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Junior Level Writing Competency Portfolio

Policies and Procedures

For Summer 2008, portfolios will be accepted until the
semester deadline: 3:00 p.m. November 24
Portfolio Office Hours (Columbine 1046): Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The office will be open until December 11. We will reopen at the beginning of the spring 2008 session.
Please read these instructions carefully. If you still have questions, consult our FAQ page.

Students have two semesters to demonstrate writing competency in courses beyond the six required credit hours of writing coursework in ENGL 131 and 141 or ENGL 307, 309, COMM 324. These six hours vary by degree plan. Students may choose to demonstrate their writing competency in one of two ways:
1. Submitting a portfolio to the Writing Program
The portfolio assessment is an option chosen by most undergraduate students at UCCS. The portfolio includes two essays (each one 3-4 pages minimum) written in academic courses taken at UCCS after you have completed your required six credit hours of writing coursework as defined by your major degree plan. You may not use essays from your ENGL 131, 141 or 307, 309 courses. The papers may be analytical, argumentative or research essays written in your major courses. They may be documented essays written in a core Humanities course. In business and engineering, you may submit single-authored technical or senior research seminar essays. In all cases, documented essays that use information from outside sources must cite source material correctly within the essay by following citation conventions of the discipline—MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. These essays also must include a Reference or Works Cited page at the end. You should submit clean copies of essays. In every case, you need to review your chosen essays for sentence-level errors, acceptable citations, and basic competency in organization and paragraph structure. If you are unsure about the general strengths of any essay, stop into the Writing Center, 316 Columbine Hall, and schedule a consultation with one of our tutors. Since papers will not be returned, you are advised to retain copies of your papers for your own files.

UCCS policy states that you must demonstrate competency within 30 credit hours of completion or transfer of your second required writing course. In most cases, core writing courses are completed by the end of one’s sophomore year, or even earlier. The portfolio assessment should be completed at the START of your junior year; hence, we call it a “junior-level assessment.” By completing the portfolio in your junior year, you have ample time to complete an additional writing course if it is required because you do not pass the portfolio. Students who do not pass the portfolio are asked to complete an additional writing course at the 300 level, a course beyond those stipulated in their degree plans. If you do not pass the portfolio, you need ample time to complete another writing course. For this reason, UCCS policy requires you to complete the portfolio within 30 hours of either completing or transferring your second required writing course. Some students may not complete that second course before their senior year given their degree plans or transfer situation. In every case, your portfolio should not be delayed until your final senior semester or after your senior audit. Students who do delay the portfolio until their final semester

may have their graduation delayed if they do not pass this portfolio assessment.

Students who have taken ENGL 131 here at UCCS before the spring 2005 semester, or who transferred in their ENGL 131 course at any time, must pay a $5 English Portfolio Assessment fee to the Bursar’s Office, on the second floor of Main Hall. Submit your fee receipt with your portfolio paperwork. If you completed ENGL 131 at UCCS in the spring of 2005 or LATER, you have already paid your assessment fee for this process.

>Students may pick up submission forms, complete paperwork, and submit portfolios Monday through Thursday in Columbine 1046. You may also consult the Writing Program web page for office hours in any given semester.
2. Completing a third writing course with a C- or better
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 who choose not to demonstrate competency by submitting a writing portfolio may meet the competency requirement by completing a 300-level writing course beyond those stipulated by their degree plan. These courses include any of the following ENGL courses: ENGL 301, ENGL 307, ENGL 309 or ENGL 480. You must choose one that is not already required as part of your degree plan, and you must earn a C- or better. Students who transfer in an advanced writing course, again not required as part of their UCCS degree plan with a C- or better, may meet the 3^rd course requirement by transfer. In this case, the 300 level transfer writing course is subject to review by the Director of the UCCS Writing Program, Dr. Dew, 262-4040. Steps to complete Portfolio

Self-address the postcard (no stamps needed)
Complete the Writing Competency Portfolio Submission Form
Sign the Honor Code Agreement on the Score Sheet.
Pay the $5 fee to the Bursar’s Office and save the receipt
Submit the postcard, the form, the receipt, and at least two essays to Columbine Hall 1046

For information, policy clarification and portfolio advising, students should walk in and visit with our Writing Program Assistants in Columbine 1046. You may walk in during WP office hours M-R. Packets are available around the clock outside COB 1046 in the grey hanging file. You will receive clear, timely and helpful information if you walk in during our office hours. Please do not call the WP director or leave voice messages for WP assistants if you are regularly on campus as an enrolled student. Phone messages are much less effective, so they should be reserved for students who are out of state or otherwise removed from the university. If at any time, you feel we have not been supportive or helpful, please contact Dr. Deb Dew ASAP. Her office is COB 1041, and her phone # is 262-4040.