This requirement and definition presume that students registering in W courses have met a basic competency standard. Foundations of Academic Literacy (FAL X99) has been developed to address the writing needs of students not ready for W courses.

Definition:

A Writing-Intensive course provides students with opportunities to use reading, writing, and revision to increase understanding and further development of ideas. A writing-intensive course fosters the development of transferable writing skills for effective and professional communication, and the ability to express ideas in the forms and genres typical of the student’s program of study. These skills may include structures and styles, accepted modes of reasoning and argumentation, convincing use of evidence, and appropriate technical language.

Writing-intensive courses are expected to explicitly address the craft of writing, and they must include significant levels of timely, actionable instructor feedback and student revision in response to feedback to ensure the development of strong transferable writing skills. A minimum of 50% of the course grade must be based on individual (not group) written work.