CRITERIA FOR “W” DESIGNATION

The purpose of the “W” designation for courses in Areas II, III, IV, and V is to assure that students are able to demonstrate satisfactory writing skills through their application in certain designated courses.  Achievement of satisfactory writing skills must be clearly articulated as a central objective of any course with the “W” designation, along with other measured outcomes related to the subject matter itself.  Such courses must provide students with opportunities to improve their ability to express themselves in writing, along with standards for evaluating achievement of satisfactory writing skills. 

As part of their Liberal Studies writing requirements, students are required to complete four “W” courses from Areas II, III, IV and V, as well as the English composition requirement for Area II. The total number of required written words for each of the two courses in Liberal Studies Area II (English composition) will be 6,000, while courses in Areas III, IV, and V will require 3,000 words. The two required Area II English composition courses as well as two of the Area III, IV, or V courses designated by a “W” will also be used to satisfy the requirements of FAC Rule 6A-10.030 (the Gordon Rule).  A minimum final course grade of C minus (C-) is necessary in all “W” courses in order to receive Gordon Rule and/or Liberal Studies credit. 

To receive approval from the Undergraduate Policy Committee for “W” designation in Area II, III, IV, or V, courses must meet the following two criteria:

• Be approved by the UPC and the Faculty Senate as a Liberal Studies course;
• Include content in the syllabus as follows:
  • A statement about writing skills as a part of the course description
  • At least one course objective that specifies satisfactory writing as a measurable learning outcome
  • Descriptions of graded assignments that total a minimum of 3,000 words, (6,000 words for Area II, English Composition), excluding in-class exams or other assignments for which students do not receive feedback on the quality of their writing
  • Descriptions of ways in which students will receive feedback on their writing in order to improve their performance in subsequent assignments
  • A grading rubric that provides indicators of standards for satisfactory written work
  • The following grading statement incorporated in the syllabus:  In order to fulfill FSU’s Gordon Rule “W” Designation (writing) credit, the student must earn a “C-” or better in the course, and in order to receive a “C-” or better in the course, the student must earn at least a “C-” on the required writing assignments for the course. If the student does not earn a “C-” or better on the required writing assignments for the course, the student will not earn an overall grade of “C-” or better in the course, no matter how well the student performs in the remaining portion of the course. 

A department requesting the “W” designation for a Liberal Studies course in Areas II, III, IV, or V should do the following:

• Complete the Liberal Studies/Gordon Rule forms with appropriate signature(s);
• Submit a letter (if necessary) to the UPC showing justification for the request;
• Submit a current syllabus that includes the information specified in #2 above.

Forward the Liberal Studies/Gordon Rule form in hard copy to the Undergraduate Policy Committee, A-3400 University Center, Mail Code 2360.  The letter and syllabus must be submitted electronically to Cheryl Oakley, Secretary of the UPC, at coakley@admin.fsu.edu.  Requests will be placed on an agenda for a UPC meeting as soon as possible.  The UPC meets monthly. 

The Faculty Senate must also approve all requests for Liberal Studies/Gordon Rule.  Please allow at least 2-4 months from the time your request is received to meet UPC and Faculty Senate meeting schedules. 

Revised 3/07