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Analytical Writing Program Analytical Writing Program
  1. AWP
  2. Policies

Program Policies

Diversity

The Analytical Writing courses are populated by a diverse student community. We celebrate our students’ differences and are interested in helping our students discover how these differences contribute to their intellectual lives. We also insist that these differences are treated with respect. No one can learn in an environment in which he or she is not comfortable. If you feel that you have been disrespected in the classroom by a peer, alert your instructor. If you believe that an instructor has treated you unfairly, see the director of the program. In turn, if you think you might have inadvertently been disrespectful to a peer, talk it over with your instructor, who can help you rectify your mistake.

Academic Integrity

By participating in the Analytical Writing course, you are declaring that you will do your own work. According to the UC San Diego Policy on Integrity of Scholarship, you shall not “engage in any activity that involves attempting to receive a grade by means other than honest effort.” According to the policy, you are not allowed to:

  • Complete, in part or in total, any assignment for another person;
  • Have any of your course work be completed, in part or in total, by someone else;
  • Plagiarize or copy even part of the work of another person or source and submit it as your own work;
  • Employ aids excluded by the instructor in completing any assignment;
  • Alter graded class assignments, then resubmit them for re-grading;
  • Submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization; and
  • Misrepresent, to your instructor, any aspect of your writing process, or any reasons for your absences or late work. Lying to your instructor for any reason is a violation of the university’s academic integrity policy. Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to your work and to your behavior in this class.

Doing your own work is essential so that your instructor can assess your writing challenges and help you address them. Students may not use unauthorized aids, sources, or websites of any kind. Students also may not get inappropriate help, which includes having others write or edit your papers for you. If you haven’t done your own work, your instructor is likely to see that there is a discrepancy between your out-of-class written work and the writing we ask you to do “on the spot” in class. Should your instructor have reason to believe that you are getting inappropriate help, you may be charged with violating the university’s academic integrity policy, and your portfolio might fail. Be careful when you are using sources: if you patchwrite (paraphrase sloppily) or aren’t careful about citing the sources you are drawing from, you could be charged with academic dishonesty, even if you did not intend to plagiarize. If you have any questions about how to complete this particular course with integrity, please ask your instructor.

Deferment

The Analytical Writing Program will make every effort to accommodate students when they first enroll at UC San Diego. However, in those instances where the number of students exceeds the available number of seats, it will be necessary to defer enrollment for some students. Students who cannot enroll due to sections being full must contact the AWP program coordinator, who will attempt to help them find an available seat. If there are available seats in our courses, students must sign up or forfeit a quarter of eligibility. If no seats are available, the program will defer enrollment for these students. Students whose enrollment has been deferred will not lose a quarter of eligibility.

Quarters of Eligibility

Students must receive a C or higher in AWP 3 or 4B to fulfill ELWR.

Students placed in AWP 3 will have up to three consecutive quarters to complete the ELWR. Each quarter in which students are enrolled in classes, whether they enroll in AWP or not, counts as a quarter of ELWR eligibility. Students who do not successfully complete AWP 3 within the first three quarters will be prohibited from further enrollment at UC San Diego.

Students placed in AWP 4A will have up to five consecutive quarters to complete the ELWR, whether they enroll in AWP courses or not. Students who take AWP 4A and AWP 4B in the first two quarters and do not pass can enroll in AWP 3 for up to three subsequent quarters. 

Students who do not successfully complete 4A within the first three quarters will be prohibited from further enrollment at UC San Diego. Exceptions for one additional quarter may be made for students who were deferred, have taken 4A at least once, and have extenuating circumstances.

Course Credits

In May 2020, UC San Diego’s Academic Senate approved a change that allows UCSD to offer full baccalaureate credit for courses that fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Unlike AWP 1, 2A, and 2B, students will receive full credit for AWP 3, 4A, and 4B that will count towards their GPA and their graduation units. This change brings UCSD in line with the other UC campuses, supports student progress towards degree completion, and recognizes the meaningful writing instruction that students encounter in these courses.

GPA

Students must receive a C or higher in AWP 3 or 4B to fulfill ELWR. Students are not allowed to repeat AWP 4B once they have completed it. If they do not pass AWP 4B with a C or higher, they must enroll in AWP 3. If they do not pass AWP 3 with a C or higher, they must repeat AWP 3. Generally, students are not allowed to repeat a course if they receive a C-. However, because the University of California requires students to earn a C or higher to fulfill ELWR, they must repeat AWP 3 if they receive a C- or lower. They can take AWP 3 a maximum of 3 times.

