Queensborough Community College
DEPARTMENT:
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
ENGLISH
A. DEPARTMENT SERVICES/ACTIVITIES REPORT IN 2013-14
1.
Department-sponsored services (fall and spring semesters combined)
Area of Service
ASAP Courses (14 Sections)
ASAP Faculty Coordinator (1 Faculty Member)
Honors Contracts (20 Students)
Online Sections (15 PNT sections; 2 FNT Sections)
Muslim Student Association, Faculty Club Advisor (1 Faculty Member)
Gearhead Car Club, Faculty Club Advisor (1 Faculty Member)
Creative Writing Club, Faculty Club Advisor (1 Faculty Member)
Film Club, Faculty Club Advisor (2 Faculty Members)
Learning Communities (5 Sections)
Academies (13 Designated Sections)
WID/WAC Coordinator (1 Faculty Member)
Designated Writing Intensive Courses – 15 pages, minimum, evaluated writing (2 Sections)
College Now Faculty Development (1 Faculty Member)
Liberal Arts Academy Coordinator (1 Faculty Members)
High Impact Practices, Learning Communities, Faculty Coordinator (2 Faculty Members)
High Impact Practices, Global Diversity, Faculty Participants (2 Faculty Members)
SWIG Coordinator (1 Faculty Member)
SWIG Participants (4 Faculty Members)
Common Read Participants (11 Faculty Members)
“B-Tech” SAP High School Development Committee (2 Faculty members)
Number Served
15
1
20
18
1
1
2
7
13
1
2
1
2
2
1
4
11
2
Area of service (for example): a department-run learning laboratory (not laboratories for which students register as part of their courses), the reference desk or reserve area of the
Library, department tutoring program, etc. (Note: Do not report courses or laboratories for which students register.)
2.
Department-sponsored faculty/staff development activities
1
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Type of Activity and Topic
Year: 2013- 2014
Date
Number
Attending
9/25/2013
10/30/2013
28
32
11/13/2013
21
3/12/2014
28
4/2/2014
22
5/7/2014
29
3/26/2013
15
4/30/2014
30
9/1/20135/14/2014
16
9/25/2013
40
11/6/2013
35
11/20/2014
35
Gave Presentations
Composition Committee: Project Kick Off (John Talbird, Laurel Harris)
Composition Committee: Multimodal Composition in the 21st Century (John Talbird, Laurel
Harris, Kiki Byas, Jodie Childers)
Composition Committee: Teaching Students to Read like Writers (John Talbird, Laurel Harris,
Chris Leary)
Composition Committee: Departmental Handbook and Archive Working Meeting (John
Talbird, Laurel Harris)
Composition Committee: Readings about Pedagogy (John Talbird, Laurel Harris, Zivah Perel
Katz, Tanya Zhelezcheva)
Composition Committee: Responding to Student Writing (John Talbird, Laurel Harris, Peter
Gray)
Common Read: Memoir Writing Workshop (Jodie Childers, Ben Miller, Alisa Cercone)
ORGANIZED
Composition Committee: Talk by Dr. Amy Wan, Writing Director, Queens College: “Who Is
the Public at the Public University? Creating a Mission through Literacy and Citizenship”
(Organized by John Talbird and Laurel Harris)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant, “The Holocaust in a Global Context: Connections across the
Community College”: Pedagogy Resources (Jillian Abbott, Joost Burgers, Laurel Harris,
Barbara Emmanuele, Kiki Byas, Alisa Cercone, Aliza Atik, Tammi Rothman, Elizabeth
Toohey, Melissa Dennihy, Matthew Lau, Ben Miller, James Kenney, Jordan Schneider, Jessica
Rogers, Susan Jacobowitz)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: The Soap Myth, with Playwright Jeff Cohen (Organized by
Susan Jacobowitz)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “Narratives of Belated Experience: Musical Testimony from
the Holocaust” (Organized by Susan Jacobowitz)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “Disabilities and the Holocaust: A History Revealed”
(Organized by Susan Jacobowitz)
2
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “The Body, Disabilities and the Holocaust” (Organized by
Susan Jacobowitz)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “Being ‘Other’ in America Today” (Organized by Susan
Jacobowitz; Kiki Byas, Jordan Schneider, Jessica Rogers, participants)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “Jewish Community Cookbooks” (Organized by Susan
Jacobowitz)
NEH KHRCA Holocaust Grant: “Developing Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness” (Organized
by Susan Jacobowitz)
A Reading and Discussion with Jane Mushabac (Organized by Susan Jacobowitz and Jodie
Childers)
Campus Writing Center Visits – Fall, 2013 (53 classes, 26 different faculty members)
12/4/2013
25
2/19/2014
30
3/5/2014
15
4/23/2014
20
Campus Writing Center Visits – Spring, 2014 (47 classes, 20 different faculty members)
Communique, Student Newspaper (Elizabeth Toohey)
3/2013
9/1/2012 –
5/12013
5/14/2013
11/27/2013-
Multilingual Poetry Event (Organized by Jodie Childers; multiple participants)
Service Learning: Teagle Foundation Grant (Jodie Childers, Beth Counihan, Zivah Perel Katz,
Joost Burgers, Ben Miller)
CETL Research Grant (Principle Investigator, Kimberly Banks; multiple participants)
Honors Award Ceremony
4/3/2014
12/5/2013
9/1/20135/16/2014
1123
students
985 students
50
125
140 students
6
50
Note: Faculty and staff development activities (grants, presentations, exhibitions, performances, publications, instructional improvement activities, laboratory development,
curriculum development, etc.)
