The Stretch Program
What Is Stretch
The Stretch Program takes an Academic Writing I course and stretches it out across two quarters so that students have more time to practice writing and get formative feedback on their writing in low-risk spaces. Stretch courses cover the same learning outcomes and course material as a one quarter AWI course. ENG 101A and ENG 101B = AWI. Stretch courses are designed to provide students with learning experiences that will build their confidence in their writing.
Why Is Stretch Important?
The Stretch Program provides students with extra time to practice discussing, drafting, revising, editing, and their writing. Stretching the learning objectives for a one-quarter writing course across two quarters gives students more time and intensive practice in critical reading and writing. The philosophy behind the stretch model for teaching writing is grounded in the assumption that all students who are accepted to the university are more than capable learners in possession of a vast collection effective literacy skills; however, some students need more direct instruction, feedback, and time to practice critical reading and writing in low-risk spaces. Stretch courses increase the overall face time students have with a writing instructor and their classmates. Students can potentially form a "cohort" and have the same instructor and classmates for 20-30 weeks, building rapport and collaborative relationships that are important for learning. Because stretch programs keep students and instructors together for two quarters, classes are able to build on content and skills from prior quarters and maintain a curricular alignment, enhance collaborative learning, and increase student engagement. Stretch courses incorporate writing-to-learn activities so that students can take risks with their writing and not be afraid to write and grow as a writer and student.What Do Students Do in Stretch Courses?
Students are required to complete at least four high-stakes writing assignments across two quarters and to develop the writing processes that accompany those writing assignments. Students will also read a variety of source materials in both print and digital forms and complete several writing assignments and reading responses. Instructors teaching stretch courses will help students develop the capacity to do the following:
- Understand how the rhetorical situation (audience, exigence, constraints, arrangement, style, context, and rhetors) shapes discourse.
- Locate and cite appropriate evidence and use rhetorical knowledge and frames to build arguments with those sources.
- Critically read and investigate the relationship between ideas, arguments, assumptions, inferences, and evidence.
- Consider how complex and varied sentence structures are used to develop personal and academic styles of writing.
- Write for a variety of audiences, contexts, and purposes with an understanding of rhetorical constraints and limitations.
- Practice writing with different modes and genres.
- Utilize a range of research methods and practices, including primary and secondary research, to investigate questions, concerns, and ideas.
- Practice planning, drafting, revising, arranging, peer-editing, and self-editing your writing.
- Practice usage, syntax, and other basics such as agreement, punctuation, and grammar in context. Avoid acontextual grammar practice. Include more contextual grammar activities using the students’ writing.
General Requirement for Stretch
All ENG 101A and 101B Courses Should Meet the Following Criteria:
- Students will write approxomately 20,000 words across two quarters. Assignments may include reflective and in-class writing, writing to learn activities, formal writing projects, multimodal and digital writing activities, and revised writing assignments and drafts.
- Over two quarters, stretch students will read approximately 500-600 pages of writing appropriate to college proficiency level, including articles, essays, book chapters, and web and multimedia sources and their own writing and the writing from their classmates.
- Students will complete at least four formal high-stakes writing projects across both quarters.
- At least 60% of the course assignments should be revision-based assignments.
- High-stakes assignments must include multiple drafts with numerous opportunities for students to revise and to get formative feedback.
- Students will develop proficiency in written English and learn more about the writing process and how writing functions across disciplinary contexts.
- Assignments, readings, and/or class activities will enable students to learn to use a variety of rhetorical principles including audience, context, style, arrangement, invention, incubation, and purpose to enhance the cogency and clarity of their writing.
- Students will learn how to conduct research, examine different types of sources, and use appropriate documentation formats for their writing and multimodal projects.
- Students will engage with multiple perspectives.
Please make sure you understand the obligation to complete both ENG 101A and 101B to complete the requirements for general education and AWI. Students must earn a D- or better in ENG 101A in order to enroll in 101B. ENG 101A counts as 5 elective credits. Students need to earn a C- to pass ENG 101B and earn 5 credits for AWI. 101A and 101B are designed to be an introduction to college reading and writing. Students in the stretch program will have numerous opportunities for writing practice, feedback, and revision. Please remember that the completion of ENG 101B with a C- or better satisfies the general education AWI requirement for graduation.
Possible Major Assignments
Types of Writing Assignments for ENG 101A-B:
- Rhetorical Analysis of a Text (image, article, chapter, song, play, art, story) 3-4 pages
- Literacy Narratives: 3-4 pages
- Writing Process Analysis: 3-4 pages
- A History of Writing Influences: 3-4 pages
- Writing in a Discipline: 3-4 pages
- Genre Analysis: 3-4 pages
- Digital Writing Process Analysis: 3-4 pages
All High-Stakes Assignments in ENG 101A-B must include the following:
- Multiple Drafts and Revisions
- Each High Stakes Paper/Project Cannot Count for More than 25% of the Final Grade
- Relevant Readings to Support Learning
- Integration of Relevant Sources
- Inclusion of Multiple Perspectives
- Formal and Informal Opportunities for Reflection