As a student in the Composition Program at CSU Channel Islands, you are most likely to complete your first year writing requirement successfully when the compass to chart that path lies in your own hands.
That’s why we practice Directed Self Placement, our alternative to the English Placement Test. You are far better equipped to assess your readiness for college level writing and research than any single, timed test. And simply making the choice for yourself whether to complete your writing requirement in one semester or two will play a significant role in your ability to do well in your chosen path.
When we are able to make decisions for ourselves, rather than having someone or something else making those decisions for us, this is called agency. Agency can feel both empowering and intimidating at the same time, especially for incoming college students who may not have had many occasions to make their own decisions in high school. Nonetheless, we know that students who make their own choices throughout the educational process are most likely to be invested in those choices and to succeed as a result.
Thus, deciding whether to enroll in our full year Stretch Composition Sequence (English 102 – English 103) or our accelerated one semester course (English 105) is the first of several opportunities you will be presented with in our program to steer your own course as an independent learner. This is not to say that you will be traveling solo, however. On the contrary, our entire program is designed to support and guide you through each step of the writing and research process.
Each composition class functions as a learning community, providing ongoing opportunities for classmates to work with, learn from, and provide feedback to one another. With 20 students in a class, each one plays an important role in cultivating a dynamic, engaging learning environment. Committing yourself to being an active, contributing participant in this learning community will increase your chances of success.
Our low faculty to student ratio also means you have the support of an instructor whose primary job is to help you develop the tools, strategies, and habits of an effective writer and researcher. That instructor is part of a team of faculty that is well versed both in the challenges that incoming students face with college writing and in our proven system for helping students meet those challenges.
The system works, and it works extremely well for students who take ownership of their own learning process. But what exactly does this mean?
