The College of New Jersey2013 Institution Survey
Sites of writing--General Description
What is the institutional home of the writing program or department? (n=248)
independent program
Is writing in the disciplines part of the writing program or department? (n=265)
No
If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for writing in the disciplines? (n=184)
Independent department
Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=679)
Yes
If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the writing center? (n=487)
Independent program
Is the basic writing program part of the writing program or department? (n=357)
Yes
Sites of writing--Writing Requirement
What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=638)
First-year seminars taught by faculty across the curriculum (FYWS)
First-year composition predominately taught by English and/or Writing department (FYC)
Mid-level writing course
Writing-intensive courses that are located throughout the curriculum (W courses)
Writing in the major
Senior thesis or capstone experience
Other
What other writing requirements does your institution have?
We require at least three writing intensive classes from each student
Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal? (n=657)
Yes
What curricular requirements have writing as an explicit goal? (n=342)
A senior capstone/thesis for some or all students has writing as an explicit goal.
The first-year seminar has writing as an explicit goal.
Sites of writing--College Writing Goals
How are the college-wide student writing goals assessed? (n=379)
Departments assess majors through a senior-culminating experience.
Who administers the college-wide assessment?
| Students take an essay exam. | |
|---|---|
| Writing program director (n=108) | |
| Writing center director (n=37) | |
| Associate dean (n=18) | |
| Faculty committee (n=119) | Yes |
| Registrar (n=10) | |
| Chair of the department (n=75) | |
| Other (n=121) |
Who participates in the college-wide assessment?
| Students take an essay exam. | Students submit a portfolio. | Professors certify for writing proficiency when students take writing-intensive courses. | Departments assess majors through a senior-culminating experience. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing program director (n=106) | Yes | |||
| Writing center director (n=65) | ||||
| Writing program faculty (n=105) | Yes | |||
| English department faculty (n=150) | ||||
| Faculty from other disciplines than writing and English (n=163) | Yes | Yes | ||
| Readers outside the institution (n=15) | ||||
| Associate dean (n=22) | ||||
| Registrar (n=13) | ||||
| Other (n=63) |
Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement
Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)? (n=667)
Yes
Is your school part of the WPA/NSSE Consortium for the Study of Writing in College? (n=494)
I don't know
Sites of writing--Changes to Writing Program
Have there been changes to the writing program or sites of writing at your institution in the past 10 years? (n=666)
Yes
Which changes have taken place in regards to the writing requirement? (n=382)
The writing requirement was changed.
An exemption for first-year writing was added.
Were there any changes to the administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing over the past 10 years? (n=597)
No
Was the writing program changed in the past 10 years to expand or eliminate areas? (n=609)
Yes
How did the writing program change? (n=346)
The writing program became an independent program or department.
Were there changes to the staffing of the writing program or center over the past 10 years? (n=595)
No
Were there any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned? (n=588)
No
Do you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures of the sites of writing at your institution over the next five years? (n=661)
Yes
What type of changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures of the sites of writing at your institution do you foresee in the next five years? (n=484)
Changes to assessment
Changes to expand the writing program or sites of writing on campus
Changes to the types of staffing
If you foresee changes to the administrative, curricular, or support structures of the sites of writing at your institution over the next five years feel free to explain.
I hope to move toward full-time non tenure track instructor positions to eliminate the need to repeatedly hire new contingent faculty. My WAC/WID anwers might be confusing because we are in the early stages of developing a WEC Program, inviting departments to meet to determine how they can enhance the writing assignments offered in the courses.
First-year writing/English composition--General Description
Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement whether explicit or embedded? (n=672)
Yes
By when must the second semester course be completed? (n=316)
Second semester, first year
First-year writing/English composition--Placement and Transfer
What is your program's placement mechanism?
| FYWS (n=18) | FYC (n=373) | |
|---|---|---|
| SAT/ACT | Yes | |
| AP/IB | Yes | |
| CLEP | ||
| In-house exam | Yes | |
| Directed self-placement | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Dual enrollment/ transfer | ||
| Other |
First-year writing/English composition--Goals and Assessment
How are the goals for FYW courses assessed?
| FYWS (n=66) | FYC (n=381) | |
|---|---|---|
| Paper portfolio | ||
| E-portfolio | ||
| Random sample | ||
| Exam | ||
| Professor evaluation | Yes | |
| None | ||
| Course evaluation | ||
| Student survey | ||
| Other |
First-year writing/English composition--Curriculum
What is the other content of the FYC requirement?
