Competency Statement Archive:

This Competency was used Fall 2003-Fall 2004. The competency was revised December 2004.

COMMUNICATION PORTFOLIO

RATIONALE: Success in advanced-level college work and in high-level positions in the work world requires the ability to communicate complex ideas. To perform effectively at this level, students must be able to comprehend, integrate, and synthesize sources into coherent presentations which adequately represent major strands of thinking in the relevant field. They must also be able to evaluate alternative perspectives and make a convincing case for their own interpretations of issues, problems, and situations.

The Writing Portfolio requires students to select the best work they have completed in demonstration of Level II and III competencies. In addition, it asks for a reflective essay in which students will both assess the products in their portfolio and reflect on the development of their writing/communication skills throughout the course of their college careers.

The Writing Portfolio will provide evidence of students' communicative competence, which should prove useful both in job searches and applications to graduate school. Students will be able to submit their portfolios as convincing evidence of their skills as critical readers, thinkers, writers, and speakers.

COMPETENCY: Can show competence across a range of different kinds of presentations called for in Level II and III competencies - such as critical research, professional writing, creative writing, analytical essays or oral presentations, and journalism - and demonstrate the ability to integrate, evaluate, and synthesize material from a variety of sources.

CRITERIA:

Compile a portfolio that contains a reflective cover letter and five products completed in demonstration of Level II and III competencies.

The first product in your portfolio should be a reflective cover letter discussing the evolution of your writing skills over the course of your CPCS career and assessing two of the particular products you have chosen to include in your portfolio.

The second product in your portfolio should be a critical research paper which integrates information from a variety of sources to develop an argument about a particular topic.

The remaining four papers may include work from the following categories, with no more than two papers from any one category:

Professional writing, including but not limited to: grant proposals, strategic plans, curricula, training materials, legal memoranda/briefs, or case studies

Creative writing, including but not limited to: fiction, poetry, personal narrative, or drama

Analytical essays or oral presentations, including but not limited to essays/presentations which critically explore text, experiential learning, policy issues, or historic events

Newspaper or journal articles or op-eds

Additional critical research papers, as defined in Criterion 2, above

STANDARDS:

When your portfolio products are ready for submission, assemble them inside a manila file folder with the reflective cover letter on top, followed by the critical research paper, then the four remaining products. Make sure your name and email address are clearly marked on the outside of the folder. Bring the completed portfolio to the Student Services office (Wheatley, Fourth Floor) for submission.

For Criterion 2, write a reflective cover letter that

Discusses areas of growth in your writing skills, as illustrated by the papers in your portfolio, and areas that still need work.

Discusses two particular papers in your portfolio, preferably the critical research paper and one other paper, and why these two papers are successful. In your discussion, you should consider the elements of writing described in Standard 3, below, such as structure, organization, and development of ideas.

The critical research paper for Criterion 3 must have an identifiable thesis statement, which clearly indicates the overall purpose and focus of the paper, and an identifiable structure, which includes: an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. The paper must show logical development of ideas both within paragraphs and over the course of the essay as a whole. Sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and other points of usage must be in general conformity with the conventions of formal American English.

The critical research paper must use an appropriate number and variety of sources to meet the objectives of the competency for which it was written. Source materials must be effectively integrated into the text with proper acknowledgement of ideas and information as well as direct quotations. Documentation of sources must conform to one of the standard systems used in academic writing, such as APA or MLA format.

Each product submitted for Criterion 4 must have substance, an identifiable structure, and an appropriate length for the type of writing. Each product must demonstrate focus and clarity of language.

EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:

To demonstrate Criterion 3, the critical research paper, a student submits an essay written to demonstrate a Level II or III competency such as Models of Social Change, Social Difference in Public or Community Service, or Debating Policy Issues. (Note: These are examples of competencies in which students might generate critical research papers, but this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.) For example, a student has written a critical research paper on the role of the federal government in dealing with the problem of the underground job market that exploits recent Asian immigrants.

To demonstrate Criterion 4.a., professional writing, a student submits a product written to demonstrate a Level II or III competency such as Delivery of Services, Advocacy in Formal Legal Proceedings, or Working on a Gerontological Social Issue. (Note: These are examples of competencies in which students might generate professional writing, but this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.) For example, a student has written a case study of a client he or she has been counseling during the client's recovery from substance addiction.

To demonstrate Criterion 4.b., creative writing, a student submits an original short story or dramatic scene written for Crafting Art, or a personal narrative written for Reading Life Histories. (Note: These are examples of competencies in which students might generate creative writing, but this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.)

To demonstrate Criterion 4.c., analytical essays or oral presentations, a student submits an essay written to demonstrate a Level II or III competency such as Making Arguments or Historical Change. (Note: These are examples of competencies in which students might generate analytical essays or oral presentations, but this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.) For example, a student has written a position paper as the basis for a presentation before the Board of Aldermen of her local town in which she seeks to persuade the Board to support health benefits for domestic partners of town workers.

To demonstrate Criterion 4.d., newspaper or journal articles or op-eds, a student submits a photocopy of an op-ed on affordable housing that was published in the Boston Globe.

To demonstrate the Advanced Writing Portfolio based on prior learning, a student submits five products written for real world purposes or for courses taken prior to enrollment at CPCS: a report that the student wrote based on research done while working in the housing department of a city or town; a critical research paper on the problem of juvenile incarceration, written for a Sociology course; a historical analysis paper on immigration into the United States from 1880-1920, written for an American History course; a study of imagery and madness in The Yellow Wallpaper written for a Women's Studies course; and a paper advocating the abolition of the death penalty in the United States, written for a Criminal Justice course.