DC WRITING INITIATIVE

WHY?

Writing = Communication = Connection to Others

Peter Elbow: Being able to render knowledge and experience in everyday language is a mark of real understandingPeter Elbow’s “Reflections on Academic Discourse: How It Relates to Freshmen and Colleagues” (College English 53.2 (1991): 135-155)

Writing success will encourage students to write by choice in their lives

Students can learn to produce reasons & evidence that hold up on their own rather than leaning on the authority of convenient, commonplace, available sources

Peter Elbow: Academic discourse using the language of the textbook or the discipline insulates students from experiencing or internalizing the concepts they are learningPeter Elbow’s “Reflections on Academic Discourse: How It Relates to Freshmen and Colleagues” (College English 53.2 (1991): 135-155)

Students can learn how to voice and stand by their opinions confidently

Meet CGCS Academic Requirements (Gen Eds)

See Expository Writing or Professional Writing courses under General Education at http://catalog.norwich.edu/onlineprogramscatalog/bachelorsdegrees/generaleducation/

INFRASTRUCTURE

Writing Assessment Exam

Required post-admission, pre-registration activity regardless of courses presented for transfer credit

Score determines

what writing transfer credits are accepted

what the student's "first writing course" will be

Course Expectations

Course Learning Objectives

Course Writing Objectives

Course Development/Revision

Guidelines for creating writing assignments

Guidelines for Annotated Bibliographies

Writing effective discussion posts

Low-stakes writing: all "first" courses

EN101

BSSSDA: ENGL270, HIST310; BSMS: COMM301, MNGT209, MNGT530; BSCJ: ENGL250,SCIE202, HIST210; BSCS CYBR210, CYBR230; BIS: COMM301, COMM315

Tools and Resources

EN105 as a set of tutorials

P/F, no credit, no cost; take them till you pass them;Who determines the P/F? Registrar involvement, degree-planning required!

Tutor.com

ONline reference guides (Hacker, Easybib, etc.)

Web-based tutorials and exercises (use Flipboard approach?)

WRITING TO LEARN

Exploration of ideas, concepts, connections, summaries

Subtopic

Discussions

Annotated Bibliography

Research papers

ASSESSMENT

Pull writing samples every term

Classroom rubrics are the source of evaluation data

Contract faculty to evaluate samples

Build an assessment rubric

Compile and analyze evaluations
How often?

Record progress, no change, new weaknesses

Plan and make improvements

FEEDBACK

Faculty Responses

Rubrics: DQ, Annotated bib, Writing,
Final Paper, Capstone

End of term class-wide writing evaluation

Student Responses

Journalling

Reflection

WRITING TO DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE

Articulation of ideas, concepts, connections, summaries

Subtopic

Course final paper

Essay exams

Program Capstone

CRITICAL THINKING (CT)

1 CT discussion topic per week

1 CT requirement in every writing assignment