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, the student would have
to repeat one of the specified WI classes or go through an elaborate
appeals process. Returning students who had completed earlier versions of
GE classes subsequently identified as WI could find themselves facing a
similar situation.
At its May meeting, Academic Council voted to amend the original WAC
document to permit these transfer students and returning students to count
other designated WI courses toward the missing GE credit. Such courses
could be either GE courses (e.g., a second WI science course) or WI
classes in the major in addition to the two required as part of the
program. Any WI course in the major, however, will not count toward both
GE and writing in the major requirements.
The section of the WAC document dealing with transfer students now
includes the following passage (following line 202 of the original
document):
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When students who still need writing
intensive credit in General Education courses already have credit
for the General Education courses designated as writing intensive
at WSU, those students may apply credit from other designated
writing intensive courses to meet that requirement. Those courses
may be in General Education (e.g., a second writing intensive
science course) or, when available, a third writing intensive
course in the major. No writing intensive course in the major will
be counted toward both General Education and writing in the major
requirements.
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A similar statement has been added in the section dealing with
returning students (following line 237 in the original document):
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When returning students who still
need writing intensive credit in General Education courses have
already taken earlier versions of General Education courses now
designated as writing intensive, those students may apply credit
from other designated writing intensive courses to meet that
requirement. Those courses may be in General Education (e.g., a
second writing intensive science course) or, when available, a
third writing intensive course in the major. No writing intensive
course in the major will be counted toward both General Education
and writing in the major requirements.
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These additional options are intended to accommodate the needs of
returning students, not to place additional burdens on them or on
departments. Students who cannot take advantage of the changes can still
satisfy the requirements of the GE portion of the WAC program as outlined
in the original document. Print copies of that document are available in
the WAC office (052 Paul Laurence Dunbar Library). The full text is also
available on this WAC web page by accessing WAC
Requirements at WSU, where these modifications are printed in red.
If you have questions about these changes, please contact Joe Law
at 775-2155 or by e-mail at joe.law@wright.edu.
Top
Notes
from Other WAC Programs
September 1997
Here's a frequently asked question: How much should the writing
component count toward the total grade of a writing intensive course?
The WAC guidelines at WSU state that all of the writing
assignments in writing intensive courses in the major "will count as
part of the students' performance in the course." However, the
guidelines don't state how much they will count, thus leaving that
decision to the individual instructor. It may be of some help, then, to
see what other WAC programs say on the subject.
Not surprisingly, practices vary. When programs do specify an
amount, it often takes the form of a recommendation rather than a
requirement. The most frequent figure is a minimum of 50%. The web site
for Eastern Tennessee State University, for example, provides this
information: "A substantial portion of the final grade is based on
student writing--that is, on written assignments and/or essay exams.
(Generally, the writing committee recommends that 50% or more of the final
grade be based on written materials, unless there are mitigating factors
such as accreditation requirements or semester projects.)"
The University of Minnesota, on the other hand, is more directive:
"At least 50% of the course grade should be based upon the student's
writing. The essay examination should be the dominant mode for
examinations, not multiple-choice or short-answer tests. Other forms of
writing should also figure strongly in the course assessment. No student
who fails to demonstrate at least adequate writing ability should be
passed in a WI course."
Things seem more relaxed at the University of Hawaii at Manoa:
"We depend here on the good judgment of individual professors. We all
know that the student's most common question is, 'Will this be on the
test?' Clearly, students see what contributes to their grade as important
and anything else as less important. We signify the importance of writing
by making it contribute to the course grade in real ways."
The "real ways" writing contributes to the course grade
are determined by individual professors at University of California-Irvine
as well. The model syllabi provided on the WAC web page there suggest that
at times writing assignments constitute more than half the course grade.
That's the case in History 193W (Victorian Women: Gender, Sex and Race in
19th-century U.S. & Europe). A weekly log counts 25%, Paper 1 is 25%,
Paper 2 is 30%, and the remaining 20% is assigned on the basis of
participation. Other course descriptions indicate that a similarly high
percentage of the course grade comes from written work.
Even though there is no universal agreement on factoring written
work into the final grade in a writing intensive course, the frequent
designation of 50% as a minimum seems appropriate. Writing assignments
that reinforce course content and help students realize the teacher's
instructional goals are valuable parts of the class and deserve to be
acknowledged as such.
T
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This page last modified 10/07/97.
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