ASCRC Writing Subcommittee Minutes, 10/26/09
Members Present: G. Burns, B. Borrie, B. Chin, K. Kuipers, M. Semanoff, K. Zoellner
Members Excused/Absent: N. Hinman, M. Carson, E. Johnson, M. Medvetz,
Ex-Officio Present: K. Ryan, K. Webster
The meeting was called to order at 2:15 p.m.
The minutes from 10/19/09 were approved.
Communications:
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Meetings are scheduled for 11/9, 11/23, and 12/7.
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Professor Zoellner will present the approved writing courses to ASCRC on
11/10/09. Therefore, all follow-up must be completed by the next meeting.
Business Items:
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Follow-up responses were not received, thus additional courses were not ready for
approval.
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The Committee reviewed the draft ASCRC Upper-Division Writing Policy and
determined that the curriculum policies section should include the Writing Course
Guidelines rather than a separate policy.
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The committee continued discussion on the UDWPA and the logistics issues. Up
to 3,000 students are eligible (between 45-70 credits) to take the exam during a
given academic year and another 500 students, on average, retake the exam. The
rental of the available lab space would cost $9,000. The operating costs of the
UDWPA exam would grow to account for 90% of the Writing Center’s operating
budget, and UDWPA personnel costs would grow to account for 45% of the
Writing Center’s personnel budget. The Writing Centers primary focus should be
on helping students become better writers. Due to the expense of the UDWPA,
there is very little funding for tutors.
The School of Business’ new requirement that students pass the exam prior to
taking upper-division courses will require additional exam sections. Perhaps the
School of Business should be charged for the number of business students taking
the exam. Then the revenue could pay for the cost of the computer lab rental
charged by the School of Business.
Perhaps the Committee should draft a resolution opposing the computer lab
charge back system. When labs are used to meet academic requirements there
should not be charge. This could go to the Faculty Senate for additional impact
and be presented to the administration. Apparently past negotiations have
occurred to waive the fee, but there has been no change.
There is also a registration problem. Students often register for more than one
section of the exam, sometimes on the same test date. Consequently, there is a
20% no show rate. Director Webster will meet with the Registrar to discuss
options to resolve this problem.
Previous suggestions (March 2005) from ASCRC included charging a fee for the
exam:
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Registration for WPA requires deposit of $50.
Upon passing WPA, deposit will be refunded.
Failure to appear at WPA when registered will result in forfeiture of deposit.
Re-registration for WPA requires another $50 deposit.
Upon failing the WPA, registration for English writing workshop will be
automatic.
Upon completing writing workshop, registration for next WPA will be
automatic.
Passing of WPA on second attempt will result in refund of $50 deposit.
Failing the WPA on the second attempt will result in automatic registration for
ENEX 102.
Ideally, the selection of texts should be a collaborative process. Currently the
Writing Center Director and Associate Directors select the texts and craft the
prompts according to the criteria.
Director Webster will provide the Committee with sample prompts and essays to
review. The analysis should focus on validity and reliability. A critical
component of the exam is reading comprehension, critical thinking and logical
writing.
The exam is intended to be a mid-career assessment; however much of the data is
from seniors. If the exam is indented to be a gating mechanism, there needs to be
remedial options for students to improve their writing skills. Currently, only
UDWPA preparation workshops are available prior to each test date.
Perhaps passing rates should be published to identify programs that need
improvements.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 pm.