Macalester College2017 Institution Survey

Institutional requirements and goals--Writing Requirement

Does your institution have a writing requirement?

Yes

What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of?

First-year seminars taught by faculty across the curriculum (FYWS)

Writing-intensive courses that are located throughout the curriculum (W courses)

Senior thesis or capstone experience

Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal?

Yes

What curricular requirements have writing as an explicit goal?

Senior capstone or thesis for some or all students

First-year seminar

Is oral communication a component of an institutional writing requirement?

Oral communication is not a component of any institution writing requirements.

Institutional requirements and goals--College Writing Goals

Are there institution-wide student writing goals?

Yes

Have the goals been influenced by the WPA Outcomes Statement?

No

Are the goals assessed at the institutional level?

Yes

How are the college-wide student writing goals assessed?

A longitudinal study is conducted.

Institutional requirements and goals--Writing Committee

Does your institution have a writing committee?

No

Institutional requirements and goals--National Survey of Student Engagement

Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)?

Yes

How does your writing program use the NSSE data?

I don't know.

Institutional requirements and goals--Changes to Writing Program

Were there changes to the writing requirement since the academic year 2012-13?

No

Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution since the 2012-13 academic year?

No

Do you foresee changes at the institutional level to the sites of writing on your campus over the next four years?

No

First-Year Writing--General Description

Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement, whether explicit or embedded?

Yes

What is the institutional home for first-year writing?

Other campus unit

How would you describe your first-year writing requirement? Check all that apply. See Glossary for definitions.

First-Year Writing Seminar (FYWS)

First-Year Writing--First-Year Composition: Staffing

Who has primary responsibility for administering the FYC requirement? See the Glossary for an explanation of these terms.

Responsibilites Shared

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Placement & Transfer

In the academic year 2016-17, how many students took FYWS?

525

Does your institution accept alternative credit for FYWS?

No

What percentage of students in AY 2016/17 received alternative credit for a FYWS course?

0

What percentage of students in AY 2016/17 placed out of a FYWS course?

0

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Goals

Are there explicit goals for FYWS?

Yes

If there are explicit goals for FYWS, are the goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement?

No

How are the FYWS goals assessed? Check all that apply.

Other

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Delivery Methods

In AY 2016/17, did your institution offer face-to-face sections of FYWS?

Yes

In AY 2016/17, did your institution offer online sections of FYWS?

No

In AY 2016/17, did your institution offer hybrid sections of FYWS?

No

During the academic year 2016-17, what percentage of sections of FYWS were face-to-face?

100

During the academic year 2016-17, what percentage of sections of FYWS were online?

0

During the academic year 2016-17, what percentage of sections of FYWS were hybrid?

0

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Staffing

Who has primary responsibility for administering the FYWS requirement? See the Glossary for an explanation of these terms.

Responsibilites Shared

Beside the person who has primary responsibility for administering FYWS, how many graduate students, staff members, or faculty members have administrative responsibilities for FYWS?

3

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, tenure-line faculty in the English Department?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, tenure-line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, tenure-line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition?

100

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, non-tenure line faculty in the English Department?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, non-tenure line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by FT, non-tenure line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by PT faculty (hired by the English Department)?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by PT faculty (hired by the rhetoric/composition department or program)?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by PT faculty (hired by another department/program)?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by graduate students in English?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by graduate students in rhetoric/composition?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by graduate students from departments outside English and rhetoric/composition?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by the first-year writing director?

0

In the 2016-17 academic year, what percentage of sections of face-to-face FYWS were taught by Other?

0

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Training

For FYWS, what types of initial training is provided? Check all that apply.

FT-TT English/ Writing FacultyFT-TT Faculty from other disciplines
Required Course
Required Workshops
Optional Course
Optional WorkshopsYesYes
Individual Meetings with Director
Weekly Staff Meetings
Monthly Staff Meetings
No training is provided
Other

Do those attending initial training receive additional compensation or course credit?

No

For FYWS, what types of on-going professional development is provided? Check all that apply.

FT-TT English/ Writing FacultyFT-TT Faculty from other disciplines
Attend Conferences
Present at Conferences
Access to Professional Journals
Outside Speakers
Required Weekly Meetings
Optional Weekly Meetings
Required Monthly Meetings
Optional Monthly Meetings
Workshops or In-Service
Meetings with DirectorYesYes
Other

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Curriculum

Which type of scheduling does your institution follow?

Semester

How many semesters of FYWS are required?

One Semester

Is there a common syllabus for the first or only semester of FYWS?

No

What is the content for the first or only semester of FYWS? Check all that apply.

WAC/discipline topics

First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Course Caps

In the academic year 2016/17, what was the enrollment cap for Regular sections of the first or only semester of face-to-face FYWS?

16

First-Year Writing--Changes to First-Year Writing

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the first-year writing requirement at your institution?

No

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the first-year writing placement mechanism or how alternate credit is granted at your institution?

No

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the first-year writing assessment at your institution?

