ASCRC Writing Subcommittee Minutes, 11/9/09
Members Present: G. Burns, B. Borrie, M. Carson, B. Chin, K. Kuipers, M. Medvetz M.
Semanoff, K. Zoellner
Members Excused/Absent: 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 10/26/09 were amended and approved.
Communications:

Student member Miranda Carson was welcomed to the Committee. She is from
Berkeley, California and is majoring in creative writing and history.
Business Items:

The Committee discussed whether it should respond to the letter in the Kiamin.
Since the UDWPA is the responsibility of the administration, proper protocol would be for Academic Affairs to respond. The Writing Committee is advisory to the Writing Center, which administers the UDWPA.
 It was also agreed that a response to Professor Lockridge’s letter is not required.
It contained some good ideas that might help shape the discussion of future improvements to the writing program.

The Committee is in favor of eliminating the need for appeals for students taking upper-division writing courses on the transition year list. Chair Medvetz will respond to the email correspondence from Professor Marko regarding GERM
351H (formerly GERM 303).

The following writing course was approved:
History HSTA 103 Honors American History
The following upper-division writing courses were approved:
African
American
Studies
AAS 374/
HSTA 374
African American Religious
Experience
Anthropology ANTH 400 History of Anthropology

Anthropology ANTH 448 Quantitative Ethnographic Methods
History HSTR 414 Early Modern Britain
History HSTR 457 The World of Anna Karenina
Chair Medvets sent requests for follow-up information last week and responses are pending for several courses, therefore the writing course consent agenda will be presented at the 11/17/09 ASCRC meeting.

The flowchart appended below may be useful in shaping the UDWPA review. The
Original purpose was taken from minutes of the Provost’s Writing Committee and the former director of the Writing Center, Nancy Martina’s UDWPA history document. It evolved from UM’s vision of writing across the curriculum that was a part of the
1993-94 general education transition. It seems the purpose statements relate more to the writing program as a whole. There is no learning involved in the exam and it is not serving a gating function. Although students are advised to take the exam between 45-70 credits, they normally have over 80 credits when they attempt the exam and over 90 when they pass it.
From the students perspective the exam has nothing to do with writing required in their majors. They are unclear how the exam will prepare them for life after graduation. It is perceived as an exit exam.
The exam is not cross –disciplinary. It cannot be responsive unless more faculty are involved with the selection of texts. It should help remediate poor writers and support students as thinkers and writers.
Should the exam’s purpose be a mid career assessment? If so how is preparedness for upper-division writing courses defined? Should the exam be redesigned to value more discipline specific expectations of writing?
The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 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 gating mechanism (to assess preparedness for ud coursework)
(How do we define preparedness? Do we have an agreed upon idea of what we are assessing?)
Perceived Purposes:
 Help remediate poor writers
 Exit Exam – Quality Insurance

Do we continue to value these purposes in our current context?
YES NO
Purposes we continue to value Purposes we no longer value:
 _____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________
Do these purposes govern the design of the assessment instrument?
NO
YES
Can the assessment instrument be revised with theses
Is the UDWPA still serving purposes in mind? What alternative avenues are the purposes we claim to value? available for fulfilling these purposes? How is the
Writing Center currently serving these purposes? How might The Writing Center take on new roles to serve these purposes?

YES (and how do we know?)
No (and how do we know?)
What alternative avenues are available for fulfilling these purposes?
How is The Writing Center currently serving these purposes?
How might The Writing Center take on new roles to serve these purposes?