Written Communication

Completing the Written Communication Requirement

The policy

Students must complete, first, ENG 1010 OR both ENG 1008 and ENG 1009, and then ENG 1020 (or the Honors Program version, ENG 1021) as a requirement for graduation from MSU Denver. Together, these courses are known as the Written Communication (WC) requirement. For many majors completing this requirement is a prerequisite for course work in the major. Consequently, students must complete both ENG 1010 (or ENG 1008 and ENG 1009) within their first 30 hours completed and ENG 1020 within their first 45 hours.

Students who get to 30 hours and haven't completed the first course of the WC requirement receive a hold, and this tutorial is how that hold is removed.

Students who get beyond this point and haven't finished the first course--that is, if the hold hasn't convinced you to complete the requirement--we may implement a range of consequences, such as requiring an in-person meeting with your advisor, pre-registering you for a course that completes or moves you toward completing the requirement, or even allowing you to register ONLY for a course that fulfills this requirement.

(Quiz alert: the material above is covered on the quiz.)

See the General Studies section of the catalog for the complete policy.

The Scoop

Without this policy in place, we were seeing students not completing this requirement until well after the first year, which is when we intended for students to take the courses. While not as many students put off finishing this requirement as put off finishing Quantitative Literacy, for example, delaying this was having several significant negative effects, including students not being as prepared for writing challenges in other General Studies and major courses and having their graduation delayed because they put off completing the requirement into the senior year.

Think of the hold and this tutorial as a not-so-suble way of getting your attention.We know you have a lot of other things competing for your attention, and sometimes even important things can get lost. The other consequence may sound harsh--and they are--but our experience is that students who get to the end of their degree and this still hasn't been completed are in a MUCH worse situation, so we would rather employ some tough love now. And we do realize that allowing you to register ONLY for a Written Communication class, should you get to that point, could have serious implications for you. That could really mess up your financial aid, veteran's or military benefits, students visa status, or anything that requires you to be enrolled in more than one class. This is a big deal, and we want you to know it's a big deal.

Becoming College-Ready in Written Communication

In order to succeed in college-level writing courses, students need adequate preparation. Test scores are the most common way to show this preparation, and the University accepts ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer scores as demonstrating readiness for ENG 1010 (or for ENG 1008), the first course in the two-course Written Communication composition sequence. Remedial course work from a community college can also be used to prepare for college-level Written Communication composition courses. If you have the remedial English hold, it means that you don’t have an adequate test score or the appropriate community college remedial courses.

How can students become eligible for ENG 1010?

1. Enter MSU Denver with an ACT English score of 18 or higher
2. Enter MSU Denver with an SAT Reading score of 440 or higher
3. Take the Accuplacer test, which can be at the MSU Denver Assessment and Testing Center
   1. Achieve a 95 score or higher on the Sentence Skills exam (eligible for ENG 1010)
   2. Earn a score of 80-94 on the Sentence Skills exam and a passing score on the English Secondary Essay Assessment (ESEA) (eligible for ENG 1010 with Supplemental Academic Instruction)
   3. Achieve a score of 65-89 on the Sentence Skills exam and a passing score on the English Secondary Essay Assessment (ESEA)(eligible for ENG 1008)
   4. If you receive a lower score lower than 65 on the Accuplacer, then you must take, depending on the score, remedial courses (Basic Skills courses) at a community college.

Are there other ways of completing the ENG 1010 requirement?

Yes, there are three primary method for completing this requirement (in addition to taking ENG 1010 or ENG 1008/1009 at MSU Denver, of course):

1. Transfer in credit earned from the IB English A-1 Higher Level exam or the AP English Composition and Literature exam or AP English Language and Composition exam
2. Earn the appropriate minimum score on the CLEP College Composition exam
3. Transfer in credit earned from a course equivalent to ENG 1010 from another institution, such as ENG 121 in the Colorado Community College System. See the State of Colorado Guaranteed Transfer (gtPathways) program for more information

How do students become eligible for ENG 1020?

