Every syllabus for a course meeting the writing requirement must fully conform to the UF syllabus policy and also include the following the following exact statements:

  • "The Writing Requirement (WR) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning."
  • "Course grades have two components. To receive writing requirement credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing component of the course."

The syllabus must also include the following:

  • a statement or statements indicating that the instructor will evaluate and provide feedback, on all of the student's written assignments with respect to grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization;
  • assignment word counts and submission deadlines;
  • a writing assessment rubric (Sample Writing Assessment Rubric) or detailed explanation of the evaluation criteria for written documents;
  • information on, or a link to, the university’s Writing Studio (www.writing.ufl.edu);
  • a required or recommended writing or style manual.

Additionally, the syllabus must clearly show that the course meets the writing requirement to

  • evaluate [2,000/4,000/6,000] written words in assignments during the semester,
  • provide all feedback on assignments by the end of the course.

Inclusion of the following syllabus item is strongly encouraged:

  • recommended website(s) for writing support.

Some types of assignments, such as teamwork, exam essay questions, take-home exams, and informal, ungraded writing assignments may not be used to meet the writing requirement. For a complete list, see the Writing Requirement Course Guidelines.

Sample Syllabuses

The General Education Committee has prepared annotated sample syllabuses that may be helpful when creating or revising the syllabus for a course designed to meet WR requirements. The samples are for fictional courses. They are not intended to include all material that may be required or relevant for every course.