Composition at North
Carolina Wesleyan College

Introduction:

The enduring purpose of a college education is to prepare students for a lifetime of thought, expression and learning.  A college graduate should have the breadth of perspective and the intellectual capacity to diagnose a difficult situation or comprehend a complex argument, assimilate new information and ideas, make a logical decision or compose a logical response to a problem, and express that decision or response in a clear, concise way. Learning to read critically and to write clearly is learning to think.

The English faculty at North Carolina Wesleyan College are committed to helping students to write better.  Teaching composition is a primary focus for us all.  We are aware that students come to us woefully under-prepared, and, often, hostile towards the act of writing itself, but our purpose is to encourage and inspire our students to value language and usage.  What we do becomes a foundation for what everyone else does; therefore, our aim is far greater than the mere teaching of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We aim to teach our students to observe sharply and think clearly; to imagine, shape and design the mental universe they will inhabit for the rest of their lives.

To this end, the English faculty designed a three-tiered course requirement which we believe best serves the needs of our particular students. These three courses are: English 090, English 111, and English 112.  These courses are described in the college catalogue as follows:

English 090: Basic Writing and Reading

The course seeks to develop the student’s writing and reading skills as preparation for college work. Individualized instruction will be available and each student will do considerable work in those areas appropriate to his needs.

English 090 carried elective course credit and may not be used to satisfy any general education requirements.

English 111:English Composition I

The purpose of this course is to improve a student’s ability to write a well-ordered, accurate, functional essay. The Course involves intense instruction in writing paragraphs and in the modes of expression: description, narration, comparison, and analysis

English 112: English Composition II

(Pre-requisite:  English 111)

The aim of the course is to increase the student’s ability to develop written arguments, to interpret evidence, to advance judgments and proposal in a reasoned and persuasive way, and to conduct research.

Placement:

During summer orientation activities all potential incoming freshmen are asked to provide us with a sample of their writing.  This writing sample—called “The Placement Essay”—allows us to accurately place students in the course appropriate for their skill levels. The essays are read by members of the English faculty.  They use a holistic assessment method based on the attached “Placement Rubric.” Two readers read each essay; should the first two readers disagree, then a third reader assesses the writing and provides the casting vote. The results are forward to the Pre-Major Advisors for scheduling the individual students.

In English 090 students may only earn a pass/fail grade.  Before receiving such a grade they are required to write an exit essay, which is again assessed by the English faculty using the same procedures as mentioned above. Students who do not earn a passing grade are required to re-take English 090 again the next semester. Students with passing grades move on to English 111.

Placement Rubric (1999):

Students placed in 090

• Essay shows inadequate control of language.

• Essay shows little structure, is disorganized, and ideas are unclear or not developed properly

• Essay shows weak control of grammar and mechanics

• Essay shows poor understanding of punctuation

• Essay shows topic inadequately or improperly addressed

Students placed in 111

• Essay indicates freshman-level understanding of language control

• Essay shows competency in structuring the essay, and at least minimal understanding of paragraph division

• Essay shows fewer errors

• Essay shows minimal understanding of grammar, mechanics and punctuation

• Essay shows topic adequately or properly addressed

Course Structure:

All sections in each of the three levels of composition (090, 111, and 112) use a common syllabus and follow the “Writing to Learn” method.  Individual  syllabi may be adjusted to suit specific course expectations: i.e. some professors like their students to keep a course journal, some like students to write the first draft of their papers in class, others like to incorporate various “kinds” of in-class writing, and so forth. These adjustments allow instructors to offer students a wide range of writing and reading options. 

All faculty require multi-draft papers—the various drafts being reviewed and/or graded by the instructor before the final draft is submitted.

All faculty require students to attend one-on-one conferences during the semester, and to fulfill all the other requirements stated on the common syllabus. The number and type of formal papers may vary, but all faculty are expected to ask students to submit between 3000 and 3500 words of formal writing each semester.

All students are expected to write a sample essay on the first day of class, which is retained as a record of entering ability.  In addition, all students take a common 50-question diagnostic test of grammar, punctuation and mechanics in the first week of classes. (See sample test attached.) Tests are scored by Magenta Scanning Systems software to ensure complete accuracy, and the results are returned to the individual instructors.  The diagnostic test is re-administered at semester’s end for purposes of assessment.

Course Texts:

In all sections of composition, faculty use a common rhetoric/handbook: The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers, 5^th ed., edited by Maxine Hairston, John Ruszkiewicz & Christy Friend and published by Longman 1999 and require students to purchase The American Heritage College Dictionary,  3^rd ed. In English 090 all instructors use the same reader; in English 111 and English 112 individual instructors select their own class reading material.  These readings usually represent the course’s controlling “theme”.

In every class students are required to maintain a portfolio of the writings completed during the course.

Oral Communication:

All faculty require students to present oral reports during each semester. Topics for these reports vary, but usually support the course’s primary “theme.”  Students are required to prepare a comprehensive handout and a bibliography for the class.

Student Support:

The English faculty have a common policy on tutoring requirements for students who need extra help, and all require students to provide evidence of their time spent in the Writing Center. Faculty members endeavor to meet with tutors to discuss the particular needs of an individual. Copies of their assignments and expectations should be made available to the Writing Center Director.

NCWC Writing Center

The Center serves students in all courses at all levels.  Some students go to the Center to build their confidence and skills as writers. Other, competent writers, go to the Center to have their work reviewed and critiqued.

Members of the Writing Center staff have undergone a training program in writing consultation. Students generally meet with staff member for 45 minutes to discuss a piece of writing.  Their discussions can cover any aspect of the writing process--from how to generate ideas about a particular topic to figuring out how semi-colons work.

  The Writing Center staff DOES:

• Provide encouragement and advice
• Work with students individually to improve their writing processes
• Helps students understand principles of grammar and punctuation
• Build each student’s confidence as a writer

  The Writing Center staff DOES NOT:

• Tell students what to write
• Write or rewrite papers for students
• Proofread or edit student papers
• Condemn or ridicule students’ writing

Students can attend the Writing Center at any point in the semester or at any point during the writing process. Students may have a rough draft, an outline, notes, an assignment, or even just some ideas. Whatever the case, the Center staff can provide students with encouragement and advice. The Writing Center, located in Pearsall 186, x-5325), is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and offers state-of-the-art computer technology

NCWC Online Writing Center (OWC)

For those students who are unable to visit the center, NCWC offers services similar to those of the NCWC Writing Center--but electronically. The OWC contains over 200 handouts on writing matters from comma usage to research skills. Many are informational, providing explanations of points of grammar, style, or rhetoric. Others are exercises that students can complete to practice on particular grammatical and stylistic points. Many exercises have answer keys so that students can check their own work and complete the work at their own pace. Anyone can access these materials from the OWC and can print out and/or download them.

The OWC also contains a mailbox, through which students or anyone else can ask questions of the Writing Center staff, who strive to answer e-mail questions within 48 hours.

Any student with a PC running Windows can “meet” on-line with a member of the Writing Center staff to discuss a writing assignment via the Internet in real time. Using NetMeeting software, a free download from the Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com), students can send their paper to the Writing Center electronically. Papers are then displayed on one side of the screen while students and Center consultants discuss them on a chat board on the other side of the screen. The OWC website provides complete directions for accessing this service. The OWC’s URL is http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab

Sample  syllabi

English 090

English 111

English 112

 

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