Directed Self Placement

As first year writing instructors, we strongly recommend that all students complete the DSP modules—especially the reading, writing, and survey portions. DSP is a tool that has replaced other reliable placement tests. With self-reflection, DSP will navigate you to a writing course that will best meet your needs as a reader and writer to complete first year writing at CSUN. The intention of DSP is to help you pick the correct section of Approaches to First Year Writing, since CSUN offers three courses that fulfill the general requirement for Basic Skills. As CSUN writing professors, we recommend that you carefully and thoroughly read through the information on Module 1, since the information there will give you a sense of the three courses—113 A&B (with SI), 114 A&B, and 115. Completing the DSP reading and, then, completing the writing assignment will help you understand the skills that will be necessary for successfully completing first year writing. Completing the self-reflection survey will help you assess you own skills, with an understanding what course that will ensure your success—in both first year writing and beyond.

DSP on Canvas will also allow contact with your professors, some of whom you will meet in the writing classroom. They can help orient you to what college will be like. In college, you have many choices. Professors will not necessarily tell you "This is required" or "That is required," but we do have expectations. No one really breathes down your neck or holds your hand. The experience is a little more freeing than you may have experienced in high school and it is based on individual responsibilities. That can be hard for students and require major adjustments. Some students, like the demographic we serve at CSUN—first generation, low income and underrepresented students—may need extra time to adjust to the rigors of college life and academic expectations. All of this information is critical when choosing your first year writing course.

DSP is not a timed assessment of your writing skills, and really, the time you take to complete the reading, writing, and survey modules is completely up to you. 

You can also review the information about the courses offered at CSUN, come back to read the essay, and then come back to complete the writing. Depending on how confident you are with your reading and writing skills, DSP may be a fairly quick process.

There are two survey components (one linked to Survey Monkey and the other shorter one on the Canvas site). The survey components are short, taking less than ten (10) minutes to complete. These surveys are, again, important to complete, as they will determine which course you are self-selecting.

No. Some students in Early Start Math may be selected to complete DSP, but again, you can allow the time you need to complete DSP.

The site will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4. Until then, you will have the opportunity to complete DSP. Therefore, DSP should be done by then—again, for those of you who have early advising appointments, you should complete DSP as soon as possible.

CSUN writing professors from various departments will be monitoring the DSP site during the time it is open. Selected CSUN students, many of whom are familiar with CSUN writing classes, will also be monitoring the site. At the start of the fall term, the DSP essay will be an assignment in all first year writing courses across departments. In the fall, your first year writing instructor will be reading and evaluating the DSP essay and will include the DSP writing in the final portfolio for the course. It is important to finish that before the start of classes.

Writing professors can answer questions about the reading and writing for DSP. This assistance, however, may be limited.

On Canvas. There are two surveys. A link to a longer Survey Monkey survey is in Module 4. There is a course preference survey (not a quiz) in Module 5.

You can, but we advise against this. DSP is a holistic assessment. The longer (six minute) survey will ask about present and past reading and writing experiences that will allow you to reflect upon what you did as you completed the DSP reading and writing. Remember that the DSP reading and writing are both typical of what is expected of first year writing students. Doing the reading and then completing the writing task—coupled with the survey—will allow you to reflect carefully and thoughtfully about your reading and writing abilities. Thus, the survey will guide you to a choice for first year writing that aligns with your own abilities.

The survey is an important component of DSP. It is reflective in nature, but then after that reflection, the second survey asks you which writing course you believe will best meet your needs as a writer. You will see the last four questions displayed on the Canvas site--as a system of redundancy only.

You upload your essay in Module 3. Canvas provides clear directions for uploading.

There is a help button in the Canvas navigation menu. On a laptop or desktop computer, the help button is the circled red question mark at the bottom of the black strip that runs down the left side of the Canvas window. In the image included here, a purple arrow points to that button. You can use that help button to locate online guides or to contact an Information Technology staff member at CSUN.

• Although you can use your phone to view DSP on Canvas, you'll be doing enough keyboarding that we recommend you complete the writing assignment on a laptop or desktop computer.
• The Canvas guides are also available on the web at https://www.csun.edu/it/canvas-guides
• Here is the Canvas Student Guide: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701
• If you have problems with your CSUN username or password, check the information on the User ID and Password page: https://www.csun.edu/it/user-id-and-password

It is important to understand that we cannot help you log into Canvas. That assistance can be accessed by going to CSUN's IT help pages and/or asking for help from one of the IT assistants.