Department of Basic Composition
ENGH 0890 Outcomes
Learning to write effectively is a complex task that requires lifelong practice, and our Basic Composition writing courses are seen as a step toward gaining the strategies necessary to engage in that practice. Therefore, the Basic Composition program at UVU supports certain outcomes for its students. These outcomes are divided into five main categories. Each category outlines the skills and knowledge students are expected to have acquired in that particular category when exiting from ENGH 0890.
Rhetorical Knowledge:
By the end of ENGH 890, students should be able to
- 1a. focus on specific rhetorical purposes for writing
- 1b. respond to the needs of different audiences
- 1c. respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations
- 1d. use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation
- 1e. adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality
- 1f. understand how writing situations shape reading and writing
- 1g. summarize, analyze and synthesize a variety of kinds of texts and multiple points of view
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing:
By the end of ENGH 0890 students should be able to
- 2a. work with demanding (primarily) nonfiction readings and learn to interpret, incorporate and evaluate those readings
- 2b. use writing and reading as ways of thinking through topics and ideas
- 2c. integrate their own ideas with those of others
Processes:
By the end of ENGH 0890 students should be able to
- 3a. interact with texts as they read and re-read, by underlining, taking notes and commenting in the margins, in order to arrive at a strong reading that supplies a starting point for writing
- 3b. actively participate in class discussions about reading and writing and use those discussions as brainstorming, invention or revision exercises
- 3c. be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text
- 3d. develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading
- 3e. understand writing as a process that permits writers to use later invention, re-thinking and feedback to revise their work
- 3f. engage in collaborative work at a variety of levels, including responding to their classmates’ work and learning how to supply effective peer review feedback
- 3g. use self-assessment and reflection to better understand their own composing practices
- 3h. learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of doing their part
- 3i. engage with instructor, peers and other members of the writer’s audience in order to better understand and meet their needs and goals as readers
Knowledge of Conventions:
By the end of ENGH 0890 students should be able to
- 4a. understand that different discourse communities have different strategies for conveying, researching and evaluating information
- 4b. understand and use common formats and organizational strategies for different kinds of texts
- 4c. understand genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone, sentence-level organization and style
- 4d. Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Composing in Electronic Environments:
By the end of ENGH 0890 students should be able to
- 5a. use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences
- 5b. use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts
- 5c. perform basic digital literacy tasks (e.g., word processing, formatting, emailing, attaching documents, etc.)
- 5d. understand and use the learning management system endorsed by the institution
By the end of ENGH 0890, student should be familiar with - 5e. select types of digital multimedia (e.g., basic HTML, WYSIWYG editors, slideshow presentations, interactive media, webpages, blogs, social networking media, audio-based media, etc.)
- 5f. a basic vocabulary of audio/aural-based and visual/film terminology
- 5g. a variety of file formats related to online and desktop publishing or the writing process