Definition:
Writing is at the core of critical thinking and active learning. To foster the intellectual growth of students, writing must be incorporated beyond the level of Composition I. The second tier Writing Intensive competency encourages students to learn and think in ways that cannot be attained through other pedagogical patterns. It requires targeted instruction to allow students to learn more about the subject matter through writing and to learn how to improve their writing. The writing intensive competency must also involve research and a process of revision.

Outcomes:
Upon completion of the Tier II Writing Intensive Competency, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate writing as a process that is guided by revision in response to writing instruction and instructor feedback on multiple projects;
• Apply formal and informal writing strategies to develop an understanding of course content;
• Demonstrate the ability to locate, analyze, synthesize, incorporate, and attribute primary and secondary sources according to rhetorical conventions as appropriate to the discipline;
• Produce a minimum of 6,000 words of writing over the semester, of which at least 4,000 words are edited, polished prose according to the conventions of Standard American English; and
• Produce several writing projects, including one project of at least 1,500 words that develops and sustains a source-supported argument and requires revision.