Queensborough Community College
DEPARTMENT:
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
ENGLISH
June 2013
YEAR: 2012-2013
A. DEPARTMENT SERVICES/ACTIVITIES REPORT IN 2012-13
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 (16 PNT sections; 5 FNT Sections)
Muslim Student Association, Faculty Club Advisor (1 Faculty Member)
Creative Writing Club, Faculty Club Advisor (1 Faculty Member)
Learning Communities (7 Sections)
Academies (13 Designated Sections)
WID/WAC Coordinator (1 Faculty Member)
College Now Faculty Development (1 Faculty Member)
Liberal Arts Academy Coordinator (2 Faculty Members)
SWIG Coordinator (1 Faculty Member)
SWIG Participants (4 Faculty Members)
Common Read Participants (11 Faculty Members)
Number Served
14
1
20
21
1
1
7
13
1
1
2
1
4
11
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
Type of Activity and Topic
Date
Number
Attending
2/27/2013
4/10/2013
5/1/2013
18
10
20
Gave Presentations
Composition Committee: Technology Demo Day (Rob Becker, PJ Irigoyen)
Motivating Students to Read (Rob Becker, John Talbird)
Responding to Student Writing (Rob Becker)
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Common Read: Movie Event & Discussion – “Gattaca” (Jillian Abbott)
Common Read: “How Does She Do That? - Connecting Cultures, A roundtable of English
faculty will lead a discussion of Chronology and Individuals in “The Immortal LifeRebecca
Skloot’s approach to writing “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (Laurel Harris,
Kimberly Banks)
Common Read: “Research: Going Beyond the Associate’s Degree” (Alisa Cercone)
Common Read: “STEM and Henrietta Lacks” (Michael Dolan)
Common Read Writing Contest Awards Ceremony (Lauren Rosenblum)
June 2013
2/21/2013
2/25/2013
15
55
2/26/2013
3/25/2013
4/26/2013
20
25
45
5/15/2013
28
10/2012
120
3/2013
115
3/1/2013
9/1/2012 –
5/12013
10/24/2012
4/24/2013
6/14,17,18/
2013
4/1/20136/30/2013
60
24
ORGANIZED
Joint Department Meeting with Academic Literacies on ALP (Accelerated Learning
Program) (David Humphries) (28 English Department Faculty Members)
Campus Writing Center Visits – Fall (Laurel Harris, David Humphries, Jessica Rogers,
John Talbird)
Campus Writing Center Visits – Spring (Laurel Harris, David Humphries, Jessica Rogers,
John Talbird)
Creative Writing Club Publication Release (Jodie Childers)
Communique, Student Newspaper (James Hoff)
Stop and Frisk Symposium (George Fragopoulos)
Multilingual Poetry Event (Jodie Childers)
SWIG Institute (Kiki Byas)
Involved in the Planning of High Impact Practices (Jean Murley, Elise Denbo, Jodie
Childers, Kiki Byas)
35
125
17
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
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
3. the date (if not the exact date, indicate the month)
4. the number attending the event
B. COURSE CHANGES IN 2012-13
INSTRUCTIONS: For each course that changed, indicate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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
New
Course
number
Course title
Semester approved
Comments
EN 230
Introduction
to Literary
Studies
Fall, 2012
Fulfills the majors requirement under Pathways;
(Created Spring, 2012; Passed Governance, Fall,
2012; To be first offered, Fall, 2013) Prerequisites:
EN 101 (or EN 103) and EN 102; 3 cr. / 4 hours
C. PROGRAM CHANGES IN 2012-13
Program
Program change*
English Concentration in LA
Initiated
Effective Date (Semester
and year)
Fall, 2013
Comments
Approved by CUNY Board;
to take effect Fall, 2013
*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.
