Writing Improvement Program
The ability to communicate effectively in writing is a fundamental skill for any college graduate, and is especially important for those whose careers involve human interaction, frequent report writing, and a high potential for graduate school attendance. The purpose of our writing assessment/remediation program is to assist students who have weaknesses in key aspects of writing skills to develop in those areas prior to graduation.
Student papers are assessed for these skills by the faculty member for the course as well as by at least one colleague, and a rating of 1 (unsatisfactory - remediation required), 2 (marginal - remediation suggested) or 3 (no remediation necessary - satisfactory or excellent) is assigned on four of the Clayton State University Writing Criteria: organization, format, punctuation, and sentence structure. Students assigned a rating of “1” by two or more faculty members are required to remediate in the Center for Academic Assistance by the end of the subsequent semester. If remediation and improvement in the targeted skills have not been accomplished by the time of the internship, the student is ineligible to participate in the internship until the remediation and writing improvement have been documented.
The following are the steps in the process for remediating students:
- The student receives the paper with rating sheets and a Center for Academic Assistance (CAA) Referral Form and a Student Information Form attached.
- The student fills out the Student Information Form and goes to the CAA in the lower library where a staff member uses this form to enter him or her into the “TutorTrac” system.
- A Communication Assistance staff member reviews the paper and referral form and prescribes a customized program of improvement for the student to follow.
- Once the student has completed the improvement program, the staff member notifies the faculty member who requested the remediation.
- The Psychology & Human Services faculty member updates the student’s record to note that the remediation has occurred.
- Faculty members for subsequent courses monitor the student’s progress to ensure that the remediation has been effective as evidenced by improved ratings on writing samples.
- Student progress is maintained on a password protected website.
Employers place a very high value on communication skills, and it is the faculty’s goal that each graduate will possess strong abilities in this area. This program is designed to be a constructive, positive, and beneficial approach to ensure that Psychology & Human Services graduates are the most effective communicators possible. Any of the Psychology & Human Services faculty will be happy to answer questions regarding the Writing Improvement Program.