The �Seminar in Thinking and Writing� (STW) course is being redesigned and will have more of an emphasis on writing skills, persuasive writing, and the stages of writing.
�This is for the better. Incoming freshman will have more structure as to what the university wants in the portfolio, and how to write papers that are organized correctly,� said Stephanie Kattera, a senior.
The course will also be only one semester long. Instead of taking two STW courses, incoming students will be required to take a �Basic Composition� course before their STW course.
By Kayla Sawyer,
Staff Writer
The �Seminar in Thinking and Writing� (STW) course is being redesigned and will have more of an emphasis on writing skills, persuasive writing, and the stages of writing.
�This is for the better. Incoming freshman will have more structure as to what the university wants in the portfolio, and how to write papers that are organized correctly,� said Stephanie Kattera, a senior.
The course will also be only one semester long. Instead of taking two STW courses, incoming students will be required to take a �Basic Composition� course before their STW course.
The �Basic Composition� course will feature grammar tutorials personalized to match each student’s needs.
According to Laura Patterson, chair of the STW board, some of the work in the Basic Composition course will be online and most of the classes will be in computer labs. The STW course will be focused on a more unified set of research skills, which will lead to an eight- to 10-page research paper.
�It will be so much easier for incoming freshman next year,� said Amanda Clontz, a freshman. �If we had spent half the semester working on basic writing skills, we could have spent the rest writing better papers.�
�I don’tfeel a basic composition course should be necessary for everyone,� said Sarah Slates, a freshman.
Though the entrance exam will be eliminated, a student may be able to score out of the �Basic Composition� course if a high enough score is received on the SAT writing test.
The change is predicted to help students advance as they move forward in the curriculum. Both courses will have an emphasis on students developing critical thinking and writing abilities, according to Mary Ann Gawelek, dean of academic affairs.
The Resident Teaching Assistant (RTA) position will also be eliminated from the STW course, and will instead be primarily in the �Connections� course. RTAs will focus on both the academic and social adjustment and integration of first-year students, Gawelek said.
�I feel RTAs are needed more in Connections than Thinking and Writing,� said Kattera. �The Thinking and Writing class is primarily discussions, whereas Connections help the students in all areas of the university.�
�An RTA may be a more appropriate source to walk students through things like the registration process,� said Gawelek. �This is a long-term advantage for RTAs and I�m hoping this shift will have them feel like they�re being better used.�
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