Northeastern Illinois University announced plans to alter its current graduation requirements within all fields of study. Beginning fall 2008 students will be required to complete a writing intensive course specific to their major. The three-credit course will serve to supplement the English Competency Exam, which faculty and administrators recognize as delinquent in preparing graduates for the workforce.
In 2004, Communications/Mass Media/Theater Chair Dr. Harold Hild constructed a task force to assess students’ writing abilities. After 18 months of research, the committee concluded that most students remain deficient in terminology specific to their discipline. Subsequently, a rubric was designed to focus on enhancing professional writing techniques specific to students’ majors with strong emphasis on generating and deconstructing reports and presentations.
The University of Florida and Georgia University were the first to introduce similar programs several years earlier. However, the compendium designed by Dr. Hild’s team has already drawn federal funding. Northeastern Illinois University recently received a Title V grant worth millions to help ignite the writing intensive course. Title V grants are reserved for colleges catering to large minority demographics which NEIU is well documented in servicing.
Dr. Hild believes the program will have an incendiary affect. “Our research revealed that if you work with a student’s writing ability, it increases their thinking ability.” The established rubric is amendable to each departments’ focus, allowing individual colleges the flexibility to dictate which elements will become mandatory within the course.
This program is intended to intercept declared juniors before they immerse themselves in their field. Furthermore, the faculty committee established a ceiling for enrollment at 25 students per class to provide instructors an opportunity to give students more personalized attention. Transfer students enrolling during fall 2008 will be the first to complete the program, and university officials have approved a six-year trial period before the writing intensive course is permanently adopted.