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Queensborough Community College


Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
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 2012-13
Type (see menu below)
Description of
Change
Reason for Change
Personnel or organizational
change
Chair Elected
Deputy Chair Appointed
1 Promotion to Associate
Professor
1 Fellowship Awarded
2 Fellowships Resumed
7 New Assistant Professors
Hired
Equipment
Date/Semester
Evaluation of
Change*
11/14/2012 – Fall, 2012
12/5/2012 – Fall, 2012
Spring, 2013
N/A
N/A
N/A
Spring, 2013
Spring, 2013
Spring, 2013
N/A
N/A
Added new
headphones to
computer classrooms
Added a new smartcart
for faculty
To replace old and
broken ones
Fall, 2012 / Spring, 2013
N/A
Higher demand for
smartcarts
Spring, 2013
N/A
Equipment
Added new server
2013(ADS)
To replace old one
Spring, 2013
N/A
Equipment
Added new 2-way
radios (4 total) for
Department and CLT
Replaced old, out of date
2 way radios
Fall, 2012
N/A
Equipment
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Queensborough Community College
Equipment
Equipment
Equipment
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
4 new point and shot
cameras 4 new digital
voice recorders and
flash drives for the
faculty
New Blueray/DVD
players
June 2013
To add to the number of
cameras and DVR that
we have cause of usage
increase
Spring, 2013
N/A
To replaced broken ones
Spring 2013
N/A
Spring 2013
N/A
Wireless network cards To be used in rooms
without internet
*Please note that, if change has been too recent to evaluate, you may indicate NA.
MENU
Type of change
Personnel or organizational change
Facilities/space
Equipment
Other
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 2012-13
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.
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.
The department spent the year following up on Action Plans of the past five years and planning assessment goals for
the next ten years. We implemented two surveys to gather data about our courses: the English Department Official
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Student Withdrawal Survey and End-of-Semester Faculty Survey for EN 102. Elizabeth Lackner in the Office of
Institutional Research provided the department with a Withdrawal Rate Analysis starting with the fall 2009 semester
and ending with the fall 2012 semester. The department approved course objectives for EN 101 and 102 that emerged
from last spring’s assessment survey. Finally, 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 #6: Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple
value systems. We plan to use this rubric to determine our progress in reaching this goal during the 2013-2014
academic year. The department plans to assess our progress in meeting all of our course objectives in EN 101 and 102
in the next ten years.
Moving forward, the Assessment Committee 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 publish our 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 2012-2013, if applicable
Program(s) reviewed: (GIVE FULL TITLE, i.e., A.A.S. in Digital Art and Design)
External Agency or Reviewers: (GIVE NAME OF AGENCY OR NAME OF REVIEWER[S])
Date of site visit
Major conclusions of self-study
The Liberal Arts and Sciences A.A. degree program is currently under review; the report and external reviewers’ visit
will be completed in fall 2013, with the action plan and follow-up to be reported in the 2013-14 year-end report.
Major conclusions of external reviewers
Resulting action plan
2b.
Program review follow-up
Action item from program review
Timeline for completion
Accomplishments during current year
Not applicable – see above
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Queensborough Community College
3.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Course assessment
Courses
assessed (list
individually)
Relevant QCC
Educational
Objectives
Relevant Curricular
Objectives (cite both
curriculum and
objectives)
Evaluation of Assessment Results
Action plan
Each Action Plan was designed to increase the alignment between EN 101 and 102 in the hopes of strengthening student engagement and increasing
retention.
EN 102
#1
Communicate
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
EN 101
#4 Use
Information
Management
#7 Work
Collaboratively
#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
In the fall 2006 semester, department decided to
implement a Withdrawal Questionnaire to understand
areas where we could improve syllabi in EN 102. This
spring 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% 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.
In the fall 2007 semester, the department decided to
implement project-based learning in EN 101 courses.
We have no official numbers for how many projects
were initiated or how many sections participated. Two
well-known projects within the department are
ethnographies and the Student Wiki Interdisciplinary
Group (SWIG). Four faculty incorporated SWIG into
their courses this spring. We do not have any data
regarding the prevalence of using an ethnographic
assignment in EN 101. Although eight faculty members
reported using project-based learning in EN 102 in this
semester’s End-of-Semester Faculty Survey, most
respondents were confused about what constituted
project-based learning.
