College of Liberal Arts: Department of English: Composition Program: Policies

What to Expect in a Portfolio Class (Whether 1113 or 1213):

Some composition courses at UCO use a portfolio system to evaluate your work. A portfolio is simply a collection of your work that you submit for a grade. This system allows for multi‐ ple revisions to your work before submitting it for a final grade. If you are taking one of these courses, your instructor will tell you on the first day of class. Below you will find the typical cycle of an essay written for a portfolio‐based course.

The Life Cycle of an Essay:

1. A paper is assigned
2. Students write a rough draft of the paper
3. Instructors conference over or workshop the draft
4. Students revise the draft, taking into consideration suggestions made during conferences and workshops
5. Students turn in the revised paper with its drafts
6. Instructors evaluate the paper based on criteria established in the class (no letter grades are assigned at this point)
7. Instructors hand the paper back with the evaluation attached
8. Students continue to revise the paper based on the evaluation
9. If students want their instructor to look at more drafts, they must attend instructor's office hours
10. When students feel the draft is finished, they put the final version and all its drafts into the portfolio (either an actual folder or binder or a virtual one)
11. Students turn in the portfolio at midterm and at the end of the class to be graded

12. The portfolios are graded using the same criteria as the evaluative draft, but for the portfolio one holistic letter grade will be assigned

What to Expect in ENG 1113:

English 1113, English Composition, will focus on developing the following aspects of written English:

• Writing processes (e.g., invention, prewriting, composing, revision, editing)
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Connecting writing processes to analytical thinking
• Fully developing a complex idea
• Looking at the familiar in a new way (defamiliarization)
• Having something to say that is worth reading
• Revision as integral to producing good writing
• The thesis driven essay
• Writing with a purpose for a specific audience
• An awareness of differing genres of writing
• Effective organization of ideas
• Correct standard written English
• Conventions of quotation use and source documentation
• Some discussion of stylistic finesse

• Self‐assessment of student writing

English 1113 will not focus on the following:

• Intensive research
• The long paper
• Argument (unless in analyzing others' arguments)
• Literary appreciation or tests over literary terms
• Emotional expression in every assignment
• The modes of discourse (compare & contrast essay, informative essay, descriptive essay, etc.)

• A particular content area beyond issues of writing

Coursework:

In a typical section of ENG 1113, students may expect to encounter some or all of the following assignments:

• Four papers totaling 5,000 - 6,000 words
• A midterm portfolio (the first two essays and a reflective cover essay)
• A final portfolio (three essays and a reflective cover essay)
• Assigned readings from the textbook and elsewhere
• Journals
• Quizzes
• Oral presentations
• Graded in‐class writing
• Graded out‐of‐class homework assignments

• Various forms of class participation

What to Expect in ENG 1213:

ENG 1213, English Composition and Research, has two main goals: 1) to teach you how to write convincing arguments, and 2) to introduce you to the conventions of academic research. ENG 1213 will continue with the foci of ENG 1113 and will add the following:

• An introduction to various structures of argument
• Writing arguments for several different purposes
• The conventions of researched academic writing
• The use of primary and secondary sources in every major paper
• Exposure to a variety of source materials, including but not limited to subscription databases, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, books, periodicals on micro‐ fiche, film, websites, interviews, and broadcast media.
• MLA documentation style
• Writing longer papers (7‐10 pages)
• Inquiry‐based learning-giving you the opportunity to find out the answers to questions about a content area
• The chance to explore a topic before committing to a particular stance about it

• The chance to explore an aspect of a content area in depth

Coursework:

In a typical section of ENG 1213, you should expect to encounter some or all of the following:

• Three major papers that range in lengths from 1200 to 2000 words
• A Midterm Portfolio, consisting of the first two essays and a reflective cover essay OR the first essay and some collection of shorter writings, e.g., research proposal, annotated bibliography, etc.
• A Final Portfolio, consisting of all three essays, a reflective cover essay, and any supplemental writing the instructor wishes to require one paper that is significantly longer than the others (at least eight to ten pages)
• Assigned readings from the textbooks and elsewhere
• Journals
• Quizzes
• Oral presentations
• Graded in‐class writing
• Annotated bibliography

• Research proposal

Other Things to Expect in ENG 1113 and 1213:

• Students may be required to attend at least one and no more than four individual conferences in order to discuss their work. Instructors may cancel classes in order to do this.
• Students will be provided a way to give each other feedback about their writing. This may be done via in‐class workshop, peer review, or online discussion board.
• No essays without rough drafts will be accepted for evaluation in the portfolios. No brand new essays (not previously seen by an instructor) even with rough drafts will be accepted for evaluation in the portfolio. So instructors must have seen a rough draft of an essay at some point earlier in the semester before that essay can appear in the portfolio.
• In order to pass the class, all major work for the course must be turned in.