Course Dialogue

Should the expected number of words produced by students at each level in the ESL sequence be adjusted? 

Course	Current Expected Length	Proposed Minimum Length
181RW	150-200 words	150 words
182RW	200-250 words	150 words
183RW	200-250 words	200 words
184RW	250 words or more	250 words

Rationale: 

Sample student paragraphs in various textbooks we use/recommend at the 181RW and 182RW levels do not match the length we expect of our students in these courses.  Many of the sample paragraphs at both of these levels are approximately 150 words (and sometimes less).   Students at each level should still be encouraged to develop their ideas as fully as possible, and this should usually result in paragraphs that are longer than the minimum length.