Reflection on College Writing
The Reflection on College Writing is a chance for you to make some decisions about your options for developing as a writer. You’ll receive an invitation to the online, asynchronous course in early June, and you can complete the activities in one sitting or over several days.
Keep in mind that the RCW is not a test or an evaluation. It is an exercise in self-placement. We’ll give you a few reading and writing activities that are representative of things you might do in your First-Year Writing classes. The whole RCW can take as little as 3-hours or more if you prefer to take your time. You will:
- Read a professional narrative (Assignment 1)
- Reflect on your understanding of the narrative and its rhetorical features (Survey 1)
- Respond to the narrative (Assignment 2)
- Reflect on your level of confidence in engaging with a text through writing (Survey 2)
- Explore your first-year writing class options (Assignment 3)
- Decide which first-year writing class to take (Survey 3)
You’ll notice that as you work through the activities, we prompt you to reflect on your comfort, understanding, and confidence as a reader and writer. At the end, you’ll decide for yourself if you think you’d be more successful in ENGL 1A (one semester) or Stretch ENGL 1AF/1AS (two semesters). The choice really is yours to make. And don’t worry—if you choose Stretch, you’ll get credit toward your degree for both classes, so it won’t put you behind.
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Note: The RCW is a prerequisite for enrolling in your First-Year Writing class, so you should complete it at least a couple of weeks before your Sparta Camp orientation appointment to ensure everything is clear before you try to register.
If you have questions before, during, or after completing the RCW, please call us at 408-942-2570 or email directedselfplacement@sjsu.edu.
