Department of Basic Composition
ENGH0990 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 0990.
Rhetorical Knowledge:
Rhetorical Knowledge:
- 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
- In addition, by the end of ENGH 0990 students should be able to
- 1h. create their own written arguments in conversation with other members of their discourse communities
- 1i. express a working knowledge of key writing features, such as audience, situation, and the use of appropriate argument strategies
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing:
By the end of ENGH 0990 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 In addition, by the end of ENGH 990 students should be able to
- 2d. understand a writing assignment as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources
Processes:
By the end of ENGH 0990 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 writers audience in order to better understand and meet their needs and goals as readers
Knowledge of Conventions:
By the end of ENGH 0990 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
- In addition, by the end of ENGH 990 students should be able to
- 4e. use at least one system of documentation responsibly
Composing in Electronic Environments:
By the end of ENGH 0990 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 Additionally, by the end of ENGH 990 students should be able to
- 5e. locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government databases); and informal electronic networks and internet sources By the end of ENGH 0990, student should be familiar with
- 5f. select types of digital multimedia (e.g., basic HTML, WYSIWYG editors, slideshow presentations, interactive media, webpages, blogs, social networking media, audio-based media, etc.)
- 5g. a basic vocabulary of audio/aural-based and visual/film terminology
- 5h. a variety of file formats related to online and desktop publishing or the writing process