INSTRUCTIONS:
For each activity, please indicate
1. whether department members organized the activities or gave presentations or both
2. the topic and type of activity and name of organizer/presenter, if applicable
3. the date (if not the exact date, indicate the month)
4. the number attending the event
B. COURSE CHANGES IN 2013-14
INSTRUCTIONS: For each course that changed, indicate:
3
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Queensborough Community College
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Year: 2013- 2014
whether the course is new, revised, or deleted
the course number
the course title
the semester the change was approved at the Academic Senate
for revised courses, in the Comments section, describe the type of change(s)—i.e., course title, description, pre/corequisites, credits, hours, designation
New, revised, or
deleted
NA
Course
number
Course title
Semester approved
Comments
C. PROGRAM CHANGES IN 2013-14
Program
Program change*
Effective Date
(Semester and year)
Comments
NA
*Key: (a)=initiated, (b)=closed, (c)=renamed, (d)=modified
INSTRUCTIONS:
 Use the full title of the program, i.e. A.A. in Visual and Performing Arts.
 Indicate whether the program change is initiated, closed, renamed, or modified. (If a new program has been approved by
the CUNY Board (or is expected to be approved by June 2013), use fall 2013 as the effective date.)
 Describe the exact status (i.e., proposal submitted to CUNY Board; approved by CUNY Board; etc.) in the Comments.
D. DEPARTMENT CHANGES IN 2013-14
Type (see menu below)
Personnel or organizational
change
Description of Change
5 new Lecturers hired
Reason for Change
Increase the number of fulltime faculty teaching
introductory courses
Date/Semester
Spring, 2014
Evaluation of
Change*
N/A
4
Queensborough Community College
Personnel or organizational
change
Personnel or organizational
change
Personnel or organizational
change
Equipment
Facilities / Space
Equipment
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Writing Director and
Assistant Writing Director
Appointed
1 Promotion to Associate
Professor
1 Awarding of Tenure
Added new headphones to
computer classrooms
Swapped the Conference
Room from H-415 to
H-458
Created Virtualized
Computing Environment
in Existing Computer
Classrooms, H-405 and H407
Year: 2013- 2014
Fall, 2013
N/A
Spring, 2014
N/A
Fall, 2013
N/A
Replace old and broken
headphones
Create more office space
Fall, 2013 /
Spring, 2013
Fall, 2013
N/A
Explore low-cost solutions to
adding needed computer
resources
Fall, 2013
N/A
N/A
*Please note that, if change has been too recent to evaluate, you may indicate NA.
Type of change
Personnel or organizational change
Facilities/space
Equipment
Other
MENU
Description
New hires, retirees, resignations, promotions, department name changes, etc.
Renovations or development of office space or new facilities (i.e., computer laboratories)
Acquisition of new or disposition of old equipment
Other changes affecting the department not included above and including interactions with other departments
E. DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT IN 2013-14
1.
Departmental procedures for conducting assessment
The fundamental elements of standard 14 (assessment of student learning) of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education include:
clearly articulated statements of expected student learning outcomes…at all levels (institution, degree/program, course) and for all
programs that aim to foster student learning and development; a documented, organized, and sustained assessment process to evaluate and
improve student learning; evidence that student learning assessment information is shared and discussed with appropriate constituents and
is used to improve teaching and learning.
5
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
Describe below the department’s ongoing procedures for assessing student learning and using assessment results to improve
teaching and learning. In your description, please explain how the department fulfills each of the Middle States
fundamental elements above.