Continued use of the
Student Withdrawal
Questionnaire will help us
gain greater insight into
how to improve
engagement and retention.
Since faculty in the
department have
established scholarly
reputations using SWIG in
the classroom, it could be
in the department’s best
interest overall to
encourage this and other
kinds of project-based
learning more
systematically.
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Queensborough Community College
EN 101
#4 Use
Information
Management
EN 101 and
102
#1,
Communicate
#2 Use
Analytical
Reasoning
#4 Use
Information
Management
#6 Differentiate
#10 Apply
Aesthetic and
Intellectual
Criteria
All EN
courses
#1,
Communicate
#4 Use
Information
Management
#6 Differentiate
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
#3 Differentiate
relevant evidence
#4 Use a variety of
writing and revision
strategies
#5 Determine logical
arguments
#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
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
June 2013
In the fall 2007 semester, the department decided to
implement ePortfolio in ASAP sections of EN 101
courses. We do not have any data regarding how many
sections piloted ePortfolio or how many sections
currently use ePortfolio. Three of the 48 sections
accounted for in our End-of-Semester Survey used
ePortfolio.
Gather data regarding
whether these courses have
higher retention rates or
lower failing rates.
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. In our Endof-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.
So while there is less confusion here about what
constitutes writing in multiple genres compared to
project-based learning, the confusion is still substantial
enough to potentially cause a problem in our program.
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 parttime faculty, about what
constitutes genre writing
and making it an effective
learning tool should be one
of our highest priorities.
In the fall 2008 semester, the department implemented
online courses and hybrid courses. With Queensborough
Community College’s implementation of the eLearning
Faculty Institute, we have 8 faculty certified to teach
such courses. In the 2012-2013 academic year, we
offered 5 online courses and 16 hybrid courses.
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Queensborough Community College
4.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
EN 101
#4 Use
Information
Management
#10 Apply
Aesthetic and
Intellectual
Criteria
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
#2 Identify an
Intellectual Question
#6 Identify and apply
literary terms
#7 Evaluate literary
texts and genres
EN 101 and
102
#4 Use
Information
Management
#6 Differentiate
#1 Summarize,
analyze, and
synthesize
#2 Identify an
Intellectual Question
#3 Differentiate
relevant evidence
#5 Determine logical
arguments
June 2013
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. We do not have data about
how many faculty have developed such assignments to
date. In our End-of-Semester Faculty Survey, 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 the QCC 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.
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.
Susan Jacobowitz
organized a group of
English faculty and
proposed a series of events
for the 2013-2014
Holocaust Resource Center
Challenge Grant. She was
awarded the grant this
spring.
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.
Results of certification exams, employer and alumni surveys, student surveys, advisory board recommendations
(if applicable, please use the table below)
Data Source
Results
Action plan
Certification exams
Employer/alumni surveys, including
graduation and placement survey
Student surveys (current students)
Advisory Board recommendations
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Queensborough Community College
5.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Other assessment activity
Internal Assessment Report
English Department
June 2013
The department spent the year following up on Action Plans of the past five years and planning assessment goals for the next five years. 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. Elizabeth Lackner in the Office of Institutional Research provided the department with a Withdrawal Rate Analysis starting with the fall
2009 semester and ending with the fall 2012 semester. The department approved course objectives for EN 101 and 102 that emerged from last spring’s
assessment survey. Finally, 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 #6: Differentiate and make informed decisions about
issues based on multiple value systems. We plan to use this rubric to determine our progress in reaching this goal during the 2013-2014 academic year.
The department plans to assess our progress in meeting all of our course objectives in EN 101 and 102 in the next ten years.
