outline, formulation of a thesis, first draft) leading to a final product, and informal writing assignments
(regular journal entries, field notes, short in-class papers, revision of a first draft) that aid students in developing other written
documents. Experimentation with assignments is encouraged.
(3) Written Feedback from the Instructor
Opportunities for the students to receive written feedback from the instructor and to apply the instructor's feedback to their future
writing will be built into the course. The instructor will clearly identify and explain the type of writing required in the course and
will provide guidance as needed. A writing-intensive course may also include peer review of written work, tutorial assistance,
instructor conferences, group writing projects, the use of writing or learning centers, teaching assistant feedback, and classroom
discussion of assigned readings on writing. The use of diverse feedback mechanisms is encouraged, but none of these should
substitute for the instructor as the principal source of written feedback to the student.
(4) Evaluation of Writing
Writing will be evaluated by the instructor, and writing quality will be a factor in determining each student's final grade. Before
students begin writing, instructors will communicate to students the criteria by which their writing will be evaluated. Sound
criteria for assessing writing quality include, but are not limited to, the writer's ability to direct the material to an intended
audience, the employment of organizational strategies, the development of both content and reasoning, adherence to conventions
of a particular discipline, accuracy of the information presented, citation and integration of sources, grammar, diction and syntax,
and spelling. Writing assignments should be worth at least 50% of each student's final grade.
C. A copy of the course syllabus, which should include a statement of course objectives, a sequence of class activities, references to
writing assignments, and weight of writing assignments in relation to the final course grade.
D. One or two examples of the actual writing assignment sheets the instructor plans to use in the course.
A course certified as ‘WI’ are granted that designation for a period of five years. After the fourth year, departments are
required to repetition the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for course recertification.
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Faculty Certification
1. Only full-time faculty or faculty with ongoing part-time contracts may be certified as ‘WI’ instructors.
2. Faculty members will receive the ‘WI’ certification by attending the six-hour workshop offered on campus or by supplying
documentation that they have expertise in those areas or have attended a similar workshop elsewhere. The three required
workshops would address the following topics:

Integrating writing into a course

Assessing student writing

Designing writing assignments
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Part II.
Writing Intensive Courses
Goals:
 To emphasize writing as a way to learn, an intellectual process, and a communication tool.
 To develop thinking, argument, and writing connected to a specific discipline.
Student Requirements
Students will take two writing-intensive courses at the 300 or 400 level as a requirement for graduation. Students are
strongly encouraged to take at least one writing-intensive course in their major; however, they may satisfy the requirement
with courses outside the major. Successful completion of English 123 and ULLC 223 are prerequisites for the upper level
writing-intensive courses.
Degree programs should submit proposals to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee to determine how the WI
requirement can best be met. Any revised requirement for each program must be approved by the Provost, published in the
catalogue, and thus made official.
Class Size
Writing-intensive courses are enrolled at 25 students. Exceptions may be authorized by the deans.
Course Requirements
Prerequisites
Successful completion of English 123 and ULLC 223.
Amount of Writing
Fifty percent of the course grade is determined by evaluation of both formal and informal writing assignments. At its
minimum, the writing-intensive course will require a minimum of 12 pages of formal graded writing, preferably over at least
3 assignments, not to include essay exams. If the course requires only the minimum amount of formal writing, other informal
writing assignments should supplement the writing assignments in the course.
Writing should be spread throughout the course in a sequence of related assignments rather than concentrated in a large term
paper.
Type of Writing
The writing may consist of a combination of formal and informal writing. Formal writing, for example, might include
reports, critical analyses, research papers, and essays. Informal writing might encompass responses to course readings and
lectures, journals, discussions in on-line classes, and the intermediate components of the research and writing process
(proposals, outlines, rough drafts).
Process
Built into the writing-intensive course are opportunities for students to receive constructive criticism from the instructor and
to apply these suggestions to their future writing. A writing-intensive course may also include peer review of written work,
tutorial assistance, instructor conferences, group writing projects, teaching assistant feedback, and classroom discussion of
assigned readings about writing. None of these mechanisms, however, should substitute for the instructor as the principal
source of written feedback to the student.
The instructor of the writing-intensive course will provide explicit instruction on how to complete the required writing
assignments, detailed written assignment sheets, and a scoring guide showing the criteria by which the writing will be
assessed. Other explicit instruction might include procedures for gathering and organizing information, periodic assessments
of progress, models of appropriate forms, and revision exercises.
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