San Francisco State University

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) Course Criteria

May 6, 2008

Rationale

In its Spring 2007 revision to the University Policy on Written English Proficiency (S07-14), the Academic Senate approved a change in the way that undergraduate students will demonstrate that they have met the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) prescribed in CSU Executive Order # 665: “Undergraduates who are first-time college students in Fall 2008 or later will satisfy the GWAR requirement by earning a C- or better in a GWAR-designated course in their major department or college.” The University Committee on Written English Proficiency (CWEP) was directed to develop criteria for all GWAR courses, and to forward those criteria to the Academic Senate for its approval. CWEP was also charged with the responsibility for approving and implementing the GWAR courses.

CWEP solicited input from every college (including input provided by the 84 faculty members, representing 47 departments, who attended a Writing Colloquium in January, 2008), reviewed models of criteria from other universities and national standards, and collaborated with the Academic Policies and Executive Committees of the Academic Senate to develop GWAR-course criteria for SF State.

CWEP distilled the information from the breakout groups of the Writing Colloquium into a set of GWAR-course criteria, and shared this and other relevant information with the Academic Policies and Executive Committees of the Academic Senate. Relevant background information includes the following:

1. “Writing in the disciplines is founded on an integrative relationship between writing and knowing . . . a specialized conception of disciplinary knowledge is integrated with a specialized conception of writing.” (Carter, Michael. “Ways of Knowing, Doing, and Writing in the Disciplines.” College Composition and Communication 58:3, February 2007.)

2. “No more than 20 students should be permitted in any writing class. Ideally, classes should be limited to 15. Students cannot learn to write without writing. In sections larger than 20, teachers cannot possibly give student writing the immediate and individual response necessary for growth and improvement.” (National Council of Teachers of English. “More than a Number: Why Class Size Matters.” http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/level/coll/107620.htm. 1999. Accessed 22 Apr 2008.)

3. Students improve their writing and their grasp of course material if they write regularly and receive feedback on their writing early in a term.

The Academic Senate approves the following Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) course criteria for the purpose of facilitating the initial transition to a new upper-division writing requirement. The Committee on Written English Proficiency (CWEP) will submit an assessment report on the GWAR courses and GWAR-course criteria to the Academic Senate no later than October 1st, 2011.

GWAR-course Criteria:

Criterion #1, Class Size: Courses satisfying the GWAR should have an enrollment of 20 students or fewer.

Criterion #2, Number of Pages/Words: The overall assignments for the course will include a minimum of 15 pages, meaning the equivalent of 4000 words, of formal writing that demonstrates upper-division written English proficiency within the given discipline.

Criterion #3, How Writing Will Affect the Final Grade: At least 60% of the grade in GWAR courses must be based on written assignments and take-home essay exams (e.g., exams designed to allow for revision), which are evaluated for both content and quality of writing.

Criterion #4, Revision of Assignments: GWAR courses must include substantive revision of major, graded, written assignments in response to feedback.

Criterion #5, Types of Assignments: GWAR courses should include a variety of writing assignments that are distributed throughout the semester, rather than concentrated at the end.

Criterion #6, In-class Attention to Writing: GWAR course syllabi should reflect significant class time devoted to instruction in writing conventions within the given discipline.

Criterion # 7, Number of Units: GWAR courses should be at least 3 units.

Approved by the Academic Senate, May 13, 2008.