Report of EN 102 End of Semester Faculty Survey Data
Enrollment, Drop, and Fail
Student Enrollment
Total
Low
High
1,299
252
766
% Dropped
9.85%
11.11%
9.92%
% Failed
5.46%
7.53%
3.00%
Faculty report enrollment totals in EN 102 of 1299 students spread among 46 sections. Faculty report a variety of enrollment numbers ranging from a
low of 19 students (in three courses) to a high of 34 students (in one course).
It is impossible to draw any firm conclusions about withdrawal patterns from our End-of-Semester Faculty Survey. However, we should further explore
if faculty with multiple sections of consistently have lower fail rates and higher drop rates and whether this is good for our students. In Elizabeth
Lackner’s Withdrawal Rate Analysis report, we find that students who receive a W grade have significantly less retention one semester and one year
after taking EN 101 and 102 than counterparts who complete the course. These results are statistically significant. This might suggest that completing a
class and failing is better in the long run for students than withdrawing from a class.
We should also further explore the question of engagement for students in courses that maintain high enrollment compared to those courses that
maintain low enrollment. Another explanation could be a correlation between enrollment and grades. Without a larger sample size, it is impossible to
say whether the differences in retention and failure are statistically significant.
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
Withdrawal Rate Analysis by Elizabeth Lackner
15‐Mar‐13
The English department was interested in reviewing the rates in which students withdraw from EN 101 and EN 102 courses. We were asked to compare
these rates to rates of similar courses with large enrollments. Math gateway courses (MA 114, 119, 120, and 121) and SS 310 and SS 510 were found to
be courses with large enrollments. The following report looks at the percentage of withdrawals (of any kind) in these courses in the terms of fall 2009 to
fall 2012 and compares the remedial needs (as measured by the initial placement test results) and retention behavior between students with W grades (of
any kind) and those without.
Summary of Findings:
Withdrawal rates (percent of students with any W grade) were higher in spring terms for EN 101 and the SS courses. No such patterns were found in the
Math gateway courses. The reverse pattern was observed in EN 102 courses where withdrawal rates were higher in fall terms.
No clear relationship between remedial needs and students withdrawal behavior (both official or unofficial) could be found in EN 101, EN 102, and the
Math Gateway courses. However the SS courses did consistently show that the percentage of students with Basic Skill needs was higher among students
who had received a W grade (W, WA, WN, WU). The difference was confirmed with a statistically significant association measure (Chi Square with a
p‐value of less than 0.001.)
Finally, one semester and one year retention were consistently lower among students with W grades in any of the courses analyzed. The relationship
between withdrawal from courses and college retention was found statistically significant across the board with Chi Square tests and p‐values less than
0.001.
The department needs to consider how to address the differences in retention as whole for spring EN 101 students and fall EN 102 students. Lackner’s
report specifically states that there is no clear relationship between remedial needs and student withdrawal behavior. Therefore, differences in retention
in “off” semesters must have another explanation. If we better understand why this happens, then we can better compensate our instruction to
accommodate it. One possible explanation could be students who are inconsistent in their college attendance from semester to semester. It might help
these students to incorporate more repetition/overlap between EN 101 and 102 materials as a way to provide a refresher and help the students move
forward. There has been some research confirming that returning students who have access to optional “refresher” modules have better performance in
First-Year Composition courses.
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. Increase theme-based EN 102 courses to strengthen the connection between EN 101 and 102
2. Implement a departmental withdrawal questionnaire as a way to explore needed syllabus revision in EN 101 and 102
3. Increase project-based learning activities to more effectively meet course and general education objectives and improve
course retention in EN 101
4. Increase use of ePortfolios to more effectively meet course and general education objectives and improve course
retention in EN 101
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
5. Foster student writing in multiple genres
6. Develop more online and hybrid courses
7. Increase use of cultural resources on campus by encouraging faculty to develop at least one assignment per semester
related to such resources
8. Improve achievement of general education objective #4: Use information management and technology skills effectively
for academic research and lifelong learning
9. 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.
