< Information for Students and Parents > How does ETSU's general education program help students build oral communication, writing, and information technology skills?

To succeed on the job and in their personal lives, students need to speak and listen effectively, write skillfully, and use information technology.  Students begin to develop these skills by taking required courses in speech communication, English and computer science.  To help students keep building these skills throughout the college years, ETSU requires all students to take "proficiency-intensive" courses.  These courses teach the subject matter of the department, while also giving students the opportunity to practice their skills in oral communication, writing, or information technology.  In many cases proficiency-intensive courses do not represent additional hours students must take to graduate; students complete these courses as part of their majors, minors, or general education.

Every academic department at ETSU offers oral communication-intensive (OCI), using information technology-intensive (UITI), and writing-intensive (WI) courses.  For a list of these courses, go to http://www.etsu.edu/reg/intensive/.  Proficiency-intensive courses teach the subject matter of the department, while also giving students the opportunity to practice their skills in oral communication, writing or information technology.

In addition, ETSU's Writing and Communication Center (http://www.etsu.edu/WCC/), staffed by a full-time director and more than 20 student consultants, offers daytime, evening and weekend help to students wanting to build oral communication and writing skills.

Questions about proficiency-intensive requirements

What makes a course proficiency-intensive?

Each proficiency-intensive course must meet several criteria for approval.  These criteria consider:

• how much practice in the proficiency is required in the course
• the design of specific course assignments
• the course grading system
• enrollment caps on course sections
• kinds and amount of feedback given on assignments
• how students receive specialized instruction needed to practice the proficiency

In addition to reviewing proposals for proficiency-intensive courses, faculty committees review the syllabi of already approved courses on a three year rotation.

What are ETSU's proficiency-intensive course requirements?

The particular proficiency-intensive requirements students must meet depend the year of the ETSU catalog they are following.  For more information see the section of this web site on general education requirements.

Why don't courses taken at other institutions meet ETSU's proficiency-intensive requirements?

Because proficiency-intensive courses must meet many criteria, not just increased emphasis on a given skill, it's not possible to review courses in transfer as candidates for proficiency-intensive credit at ETSU.

Also, we want ETSU students to use and build skills throughout their college careers. Therefore we urge all students to take some of their proficiency-intensive courses during the junior and senior years.  We don't want students to "get proficiency-intensive requirements out of the way" in the first two years of school.

However, ETSU offers special consideration to transfer students in two ways:

• We significantly reduce the number of proficiency-intensive courses students must take if they have earned associate degrees or enter ETSU with 60 or more hours of transfer credit.

• To make it easier for students who enter ETSU with associate degrees or significant transfer hours to meet proficiency-intensive requirements, we don't require these students to take proficiency-intensive courses in the major and at the 3000-4000 level (although many choose to do so).

Are proficiency-intensive requirements included in articulation plans for students?

Yes.  When students transfer with an associate degree earned in an ETSU articulated program, proficiency-intensive requirements are included in the checklist of courses students need to take at ETSU.  Because students meet proficiency-intensive requirements by taking courses they need to complete their degrees, these requirements do not add courses to their programs.

Who should I contact if I have questions about ETSU's proficiency-intensive requirements?

Contact your advisor.

Contact Dr. William Kirkwood, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, at 439-5049 or kirkwood@etsu.edu.

Transfer students with questions about proficiency-intensive requirements may also call ETSU's Office of Transfer/Articulated Programs, 102 Dossett Hall, at 423-439-4723 or email them at meadep@etsu.edu.

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This page updated on November 14, 2002