WRITING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 12/1/14
Monday, December 1, 2014, 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., Todd 204
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Chin called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
T. Andrews, I. Appelbaum, S. Brown, G. Burns, B. Chin, H. Jurva, J. Gallo, J. Glendening, D.
Raiford, M. Stark, G. Weix, S. Williams
Ex-Officio Members Present: N. Lindsay M. Mangold, A. Ratto- Parks, K. Webster
MEMBERS ABSENT/EXCUSED: C. Corr, J. Gallo, D. Sewell
GUESTS: N. Clouse, N. Peeterse
The minutes from 11/3/14 were approved.
COMMUNICATION

Heather Jurva, (graduate student in English Teaching) and Sara Williams (Graduate
student in Environmental Studies, representing the Graduate Student Association)
were welcomed to the Committee and members introduced themselves.

Camie reserved the President’s Room in Brantley Hall and Room 123 in the new
wing of the Education Building. Chair Chin will visit the locations to determine the
most suitable in terms of layout and lighting.
BUSINESS ITEMS

Nancy Clouse informed the committee that 107 papers and 111 surveys have been
submitted to Moodle. She has not had reports of students having problems from the
help desk. Natalie Peeterse will send another reminder message soon. Instructors
are pleased with this year’s timeline. There have been a few questions regarding
whether the UPWA has taken the place of the UDWPA. Peeterse will put a link on
the Moodle site to the background information. There seems to be confusion
between the approved writing course and the upper-division writing in the major.
Faculty teaching the upper-division writing course in the major contacted her
regarding participating in the assessment. The workgroup will make a
recommendation in the spring to resolve the labeling issue.
Peeterse has also been contacted by students (approximately 15-20) who login to
Moodle and have not been informed of the UPWA requirement from their instructor.
Should a communication be sent directly to students? She could create a video
tutorial for the students as well. Peeterse will find out what class the students are in
and follow-up with the instructor. It will take some time for the culture to change
and faculty to accept the potential benefits of the process. It might be helpful for
department chairs to provide the writing course form to any new faculty member
assigned to teach an approved writing course so they are aware of the expectations.
It would also be helpful if the Deans encouraged and support faculty to attend the
writing retreat. Peeterse is also working on UPWA FAQs. Members should send her
any items that should be included. Soon, she and Chair Chin will start to look at
sample papers to see whether to change any for the retreat.

The writing course consent agendas appended were approved. Professor
Glendening will enter the results into the Moodle doc for incorporation into the
Committee’s annual report.

Professor Ratto-Parks reported that the appeal was denied based on resource
selection and integration and the lack of analytical depth. The subcommittee is still
reviewing the second appeal. It also only refers to primary sources, so will likely be
denied.

The Committee briefly discussed whether it should take action with regard to the
Registrar’s Office question of whether WRIT 201 taken at other campuses fulfill the
approved writing requirement. The course that is more often transferred is LIT
101. The issue needs to be clarified so students are not misinformed due to
common course numbering. Students have the option to use the MUS Core and are
exempt from taking the approved writing course if they transfer with over 27
credits. The Committee may need to communicate with programs that rely on LIT
101 to satisfy Writing and Literature. Members agreed that the issue has not yet
risen to critical mass to require further action. Students are required to submit
original papers with teacher comments to show that the course work was not
plagiarized.

The Distribution and Labeling of Writing Courses Working Group is synthesizing
information. Chair –elect Stark met with the Registrar and Associate Provost
Lindsay. Associate Provost Lindsay will coordinate the assessment of upper-division
writing courses in the major. The initial data shows that there needs to be a better
connection of continuing education and faculty development. The Working Group
will meet next semester to agree on recommendations.

There has not been progress on the Writing Resource Website. Professor RattoParks is still working to get approval to work on the shell. The process has taken
longer than anticipated.

The Sample Assignments Working Group has not yet met. Director Webster already
has a list of some discipline specific examples. This could be incorporated into
faculty development.

The Committee considered Professor Weix proposal to require approved writing
course to have WRIT 101 as a prerequisite. Although the writing requirement
catalog language indicates the courses be taken in order, there is no enforcement
mechanism. The Committee will need to consider all the ramifications of this
change. There are students that transfer with IB, AP, or dual enrollment credit
equivalent to WRIT 101. Students can also place into WRIT 201. Another
consideration is the alpha rotation of freshmen enrolled in WRIT 101. One issue
with pre-enrollment is student test score delays. Chair-elect Stark will gather data
on the number of students that take the writing requirement sequence out of order.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 12:14 p.m.
UPPER-DIVISION WRITING COURSES – GROUP 2
Course Number
Title
BIOH 462
Principles in Medical Physiology
Type
New
BIOH 486
Neuroscience Research Techniques
New
CSD 430
Senior Capstone
renew
EDU 339
Methods Teaching, and Assessment PK-8 Language
Arts
renew-number
change
GEO 320
Global Water
renew
GEO 499
Senior Thesis
renew
PTRM 451
Tourism and Sustainability
Renew
PTRM 482
Wilderness and Protected Area Management
Renew
Wildlife Biology
Distributed Model
Renew
UPPER-DIVISION WRITING COURSES – GROUP 3
M 499
Senior Thesis
Renew
UPPER-DIVISION WRITING COURSES – GROUP 4
AHAT 342
Therapeutic Interventions
renew
Ecological
Restoration
Distributed Model
Renew
Forestry
Distributed Model
Renew
KIN 447
Analytical and Communication Techniques
renew
Parks, Tourism,
and Recreation
Management
Distributed Model
Renew
Resource
Conservation
Distributed Model
Renew