Leeward CC offers a substantial number of writing-intensive (WI) courses each semester. Faculty interested in teaching a WI course at Leeward must submit a WI course proposal form, along with a course syllabus. Writing-Intensive courses are capped at 20 students to afford a greater opportunity for student-instructor interaction. Students in these classes are required to produce a minimum of 4000 words of writing, 1000 words of which must be in the form of formal writing. Formal writing, unlike informal writing, requires individual instructor feedback and revision. Writing assignments, not including in-class exams and drafts, must make up at least forty percent (40%) of each student’s course grade. Instructors will be responsible for ensuring that each student meets the required word count in order to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement, particularly in cases in which students do not submit formal and/or informal writing assignments or do not adhere to word counts for these assignments.
Writing Intensive courses also cannot have a Foundations designation. For more information, go to the Writing-Intensive Hallmarks [new window] and Proposing a WI Course [new window] links.
A Writing-Intensive designation is effective for four years from the original approval date. As an example, if a course is approved in Spring 2021, the instructor would need to submit a renewal in Spring 2025. After that period, if the instructor wants to continue offering the course as WI, he or she needs to submit another WI course proposal form for Writing-Intensive Focus Board review to ensure that the course still meets WI guidelines. WI course renewals will also be effective for four years.
At Leeward CC, WI designations are granted for the course taught by the instructor submitting the proposal; if another instructor wishes to teach the same course as WI, he or she is required to submit a proposal for it.
The prerequisite for Leeward CC writing-intensive courses is the completion of English 100 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.
For ENG 100 students, receiving a D grade signifies minimal passing achievement and students receive three credits for ENG 100 when a D grade is earned; however, if ENG 100 is a prerequisite for other courses at Leeward CC, including those designated as Writing Intensive (WI), students must earn a grade of C or better in ENG 100 in order to meet that prerequisite.
Leeward CC's Associate of Arts degree requires that students successfully complete five Focus courses, two of which must be writing-intensive. The following statement appears in the Leeward Community College General Catalog [new window] :
Because writing helps students both to learn and to communicate, Leeward Community College requires students to take two writing intensive courses. Small writing intensive classes, in which instructors work with students on writing related to course topics, are offered in various disciplines. Students need to satisfy the Written Communication “FW” requirement with a grade of C or better before they enroll in writing intensive courses. Approved sections are identified in the College’s Class Availability with a “WI”; offerings vary each semester.