No

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the first-year curriculum or enrollment caps at your institution?

No

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the administration or staffing of first year writing at your institution?

No

Do you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures of first-year writing at your institution over the next four years?

No

Upper Level Writing Courses--Upper Level Writing Courses: General

How many specific writing course(s) beyond the first year does your institution require all students to take? For example, such a course could be a sophomore or junior-level course taught by English or writing faculty. We are NOT asking about writing-intensive courses. The WAC section of the Census will ask about those courses.

0

Upper Level Writing Courses--Senior Culminating Experience

Does your institution require ALL students complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience?

Yes

Is the senior thesis an explicit part of the college writing requirement?

No

Does your institution require SOME students complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience?

No

Upper Level Writing Courses--Changes to Upper Level Writing

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the requirement for writing courses beyond the first year (not writing-intensive)?

No

Writing across the curriculum (WAC)--General Description

Does your institution have a formal WAC Program?

No

Is there professional development available for those teaching in the WAC Program or teaching WI courses?

Yes

Writing across the curriculum (WAC)--Writing-Intensive Courses

Does your institution require all students to take writing-intensive (WI or W) courses taught by departments other than English or Writing? See Glossary for definitions.

Yes

How long has the WI requirement been in existence?

11-15 years

How many WI courses are required beyond the first-year requirement?

3

How many WI courses are part of a first-year requirement?

1

When do WI courses need to be completed?

By graduation

Are there explicit goals for the WI courses?

Yes

Have the goals been influenced by the WPA Outcomes Statement?

No

What form of assessment takes place of the WI goals?

Random sample of student writing

Professor evaluation

What are the criteria for a WI course?

Number of pages or words written

Revision

Time discussing writing In class

Written or verbal feedback from instructor

Who certifies that a course fulfills WI designation?

Gen Education Committee

Are there incentives offered for faculty to teach a WI course?

No

In academic year 2016/17, what was the course cap for WI courses?

20

Writing across the curriculum (WAC)--Administration

Who has primary responsibility for administering the WAC Program?

Committee

In addition to the person who has primary responsibility for WAC, how many graduate students, staff members, or faculty members have administrative responsibilities for WAC?

2

Writing across the curriculum (WAC)--Changes to WAC

Since the academic year 2012/13 have there been changes to the WI or WAC program?

No

Do you foresee any major changes to WAC on your campus in the next four years?

No

The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Major

Does your institution have a creative writing major?

Yes

Does your institution have a writing major (other than creative writing)?

No

The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Minor

Does your institution have a creative writing minor?

Yes

Does your institution have a writing minor (other than creative writing)?

No

The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Graduate Programs

Does your institution offer a masters degree (MA) in writing (not creative writing)?

No

Does your institution have a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in writing (not creative writing)?

No

The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Changes to the Major, Minor, or Graduate Programs

Do you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures of the writing major, minor, or graduate programs at your institution over the next four years?

No

Basic or Developmental Writing--Basic or Developmental Writing

Does your institution identify basic writing students who may need additional writing support?

Yes

How does the institution identify basic writers? Check all that apply.

SAT/ACT scores

GPA

Admissions office/Student Affairs referral

Advisor referral

Faculty referral

Student self-referral

What type of supports are available for basic writers? Check all that apply.

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring--not including from WPA or WCD

Workshops

Does your institution have a formal basic writing program?

No

What percentage of the student body is placed into basic writing?

18

What is the structure of your basic writing program? Check all that apply. (See Glossary for an explanation of terms)

Mainstreaming model

How many levels of basic writing do you have?

1

What is the curriculum of the basic writing courses? Check all that apply.

Sentence writing

Paragraph writing

How do students exit basic writing? Check all that apply.

Other

How do students exit basic writing? Check all that apply. - Other - Text

It is optional.

Is there a Director of Basic Writing?

No

Basic or Developmental Writing--Changes to Basic or Developmental Writing

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the support for basic writers?

Yes

What changes have there been to the support for basic writers? Check all that apply.

A new full-time tenure-line director/coordinator/specialist position was created and filled.

Other.

What are the changes to the support for basic writers? Check all that apply. - Other - Text

writing counselor recieved TSEOL training; writing center added programs

Do you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures for helping diversely prepared students at your institution over the next four years?

No

Writing centers--General description

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors?

Yes

Is the writing center free-standing or part of another institutional unit?

Part of another institutional unit

If the writing center is not free-standing, what larger institutional unit is it a part of?

Tutoring center

Where is the writing center located? Note: From this point on writing center refers to both free-standing and those located within another unit.

Other

What are other locations for the writing center?

Building with other student support offices

Is there a mission statement for the writing center?

Yes

Are there explicit goals for the writing center?

Yes

How are the goals assessed?

Student feedback forms

Faculty feedback

Center usage statistics

External review

In addition to providing support for students writing for their courses, what services does the writing center offer? Check all that apply.

