Program participants are expected to attend all classes and complete daily homework. Small class size and student-teacher conferences provide opportunities for individual attention. A certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the program. The goal of this class is to help students develop writing skills needed to successfully complete university writing assignments. The skills that are practiced include editing, organizing, summarizing, paraphrasing, and using source material.
Students write a series of short papers and one longer analytical paper of approximately five pages.
In addition to class time, students meet with the instructor in individual conferences to evaluate and discuss their writing. Primary emphasis is placed on leading and participating in formal discussions as well as on developing appropriate language for asking questions, stating a point of view, responding to opposing viewpoints, and arguing a position. In addition, students work on developing fluency, enlarging speaking vocabulary, and fine-tuning spoken grammar. Skill areas covered include inferencing, critical analysis, predicting and evaluating points of view, and reading between the lines. Strategies for handling large reading loads, increasing reading speed, and acquiring vocabulary are also presented.