To uphold its commitment to the continuing development of students’ skills in written communication, CCC has designated courses as Writing-Process (WP) or Writing-in-Content-Areas (WCA) if those courses meet the following criteria.
Writing-Process (WP)
At least 60 percent of a student’s final grade must be determined from structured writing assignments: essays, research projects, technical and laboratory reports, etc. The assignments are designed to develop, reflect and reinforce writing expertise appropriate to college-level learning and thinking required in a particular discipline. Structured writing assignments must total at least 3,000 words throughout a semester.
All structured assignments are read and evaluated by the classroom instructor. Assignments are graded not solely on content, but also on aspects of writing skills: focus, structure, development, standard written English, etc. Assignments emphasize writing process, including planning, shaping, drafting, revising, proofreading and editing. A specific revision policy for enhancing and honing student writing skills is provided. Classroom time is devoted to topics directly related to writing in the discipline.
Writing-in-Content-Areas (WCA)
Thirty to 100 percent of a student’s final grade must be determined by writing: essays, essay examinations, technical and laboratory reports, observation reports, journals, concept illustrations (tie-ins), etc. The assignments are designed to evaluate, apply, reflect and reinforce course concepts. The writing should be appropriate to college-level learning and thinking required in a particular discipline. Structured writing assignments must total at least 1,500 words throughout a semester.
All structured assignments are read and evaluated by the classroom instructor. Assignments are graded mostly on content, coherence and standard written English