For the past two years, the department has followed up on previous Action Plans while developing a long-term assessment plan
measuring how our EN101 and EN102 courses are meeting the course objectives the department approved last year as well as
the college’s relevant general education objectives. In 2012-2013, we implemented two surveys to gather data about our
courses: the English Department Official Student Withdrawal Survey and End-of-Semester Faculty Survey for EN 102. In
2012-2013, the department also approved course objectives for EN 101 and 102 that emerged from an assessment survey
conducted in the spring of 2012. Kimberly Banks and Laurel Harris participated in the Queensborough Community College’s
Assessment Institute in the spring of 2013 and created a rubric to measure the department’s effectiveness at achieving general
education objective #6: “Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value systems.” This
objective was chosen as a recommended area for improvement from the department’s spring 2011 assessment findings. In the
fall of 2013, Tanya Zhelezcheva attended the Assessment Institute and developed a rubric measuring outcomes for the EN101
and EN102 course objective related to general education objective #6: “Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing
tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and
surveys.” The rubric measures the following outcomes of this objective: “Students will be able to select, explain, analyze,
synthesize, and integrate evidence from multiple sources.” In the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014, Kimberly Banks solicited
one batch of EN101 and EN102 papers from all sections for direct assessment of how we are meeting general education
objective #6 in the fall of 2014. In the spring of 2014, the departmental assessment committee met three times to discuss and
collate the two rubrics developed in the Assessment Institute for direct assessment of collected samples in the fall. We further
plan to develop instruments for and conduct direct assessments of our course objectives in EN 101 and 102 over the next few
years.
These assessment projects will build a comprehensive picture of how well the English department is meeting its general
education and course objectives. A limited amount of research has been done in this area. Therefore, the committee plans to
work on assessment of individual learning objectives as well as the kinds and effectiveness of innovations developed in the
department as a result of this process. Now is a perfect time to reassess our purpose as the department rapidly expands its
cohort of full-time, tenure-track faculty.
2a.
Departmental participation in self-study/program review during 2013-2014, if applicable
Program(s) reviewed: The Liberal Arts and Sciences A.A. Degree Program
6
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
External Agency or Reviewers: [GIVE NAME OF AGENCY OR NAME OF REVIEWER(S)]
Date of site visit:
Major conclusions of self-study
The study identified a number of priorities: 1) Space Availability, and the need for increased space for instruction and faculty
offices 2) the WE1 degree program, and the possibility of phasing out a specially designated week end program 3)
Monitoring Enrollment, given the implementation of Pathways 4) Technology, and the need to make technology more
available in classrooms 5) Online courses, and the need for focused assessment 6) Advisement, and the need to acknowledge
different curricular paths 7) Assessment, with a focus on retention on second year students, given changes in the curriculum
8) Reading and Writing Curriculum, and the need to integrate curriculum, including Academic Literacy and English 9)
Faculty and staff, and the need to hire more full time faculty.
Major conclusions of external reviewers
Resulting action plan
A number of measures have been taken in terms of hiring more full time faculty, adding technology, evolving a more effective
assessment protocol, collaborating with Academic Literacies. The English Department has also been involved in developing
an English Concentration and contributed to concentrations in American Studies and Gender Studies.
2b.
Program review follow-up (from 2012-13 to 2013-14)
Action item from program review
Timeline for completion
Accomplishments during current year
NA
Note: If your department was involved in a program review in the previous academic year, the table above must be filled in.
3a.
Course assessment follow-up (from 2012-13 to 2013-14)
Each Action Plan was designed to increase the alignment between EN 101 and 102 in the hopes of strengthening student engagement and increasing
retention.
Course(s)
assessed from
previous year
Action plan from previous year
Evaluation of Results
Follow-up
EN 102
Revisit past practices, such as theme
based courses and student withdrawal
Based on inclusive data from theme
based courses, a continued focus was
In response to changing technology (CUNYFirst
and Starfish), the department discontinued the
7
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
surveys, to determine the best
methods for ascertaining retention
issues.
placed on the use of student surveys.
EN 102
Review ways in which faculty
understand project based learning
and already incorporate it into their
courses and expected student
outcomes; spread greater awareness
of what project based learning is and
how it can benefit students.
The department continued to
disseminate information on project
based learning, primarily through the
Student Wiki Interdisciplinary Group
(SWIG), as well as under the auspices
of the Composition Committee.
EN 101 / All
English Courses
Gather data about the use of
ePortfolios. Promote partially online
(hybrid or blended) courses and fully
online courses.
Given that the college is considering its
on-going use of Epsilen as an
ePortfolio platform, it proved
impractical to gather such data.
Additional faculty continue to be
trained in the use of online technology,
with two faculty in the June, 2014
eLearning Institute.
EN 101
As part of past strategic plans, the
department encouraged faculty to
develop at least one assignment
requiring the use of campus cultural
resources.