In the fall 2006 semester, the department piloted 8-10 theme-based EN 102 courses. This spring the department had 31 theme-based EN 102 courses.
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. Learning communities, service learning, and ePortfolio are reportedly used in small numbers. Faculty
cited other high-impact practices not recognized by the college. We have no 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.
This spring the department adopted a Withdrawal Questionnaire focused on three likely areas for student withdrawal: academic, personal, and coursespecific 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 ¼ 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.
In the fall 2007 semester, the department decided to implement project-based learning in EN 101 courses. We have no official numbers for how many
projects were initiated or how many sections participated. Two well-known projects within the department are ethnographies and the Student Wiki
Interdisciplinary Group (SWIG). Four faculty incorporated SWIG into their courses this spring. We do not have any data regarding the prevalence of
using an ethnographic assignment in EN 101. Although eight faculty members reported using project-based learning in EN 102 in this semester’s Endof-Semester Faculty Survey, most respondents were confused about what constituted project-based learning. Since faculty in the department have
established scholarly reputations using SWIG in the classroom, it could be in the department’s best interest overall to encourage this and other kinds of
project-based learning more systematically.
In the fall 2007 semester, the department decided to implement ePortfolio in ASAP sections of EN 101 courses. We do not have any data regarding how
many sections piloted ePortfolio or how many sections currently use ePortfolio. Three of the 48 sections accounted for in our End-of-Semester Survey
used ePortfolio.
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. At least one faculty member developed an assignment around having students write a
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
proposal to develop a toy. In terms of those courses incorporating SWIG, students continued to produce digital stories. We learned from last year’s
student 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, 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. So while there is less confusion here about what constitutes writing in multiple genres compared to
project-based learning, the confusion is still substantial enough to potentially cause a problem in our program. 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.
In the fall 2008 semester, the department implemented online courses and hybrid coursesWith Queensborough Community College’s implementation
of the eLearning Faculty Institute, we have eight faculty certified to teach such courses. In the 2012-2013 academic year, we offered 5 online courses
and 16 hybrid courses.
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. We do not have data about how many faculty have developed such assignments to date. In our End-ofSemester Faculty Survey, 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. Susan Jacobowitz proposed a series of events
for the 2013-2014 Holocaust Resource Center Challenge Grant and was awarded the grant this spring.
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. We discovered that the department’s course-level learning objectives for EN 101
and 102 were misaligned. This spring the department voted on new objectives for EN 101 and 102. A majority of faculty approved the objectives below.
EN 101 Course Objectives
1. Summarize, analyze, and synthesize diverse readings including multidisciplinary academic articles, essays, literary
works, or other relevant genres.
2. Identify an intellectual question or problem worthy of further study through the process of reading, research, and
writing.
3. Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media
and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.
4. Use a variety of writing and revision strategies for generating, revising, editing and proofreading writing.
5. Determine logical arguments and stylistic approaches appropriate to form or genre of writing: transitional language,
progressive development of ideas, etc.
EN 102 Course Objectives
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
1. Identify and apply literary terms, techniques, concepts, and aesthetic criteria to the evaluation of literary works.
2. Evaluate literary texts and genres within their historical, philosophical, or cultural contexts as part of the human
experience.
3. Summarize, analyze, and synthesize diverse readings including multidisciplinary academic articles, essays, literary
works, or other relevant genres.
4. Identify an intellectual question or problem worthy of further study through the process of reading, research, and
writing.
5. Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media
and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.
6. Use a variety of writing and revision strategies for generating, revising, editing and proofreading writing.
7. 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. 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.
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. A limited amount of research has been done in this area. Therefore, the committee plans to publish our 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.
F. DEPARTMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
1.
Goals/objectives for 2012-2013
(Please indicate [Yes or No] if the objectives were part of the College’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2012.)
Departmental goals/objectives
2011/2012
Secure additional office space
to accommodate new faculty
Strategic
Plan Y/N
Y
Evaluation of achievement
Resulting action plan
Additional space was obtained.
