• UCBA Guided Self-Placement Survey

  • There are a variety of writing courses at the University of Cincinnati. Some are designed to help prepare you for first-year writing (but do not count as your first-year writing requirement), and some options are first-year writing courses (that do count as your first-year writing requirement). Whichever course you choose to take in your first semester at UC, you will also gain preparation for the kinds of writing assignments you encounter in your college career.

    All UCBA programs require that students complete ENGL 1001, but it's important that you start with the writing course that best suits your needs right now.

    The following Guided Self-Placement (GSP) survey will help you identify whether you should take the required ENGL 1001 course now, or whether you would benefit from additional preparation by starting with a different course or combination of courses.

    You will answer questions about time management, study habits, and past academic writing experiences, and then choose which course you wish to register for at orientation.

    It is very important that you answer these questions thoughtfully and honestly, as your responses will help you determine which course will be best for you.

    If you would like more information on what happens to GSP survey data, click here.

  • Demographics

    This first section will collect information about you as a student to help us guide you in your placement options.

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  • UC Blue Ash GSP Tool

    You will now be answering questions for writing placement at UC Blue Ash.

  • UC Blue Ash Guided Self-Placement (GSP) Tool

    In this section, we will collect some information about your generalized skills, knowledge, and abilities as a writer and as a student.

  • The above text is an example of what you might need to read and analyze in an English composition course. Please read the passage, and then answer question 4 below about how prepared you think you would be to analyze and write about it. (You can also access a DOCX version of the article for screen readers.) (Here is another link to the PDF version if the above text does not load correctly.)

    Here are some things you may be asked to do in an English composition course with a reading like the one you just read:

    • Annotate this passage.
    • Explain the main ideas of the passage and who the audience for the passage might be.
    • Discuss the main ideas from the passage with other students.
    • Choose an important quotation from the passage that supports the main idea and explain how it supports the main idea.
    • Choose an important quotation from the passage and use it to explain your own ideas and personal experiences.
    • Write a response to ideas from the passage that analyzes its ideas, connects them to other things you have read about, and draws your own conclusions about them.

  • Now that you have answered some questions to help you think about your experiences with writing courses, it's time to learn a little bit about the writing courses offered at UC so that you can choose which course feels like the best fit for you at the bottom of this page.

    The following course descriptions, video, and informational graphic explain what each of our writing courses do and the differences between them.

  • Here are the descriptions of what each of our writing courses does, and what you may still need to do after taking each course:

    ENGL 0097 [Introduction to Academic Literacies] is a 3-credit-hour course that introduces ways to use reading assignments to develop writing projects. Typically, students read non-fiction articles to use in their own writing that is 1-5 pages long. After finishing ENGL 0097, students will STILL need to take ENGL 1001. Some students may want to take ENGL 0099 for an additional semester of practice. Others may choose ENGL 1001-ALP if they want more time and support to develop their writing knowledge and skills for college. Some students may feel ready to register for ENGL 1001.

    ENGL 0099 [Preparatory Composition] is a 3-credit-hour course that focuses on reading complex, college-level articles and using this information in longer writing assignments. Typically, students are expected to write assignments that are 3-5 pages long. After finishing ENGL 0099, students will STILL need to take ENGL 1001.

    ENGL 1001C (formerly called ALP) focuses on supporting students in completing the work of ENGL 1001. Students who choose this option will take a 3-credit-hour ENGL 1001 course with a 1-credit-hour support course with the same instructor to help students work through the ENGL 1001 material in a small group setting. Passing ENGL 1001 C is the same as passing ENGL 1001.

    ENGL 1001 [English Composition] is the 3-credit-hour REQUIRED writing course for students in all majors at the University. Students are required to write the equivalent of 20 pages of polished, formal writing across 4-5 projects by the end of the course. Students learn to find and use credible sources of information to support points in their own writing.

  • This informational graphic gives you a quick way to compare some of the main things you might want to consider between these courses.

    Composition Course Choices Chart

     

  • Now let's determine which course feels like the best fit for you. You will choose your course at the bottom of this page.

  • • If you have answered 5 or more questions with "a", you should consider taking ENGL 0097.

    • If you have answered 5 or more questions with "b" or a mix of "b" and "a", you should consider taking ENGL 0099.

    • If you have answered 5 or more questions with "c" or a mix of "c" and "b", you should consider taking ENGL 1001C.

    • If you have answered 5 or more questions with "d" or a mix of "d" and "c", you should consider taking ENGL 1001.

    • If you have a mix of all answers, consider the course descriptions carefully and watch the course description video to help you determine which courses you should consider.

    • You can also send us an email if you would like additional help deciding which course might be the best fit for you: UCBAwritingGSP@ucmail.uc.edu

    Use the Majority of Your Answers to Guide Your Placement

    You can use the "Back" button to review your answers and even change them if you wish as you think about which course feels the most comfortable for you.

  • Important: Your writing placement is not complete until you click "Submit" on the next page.

  • Click the "Submit" button at the bottom of this page to complete your writing placement.

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  • UC Clermont Tool

  • To access the placement tool for UC Clermont, please go to: https://ucclermont.edu/students/placement-assessments/online.html

    This placement tool is for UC Blue Ash ONLY. If you need to complete placement for UC Blue Ash, click "Back" to return to the beginning of the tool.

  • UC Uptown (Clifton) Tool

  • To access the placement tool for UC Uptown (Clifton), please go to: https://www.uc.edu/orientation/placementtesting.html

    This placement tool is for UC Blue Ash ONLY. If you need to complete placement for UC Blue Ash, click "Back" to return to the beginning of the tool.

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