This course helps students develop their academic literacies in conjunction with college-level reading and writing in other courses. Course work will help students refine their reading and writing practices by asking them to think about how these skills work together in college and beyond. Course work will help students develop confidence as they learn how to meet the demands of reading and writing in diverse contexts.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
This course will assist students in meeting the challenges of college-level reading and writing in their college courses. Students will learn about and practice reading and writing processes both as individual and integrated skills. They will also explore academic literacies and study skills that will enhance their academic capabilities.
- Reading and Writing with Rhetorical Strategies
A. Situational reading and writing
B. Analytical reading and writing
C. Writing/Reading and audiences
D. Academic and non-academic voice
E. Rhetorical genres and modes - Reading Strategies
A. Reading for comprehension
B. Recognizing genres and patterns
C. Active reading
D. Taking notes on textbooks and research
E. Paraphrasing and Summarizing
F. Evaluating sources - Writing Process
A. Understanding contexts for writing and assignments
B. Developing topics, ideas, and drafts
C. Workshop and feedback
D. Revision as a writing strategy
E. Editing and proofreading - Academic Skills
A. Reading and writing about academic texts
B. Writing timed exams
C. Academic integrity
D. Academic engagement
E. Campus culture and academic support
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Adapt reading and writing strategies for application across curriculum.
2. Determine appropriate resources to all upon for assistance with academic and non-cognitive difficulties.
3. Demonstrate success in college level reading and writing assignments.
4. Develop personal goals for learning and college coursework.
Assessment and Requirements
All assessment of student reading and writing is based on the above course outcomes and is left to the discretion of the individual instructor. Assessment should focus on student development in academic reading and writing and success in co-requisite course(s). ENG-090A may only be taken as a co-requisite course with another college-level course and it may only be taken once per semester. This course does not substitute for ENG-131, ENG-131A, ENG-131E, ENG-132, or ENG-135. Students who earn a grade of ’S’ (satisfactory) may enroll in ENG-131.
Instructors must assess student abilities in academic reading and writing within the first two weeks of the course to determine if they are appropriately placed.
Instructors must review students’ syllabi for other courses and conference with students about reading/writing work in those courses.
Students must complete regular reading assignments and compose at least two academic writing assignments during the semester. These assignments should be drawn from concurrent coursework if possible, but if students are in courses with light reading/writing requirements, instructors may assign work appropriate to a three-credit hour course.
Students must show evidence of writing and reading strategies throughout the course. Instructors may choose to assess student practice through journals, homework, portfolios, or other ongoing coursework related to the work students are doing in other classes.
Students must receive orientation to academic success resources on campus including The Writing Center, The Learning Lab, the Library, and Assisted Learning Services.
While instructors may use letter or numerical grades to assess course work, the final grade assigned must be S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). The grade of S shall be given if students successfully complete 75% of the course work.
In addition, instructors are highly encouraged to:
Create a supportive, empowering environment in their classrooms in order to invite students into college culture;
Hold regular one-on-one conferences with students;
Create a workshop or laboratory space that focuses on individualized instruction to meet the demands of academic literacy in a student’s coursework;
Use non-prescriptive, collaborative, and encouraging assessments including workshops, revision practices, and portfolios;
Welcome and support the diverse identities, backgrounds, and academic experiences of our students as essential foundations for the college community.
The curricular committee that oversees this course maintains a list of approved texts.