Campus Writing Center
The Campus Writing center supports students’ retention-to-graduation by providing free
tutoring, e-tutoring workshop services in English, Writing-Intensive and/or writing related
coursework, and workshops for Grammar, preparation for the CUNY exit-from-remediation
exam in writing (CATW), and the Ability To Benefit (ATB) exam. The Campus Writing
Center spotlights student satisfaction through its excellent customer and program services,
as well as the professionalism and rigorous training of its tutors, e-tutors, and workshop
facilitators.
Core Activities and Performance
Core Activity
Key PI
Indicators
Tutoring/e-tutoring
Course outcomes; Volume of service delivery; Student
Satisfaction
Yes
Exit-from-remediation Writing exam prep
workshops
Exit-from-remediation Writing exam pass rates
Yes
Educational technology
Volume of service delivery
No
Grammar Clinics
Volume of service delivery
No
Tutor training
Tutor skill levels; Student satisfaction
No
Customer service
Student satisfaction
No
Department-Sponsored Staff Development Activities
Activity Type
Topic
Date
Total
Consolidated Learning Centers: "Foundations of Academic Support"
8/23/2010
36
CWC: "Foundations of Academic Support" - Part 2
8/24/2010
19
Weekly Tutor Training Events – Fall 10, Sp 11
9/13/2010
36
CAT-W Information Session
10/15/2010
40
Consolidated Learning Centers: "Foundations of Academic Support"
1/25/2011
32
CWC: "Foundations of Academic Support" - Part 2 1/26/2010 21
1/26/2011
17
WAC/WI Faculty Development Training: "Using the CWC /iPASS w/WI
students
9/16/2010
15
ACC Faculty Development: “Using iPASS e-Tutoring”
12/3/2010
2
both
gave presentations
WAC/WI Faculty Development Training: "Using the CWC/iPASS w/WI students 2/8/2011
15
CETL eLearning Symposium: “Online Writing Tutoring with iPASS”
23
2/17/2011
Professional Achievements and Activities of Individual Staff
Achievement Type
Other
First Name
Last Name
Achievement
Semester
Bridget
Casterline
Rofofsky Marcus, S.M., & Casterline, Spring 2011
B.K. “Writing, Critical Thinking and
Information Literacy: How These Can
Work Together.” York College,
Seventh Annual CUNY General
Education Conference. Jamaica, NY.
05 May 2011.
Bridget
Casterline
Rofofsky Marcus, S.M., & Casterline, Spring 2011
B.K. “Writing, Critical Thinking and
Information Literacy: How These Can
Work Together.” SUNY Oneonta,
Conference on Instruction and
Technology. Oneonta, NY. 24 May
2011.
Robin
Levine
Training attended: CAT-W scoring; F Fall 2010
2010 and Sp 2011
Dion; Bridget;
Robin; Joe
Pincus;
Casterline;
Levine;
Labozzetta
Dion Pincus
Bridget Casterline
Robin Levine
Joe Labozzetta
Conference Presentation,
other
Conference, workshop,
training attended
Fall 2010
CUNYFirst Training attended
Materials Development
Dion; Bridget;
Robin; Joe
Pincus;
Casterline;
Levine;
Labozzetta
Dion Pincus
Bridget Casterline
Robin Levine
Joe Labozzetta
Fall 2010
Materials development for CAT-W
exam prep
Service to department,
College, University,
community, and/or
professional society
Robin
Levine
Service to college: CAT-W algorithm
committee
Fall 2010
Changes in Department within Last Year
Change Type
Change
Reason
Semester
Replacement of two CWC servers
1 complete Server failure and a 2nd
impending server failure
Spring 2011
Reclassification of Assistant Director, HEa to
Associate Director, HEA
Aggregation of duties aligned with
reclassified HEA
CUNY First description
Fall 2010
Equipment
Personnel
Changes in Department within Last Year
Change Type
Change
Reason
Semester
Services
Discontinuation of CPE exam prep workshop CPE exam discontinued by CUNY
services
Fall 2010
Replacement of ACT Writing exam prep with ACT Writing exam discontinued by
CATW exam prep workshop services
CUNY and replaced with CATW
Fall 2010
Assessment and Evaluation
KPI
Target Outcome
Actual Outcome
Action Plan
Status
Tutoring/e-tutoring:
1. Course outcomes,
2. Volume of Svc
Delivery; 3. Student
Satisfaction
1. Course outcomes.
1. Course Outcomes:
1. Tutoring/e-tutoring.
Continuing
A. Students who receive
tutoring/e-tutoring for a
course will pass their
course(s) with a grade of C
or better, at a rate equal to
or greater than 85%.
A. Of the 2,010 students who
received tutoring / e-tutoring
services for a course, 1,772
(83%) passed their course(s)
with a grade of C or better.
A. Continue tutor
training.
B. The frequency of
tutoring / e-tutoring
contacts will be explored
and assessed, relative to
students’ completion of
their course(s) with a
grade of C or better
Explore reasons why
students do or do not
return for multiple CWC
tutoring sessions.
