Getting a Start on Writing in College

· GIS 140 students all but unanimously agree that the class helped them to be more successful this year than they would have been without the class. This is because the class builds students’ confidence in their abilities to solve writing problems.

· GIS 140 students say that they felt the class helped them to become better at skills crucial for success in college classes: Research (51%), Critical reading (48%), Understanding the conventions of academic writing (40%), Analysis and critical thinking (33%). The majority of students also praised GIS 140’s ability to help them identify resources on campus and to teach them how to use those resources well.

· Students report that GIS 140 helped them to know what research tools and support were available for writing and non-writing classes alike. Classes that GIS 140 students have reported using their skills in include: English 131, English 121, English 111, English 197, English 198, English 200, Pol Sci 204, Pol Sci 201, Pol Sci 203, HSTAA 150, Art Hist 321, Art Hist 202, Hist 105, Religion 202, French 214, SIS 201, and well as for courses in Preventive Science, Globalization, Chinese Civilization, and Greek History.

“[GIS 140] helped familiarize me with the pace and structure of the university's English classes.” —2007 GIS 140 Student

“So far there has been nothing that GIS 140 has not helped me prepare for.”

—2007 GIS 140 Student

“To be honest, it was very helpful through out [my first year,] even in my calculus and chemistry class. All the critical reading and thinking in math and science class require the understanding of what the problem is asking for in order to solve for it.”

—2007 GIS 140 Student