Assistance with multimodal assignments

Assistance with reading

Assistance with graduate school materials

Assistance with other content areas

Assistance for English Language Learners

Asssistance for faculty on syllabus or curriculum development

What events does the writing center offer?

Space for student to come together to write

Writing centers--Consultations

What type of appointments does the writing center offer?

scheduled face-to-face appts

What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered?

60 minutes

What percentage of the undergraduate student body had a writing center consultation during the 2016-17 academic year?

33

Writing centers--Consultants

How many consultants worked in the writing center during the 2016-17 academic year? UG=undergraduates, GS=graduate students, Fac=faculty, PT=professional tutors, Vol=volunteers

UG-16, PT-2

On average, what percentage of a week's consultations are staffed by each group? For example, if your center offers 100 hours of consultations a week and 50 hours are filled by undergraduates and 25 hours by both graduate students and professional tutors, then the percentage would be 50% undergraduate, 25% graduate students, and 25% professional tutors.

UG-50, PT-50

How are undergraduate consultants initially trained?

Workshops before semester begins

What on-going professional development opportunities are provided undergraduate consultants?

Attend regional conferences

Present at regional conferences

Outside speakers

Staff meetings

Meeting with Director

What on-going professional development opportunities are provided professional consultants?

Attend national conferences

Attend regional conferences

Present at national conferences

Present at regional conferences

Read professional journals

Outside speakers

Staff meetings

Semester inservice or workshop

Meeting with Director

How are the undergradaute consultants compensated?

Hourly wage

How are the professional consultants compensated?

Hourly wage

Writing centers--Administration

Who has primary responsibility for directing the writing center or overseeing the writing tutors if the tutors are part of a different institutional unit?

Learning Center Administrator (LCA)

In addition to the person who has primary responsibility, how many undergraduates, graduate students, staff members, or faculty members have administrative responsibilities for the writing center?

2

Does the writing center have a faculty advisory committee?

Yes

Writing centers--Changes

Since the academic year 2012/13 have there been changes to the writing center at your institution (not including staffing)?

No

Since the academic year 2012/13 have there been changes to the staffing or administration of the writing center at your institution?

No

Do you foresee changes to the writing center over the next four years?

No

Writing Fellows (Embedded Writing Tutors)--General information

Does your institution have a writing fellows program? (See glossary for definitions)

No

Multilingual Writing Support--Multilingual Writing Support: General

Is there support for domestic and international English Language Learners (ELLs)?

Yes, for both domestic and international

Is support for English Language Learners (ELLs) separate from basic writing?

Yes

What percentage of the student body is placed into ELL writing courses, both required and optional?

12

What is the institutional home of the ELL writing courses?

Office of the chief academic officer

Who has primary responsibility for administering support for English Language Learners?

Writing Center Director

Multilingual Writing Support--Multilingual Writing Support: Domestic Students

Does your institution identify domestic English Language Learners (ELLs) who may need additional writing support?

Yes

How does the institution identify domestic English Language Learners? Check all that apply.

SAT/ACT scores

GPA

Admissions office/Student Affairs referral

Advisor referral

Faculty referral

What type of supports are available for domestic English Language Learners (ELLs)? Check all that apply.

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring--not including from WPA or WCD

Workshops

Multilingual Writing Support--Multilingual Writing Support: International Students

Does your institution identify international English Language Learners (ELLs) who may need additional writing support?

Yes

How does the institution identify International English Language Learners? Check all that apply.

SAT/ACT scores

GPA

Admissions office/Student Affairs referral

Advisor referral

Faculty referral

Student self-referral

What type of supports are available for International English Language Learners (ELLs)? Check all that apply.

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring--not including from WPA or WCD

Workshops

Multilingual Writing Support--Changes to Multilingual Writing Support

Since AY 2012/13, have there been changes to the support for English Language Learners (ELLs)?

Yes

What changes have there been to the support for English Language Learners (ELLs)? Check all that apply.

Other.

What changes have there been to the support for English Language Learners (ELLs)? Check all that apply. - Other - Text

writing counselor received TSEOL training; writing center added programming

Do you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures for helping diversely prepared students at your institution over the next four years?

No

Administrative positions--Learning Center Administrator (LCA)

How is the Learning Center Administrator position (LCA) classified?

Staff-FT

To whom does the LCA report?

Other

Was the LCA hired for this position?

No

If the LCA was not hired for this position, how did they assume these responsibilities?

Previous director retired or left the position.

Which of the following teaching responsibilities does the LCA have? Check all that apply.

Teach courses

Tutor students

Train tutors, TAs, or professional staff

On average, how many courses per year does the LCA teach?

2

Which of the following are the administrative responsibilities of the LCA?

Conduct assessment

Hire (tutors, professional staff, or teaching faculty)

Supervise (tutors, professional staff, or teaching faculty)

Mentor (tutors, professional staff, or teaching faculty)

Advertise program

Oversee program budget

Serve on university committees