Joint Composition + Oral Communication

Students will:

• research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details;
• demonstrate coherent college-level communication (written and oral) that informs, persuades, or otherwise engages with an audience; and
• demonstrate the ability to revise and improve written and oral communication.
• evaluate communication for substance, bias, and intended effect; and

• Composition courses require at least 20 pages of formal expository writing, which must count for at least 50 percent of the course grade.
• The course must include a longer paper of at least 7 pages or at least two papers of at least 5 pages.
• One paper of at least 5 pages must undergo a substantial revision process based on instructor feedback (not just peer feedback)
• Courses should be limited to 25 students, but additional can be requested
• Courses assignments must be in English
• Formal writing is understood to mean finished prose intended to communicate fully developed ideas in clear and well-organized English. Informal writing (such as free-writing and discussion board posts) is intended to help students develop ideas, reflect on course material, and communicate in a spontaneous and unstructured way. Informal writing, while encouraged as a useful exercise in C courses, does not count toward the 20-page formal writing requirement.
• One page is presumed to represent about 250 words, assuming 12-point type, double line spacing, and one-inch margins.
• Revised pages don't count: if students write a 5-page draft and a 7-page final paper, only the 7 pages count toward the 20. If students rework a short paper into a longer paper, only the longer paper counts toward the 20 pages.
• The Composition requirement focuses on expository writing, not fiction, poetry, plays, etc.
• Team or group papers cannot fulfill the requirement for the Composition unless the instructor demonstrates that each student completes the requirements for the Composition and that each student's contribution is individually evaluated.
• require that each student give at least 2 presentations.
• base at least 15% of the course grade on oral presentations, including critiques of such presentations and other listening skills.
• provide ample opportunity for students to critique presentations, based on criteria such as: rapport with audience; voice, projection, and audibility; clarity of purpose; originality of ideas; organization; persuasiveness of evidence; and ability to respond to questions.
• provide as much opportunity as possible for students to improve their oral presentations in response to feedback.
• should emphasize listening as well as speaking skills.

Written Composition Sample Rubrics from AAC&U

Oral Comminication Sample Rubrics from AAC&U