Susan Jacobowitz was awarded the
NEH KHRCA Challenge Grant and
worked with faculty to incorporate the
resources of the KHRCA into their
courses. Agnieszka Tuszynska became
the department cultural liaison to help
facilitate greater use of campus cultural
resources and David Humphries met
Year: 2013- 2014
student withdrawal surveys, after gathering as
much data as possible, and explored other
methods for identifying and addressing retention
issues.
As part of the conversations about project based
learning, project based learning was incorporated
into the sharing of assignments and the on-going
construction of a new, digital composition
handbook. Given that the handbook primarily
addresses EN 101, preliminary plans were also
discussed to revise the catalog description of EN
102, to increase the continuity between EN 101
and EN 102 and promote a culminating or
“capstone” project as a required part of the EN
102 curriculum.
Through the activities of the Composition
Committee, the department continued to explore
different platforms and methods for using
technology to promote more positive student
outcomes, including pass rates and retention rates.
To lend greater consistency to course offerings,
all new faculty teaching online were given access
to a model EN 101 course. In response to lower
retention rates in the fully-online EN 101 and EN
102 courses, course offerings were limited in
those areas, and a greater emphasis was placed on
partially online hybrid courses, with the
expectation that such courses would have a higher
retention rate and offer students more scheduling
flexibility as they advance to graduation. Next
year, data will be gathered to compare completion
and pass rates for these hybrid courses.
The department had a great deal of activity in
using these campus cultural resources this past
year. Follow up will include maintaining this
level of activity and exploring surveys or other
methods of collecting data on the exact level of
use. In the 2014-2015 year, faculty participating
on the KHRCA plan to construct and submit an
article about the project and sustain the web site.
8
Queensborough Community College
EN 101 and 102
3b.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
As part of work done for the
Assessment Institute, Kimberly
Banks and Laurel Harris developed a
plan to measure the department’s
progress towards accomplishing
general education objective #6. Next
year’s assessment will be a direct
measurement of student learning
through the collection of randomized
and representative sample papers in
EN 101 and 102. The writing
samples will be scored on a rubric
tested as part of the work
accomplished for the institute.
with Faustino Quintanilla to explore
collaboration possibilities between
English Faculty and the QCC Art
Gallery.
This years Assessment Committee
moved towards a direct measurement
of student learning through the
collection of randomized and
representative sample papers in EN 101
and 102. Writing samples were
collected, and a rubric developed as
part of the work accomplished for the
institute.
Year: 2013- 2014
In addition to Laurel Harris and Kimberly Banks,
Tanya Zhelezcheva completed the Assessment
Institute, and great strides were taken by the
Assessment Committee in using student artifacts
and student outcomes in course assessment.
Course assessment: current year
In light of Middle States expectations, the department has developed a multi-year plan for the direct assessment of general education and course
objectives in EN101 and EN102. In addition to providing information on how the department is meeting these objectives, this assessment is intended to
help strengthen the alignment between EN101 and EN102.
Course(s)
assessed (list
individually)
Relevant General
Educational Outcomes
Relevant
Curricular
Outcomes
Evaluation of Assessment Results
Action plan
9
Queensborough Community College
EN 102
#1 Communicate
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
Building on past Withdrawal
Questionnaires used to understand areas
where we could improve syllabuses in
EN 102, in the spring of 2013, the
department adopted a Withdrawal
Questionnaire focused on three likely
areas for student withdrawal: academic,
personal, and course-specific content. We
received 151 responses. Students checked
as many responses as were relevant.
Academic and personal reasons for
withdrawal were cited most often. The
number of students who withdrew
because of course-specific content was
relatively low between 20% and 25%.
The questionnaire reveals that content is
probably not a significant reason for why
students leave our English classes.
Therefore, syllabus revision would have
very little effect.
Year: 2013- 2014
Developments such as Starfish have
changed how we can understand
reasons for withdrawal and improve
retention. To help improve student
success and retention, the department
launched an early intervention pilot
program for EN101 courses with the
Writing Center using Starfish in the
spring of 2014. We plan to continue
developing this program, and we
intend to explore ways to improve
retention using Starfish.
10
Queensborough Community College
EN 101 and
102
#1, Communicate
#2 Use Analytical
Reasoning
#4 Use Information
Management
#6 Differentiate
#10 Apply Aesthetic and
Intellectual Criteria
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
#2 Identify an
Intellectual
Question
#3
Differentiate
relevant
evidence
#4 Use a
variety of
writing and
revision
strategies
#5 Determine
logical
arguments
#6 Identify
and apply
literary terms
#7 Evaluate
literary texts
and genres
In the fall 2008 semester, the department
decided to implement pilot programs for
having students write in multiple genres
in EN 101 and 102 courses, and this
approach has continued to inform our EN
101 and EN 102 curriculum. In our spring
2013 End-of-Semester Survey, 25 faculty
(a little more than half of all respondents)
report having students write in multiple
genres. Those genres include the creative,
personal, analytical, and informal.