Argument based, generally using definition, causal, evaluation and proposal approaches to essays. Each instructor chooses a theme through which to explore reading and writing these arguments.To elaborate on your next question, we use a syllabus template which spells out learning goals, including recommended number of drafts, workshops and essays.Using these goals, instructors are free to write their syllabi to fit their theme.
What is the content of the FYS requirement? See Note 5. (n=60)
Literature
Themes
Other
What is the other content of the FYS requirement?
There are a wide range of topics for First Year Seminar, including politics, film, literature, history, and music, to name a few. Community engagement is built into the course.
First-year writing/English composition--Enrollment Caps
What is the enrollment cap for basic writing sections of FYS? (n=17)
Varies by semester
First-year writing/English composition--Staffing
In the 2011-12 academic year, what percentage of FYC courses were taught by: See Note 2a. (n=422)
| Full-Time, Tenure Track English Faculty | Full-Time, Tenure Track Writing Faculty | Full-Time, Tenure Track Other Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track English Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Writing Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Other Faculty | Part-time English Faculty | Part-time Writing Faculty | English Graduate TAs | Writing Graduate TAs | Other Graduate TAs | WPA | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1-5% | |||||||||||||
| 6-15% | |||||||||||||
| 16-25% | |||||||||||||
| 26-35% | |||||||||||||
| 36-50% | |||||||||||||
| 51-60% | |||||||||||||
| 61-75% | |||||||||||||
| 76-85% | |||||||||||||
| 86-99% | |||||||||||||
| 100% |
In the 2011-12 academic year, what percentage of FYS courses were taught by: See Note 2a. (n=54)
| Full-Time, Tenure Track English Faculty | Full-Time, Tenure Track Writing Faculty | Full-Time, Tenure Track Other Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track English Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Writing Faculty | Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Other Faculty | Part-time English Faculty | Part-time Writing Faculty | English Graduate TAs | Writing Graduate TAs | Other Graduate TAs | WPA | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 1-5% | |||||||||||||
| 6-15% | Yes | ||||||||||||
| 16-25% | Yes | ||||||||||||
| 26-35% | |||||||||||||
| 36-50% | |||||||||||||
| 51-60% | |||||||||||||
| 61-75% | Yes | ||||||||||||
| 76-85% | |||||||||||||
| 86-99% | |||||||||||||
| 100% |
Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching FYC? (n=457)
Yes
Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching FYS? (n=61)
Yes
What form does the faculty development take for FYW faculty?
| FYWS (n=70) | FYC (n=373) | FYS (n=55) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requried pedagogy course taught by the WPA | |||
| Required faculty development workshops | Yes | ||
| Optional graduate pedagogy course | |||
| Optional faculty development workshops | Yes | ||
| Individual meetings with the WPA/WCD | |||
| Other |
Do those attending faculty development for FYC receive additional compensation? (n=411)
Yes
Do those attending faculty development for FYS receive additional compensation? (n=57)
No
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--General Description
Does your institution identify students who may need additional writing support, including students whose primary language is not English? (n=626)
Yes
How does the institution identify these students? (n=483)
SAT/ ACT scores
Placement test
Faculty referral
What types of supports are available to those students? (n=489)
Required basic writing course
Peer tutoring
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing
What percentage of the student body is placed into basic writing? See Note 4. (n=164)
1
What is the structure of the basic writing program? See Glossary for terms used. (n=205)
Studio model
What is the curriculum of the basic writing courses? (n=203)
Grammar
Sentence writing
Paragraph writing
Reading and writing
Other
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Support for English Language Learners
What type of supports are available for ELLs? (n=412)
Required basic writing course
Other
How are students identified and/or placed into ELL writing courses? (n=239)
Placement test
Writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing beyond the first year--General Description
Does your institution have a WAC program and/or writing requirement beyond the first year? (n=642)
Yes
Does your institution require all students to take lower-division writing courses taught by the English or Writing department for students in other departments? Does not include the first-year writing requirement. (n=302)
No
Does your institution require all students to take upper-division writing courses taught by the English or Writing department for students in other departments? (n=303)
No
Does your institution require all students to take a mid-level writing course(s)? (n=304)
Yes
How would you describe the mid-level course? (n=124)
The course is similar to a writing-intensive course.
