Why Your WellDeveloped Looks Nothing Like Ours Working

Why, Your “Well-Developed” Looks Nothing Like Ours!: Working Toward Accurate Writing Assessment in the Disciplines WAC Conference, Indiana University May 21, 2010 Pamela Flash, Director, Writing Across the Curriculum University of Minnesota, Twin Cities flash@umn. edu

University of Minnesota’s WRITING ENRICHED CURRICULUM PILOT (2007 -2011) 2 Cohort 3 Cohort 4 Cohort 5 Cohort 6 Purpose: Cohort. Infuse undergraduate curricula with relevant writing Cohort 1 F 2007+ Mechanical Engineering SP 2008+ F 2009+ F 2010+ instruction, such that all undergraduate degrees are “writing-enriched. ” History Geography Theatre & Dance Sch. of Kinesiology Family Social Sciences Design, Ecology, Method: Engage faculty groups in creating, implementing, Political College of African Science Housing, & Evolution, & and assessing Undergraduate Writing Plans. Biological American Apparel Behavior Architecture Sciences & African Horticultural Spanish and Studies Construction -- Biochem, Science Portuguese --- Biology Management Current status: Sch. of Nursing --- Genetics, Cell Biology, & Dev. --- Plant Biology --- Microbiology --- Neuroscience Philosophy Physics

WRITING PLANS create implement assess

CREATION PHASE Sample collection Survey of undergraduate students, faculty, and affiliates UNDERGRADUATE WRITING PLAN • Writing expectations and values. Meeting#1 • Integration of writing into curricula. Meeting #2 • Plans for assessing writing. • Plans for supporting instruction. • Process used in creating plan Draft, vet, and submit Writing Plan Meeting #3 Meeting #4

University of Minnesota’s WRITING ENRICHED CURRICULUM PILOT (2007 -2011) Data: • • Student writing and assignment samples WEC Surveys (faculty, students, affiliates) Transcripts of WEC faculty meetings Writing Plans (Approved by Campus Writing Board) Liaison surveys Transcripts from student group interviews Rating of student writing (in development)

Which of the following writing assignments have you incorporated in any of the academic major courses that you teach within the past year? 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Logs, notebooks, or journals (paper. . . Essays (personal, critical, analytic, . . . Literature reviews or annotated. . . Summaries or abstracts Reports (lab, feasibility, progress, . . . Research papers Professional communication (memo. . . Literary work (poetry, fiction, drama. . . Brief, informal responses (written in. . . Presentations (oral, Power. Point, . . . Problem sets and equations Drawings, illustrations, technical. . . Web pages and wikis Other (please specify) Poli. Sci Mech. E Geog AFRO

Desired Writing Abilities (WEC Survey) MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Appropriately using the field's terminology. . . Persuasively arguing a position using a cent. . . Creating precise descriptions of processes, . . . Creating concise summaries of ideas, texts, . . . Analyzing and/or evaluating ideas, texts, or. . . Co-authoring texts with one or more writer(s) Reporting complex data or findings Using writing to develop and deepen thinking Explaining processes or data to non-acade. . . Expressing feelings or impressions Smoothly integrating and correctly citing. . . Using correct grammar, spelling, and. . . Crafting literary works, such as fiction, . . . Creating and incorporating visuals or. . . STUDENTS AFFIL FACULTY

CROSS-CURRICULAR TOTALS, from WEC Survey 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Appropriately using the field's terminology and. . . Persuasively arguing a position using a central. . . Creating precise descriptions of processes, . . . Creating concise summaries of ideas, texts, or. . . Analyzing and/or evaluating ideas, texts, or events Co-authoring texts with one or more writer(s) Reporting complex data or findings Using writing to develop and deepen thinking Explaining processes or data to non-academic. . . Expressing feelings or impressions Smoothly integrating and correctly citing. . . Using correct grammar, spelling, and mechanics. . . Crafting literary works, such as fiction, memoir, . . . Creating and incorporating visuals or presentati. . . Unsure Other: (please specify) FACULTY STUDENTS

Sample genres

Evolution of “analytical” in Mechanical Engineering 2007 WEC Meeting #1 “Well, they need to explain, discuss, and demonstrate the physical models of prototypes…” 2010 Writing Plan Rating criteria Record analyze activity related to laboratories and design projects Describes an experiment’s methods Describe an experiment’s results “…AND leave out tiny details so they can focus Interprets results on the larger issues” Bases conclusion upon STUDENTS: results “A lab report isn’t your opinion …they don’t want your opinion of what may or may not have caused it. They want to know what happened” “They don’t want to be entertained by what’s going on either; they just want to see the results…. They want to hear the same thing from every single person if that’s what happened in that situation. You don’t want a personal account of what happened. ”

Evolution of “analytical” in Political Science 2007 WEC Meeting #1 “We want them to make arguments based on analysis…. not FEELINGS!” 2010 Writing Plan Rating criteria Analyze evidence emphasized in given debates. Applies critical lenses to evidence Distinguish among different kinds of sources (journalistic vs. scholarly, etc), Relate various perspectives to one another analytically Distinguishes, in analysis, between different kinds of sources (journalistic vs. scholarly). “Their ideas should relate to central ongoing debates in the field—that’s how they should couch their Relates various perspectives STUDENTS: analysis. ” to one another “Like, flowery language is usually frowned upon. Political science is a lot more systematic, and sort of objective adjectives are used, so that it seems like your argument is more true or Selects and utilizes evidence based on fact as opposed to your own opinion, So I suppose word choice would be important” that relates to question. “I think the purpose is probably to let the teacher know that understand the course material that you can compare different abstract ideas and analyze and synthesize different theories and information that’s related in lectures and things. ”

Evolution of “analytical” in Graphic Design 2008 WEC Meeting #1 “They need to integrate ideas drawn from a variety of sources…to know ‘it didn’t all start with you. ’” “Yeah, but they need to approach all of this with a big time designer’s eye. ” 2010 Writing Plan Rating criteria Strongly consider writer and reader perspectives Considers reader perspectives. Have an awareness of how both form and content, particularly typographical forms, of writing convey meaning Demonstrates awareness of the ways that the form and the content of writing convey meaning. “I want them to be able to STUDENTS: analyze and synthesize a lot of information quickly. ” “[We work] towards, like, you know, kind of being able to kind of engage like a reader and keep them interested and kind of like defining an argument and proving that it’s right. ” “We have to write things that you just see, and you see it, and then you’re done. ” “That’s what drives everything is your audience. ”

In conclusion… WHAT WE’VE LEARNED: Providing means by which faculty members in the disciplines are able to uncover and negotiate sets of specific and relevant writing expectations: • • Leads to a sense of instructional efficacy Leads to an increase in explicitly communicated expectations Leads to instances of large- and small-scale curricular transformation Requires time, humility, perseverance, and trust WHAT WE ANTICIPATE: • Student writing that draws closer to faculty expectations