This prompt seems designed to encourage a student to reflect about whether she should take a course in English Composition or First Year Writing. These courses are frequently required of all students as they lay a foundation for the skills required in other courses.
In most universities, students are required to complete many written assignments. The expectations for college-level writing differs from the expectations students encountered in secondary school. Online education makes self-presentation of students in writing far more important than in classroom situations as students in most online settings make an impression on their classmates and instructors and work collaboratively exclusively in writing.
There are several important things students learn in composition classes, including the rules for academic honesty and citation of sources. For example, a student would learn that while it would be perfectly acceptable to cite this answer as a source, simply copying an eNotes answer or other online source and offering it as their own work would constitute plagiarism and could result in being expelled from the class.
Students also learn how to format papers and cite sources correctly as well as basic research skills including distinguishing reliable from unreliable sources, things that will be required in all future classes. The basic essay writing skills learned in English Composition will also help in all classes for which written work is required. Therefore it should be taken as early as possible in the student's program.
Further Reading