University Writing Portfolio (UWP)
About the University Writing Portfolio
The University Writing Portfolio
- is a mid-career diagnostic used to determine if your writing abilities are ready for the writing demands of advanced-level courses in your major
- is a WSU graduation requirement and is due during the term in which you have 60 credits (or before)
- recognizes the standard of writing expected of all WSU students
- honors the effort of all students in becoming effective writers
- identifies students who will need additional support in their writing-intensive upper-division courses.
Important Links & Info:
Submit:
Announcements:
What do I need to do?
- select two of your two academic papers that best demonstrate your writing abilities and strengths
- reflect on these pieces of writing in order to articulate what the texts show about their capabilities as college writers.
What about the UWP hold?
- the hold lets you know that you need to submit
- holds are released within 24 hours of submitting in Qualtrics (if submitted on a weekday). During peak times, this may take up to 48 hours due to Qualtrics’ processing time.
Submission Requirements & Process
Please follow the instructions in this section diligently. Failing to follow submission instructions will lead to delayed processing of your UWP and a delay in the removal of the registration hold in myWSU.
Select two academic essays or papers that you’ve written for college-level courses that you think demonstrate your best writing.
Here are some traits to look for as you deliberate which essays or papers to include:
- In-depth writing: Your writing is developed well enough to capture the important aspects of your writing topic. This includes any detailed description, explanation, or narration.
- Analytical/Critical thinking: Your writing demonstrates your thoughtfulness in drawing connections across different ideas and experiences, explaining the way things are and why they are so, or developing a position or argument on issues or readings and supporting it with property attributed evidence.
- Organization: Your writing demonstrates that you thoughtfully placed and connected your ideas. Your organization of ideas into sentences and paragraphs seems intentional.
- Clarity: You are aware of your audience and write for your reader to understand your thoughts or what the paper is about. You deliberately established and maintained a focus. Your writing clearly expresses your ideas.
For more information regarding the types of papers to submit, check out the UWP FAQ page.
Prepare information about your papers: course info for each paper (i.e. fall 2020 Bio 106) and a summary of the assignment for each paper
Prepare your documents: Be sure the papers you are planning to upload are in .doc, .docx, or PDF format. Do not take screenshots of your papers.
Prepare to reflect on your writing: What are the strengths of these pieces of writing? What do they show about your abilities? Your responses to the reflection questions are read as additional texts within your University Writing Portfolio.
Prepare to spend enough time: Given the amount of information you’ll be asked to provide and the importance of the reflection questions, you should set aside time to complete the whole task.
When you are ready, submit here: UWP March 24th – April 6th (If you are a senior who will be graduating in Spring 2023, please submit your portfolio in this link)
*The next University Writing Portfolio session will open on Friday, April 7th*
For more information about the submission process, check out the UWP FAQ page.
Do not submit more than one portfolio. The Writing Program will accept only your first complete portfolio. If you enter the submission site but do not submit a complete portfolio, the Writing Program dismisses the incomplete submission. However, if you submit a complete portfolio, receive results that you disagree with, and submit a second time, we will disregard the second submission and remind you of your original results. See our FAQ page for information about appeals.
Link closure dates are set for Thursdays at 11:59 pm and new links will open the following morning (Fridays) by 10 am. After a link closes, the Writing Program UWP Assessment Team begins their work and results will be posted in myWSU within one month of the link closure.
You will have 72 hours to submit your portfolio once you click on the link. If you don’t submit within 72 hours, your submission will be recorded as incomplete and you will need to wait for the next available link.
For more information, check out the UWP FAQ page or email us. We’re happy to answer any questions you still have.
Results
University Writing Portfolio submissions are read and evaluated by members of the Writing Program’s UWP assessment team which includes faculty, instructors, and para-professional responders from all departments and disciplines who have been trained to review UWP submissions in light of the goals and purposes of the assessment.
If a reader has concerns about a student’s writing or readiness for upper-division writing endeavors, they may assign a further course requirement, most commonly in the form of a 1-credit course designed to support students as they work on writing-intensive courses such as M Courses. Portfolios are read by two members of the assessment team before the course is officially assigned. Results are communicated through my.Wsu.
Completed: The work shows a proficiency in writing suitable for upper-division work at WSU. The University Writing Portfolio requirement will be fulfilled.
In progress: The work shows a need for additional, structured writing assistance in upper-division course work. The student will be required to take additional course work in the form of a one-credit writing collaborative (WRIT 205 or WRIT 302) taken in conjunction with a Writing in the Major [M] course, or a three-credit writing course. The student must complete the additional course assigned in order to satisfy the University Writing Portfolio requirement.
For more information, please check out our FAQ page: UWP Frequently Asked Questions
Please note: Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university. Any student who attempts to gain an unfair advantage over other students by cheating will have to submit a new University Writing Portfolio and will be reported to the Center for Community Standards. Cheating is further defined in the Academic Integrity Policy for students, WAC 504-26-010 (3). Read more about WAC 504-26-010.