Once they receive a C or higher in either AWP 3 or AWP 4B, that course will fulfill ELWR and that grade will factor into the student’s GPA. This grade will override previous attempts at AWP 3 and AWP 4B. In other words, while the course will affect their GPA until they retake it, the final course that they pass with a C or higher will be the only one that is calculated into the final GPA. The only exception to this is if a student is found responsible for academic dishonesty; in this case, both the grade from the initial course in which they are found responsible for academic dishonesty and the repeated course grade will be calculated into the GPA. Regardless of whether the grades factor into students’ GPA, all grades received will appear on their official transcripts,

Course Repeat

Courses completed by students to satisfy ELWR are exempt from the general rule for repeating coursework. Repeating AWP 3 and 4A will not count against the 16 units of allowable repeats.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. We do not differentiate excused and unexcused absences. We expect students to attend all classes and to schedule other meetings and appointments during non-class times. We do know that emergencies arise, so we allow students two absences during the quarter. Missing a class counts as one full absence. Arriving late, missing a conference, or missing a mentor meeting each count as 1/2 absence. Missed mentor meetings cannot be rescheduled. Missed conferences may be rescheduled at the discretion of the instructor. If you exceed the equivalent of two absences, your instructor can ask you to withdraw or risk failing the course.

Late Papers

All papers, including drafts and the smaller assignments leading up to them, must be turned in by the deadline. Late papers can severely affect your progress in the course and will affect your final course grade. If your paper is not complete, come to class and explain why to your instructor. Late submissions may result in a failing course grade. Moreover, because the portfolio readers will take into consideration all drafts of your work as they determine whether or not you are ready for college writing courses, completing work on time and allowing time for revision are both important to your progress. If you have extenuating circumstances, discuss them with your instructor well in advance and see what sort of accommodation might be made. Do note that fabricating an excuse to turn in a late assignment is a violation of the university’s academic integrity policy and could result in sanctions.

Grading

To fulfill the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement, AWP 3 and AWP 4B must be taken for a letter grade. However, your assignments and final papers will not receive letter grades. Instead, you will receive written commentary on how well your papers demonstrate your ability to meet the course’s nine objectives. You will learn to assess your own work according to the same criteria. The final portfolio project will be assessed by your instructor and at least one other instructor, also using these criteria, in order to determine whether or not you will pass. Portfolios that demonstrate competency in the nine objectives will be passed with a grade of C or above. If your portfolio passes, you will be able to enroll in your College Writing courses—provided that you have also met the attendance policy and that you have been a conscientious student and peer. If your portfolio demonstrates that you are not ready for College Writing courses, you will receive a grade of C- or lower for the course. You will then need to re-enroll in AWP 3. The criteria for determining your final course grade are more fully articulated in the course syllabi.

Appeals

WPP and portfolio results cannot be appealed except in the rare case that a student has been discriminated against. Any appeal regarding the portfolio assessment must follow the regulations as articulated by the university. For more information, see how to appeal a grade.

Re-Enrollment Challenge Portfolio

In order to re-enroll at the university after having been prohibited from further enrollment for not satisfying ELWR in the allotted time, students will have to do the following:

Students who have completed at least one AWP class must:

  1. Pass a COPE-approved composition course, with a C or better, and
  2. Submit a portfolio that consists of:
    1. The graded written work completed in the aforementioned course
    2. An essay from the student’s most recent AWP course, as well as a reflection on how that essay does or does not meet the nine objectives of the Analytical Writing Program
    3. A short essay written on site and monitored by an instructor from the Analytical Writing Program (when it is not possible for the student to be on-campus, the process can be monitored via Zoom*)

Students who have either not taken a writing placement exam or who have taken the writing placement exam but failed to complete at least one AWP class must:

  1. Pass a COPE-approved composition course, with a C or better, and
  2. Submit a portfolio that consists of:
    1. The graded written work completed in the aforementioned course
    2. An essay assigned by the Analytical Writing Program, based on a selection of readings provided by the Analytical Writing program, along with a reflection on how that essay does or does not meet the nine objectives of the Analytical Writing Program
    3. An essay written on site and monitored by an instructor from the Analytical Writing Program (when it is not possible for the student to be on-campus, the process can be monitored via Zoom*)

*In order to ensure the integrity of this process, students will be asked to complete the “in-person” writing via Zoom with their camera on and follow the instructions provided by the monitor. 

Portfolio Assessment Process:

Completed portfolios will be reviewed by a committee comprised of two readers: a representative of the Analytical Writing Program (either the Director or the Associate Director) and a representative of the College Writing Program that the student plans to enroll in (either the Director or Assistant Director). The two readers must agree. If the result is a pass, the ELWR is satisfied and the student is able to enroll in College Writing the next time it is offered. If a student’s portfolio does not pass, the student will be required to complete an additional COPE-approved composition course with a C or better and to submit a new portfolio, as outlined above. Students may only submit a new portfolio once a year. 

Portfolio Assessment Timeline:

The re-enrollment process must be completed during the regular academic year. No portfolios will be reviewed during summer. For example, if you wish to return in the fall quarter, you must have completed a COPE-approved composition course with a C or better and initiate the re-enrollment process by the end of April.  

Email awp@ucsd.edu if you have any questions.

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