1. Complete ENG 1010 or ENG 1009 with a grade of C- at MSU Denver
2. Transfer in a completed equivalent course/credit from another college (see above)

I have low English test scores. Why not just put off taking my Written Communication composition courses?

• Students must complete the Written Communication composition two-course sequence in their first 30 hours at MSU Denver. Eventually you will be prohibited from taking any courses other than Written Communication if you don't take and pass both Written Communication composition courses.
• The Written Communication composition courses will help you in other college courses that require writing, so completing the courses early in your college career just makes sense.
• The Written Communication composition sequence must be completed in order to take courses in many majors.
  • For example, Business Core courses require the completion of ENG 1010 and ENG 1020

I qualify to take ENG 1008/1009, ENG 1010, or ENG 1020, but I think I could use more help for my writing.

The University’s Writing Center is available for all students of the University in any courses they may be taking. They welcome students from Written Communication composition courses, too. Please consult the Writing Center website for the sort of help you can expect to receive.

What do I do next?

• Click Quiz - Written Communication on the left-hand menu
• The quiz covers the material you have just been reading
• You can refer back to this material as you take the quiz
• You have to get all 5 question right in order to pass the quiz
• If necessary, you can take the quiz up to 4 times
• After passing the quiz
  • You will take a brief survey
  • Then you will fill out a form with your Student ID (your entire 900 number, with no spaces or dashes) and MSU Denver (ConnectU) user name
  • The hold comes off when this last step is complete, the form is submitted, and you see the image below!
  • If you have both the Written Communication (W1) and English Remedial (ER) holds, you will have two forms to fill out, one for each hold

If you also have the English Remedial (ER) hold

Why do some students have a remedial English hold?

In order to succeed in college-level writing courses, students need adequate preparation. Test scores are the most common way to show this preparation, and the University accepts ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer scores as demonstrating readiness for ENG 1010 or ENG 1008. Remedial course work from a community college can also be used to prepare for college-level English composition courses. If you have the remedial English hold, it means that you don't have an adequate test score or the appropriate community college remedial courses.

Which course do I register for?

How do I find my placement exam score?

If you have already taken the placement exam, but you do not remember what score you received or what basic skills class you need to complete, there are several ways you can find your score:

1. Look up the score in ConnectU:
   1. Login to ConnectU
   2. Click on My Services/Registration Tab
   3. Click on My Services / Registration link
   4. Click Orientation and Assessment Testing Menu link
   5. Click the Get Your Test Results link
2. Refer to the results sheet you were given, with your exam score and which course you should take (if you still have it, of course)
3. Contact the Assessment and Testing Center

How do I register for ENG 1008/1009?

1. Contact the English Department, King Center 402 or 303-556-3211
2. After talking with a faculty advisor in the department to determine whether the course is appropriate, you will sign an agreement so that you are clear that both 1008 and 1009 are required

How do I register for Basic Skills classes?

Although you may take any of the Basic Skills courses at any community college, most students choose to take them at Community College of Denver (CCD) because you can register for them as a MSU Denver student. This is generally easier, as you will be using the same registration system, ConnectU, to register for all your classes. You also would not need to apply for admissions to the community college. And for students receiving financial aid, enrolling in Basic Skills classes as a MSU Denver student generally allows these classes to count toward your financial aid hours, except for any course at the 030 level--see more information on Financial Aid issues for 030 courss and our recommended options.. Also see information about financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress for important limitations for.) To enroll in CCD Basic Skills classes in Math, follow the directions below.

Registering for the Basic Skills English Course

1. In the Subject box, select CCD English (not just English--alphabetized with the Cs)
2. In the Course Number box, type the course number you need to add (030, 060, 090).
   1. It isn't required to add the course number, but because there tend to be many sections of these courses, it will make it easier to find the right sections for you
3. Click the Class Search button
4. Once you find an open section that works for you, check the box
5. Click the Register button
6. Make sure you look to make sure there are no errors and that you registered for the time and day you intended