B.Outcomes by frequency of
utilization of tutoring / e-tutoring
services for coursework:
Encourage faculty to
consider requiring
Having 1 appt:
multiple CWC tutoring
929 of 1,084 students (86%)
sessions for their
received grades of C or better.
students.
Having 2 or 3 appts:
563 of 624 students (90%)
received grades of C or better.
Having 4+ appts:
280 of 302 students (93%)
received grades of C or better.
B. Continue to study
relationship of frequency
of tutoring contacts to
final grade outcomes for
one more year, adding in
a variable for 0
appointments – which
CWC will define as
students who:
a. Passed BE-112 or BE205 prior to Fall 2011;
b. Are enrolled in EN and
WI courses during FY
2011-2012; and
c. Have not attended any
tutoring sessions at CWC
during Fall 2011 and/or
Spring 2012.
Assessment and Evaluation
KPI
Target Outcome
Actual Outcome
Action Plan
Tutoring/e-tutoring: . Volume of service delivery
2. Volume of Service The volume of
delivery
tutoring/e-tutoring delivery
to unique students will be
equal to or greater than
the volume of service
delivery from the prior FY.
2. The number of unique
students served with
tutoring/e-tutoring services over
AY2010-2011 was 2738, a
decrease of 1% from the prior
FY.
2. Improve outreach
Continuing
through such means as
email, faculty contact,
WAC trainings, classroom
visits, flyers, and a visible
presence on the quad
during high traffic hours.
Tutoring/e-tutoring:
3. Student
Satisfaction
3. Student Satisfaction:
3. Student Satisfaction:
3. Student Satisfaction:
Students who receive
tutoring/e-tutoring services
will report that their overall
experience with their
tutor(s) was very
satisfactory/excellent at a
rate of 85% or higher.
Of the 438 students who
Continue tutor training
completed and returned their
student satisfaction survey during
FY 2010-2011, 97.6% reported
that their overall experience was
very satisfactory / excellent.
Exit-fromremediation Writing
exam prep
workshops: 1. CWC
Pass-rates; 2.
Establish benchmark
for CATW
exit-fromremediation exam
1. Exit-from-remediation
Writing exam prep
workshops: CWC Pass
rates
1. Of the total number of unique
students who prepared with CWC
(398) CAT-W exam prep
workshops during FY 2010-2011,
78% passed their re-test.
No prior outcomes to base
performance upon; looking
to establish benchmark
1. Maintain CWC CAT-W
exit-from-remediation
writing exam workshop
pass rates by at a rate
equal to or greater than
the 78% for FY 20102011.
Status
Continuing
Modified
Assessment and Evaluation
KPI
Target Outcome
Actual Outcome
Action Plan
Status
Exit-fromremediation Writing
exam prep
workshops: 2.
Establish benchmark
for CATW
exit-fromremediation exam
2. Establish benchmark
pass rate for CWC prep
workshops for the new
CAT-W
exit-from-remediation
writing exam
2. Establish Benchmarks
2. Continue to deliver
and maintain CWC
CAT-W
exit-from-remediation
writing exam workshop
pass rates by at a rate
equal to or greater than
the 78% for FY 20102011.
Modified
a. CWC CAT-W prep
workshop pass rate
b. QCC placement CAT-W
pass rate
c. Mean CUNY community
college CAT-W outcomes.
a. “Official” QCC
exit-from-remediation (BE-112
and BE-205) pass-rates for the
Fall 10 and Spring 11
administrations of the CATW
have been requested from IT,
but have not yet been received.
When this information is made
available, this report’s findings
will be updated and submitted to
Dean Cuomo for review and, if
appropriate, inclusion as an
amendation to CWC’s online
assessment template report for
FY 10-11.
An “informal” assessment
conducted by the PI for the
college’s Academy Assessment
Protocol on
578 BE-112 and BE-205 students
who took their
exit-from-remediation CATW
exam during Fall 2010 estimates
pass-rate on the exam outcomes
at 59%.
For purposes of benchmarking a
college CATW
exit-from-remediation pass-rate
at this time, the CWC will use the
59% pass-rate available to us,
and will make adjustments to this
benchmark at such time as we
have better or more valid
information from the Office of the
Academy Assessment Protocol,
Office of IT, or Office of IR.
b. Establish a valid benchmark
for 2010-2011 QCC and CUNY
community college CAT-W
outcomes.
CWC will achieve a pass-rate for
the CATW exit-from-remediation
exam in writing at least 4
percentage points higher (63%)
than the currently available
benchmark for Fall 2010 BE-112
and BE-205 CATW
exit-from-remediation pass-rate
(59%).
Assessment and Evaluation
KPI
Target Outcome
Actual Outcome
Action Plan
Status
Exit-fromremediation Writing
exam prep
workshops. 2:
Establish
Benchmarks
2. Establish benchmark
pass rate for CWC prep
workshops for the new
CAT-W
exit-from-remediation
writing exam
2. Establish benchmark: b. QCC
placement CAT-W pass rate
2.