Each department determines which course fits this requirement.
Does your institution require ALL students to complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience? (n=306)
Yes
Is the senior thesis an explicit part of the college writing requirement? (n=92)
No
Writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing beyond the first year--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? (n=303)
No
The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Major
The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Minor
What areas of writing can students specialize in as part of the minor? (n=312)
Professional writing
Creative writing
Journalism /media writing
The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Graduate Programs
Does your institution offer a masters degree (M.A.) in writing, other than creative writing? (n=656)
No
Does your institution have a Ph.D. program in writing, other than creative writing? (n=654)
No
Writing centers--General description
Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=676)
Yes
Is the writing center free-standing or part of another institutional unit? (n=612)
Part of another institutional unit
If the writing center is not free-standing, what larger institutional unit is it a part of? (n=379)
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. (n=612)
Academic building
What services does the writing center offer? (n=610)
Face-to-face consultations
Online tutoring via Skype or instant messaging (synchronous)
Online feedback via e-mail (asynchronous)
Assistance with oral presentations
Assistance with Powerpoint or other presentation software
Assistance with new media
Assistance with how to lead a class discussion
Assistance with how to prepare a poster presentation
Writing centers--Consultations
What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered? (n=574)
50 minutes
Writing centers--Consultants
Writing centers--Course-based Peer Tutoring
Does your institution have a writing fellows (course-based peer tutoring) program? (n=577)
No
Administrative structures
Who has primary responsibility for administering first-year writing requirement? (n=565)
FYWD
Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing center? (n=546)
Separate writing center director or coordinator (WCD)
What is the teaching load for writing administrators?
| Average faculty member (n=501) | FYWD (n=265) | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | ||
| 0-1 | ||
| 1-1 | Yes | |
| 1-2 or 2-1 | ||
| 2-2 | ||
| 2-1-2 | ||
| 2-2-2 | ||
| 2-3 or 3-2 | ||
| 3-3 | ||
| 3-1-2 | ||
| 3-1-3 | ||
| 3-4 or 4-3 | ||
| 4-4 | ||
| Other | ||
| Varies |
What are the job responsibilities for writing administrators?
| FYWD (n=267) | WAC director (n=63) | WCD (n=392) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach courses in the first-year writing program | Yes | ||
| Teach courses in the writing program/department (Not FYW) | |||
| Teach courses outside the writing program/department | |||
| Assess all or some aspects of the writing program | Yes | ||
| Assess the development of student writing on campus | |||
| Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplines | Yes | Yes | |
| Conduct TA training | |||
| Consult with individual faculty across the disciplines | Yes | Yes | |
| Consult with departments across the disciplines | Yes | Yes | |
| Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.) | Yes | ||
| Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer) | Yes | ||
| Hire professional staff | |||
| Hire tutors | Yes | ||
| Schedule writing courses | Yes | ||
| Schedule writing center | Yes | ||
| Place students into writing courses | Yes | ||
| Facilitate placement exam | Yes | ||
| Oversee curriculum development | Yes | ||
| Train professional staff | Yes | ||
| Train peer tutors | |||
| Advertise program | Yes | Yes | |
| Oversee program budget | Yes | Yes | |
| Tutor students | Yes | Yes | |
| Plan events | Yes | Yes | |
| Serve on university committees | Yes | Yes | |
| Maintain program website | Yes | Yes | |
| Serve as an academic advisor | |||
| Offer student workshops | Yes | ||
| Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit | Yes | ||
| Other |