Guidelines for Students Wishing to Receive Writing-Intensive Credit for Courses Taken at Other Institutions
It is possible to receive writing-intensive credit for a course taken away from Wheaton, but finding an appropriate course and arranging for the credit takes care and thoughtful planning. Courses must meet the same criteria that Wheaton faculty members follow when creating a writing-intensive course here.
Decisions as to whether a non-Wheaton course meets the criteria will be made by the Director of College Writing in consultation with the Writing Committee. You are advised to complete the following steps:
a) Before taking a prospective writing-intensive course, you should confer with the Director of College Writing. Bring along a catalogue description and any other information about the course that is available to you. The Director of College Writing will help you assess the likelihood that the course will meet the Wheaton criteria.
b) After completing the course, submit to the Director the following materials: the catalogue description, a syllabus, and copies of writing assignments in the course. You should also provide a letter requesting writing-intensive transfer credit; in this letter you should describe the way in which the course you took meets the criteria listed below.
As these guidelines suggest, the mere quantity of writing does not make a course writing intensive. In fact, it might be better to call Wheaton's WI courses "writing-supportive," for what is distinctive about them is the support they provide in guiding students through the full process of writing, not the sheer amount of writing that is required.
If you have further questions about obtaining writing-intensive credit for a non-Wheaton course, please contact Lisa Lebduska, the Director of College Writing at 508-286-5429 or llebdusk@wheatonma.edu.
Both informal and formal writing
Most courses that include any writing already include formal writing. But it's also important that there be some informal writing--usually writing that does not receive a letter grade. Instructors may require students to keep journals or lab notebooks; they may ask students to do free-writing in class; or they may ask for prewriting in preparation for formal papers (e.g., proposals, progress reports, etc.).
Extensive writing
Students in writing-intensive courses are expected to write the equivalent of at least twenty pages (double-spaced), including both formal and informal writing. However, the page-length alone is not what's crucial; more important is the attention that the instructor pays to the student's writing process.
Frequent writing
Students not only need to write a substantial amount but need to write often. Frequent short writing assignments throughout the semester--whether unrelated or culminating in a final long paper--are generally more beneficial than one long paper due at the end. Students in a writing-intensive course will usually be expected to write three or more assignments during the semester, though these assignments may build toward a longer paper.
In-class instruction
Some class time should be devoted to instruction in writing, whether the instructor discusses discipline-specific writing skills, explains assignments and models of student writing, engages students in peer reviews of one another's writing, discusses how to take essay exams or how to write lab reports, addresses common strengths and weaknesses in students' writing, or discusses the writing found in the class readings. It would be helpful in evaluating this component of the proposed course if you marked your copy of the syllabus to show when such issues were addressed in class and about how much time was spent on such discussion.
Clear writing assignments
Since students write best when they have a full understanding of an assignment, instructors should usually supply written copies of the instructions for writing assignments.
Multiple drafts
All the students in the class must be required to write multiple drafts of at least one assignment. An instructor may engage the students in peer review of one another's drafts or may require students to turn in detailed proposals or early drafts to the instructor or a tutor for comment.
Individualized response to student writing
Instructors should provide students with individualized responses to their writing, whether through required conferences, tutoring, peer review, written comments, or some combination of these activities.