However, the most typical genre
mentioned was analysis of literary texts,
which is a traditional academic writing
genre in literary studies. Therefore, the
department will continue to promote
greater discussion about using multiple
genres and creating more consistency
among different instructors.
Year: 2013- 2014
Since our flexibility and range in
implementing this approach uniquely
defines our department when
compared to other English departments
across the country, educating our
faculty, especially our part-time
faculty, about what constitutes genre
writing and making it an effective
learning tool should be one of our
highest priorities. To this end, the
composition committee organized
departmental meetings devoted to such
topics as multimodal composition and
teaching students to read like writers in
multiple genres in the fall of 2013 and
spring of 2014. Beginning in the fall of
2013, we also collected, archived, and
presented EN101 and EN102
assignments in multiple genres on a
searchable web site. Next year, we will
continue to devote meetings to using
multiple genres in our composition
courses, and we will continue to build
our web site of multi-generic
assignments as models for full- and
part-time faculty. We have also created
the position of Adjunct Coordinator to
help better inform adjunct instructors
and understand their concerns.
11
Queensborough Community College
EN 101 and
102
#4 Use Information
Management
#6 Differentiate
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
#2 Identify an
Intellectual
Question
#3
Differentiate
relevant
evidence
#5 Determine
logical
arguments
The spring 2011 survey established the
need for the department to do more to
meet general education learning
objectives 4 and 6. An action plan needs
to be developed to determine how well
we meet general education objective 4.
As part of work done for the Assessment
Institute in the spring of 2013, Kimberly
Banks and Laurel Harris developed a plan
to measure the department’s progress
towards accomplishing general education
objective #6, and Tanya Zhelezcheva
continued this work at the Assessment
Institute in the fall of 2013 by developing
a rubric to measure outcomes for the
EN101 and EN102 course objective
connected to general education objective
#6.
Year: 2013- 2014
Kimberly Banks collected well over
1,000 student writing samples from
dozens of sections of EN101 and
EN102 in the fall of 2013 and spring
of 2014 for direct assessment of
randomly selected artifacts in the fall
of 2014. The assessment committee
met in the spring of 2014 to establish a
rubric for this assessment from the
instruments developed by Kimberly
Banks, Laurel Harris, and Tanya
Zhelezcheva at the Assessment
Institute. Next fall, the department will
conduct a direct assessment of how
EN101 and EN102 courses are
meeting general education objective 6.
In the spring of 2015, these findings
will be discussed in the department
and an action plan will be developed.
The assessment committee also plans
to construct an instrument to measure
general education objective 4 and the
related course objective in EN101 and
EN102.
4.
Results of certification examinations, employer and alumni surveys, student surveys, advisory board
recommendations (if applicable, please use the table below) NA
5.
Other assessment activity (if applicable)
12
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
Internal Assessment Report
English Department
June 2014
The department has spent the last two years following up on Action Plans of the past five years and planning direct assessment
goals for the next few years. In the spring of 2013, we implemented two surveys to gather data about our courses: the English
Department Official Student Withdrawal Survey and End-of-Semester Survey for EN 102. The department approved course
objectives for EN 101 and 102 that emerged from the assessment survey administered in the spring of 2012. Kimberly Banks
and Laurel Harris participated in the Queensborough Community College’s Assessment Institute and created a rubric to
measure the department’s effectiveness at achieving general education objective: “Differentiate and make informed decisions
about issues based on multiple value systems.” This objective was chosen as one of the recommendations for improvement
from the department’s spring 2011 assessment findings. In the fall of 2013, Tanya Zhelezcheva attended the Assessment
Institute and developed a rubric measuring outcomes for the EN101 and EN102 course objective related to general education
objective: “Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media
and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.” The rubric measured the following outcomes of this
objective: “Students will be able to select, explain, analyze, synthesize, and integrate evidence from multiple sources.” In the
fall of 2013 and spring of 2014, Kimberly Banks solicited one batch of EN101 and EN102 papers from all sections for direct
assessment in the fall of 2014. In the spring of 2014, the departmental assessment committee met three times to discuss and
collate the two rubrics developed in the Assessment Institute for direct assessment of collected samples in the fall. We further
plan to continue conducting direct assessments of our course objectives in EN 101 and 102 over the next few years.
