Writing Across the Curriculum

1. Writing Across the Curriculum Pilot Project – DABCC Susan Wood

2. What is the question? • Is every teacher a writing teacher?

3. What is the problem? • The transfer of writing and thinking skills learned in composition and rhetoric courses at DABCC to other courses offered at DABCC

4. What is a possible solution? • Assess the problem • Put together a team of DABCC faculty across disciplines to look at student data and student writing • Learn about Writing-Across-the-Curriculum theories and principles • Develop a plan to address identified problems/issues

5. DABCC’s Pilot Project NMHEAA Summer Retreat • At least one faculty from each division at DABCC attended a three day retreat in Ruidoso this past summer to learn about assessment and create a plan for an assessment project

6. DABCC’s Pilot Project • In our plan we: • Developed a mission statement • Clearly defined our goals and expected outcomes • Proposed a preliminary writing assessment tool • Generated a detailed timeline for accomplishing project • Asked for volunteer participants representing each division at DABCC

7. Pilot Project Plan • Pilot Project group: representatives from all divisions (full and part-time faculty) • Timeline: 7 working meetings between September and May

8. Pilot Project Plan • Mission Statement: • To implement a Writing-Across-the-Curriculum program at DABCC that helps students meet the Communication and Literacy instructional objective

9. Pilot Project Plan • Goals: • Assess the writing needs of DABCC students • Create tools for instructors and students that will standardize student-writing across the campus • Provide Writing-Across-the-Curriculum professional development to full and part-time faculty participating in project • Offer a support structure to faculty participating in project

10. Pilot Project Plan • Outcomes • A tool to help teachers design writing assignments • A revised rubric to evaluate student-writing campus-wide • A recommendation report based on assessment data

11. Preliminary tool • DABCC Pilot Project Writing Standards • WAC Pilot Project Trait Analysis Sheet

12. Pilot Project Plan • Next steps • Conduct benchmarking • Provide professional development • Create and conduct surveys • Redesign assessment tool for students • Create “writing assignment creation” tool for instructors • Create, administer and assess writing assignments using tools • Assess pilot project and write recommendation report

13. Preliminary Data • ENGL 111 students

14. Preliminary Data • DABCC Associate Degree Graduates

15. Preliminary Data • ENGL 111 students

16. Q&A • What do you think? • What are your suggestions?