Definition:
Three tiers of the writing competency allow students to develop their writing ability through continued practice. Tier 1 (Composition I or its equivalent) focuses on writing as a process and as a method of learning; on understanding and using various rhetorical strategies in writing; and on organization, audience, tone, voice, and the conventions of Standard American English and academic documentation. Tier II continues to support the Tier I outcomes and further emphasizes targeted instruction and strategies for research-based writing and revision. As the culminating writing experience, Tier III focuses on a discipline-specific synthesis of the skills acquired in the earlier tiers.

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

• Design, propose, sustain, and write a source-supported project on a topic that is appropriate to the discipline;
• Incorporate instructor feedback into professional-quality writing in genres that are most relevant to the discipline;
• Apply specialized conventions of writing within the discipline, including grammar, mechanics, diction, syntax, format, source attribution, and specific languages.