Before explaining future directions for departmental assessment, examining past initiatives can help put priorities in perspective. Past departmental
Action Plans include in chronological order the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Increase theme-based EN 102 courses to strengthen the connection between EN 101 and 102
Implement a departmental withdrawal questionnaire as a way to explore needed syllabus revision in EN 101 and 102
Increase project-based learning activities to more effectively meet course and general education objectives and improve course retention in EN
101
Increase use of ePortfolios to more effectively meet course and general education objectives and improve course retention in EN 101
Foster student writing in multiple genres
Develop more online and hybrid courses
Increase use of cultural resources on campus by encouraging faculty to develop at least one assignment per semester related to such resources
Improve achievement of general education objective #4: Use information management and technology skills effectively for academic research
and lifelong learning
13
Queensborough Community College
9.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
Improve achievement of general education objective #6: Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value
systems
Each Action Plan was designed to increase the connection between EN 101 and 102 in the hopes of strengthening student engagement and increasing
retention.
Although the college encourages a variety of high-impact practices to increase engagement and retention, the most prevalent practice was the Common
Read, which was cited by 23% of respondents to our spring 2013 faculty survey. Learning communities, service learning, and ePortfolio are reportedly
used in small numbers. Faculty cited other high-impact practices not recognized by the college. We currently do not have data regarding whether these
courses have higher retention rates or lower failing rates.
In the fall 2006 semester, department decided to implement a Withdrawal Questionnaire to understand areas where we could improve syllabi in EN 102.
In the spring of 2013 the department adopted a Withdrawal Questionnaire focused on three likely areas for student withdrawal: academic, personal, and
course-specific content. We received 151 responses. Students checked as many responses as were relevant. Academic and personal reasons for
withdrawal were cited most often. The number of students who withdrew because of course-specific content was relatively low at roughly between 1/4
and 1/5 that of the other two categories. The questionnaire reveals that content is probably not a significant reason for why students leave our English
classes. Therefore, syllabus revision would have very little effect. To help improve student success and retention, the department launched an early
intervention pilot program for EN101 courses with the Writing Center using Starfish in the spring of 2014. We plan to continue developing this
program, and we intend to explore ways to improve retention using Starfish.
In the fall 2007 semester, the department decided to implement project-based learning in EN 101 courses. Two well-known projects within the
department are ethnographies and the Student Wiki Interdisciplinary Group (SWIG). The department continues to have a significant presence in SWIG,
but as an interdisciplinary group, SWIG also has been exploring its own rubrics and methods of assessment. As ePortfolio projects may be shifting from
Epsilen to new online platforms, we are waiting to assess these sections. In the 2013-2014 academic year, two additional faculty are being trained at the
eLearning Institute in the summer of 2014, and we expecting to add one new computer lab. The department continues to increase the exchange of
information about online learning, the use of course management systems, and project based learning. As a first step in improving student outcomes, a
number of venues have been used to share best practices; moving ahead, further data about online student retention and faculty use of technology may
be gathered from institutional sources and surveys, as the department works to take the next step in adding greater consistency to our course offerings.
In the fall 2008 semester, the department decided to implement pilot programs for having students write in multiple genres in EN 101 and 102 courses.
One genre already implemented was the use of ethnographies. In terms of those courses incorporating SWIG, students continued to produce digital
stories. We learned from the spring of 2012’s faculty survey that the most frequent genres/modes of writing in 102 were as follows: reflective writing,
research writing, timed in-class writing, and free writing. In our End-of-Semester Survey in the spring of 2013, 25 faculty (a little more than half of all
respondents) report having students write in multiple genres. Those genres include the creative, personal, analytical, and informal. However, the most
typical genre mentioned was analysis of literary texts, which is a traditional academic writing genre in literary studies. In the past, our flexibility and
range in implementing this approach has helped define our department; in the futre, educating our faculty, especially our part-time faculty, about what
constitutes genre writing and making it an effective learning tool should be one of our highest priorities. To this end, the composition committee
organized departmental meetings devoted to such topics as multimodal composition and teaching students to read like writers in multiple genres in the
fall of 2013 and spring of 2014. Beginning in the fall of 2013, we also collected, archived, and presented EN101 and EN102 assignments in multiple
genres on a searchable web site. Next year, we will continue to devote meetings to using multiple genres in our composition courses, and we will
14
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
continue to build our web site of multigeneric assignments as models for full- and part-time faculty and pursue the creation of a special reader and
recommended texts.
In the fall 2008 semester, the department, as part of the college’s strategic plan, decided to encourage faculty to develop at least one assignment
requiring the use of campus cultural resources. In our End-of-Semester Faculty Survey in the spring of 2013, 29 courses used library instruction or
activity, which is not defined as a cultural resource in terms of the college’s strategic plan. In the spring 2010 semester, Kimberly Banks, John Talbird¸
and Susan Jacobowitz provided the department with materials to help facilitate the use of Art Gallery and the Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center. In
the fall 2011 semester, Kimberly Banks and Jodie Childers recorded testimonials regarding their use of the gallery in their classes. Those testimonials
are available on the gallery’s website. Fifteen department faculty participated in the 2013-2014 Holocaust Resource Center Challenge Grant, organized
by Susan Jacobowitz, eight events were planned, and a web site was developed. In the 2014-2015 year, participating faculty plan to construct and submit
an article about the project and sustain the web site. In addition, Agnieszka Tuszynska,has been appointed departmental liaison with campus cultural
resources, and she will work with faculty to develop projects using these resources. Additional possibilities for collaborating with the Art Gallery were
also explored.
