University Writing Program

On this page:

• About the University Writing Program
• Core First-Year Writing Courses
• Completing the First-Year Writing Requirement
• Core Writing Placement

About the University Writing Program

At Wright State University, our first-year writing courses are designed to help students learn and practice the skills required for becoming successful college writers. Every instructor who teaches in the University Writing Program is a dedicated professional who is committed to supporting student success. 

Each incoming student is required to take a first-year writing course, unless they have already received credit for ENG 1100 through CCP or are transferring credit from an accredited institution for a course equivalent to ENG 1100 (official transcripts should be sent to Wright State from your previous institution). 

Below we provide a description of our first-year writing courses and the University Writing Program’s placement process.

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Core First-Year Writing Courses

We offer three versions of our first-year writing course, giving students a range of options. All three courses are credit bearing and all three courses have the same learning outcomes. The key differences are the levels of supplemental support and instruction provided to students.

English 1100 is our 3-hour first-year writing course. 

English 1140 is our 4-hour first-year writing course.

ALP is our 6-hour first-year writing course. 

 

All three versions of our first-year writing course introduce students to principles of effective written communication and critical reading at the college level. Students are introduced to writing for different contexts with an emphasis on the differences between informal writing and formal, revised, research-based academic writing. Students are taught how to apply the writing process to plan a longer writing project, conduct college-level research, organize drafts, incorporate sources into their writing, give feedback to peer writers, receive feedback from peer writers, and refine their writing style for different audiences and purposes. 

ENG 1100, Academic Writing & Reading 

(3 semester credit hours)  

Assignments require students to conduct reading, writing, and revising at the college level with moderate-to-high levels of independence. Instructor help and additional support through the University Writing Center are readily available, but the expectation is that students in this course are working independently. 

If you think you might need more assistance and time with your writing, then ENG 1140 might be a better fit. 

ENG 1140, Intensive Academic Writing & Reading 

(4 semester credit hours) 

One additional hour of direct engagement with the instructor is built into this course. Instead of meeting for three hours each week, students in ENG 1140 meet with their instructor for four hours each week. The assignments and instruction are virtually the same as in ENG 1100, but students who take ENG 1140 have one hour of supplemental support and instruction to help them complete their work successfully.

If you think you might need more time and assistance with your writing than what is offered in ENG 1140, then consider ALP.  

ALP: ENG 1100 Academic Writing and Reading + DEV 0100 Foundations of College Writing 

(3 semester credit hours 3 hours of supplemental instruction that are non-credit bearing)

Wright State University’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) is a national leader in student success. ALP is a co-requisite program that allows students to take ENG 1100 alongside DEV 0100 to help them develop foundational reading and writing skills while building new abilities in critical reading, analysis, and evaluation skills as well as essential elements of academic writing. With ALP, students receive 3 additional hours of direct engagement with their instructor. Students spend 3 hours each week in ENG 1100 and have 3 hours of supplemental support and instruction to help them complete their work successfully.

The writing assignments and instruction are virtually the same as in ENG 1100 or ENG 1140; however, with ALP students also receive direct instruction, time to practice, and support in foundational student success skills. These include topics such as developing effective time management skills, understanding university resources, such as the Writing Center and peer mentors, and guided discussion about how university resources can help students in their first-year writing courses and beyond.

Completing the First-Year Writing Requirement

The University Writing Program strongly recommends that students complete their first-year writing course during their first semester. Our writing courses are crafted to help prepare students for writing across the curriculum in college. Research indicates that students who complete their first-year writing course in the first year of college are more successful—across the board, not just in that English course. 

Students must earn a grade of C or better in ENG 1100, 1140, or ALP before they can enroll in any of the second-year writing courses (ENG 2100, 2120, or 2140).

Core Writing Placement Process: Multiple Measures

We recognize that learning to write and developing as a writer are processes that happen over the course of an individual’s entire life. We also recognize that there are a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts for writing across a range of domains including personal, professional, and academic communities. The placement process we use in the University Writing Program reflects a recognition of these principles and is designed to guide students to the course that is best suited for helping them succeed in becoming a college-level writer. 

To accomplish this goal, we consider multiple factors in the placement process. We know that many students want to complete their first-year writing course as quickly and efficiently as possible by taking ENG 1100. Therefore, our placement process accepts the highest of any of the following criteria as acceptable for placement: HS GPA in the student’s admissions record, standardized test scores, the Wright State University writing placement level (WPL) after completing the online writing assessment process.

ENG 1100

The highest of any of the following measures can be used for placement in ENG 1100.

Name of measure	Score	Placement
High school GPA greater than or equal to	3.2	1100
WSU Writing Placement Level	50	1100
ACT	21	1100
SAT Evidence-based Reading/Writing	550	1100
SAT Writing & Language	28	1100
SAT Reading	27	1100
Write Placer (for CCP students only)	5	1100
Accuplacer Next Gen Reading (for CCP students only)	263	1100
Accuplacer Next Gen Writing (for CCP students only)	263	1100

ENG 1140

The highest of any of the following measures can be used for placement in ENG 1140.

Name of measure	Score	Placement
High school GPA	2.9-3.1	1140
WSU Writing Placement Level	20	1140
ACT	18-20	1140
SAT Evidence-based Reading/Writing	490-549	1140
SAT Writing & Language	26-27	1140
SAT Reading	25-26	1140
Write Placer (for CCP students only)	4	1140
Accuplacer Next Gen Reading (for CCP students only)	256-262	1140
Accuplacer Next Gen Writing (for CCP students only)	257-262	1140

ALP

Name of measure	Score	Placement
High school GPA below	2.9	ALP
WSU Writing Placement Level	10	ALP
ACT	17	ALP
SAT Evidence-based Reading/Writing	489	ALP
SAT Writing & Language	25	ALP
SAT Reading	24	ALP
Write Placer (for CCP students only)	3	ALP
Accuplacer Next Gen Reading (for CCP students only)	255	ALP
Accuplacer Next Gen Writing (for CCP students only)	~	ALP