The Portfolio Office will be open through May 10, 2013 for the Spring Semester

Monday 9-4:30

Tuesday 9:30-4

Wednesday 9-noon

Thursday 9:30-6

Friday 10-2

COB 1046

For questions, call or email:

(719) 255-4038

portfoli@uccs.edu

What is the Writing Portfolio?

The Writing Portfolio is an assessment that undergraduate UCCS students complete, prior to their Junior year, in order to demonstrate writing competency. Part of this assessment is to understand how students are writing after they take their core writing courses. The Writing Portfolio is an individual assessment of student writing, but aggregated results are also used as data for college accreditation and university evaluation.

When should I submit my Writing Portfolio?

You will need to submit your portfolio once you have earned 60 credit hours and at least 3 semesters before you plan to gradaute.  Summer counts as a semester.  

If I don't submit a Writing Portfolio, can I still graduate?

Yes. If you miss your window, or if you think you might better benefit from additional work on your writing, you may choose to complete another writing course instead of submitting a portfolio. Students may meet the competency requirement by completing any of the following ENGL courses: ENGL 3010, ENGL 3020, or ENGL 3080.

What types of papers can I submit for my Writing Portfolio?

You need at least 2 papers for your Writing Portfolio submission. Papers may be academic, professional, technical, and/or scientific. We do require that the papers you submit are each at least 4 pages in length. You can prepare these papers for the portfolio by making sure that any outside (secondary) sources are acknowledged and cited in the paper, even if the original assignment did not require formal citation. Choose a documentation style that is appropriate for your discipline (MLA, APA, Chicago, ASME, etc.) and include a Works Cited page. If you don't know which papers to submit, or if you feel you just don't have any papers to submit, stop in and see us during our office hours. We can help you make some decisions.

Can I submit a group-authored paper?

Yes.  One of your submissions can be a group project.  Highlight the portion of the paper that you wrote so that the portfolio scorers can evaluate that section.

I am a transfer student.  May I submit a paper I wrote at another institution?

Ideally, you will submit papers that you have written for UCCS courses.  However, the portfolio office will accept one paper in transfer.  For more information about this, email the office or stop by during office hours.

How can the Writing Center help me with my Writing Portfolio Submission?

The Writing Center can offer you guidance about revising your Writing Portfolio papers.  Their consultants are trained to help you revise your writing for clarity, source integration, and organization.  These are the same components that scorers will use to evaluate your Writing Portfolio once you turn it in. For information about their services, go to http://www.uccs.edu/~wrtgcntr/. While helpful in your revision process, visiting the Writing Center does not guarantee that your portfolio will pass.

By whom, and how, is my Writing Portfolio evaluated?

Portfolio papers are read by English Department writing faculty. If there is a disagreement between the scores of the two readers, your portfolio will be read a third time. Your writing will be evaluated across 5 categories, including Rhetorical Strategy & Purpose, Critical Thinking, Organization, Source Use, and Language.  For a description of each of these categories, visit our website listed at the bottom of this page.

When will I know my score?

You may receive your score within 3 to 4 weeks of submitting your portfolio. Response times may be longer than 4 weeks if you turn your portfolio in at the end of the semester, or close to the deadline, due to the large volume of submissions we receive during this time.  For this reason, we advise you to turn in your portfolio as soon as possible prior to the deadline.

How do I submit my Writing Portfolio?

Step One: Prepare your papers

·       Identify 2 or 3 papers that you have written for college courses.  Papers from your core writing courses, such as ENGL 1310, 1410, 2080, 2090, or INOV 2010, are NOT eligible for submission to the Writing Portfolio.

·       Make sure that the papers you select are at least 4 pages in length.

·       If you are submitting a group project, highlight the portion that you wrote.

·       Consider revising your papers for clarity, organization, source integration, and mechanics.  If you need help doing this, visit the           Writing Center, Columbine Hall 316, for assistance.

Step Two:  Fill out forms, available in COB 1046

·       Complete the Student Information Form, which gives us information about your background.

·       Complete the Portfolio Submission Form, which gives us information about your papers.

·       Self-address the postcard, which we will use to notify you of your score.

Step Three:  Pay the fee

·       Did you take ENGL 1310 here at UCCS?  If so, disregard this step.

·       If you did not take ENGL 1310 here UCCS, pay the $15 portfolio fee.

·       Keep the yellow receipt.

Step Four: Submit your Portfolio Packet

Gather your papers, forms, and fee receipt and bring them to the Portfolio Office in Columbine Hall 1046, between the hours listed at the top of the page.  If you are unable to submit your portfolio in person, email the office to make other arrangements.