Modified
b. QCC placement CAT-W
c. Mean CUNY community college pass rate
CAT-W outcomes
c. Mean CUNY
• CUNY community college
community college
CAT-W outcomes have not yet
CAT-W outcomes
been “officially” published, but a
preliminary draft of comparative Any changes to the 59%
CUNY Community College
pass-rate benchmark for
outcomes for the CATW exam at CATW
placement have circulated and,
exit-from-remediation,
for purposes of comparison of
once the “official”
CWC pass-rates with other CUNY aggregate pass-rates
C.C., are included.
from other CUNY
community colleges have
• When an “official” document
been factored in, will be
showing outcomes for CUNY C.C. submitted for review to
students taking the CATW as an Dean Cuomo for review
exit-from-remediation exam is
and, if appropriate, an
distributed, the numbers will be amendation to CWC’s
included in an amendation to this online assessment report
report when available.
will be made to reflect
any new target
• “Unofficial” CUNY findings of
benchmark.
first-time freshmen taking the
CATW on placement show an
aggregate of 88.8% pass-rate for
Senior Colleges, 56.3% pass-rate
for Comprehensive Colleges, and
38.1% pass-rate for Community
Colleges.
• It is not valid to try to make a
comparison of CWC success with
the CATW pass-rates on
exit-from-remediation, as none of
the students in the above cohort
have had any opportunity for
intervention from their colleges’
English, Basic Skills, or Writing
Center programs.
• When exit-from-remediation
exam outcomes information is
“officially” made available, this
report’s findings will be updated
and submitted to Dean Cuomo
for review and, if appropriate, an
inclusion / amendation to CWC’s
online assessment template
report for FY 10-11 will be made.
Assessment Plan
Core Activity
KPI
Target Outcome
Plan
Tutoring/e-tutoring
1. Course outcomes
1. Course outcomes.
1. Course outcomes.
Students who receive
Continue tutor training.
tutoring/e-tutoring for a course will
pass their course(s) with a grade of C Continue to study
or better, at a rate equal to or
relationship of frequency of
greater than 85%.
tutoring contacts to final
grade outcomes for one
Additionally, studying the relationship more year, adding in a
of the frequency of tutoring /
variable for 0 appointments –
e-tutoring contacts will continue to be which CWC will define as
explored and assessed, relative to
students who:
students’ completion of their
course(s) with a grade of C or better. a. Passed BE-112 or BE-205
prior to Fall 2011;
b. Are enrolled in EN and WI
courses during FY 20112012; and
c. Have not attended any
tutoring sessions at CWC
during Fall 2011 and/or
Spring 2012.
Tutoring/e-tutoring
2. Volume of Service delivery 2. Volume of service delivery.
2. Volume of Service
Delivery.
The volume of tutoring/e-tutoring
delivery to unique students will be
a. Explore reasons why
equal to or greater than the volume students do or do not return
of service delivery from the prior FY. for multiple CWC tutoring
sessions.
b. Encourage faculty to
consider requiring multiple
CWC tutoring sessions for
their students.
Tutoring/e-tutoring
3. Student Satisfaction
3. Student Satisfaction.
3. Student Satisfaction.
a. Students who receive
tutoring/e-tutoring services will
report that their overall experience
with their tutor(s) was very
satisfactory / excellent at a rate of
85% or higher.
Continue tutor training;
continue student satisfaction
survey.
Assessment Plan
Core Activity
KPI
Target Outcome
Exit-from-remediation
Writing exam prep
workshops
Exit-from-remediation Writing CWC Pass rates for CATW
exam pass rates
exit-from-remediation exam will be at
least 4 percentage points greater
than the established benchmark for
the college (currently 59%)
Plan
Continue workshop facilitator
training; continue new
materials development for
both student workbooks and
facilitator handbooks.
CWC Pass rates for CATW
exit-from-remediation exam will be at
least 10 percentage points greater
than the current benchmark for
CATW Placement across the other
CUNY Community Colleges (currently
38.1%)
Educational technology
Volume of service delivery
Volume of service delivery will be
equal to or greater than volume for
FY 2010-2011
Maintain and update
computer hardware and
software;
Track utilization in CWC
database
Grammar Clinics
Volume of service delivery
Volume of service delivery will be
equal to or greater than volume for
FY 2010-2011
Continue to disseminate
information to students and
faculty; Track attendance in
Grammar Clinic workshops in
CWC database
Tutor training
Tutor skill levels; Student
Satisfaction
Tutor skill levels and
Student satisfaction will be equal to
or greater than levels for FY 20102011
Continue rigorous in-service
tutor and e-tutor training;
Student satisfaction will be equal to
or greater than levels for FY 20102011
Continue in-service staff
training in customer service;
Customer service
Student satisfaction
Continue distribution of
student satisfaction surveys
Continue distribution of
student satisfaction surveys.