In the spring 2011 semester, the Assessment Committee surveyed students in English courses to understand their perceptions regarding their
accomplishment of general education learning objectives for EN 102. In the spring of 2013, the department voted on new objectives for EN 101 and
102. A majority of faculty approved the objectives below.
EN 101 Course Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Summarize, analyze, and synthesize diverse readings including multidisciplinary academic articles, essays, literary works, or other relevant
genres.
Identify an intellectual question or problem worthy of further study through the process of reading, research, and writing.
Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media and such primary
sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.
Use a variety of writing and revision strategies for generating, revising, editing and proofreading writing.
Determine logical arguments and stylistic approaches appropriate to form or genre of writing: transitional language, progressive
development of ideas, etc.
EN 102 Course Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify and apply literary terms, techniques, concepts, and aesthetic criteria to the evaluation of literary works.
Evaluate literary texts and genres within their historical, philosophical, or cultural contexts as part of the human experience.
Summarize, analyze, and synthesize diverse readings including multidisciplinary academic articles, essays, literary works, or other relevant
genres.
Identify an intellectual question or problem worthy of further study through the process of reading, research, and writing.
Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media and such primary
sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.
Use a variety of writing and revision strategies for generating, revising, editing and proofreading writing.
15
Queensborough Community College
7.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Year: 2013- 2014
Determine logical arguments and stylistic approaches appropriate to form or genre of writing: transitional language, progressive
development of ideas, etc.
The spring 2011 survey established the need for the department to do more to meet general education learning objectives 4 and 6. An action plan needs
to be developed to determine how well we meet general education objective 4. As part of work done for the Assessment Institute, Kimberly Banks and
Laurel Harris developed a plan to measure the department’s progress towards accomplishing general education objective #6 in the spring of 2013, Tanya
Zhelezcheva continued this work at the Assessment Institute in the fall of 2013 by developing a rubric to measure outcomes for the EN101 and EN102
course objective connected to general education objective: Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual
images, electronic media and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and surveys. Beginning in the fall of 2013, Kimberly Banks collected
over 1,000 student writing samples from dozens of EN101 and EN102 classes for a direct assessment of general education objective 6 to be conducted
in the fall of 2014. The assessment committee met in the spring of 2014 to construct a rubric for this assessment from the rubrics designed in the
Assessment Institute by Kimberly Banks, Laurel Harris, and Tanya Zhelezcheva.
In the next five years, the Assessment Committee will build a comprehensive picture of how well the English department is meeting its general
education and course objectives. The committee plans to reflect on their work on assessment of individual learning objectives as well as the kinds and
effectiveness of innovations developed in the department as a result of this process. Now is a perfect time to reassess our purpose as the department
rapidly expands its contingent of full-time, tenure-track faculty.
16
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Queensborough Community College
Year: 2013- 2014
F. DEPARTMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
1.
Goals/objectives for 2013-2014
(Please indicate [Yes or No] if the objectives were part of the College’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2014.)
Departmental goals/objectives
2013/2014
Increase the range and
participation of high impact
activities.
Strategic Plan
Y/N
Y
Evaluation of achievement
Resulting action plan
15 faculty participated in the NEH grant; 5
faculty participated in Teagle Grants, involving
Service Learning; 2 faculty served as Faculty
Coordinators for Learning Communities; 2
faculty participated in planning sessions for
Diversity and Global Learning; 11 faculty
members participated in the Common Read; 2
Writing intensive courses were offered, and two
new faculty were certified to teach WI course.
Increase the number of Honors
Contracts offered.
Y
The same number of Honors Contracts was
offered. Matt Koch, as well as Tanya
Zhelezcheva, are now a member of the Honors
Committee. Jan Ramjerdi and Kimberly Banks,
among others, helped organize a room at the
Honors Conference specifically designated for
students from English Courses.
Add greater consistency to our
first-year writing sections.
Y
Composition Committee meetings were well
attended, and much progress was made in
The department is
investigating creating an
undergraduate research
course and incorporating
undergraduate research
into our existing courses
in a more methodical
way. The department
has created the position
of Adjunct Coordinator
to help disseminate high
impact practices to
adjunct faculty.
Based on the success of
at this year’s Honors
Conference, next year
the department plans to
complete at least 25
honors contracts and
have two rooms
designated at the Honors
Conference.
