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CCCC 1997: Outcomes Forum (Session L.17)

Session Results: (reported by Chet Pryor, for himself and Veronica Keane)

We were a small group, but we also had neat, thoughtful people--half of whom are presently involved in FYC outcomes-based testing--the University of Alaska and Montgomery College actively with Texas Wesleyan University and Essex Community College in the contemplative stages. Since we have barriers in place that prevent composition students from going forward, lest they shred their tires, we had something in common--expectations of what knowledges students would need to smoothly transverse the barrier exam and an institutionally-conceived rubric that, when used, allowed us to ascertain if our expectations have been met by student performance. Our list may seem like 'vin ordinaire' compared to some of the vintages reviewed today, but let's pop the cork and let the bottle breathe anyway:

* Students must know how to introduce coherently. Students must understand the function of introduction, be it as an abstract of a paper's content, an anecdotal device for capturing audience interest, a deductive device leading to a specific point of inquiry, or an inductive device opening a field of investigation. If such an introduction leads to an explicit statement of thesis, all the better.

* Students must recognize and write to an audience. Such recognition may or may not affect the surface of the paper but should be a conscious part of whether the composing process leads to post-and-beam, joist-and- rail or other methods of text architecture.

* Students should be able to state the purpose for which they are writing. Such a statement may be either explicit or inferred, may rally the audience or simply let them know they haven't been forgotten, but it should be consciously incorporated into text.

* Students should maintain a specific voice throughout text. The voice should not shift mid-text and should never be second person if you can help it.

* Students should maintain a tone, a level of formality, and an attitude toward their audience. This is to say the reader should be able to tell if the writer has an attitude, and the writer should have control over the same.

* Students should maintain standard conventions of written English, but recognize tone and voice for a specific discourse community, whoever they be.

* Students should understand the function of documentation, regardless of type, and apply it as required. They should also understand that styles should not be mixed.

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