ASCRC Writing Subcommittee Minutes, 11/23/09 Members Present: G. Burns, B. Borrie, K. Kuipers, M. Medvetz M. Semanoff, K. Zoellner Members Excused/Absent: M. Carson, B. Chin, N. Hinman Ex-Officio Present: E. Johnson, K. Ryan, K. Webster The meeting was called to order at 2:15 p.m. The minutes from 11/9/09 were approved. Business Items: The following upper-division writing courses were approved: Communication History History History COMM 410 HSTR 401 HSTA 418 HSTR 436 Communication in Personal Relationships The Great Historians Women and Slavery Latin American Workers and Labor History Chair Medvets will send reminder messages to the remaining History courses. He and Professors Semenoff and Zoellner will review the late Communication Studies courses. It was suggested that a white paper be drafted on informal writing so requestors can be referred to the document. Another possibility would be for Writing Committee members to fill out sample forms to be posted as reference. The current samples are inconsistent. The form may also need to be revised. The committee continued the UDWPA discussion. Director Webster revised the flow chart (below). The essay exam is a first person, thesis driven response to a reading and also assesses reading comprehension. Students should be able to extract arguments from the reading; appropriately situate their opinions supported by evidence from their experience, observations, and studies; and demonstrate proper grammar, punctuation, and organization. The content of the UDWPA reading predicts how well students perform. They perform better if familiar with the subject. Students taking upper-division courses should be able to synthesis information from multiple sources (the expertise of others) in upper division courses. The use of “I” in upper-division courses differs than how it is used in the UDWPA. For example, in Sociology students should be aware of themselves as a researcher –“I collected evidence and can conclude.” According to the Registrar it will take 2-3 years to implement mechanisms that would stop students from enrolling in upper-division courses without passing the UDWPA. Director Webster will send members packets that include the criteria for selecting prompts and grading and sample texts/prompts. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 pm. What are the purposes of the UDWPA? Original Purposes: To bring attention to writing through community-based, local conversations across disciplines To improve writing instruction and writing proficiency through cross-disciplinary discussions (guiding) To provide continuous assessment and writing throughout a student’s academic career To serve as a mid-career gating mechanism (to assess preparedness for ud coursework) Perceived Purposes: To serve as a senior-level exit exam To serve as formative assessment: helps students become better writers What purpose does the UDWPA attempt to serve in our current context? To serve as a mid-career gating mechanism (to assess preparedness for ud coursework) The first three bullets under original purposes are still valued on campus but are served not be the UDWPA alone. Rather, these purposes are served through the sequence of General Education Writing Requirements and the work of the Writing Committee How do we define preparedness for ud coursework? Do we have an agreed upon idea of what we are assessing Does this purpose govern the design of the assessment instrument? Does it assess what we intent for it to assess (validity)? YES NO ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ (In light of genre variance, do faculty from across disciplines value what this assessment instrument tells us about student preparedness Does the administration of the assessment instrument allow for it to fulfill its purpose? Can the assessment instrument be revised with this purpose in mind? YES No What alternative avenues are available for fulfilling these purposes?