Loyola University Chicago

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Writing Placement Assessment

Depending on your evaluation you may place into one of the following:

English 100 (Developmental Writing) is a writing course that provides instruction in fundamental composition skills to prepare students for UCWR 110. In English 100, students will be introduced to the foundational skills of summary, synthesis, and analysis. The course also emphasizes mastery of grammar, usage, and punctuation. The course also offers extensive practice in all stages of the writing process: invention, drafting, peer editing, and revision.

TENTATIVE: ESL Testing is a test of English language proficiency for English Language Learning Program. This test will help students determine if the student should take ENGL 103 (Basic Writing) or an English as a Second Language (ESL) course to prepare them for UCWR 110. It is an in-person test. If your placement is ESL Testing, please contact the English Language Learners program at 773.508.3880 or esl@luc.edu to schedule a time to take the test.

UCWR 109 (Writing Responsibly Writing Lab) is a workshop-based lab course that supports the academic writing and skills students develop in the core UCWR 110: Writing Responsibly class. The UCWR 109: Writing Responsibly Writing Lab is a co-requisite course providing further individualized instruction on the content, skills, and assignments in the core course including the steps of brainstorming, drafting, peer review, revision and final editing. Students will further develop skills in summary, analysis, synthesis and research strategies in the context and support of the essays they are writing for their UCWR 110 course through in-class lab work and individual conferences with the professor. If a student places into UCWR 109/110, they will register for both classes concurrently.

UCWR 110 (The Core Writing Seminar) aims to teach students to write clearly and effectively, through the steps of brainstorming, peer review, revision and final editing. Students will learn to articulate, organize, and support written positions. They will also learn how to read texts carefully and critically, and to recognize how various perspectives inform interpretations of texts. Students will see the importance of reading, writing, listening, and speaking well. In addition, by collaborating with others, as well as seeing the value of revision and the recursive nature of the writing process, students will be better prepared for classes across the Loyola curriculum. The course will promote grammatical, compositional, methodological, and rhetorical skills in the service of effective communication. As a result, the course will have at least four writing assignments that add up to at least 30 pages of writing over the semester.

Papers for UCWR 110 will include: 1) a summary/response essay, 2) an analysis essay, 3) an argument/synthesis essay, and 4) a researched argument project (which will include a proposal, an argument in brief, and an annotated bibliography). These assignments will receive timely feedback from instructors with the goal of effective revision by students. An instructor may use peer input for the process of revision, but such input will not replace input from the instructor.

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