In order to complete a
syllabus checklist and
17
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Queensborough Community College
creating a new composition handbook and a
digital archive of exemplary assignments,
creating greater opportunities for sharing best
practices, including specific assignments.
Promote utilization of existing
campus resources.
Y
A pilot with 12 sections was created to work
with the Campus Writing Center to create
specific workshops or methods of early
interventions in first-year writing and upper
level courses. The Writing Center experienced
a significant increase in visits from students in
English courses. Faculty from the library spoke
at department meetings; a library liaison
position was created to encourage more library
visits for research-based courses and to explore
other options, like the embedded librarian
project and the course specific online resources.
Expand high impact activities
in EN 102 and upper level
Y
Measure the full-range of high impact activities
being used. Apply relevant best practices from
Year: 2013- 2014
move forward with the
construction of a
customized reader,
surveying will be done
in the fall to explore
current usage and needs.
Greater communication
with adjuncts will be
pursued through the
position of Adjunct
Coordinator.
Next year, the pilot will
be expanded to increase
the number of students
who visit the Writing
Center early in the
semester. With the
completion of the new
composition handbook
and syllabus checklist,
faculty will be mandated
to incorporate the
Writing Center and
Library into their EN
101 curriculum, using a
variety of options,
including whole class
visits, individual
tutoring or informational
sessions, and online
resources.
The focus of the
department this year was
18
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Queensborough Community College
courses.
EN 101 to EN 102.
Integrate new faculty into the
culture of the department.
Y
A number of mentoring events and community
building events took place, and the Faculty
Mentoring Committee was active throughout
the year.
Continue to grow our
technology resources.
Y
Add additional computer classroom to address
the department’s 91% computer classroom
utilization. Participate in college’s
virtualization pilot. Measure the number of
instructors using computer and smart
classrooms.
Year: 2013- 2014
largely on EN 101.
While those
conversations about
curriculum and
assessment undoubtedly
impacted the upper level
courses, more data and a
more systematic
approach are still
needed.
Given the department
went from 29 to 41 fulltime faculty during the
past year, there was a
great deal of success in
integrating new faculty
into the existing culture
of the department. The
next
The department
successfully
implemented the
virtualization pilot,
identifying and
addressing relevant
issues. Based on
discussions during the
annual budget review,
the department expects
to get at least one
additional computer
classroom during the
upcoming year.
19
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Queensborough Community College
Create a more seamless
connection between EN 101
and EN 102.
Y
Enhance our office work space. Y
2.
Most of the progress in advancing curricular
goals was made with EN 101.
The Conference Room was moved from H-415
to H-458, creating additional office space.
Year: 2013- 2014
Next year, the Writing
Director will take on the
added designation “EN
101 Coordinator,” while
the Assistant Writing
Director will take on the
added designation “EN
102 Coordinator.” This
will highlight the move
to focus on EN 102
student outcomes,
curriculum, and a
possible revision of the
course catalog to
emphasize project based
learning.
The department
continues to explore
other means of
expanding and
enhancing our office
space.
Goals/objectives for 2014-2015
(Explain how these goals/objectives align with the College’s goals and Strategic Plan for 2014-2015)
Last year’s goals included a number of ambitious items which will unfold over a number of years, as evident from the
Resulting Action Plans outlined above. In addition to following up on these items, there are several new goals of note.
Departmental goals/objectives 2014-2015
Accelerated Learning Program (ALP)
This past year, two sections of blended EN 101/BE
Mission/
Strategic Plan
Y
Planned method of evaluation
In addition to monitoring the number of sections
and students, the ALP Committee will monitor the
20
Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
courses were offered to implement a local version of
ALP and give students in developmental courses the
opportunity to earn credits in the same semester in
which they are completing remedial course work and
passing required exit exams. The goal for the
upcoming year is to expand this program from two
sections with approximately 10 students of
developmental students in each section to at least four
sections each semester with approximately 10 students
in each section.
Create at least one articulation agreement. The
department does not currently have any articulation
agreements, and creating one or more will help to
modernize the curriculum while encouraging the
retention and graduation of students.
The position of Adjunct Coordinator has been created
to foster professional development among adjunct
instructors and ensure greater consistency in the firstyear writing curriculum.
Year: 2013- 2014
pass rate and grades of students and continue to
evolve the curriculum to allow for greater
consistency as more instructors become involved.
Y
Given that the department currently does not have
any articulation agreements, the creation and
proper approval of one will be the measure of
success.
Y
The Adjunct Coordinator will offer one or more
professional workshops; verify that all syllabuses
have been collected and certified to meet stated
curricular outcomes and catalog descriptions;
create a peer observation checklist.
21