Four new offices were added.
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
June 2013
hires
Define how EN101 supports
high impact strategies as a
cornerstone course
Y
Multiple measures have been taken to
conform with the new definitions of
high impact activities.
Integrate new faculty hires into
the culture of the department
Y
New faculty met more regularly with
their mentors.
Increase administrative
assistance
Y
Increase administrative efficiency.
Secure additional computer
classroom to further usage of
open lab hours and for
classroom instruction.
Y
Add additional hours and classes.
Begin a conversation about
implications of Pathways
implementation for the fall
2013
Y
Note faculty involvement.
Kiki Byas is expanding the
usage of SWIG; Elise Denbo has
agreed to serve as a Learning
Communities Coordinator; the
Curriculum Committee has made
preliminary plans to align EN
101 and EN 102 curriculum with
the new high impact guidelines.
A Mentoring Committee was
formed. Mentors took advantage
of information and support from
the administration to meet more
regularly and consistently with
mentees.
Faculty were encouraged to use
Printing Services; a new office
assistant was hired. During this
process, the schedules of hourly
workers were enhanced.
Usage was monitored and plans
were put in place for the
renovation of two existing
classrooms and the addition of a
new room through the college’s
virtualization pilot.
Many faculty were involved in
discussing the implications of
Pathways and considering
changes in curriculum.
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Queensborough Community College
2.
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Retrain faculty on new software
applications by senior CLT;
acquire hard drive to establish a
digital library of DVDs for
classroom instruction.
Y
Offer workshops through senior CLT;
encourage collaboration among
faculty.
Begin a discussion on the myth
of evaluating student
performance and growth in
composition studies.
Y
Create an assessment plan and a plan
for the composition committee.
June 2013
Senior CLT offered workshop,
assisted with new software
installation and training;
additional faculty members
trained in SWIG and use of
ePortfolios.
The Assessment Committee
created a multiyear plan, which,
in part, addresses links between
EN 101 and EN 102 and
proposes ways of evaluating
student performance.
Curriculum Committee began
initial discussion on modifying
EN 102 course description to
promote student performance
across composition courses.
Goals/objectives for 2013-2014
(Explain how these goals/objectives align with the College’s goals and Strategic Plan for 2013-2014)
Departmental goals/objectives 2012-2013
Increase the range and participation of high
impact activities.
Mission/Strategic
Plan
Y
Increase the number of Honors Contracts
offered.
Y
Add greater consistency to our first-year
writing sections.
Y
Planned method of evaluation
Increase participation of existing high impact activities
and add offerings in new areas of undergraduate
research and common intellectual experience.
Tanya Zhelezcheva is now a member of the Honors
Committee. Jan Ramjerdi has taken a lead in
promoting Honors Contracts within the department.
Measure the number of new honors contracts.
Create a checklist for peer observations. Begin to build
model syllabuses for EN 101 and EN 102 and create
greater opportunities for sharing best practices,
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Queensborough Community College
Year-end Report – Teaching Department
Promote utilization of existing campus
resources.
Y
Expand high impact activities in EN 102 and
upper level courses.
Y
Integrate new faculty into the culture of the
department.
Y
Continue to grow our technology resources.
Y
Create a more seamless connection between
EN 101 and EN 102.
Y
Enhance our office work spaces.
Y
June 2013
including specific assignments.
Work with the Campus Writing Center to create
specific workshops or methods of early interventions in
first-year writing and upper level courses. Work with
the library to encourage more library visits for
research-based courses.
Measure the full-range of high impact activities being
used. Apply relevant best practices from EN 101 to
EN 102.
Continue to build on the mentoring program by
creating a more active mentoring committee to
complement individual mentoring.
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.
Revisit curricular developments in EN 101, including
the use of EN 102, as the basis for making EN 102
more of a capstone experience.
Make modifications to the existing office
configurations; plan for a more extensive remodeling
project to utilize space more fully.
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