Purdue University-Main Campus2017 Institution Survey
Institutional requirements and goals--Writing Requirement
What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of?
First-year composition predominately taught by English and/or Writing department (FYC)
Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal?
No
Is oral communication a component of an institutional writing requirement?
Oral communication is a separate general education requirement.
Institutional requirements and goals--College Writing Goals
Institutional requirements and goals--National Survey of Student Engagement
Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)?
Yes
Institutional requirements and goals--Changes to Writing Program
Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution since the 2012-13 academic year?
Yes
Which changes took place in regards to assessment?
A college-wide assessment was added.
Other
What other changes took place in regards to writing assessment?
Each course in the "University Core Curriculum", which includes the WC requirement, will now be assessed university-wide.
Do you foresee changes at the institutional level to the sites of writing on your campus over the next four years?
Yes
What type of changes to the institutional sites of writing do you foresee in the next four years?
Changes to assessment
Changes to expand the writing program or sites of writing on campus
Changes to eliminate or consolidate aspects of the writing program or sites of writing on campus
Changes to the types of staffing
Other
If you foresee changes to the institutional sites of writing do you foresee in the next four years feel free to explain.
The dean of the College of Liberal Arts has spoken freely about "the 106 problem" and is actively attacking Introductory Composition. He has reduced the size of our graduate student pool, redirected resources to his "Cornerstone" great books program, and refused hires in English outside of Creative Writing, over-riding faculty preferences. Most unites outside CLA are (understandably) pragmatic about this shift: they just want their students to write well, and don't really which course gets them there as long as it's effective. But some are establishing their own courses or weakening requirements to open up AP and transfer options.
First-Year Writing--General Description
Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement, whether explicit or embedded?
Yes
How would you describe your first-year writing requirement? Check all that apply. See Glossary for definitions.
First-Year Composition (FYC)
First-Year Writing Seminar (FYWS)
First-Year Writing--First-Year Composition: Placement & Transfer
If your institution accepts alternative credit for FYC, which mechanism is used? Check all that apply.
Transfer credit from another institution
Dual enrollment
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
What percentage of students in AY 2016/17 received alternative credit for a FYC course?
30
If there is a placement mechanism for FYC, what is it? Check all that apply.
Directed Self-Placment
First-Year Writing--First-Year Composition: Goals
If there are explicit goals for FYC, are the goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement?
Yes
How are the FYC goals assessed? Check all that apply.
Random Sample
Course Evaluation or Grades
Student Survey
First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Placement & Transfer
If your institution accepts alternative credit for FYWS, which mechanism is used? Check all that apply.
Transfer credit from another institution
Dual enrollment
AP/IB results
What percentage of students in AY 2016/17 received alternative credit for a FYWS course?
10
If there is a placement mechanism for FYWS, what is it? Check all that apply.
Directed Self-Placment
First-Year Writing--First-Year Writing Seminar: Goals
If there are explicit goals for FYWS, are the goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement?
No
Upper Level Writing Courses--Senior Culminating Experience
Does your institution require ALL students complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience?
No
Does your institution require SOME students complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience?
Yes
What are the criteria for some students to complete a senior thesis?
The requirements vary by department.
Honors students are required to complete a thesis.
Individual students can choose to complete to complete a senior thesis.
Writing across the curriculum (WAC)--General Description
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.
No
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?
Maybe
Feel free to explain any upcoming changes.
Purdue has talked about a WAC program for a long time. With a new provost and may new deans, perhaps it will come to pass.
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?
English department
Where is the writing center located? Note: From this point on writing center refers to both free-standing and those located within another unit.
Academic building
How are the goals assessed?
Student feedback forms
Faculty feedback
Center usage statistics
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 online research
Assistance with Powerpoint or other presentation software
Assistance with new media
Assistance with how to prepare a poster presentation
Assistance with job materials
Assistance with graduate school materials
Assistance for English Language Learners
Asssistance for faculty on syllabus or curriculum development
What events does the writing center offer?
Student workshops
Faculty workshops
Space for student to come together to write
Student writing groups
Faculty writing groups
Dissertation or thesis boot camp
Writing centers--Consultations
What type of appointments does the writing center offer?
scheduled face-to-face appts
drop-in face-to-face appts
scheduled online appts
online feedback via e-mail
What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered?
45 minutes
What percentage of the undergraduate student body had a writing center consultation during the 2016-17 academic year?
6
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-35, GS-17
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-45, GS-55
How are undergraduate consultants initially trained?
Full-credit course
Staff meetings
Workshops before semester begins
How are graduate consultants initially trained?
Full-credit course
Staff meetings
Workshops before semester begins
What on-going professional development opportunities are provided undergraduate consultants?
Attend national conferences
Attend regional conferences
Present at national conferences
Present at regional conferences
Read professional journals
Outside speakers
Staff meetings
Meeting with Director
What on-going professional development opportunities are provided graduate consultants?
Attend national conferences
Attend regional conferences
Present at national conferences
Present at regional conferences
Read professional journals
Outside speakers
Staff meetings
Meeting with Director
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?
Writing Center Administrator (WCA)
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?
5+
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?
Yes
What changes were made to the staffing or administration of the writing center?
Peer tutor positions increased
Graduate positions increased
Hired a full-time multilingual writing specialist
Writing Fellows (Embedded Writing Tutors)--General information
Does your institution have a writing fellows program? (See glossary for definitions)
No
Administrative positions--Writing Center Administrator (WCA)
Which of the following teaching responsibilities does the WCA have? Check all that apply.
Teach courses
Tutor students
Train tutors, TAs, or professional staff
On average, how many courses per year are reassigned for WCA administrative responsibilities?
2
Which of the following are the administrative responsibilities of the WCA?
Develop curriculum
Create Program Documents
Write grants
Conduct assessment
Consult with individual faculty or departments across the disciplines
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
Plan events
Maintain program/department/center website
Serve on university committees