Madison Area Technical College2013 Institution Survey

Sites of Writing--General Description

Does your institution have an official writing program or department? (n=118)

No

Does your institution have first-year writing? (n=217)

Yes

Is first-year writing part of the writing program or department? (n=152)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for first-year writing? (n=63)

English Department

Does your institution have writing across the curriculum (WAC)? (n=204)

No

Does your institution have writing in the disciplines (WID)? (n=198)

No

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=219)

Yes

Is the writing center part of the writing program or department? (n=198)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the writing center? (n=171)

English Department

Does your institution have basic writing courses? (n=220)

Yes

Is basic writing part of the writing program or department? (n=199)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the basic writing program? (n=136)

English Department

Sites of Writing--Writing Requirement

Does your institution have a writing requirement? (n=216)

Yes

What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=106)

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? (n=211)

No

Sites of Writing--College Writing Goals

Are there college-wide student writing goals? (n=216)

No

Sites of Writing--Community College Survey of Student Engagement

Does your institution administer the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)? (n=219)

Yes

How does your writing program use the CCSSE data? (n=139)

I don't know.

Nothing

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=219)

Yes

Were there changes to the writing requirement in the past 10 years? (n=193)

Yes

Which changes have taken place in regards to the writing requirement? (n=116)

The writing requirement was changed.

Other

Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution over the past 10 years? (n=194)

No

Were there any changes to the administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing over the past 10 years? (n=195)

No

Was the writing program changed in the past 10 years to expand or eliminate areas? (n=191)

No

Were there changes to the staffing of the writing program or center over the past 10 years? (n=194)

Yes

Which changes to the staffing of the writing program or center have taken place over the past 10 years? (n=114)

Part-time teaching positions were added.

Tenure-line teaching positions were converted into non-tenure-line teaching positions.

Peer tutoring positions were added.

Professional tutoring positions were added.

Were there any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned? (n=193)

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=217)

No

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--General Description

Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement, whether explicit or embedded? (n=217)

Yes

How many semesters/courses of first-year writing are required? (n=142)

2

By when must the second semester course be completed? (n=95)

Other

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Placement and Transfer

Does your institution allow students to place out of the first semester first-year writing requirment? (n=134)

No

Does your institution allow students to place out of the second semester of first-year writing requirment? (n=105)

No

Does your institution accept transfer credit for first semester first-year writing requirements? (n=139)

Yes

Does your institution accept transfer credit for second semester first-year writing requirements? (n=121)

Yes

Who approves transfer credit for FYW courses? (n=138)

Registrar

Dean of students

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Goals and Assessment

Are there explicit goals for the first-year writing requirement? (n=141)

No

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Curriculum

What is the content of the FYW requirement? See Note 5. (n=139)

Genre/ Modes

Other

Is there a common syllabus for FYW courses? (n=139)

No

If two semesters of FYW are required, is the content of the second course the same as the first course? (n=104)

No

If the content of the second FYW course differs from the first course, what is the content of the second course? See Note 5. (n=60)

WAC/ Topic-Based

Other

What is the "other" content of the second semester FYW requirement?

research

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Enrollment Caps

What is the enrollment cap for regular sections of the FYW requirement? (n=146)

23

If there is a second semester FYW requirement, what is the the enrollment cap for regular sections? (n=119)

23

What is the enrollment cap for sections of basic writing of the FYW requirement? (n=133)

20

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Staffing

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty in the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

60

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty in the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by part-time faculty hired by the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

40

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by part-time faculty hired by the rhetoric/composition department or program?

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by the WPA? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by other? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching in the first-year writing program? (n=129)

Yes

What form does the faculty development take for first-year writing faculty? (n=107)

Optional faculty development workshops

Individual meetings with the WPA/WCD

Other

Do those attending receive additional compensation? (n=106)

Sometimes

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=220)

Yes

How does the institution identify these students? (n=157)

Directed Self-Placement

SAT/ ACT Scores

Placement Test

Advisor referral

What types of supports are available to these students? (n=161)

Required basic writing course

Special sections of FYW

Summer bridge program

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring, not the WPA or WCD

Workshops

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing

Does the institution have a formal basic writing program? (n=154)

Yes

How are students placed into basic writing? (n=127)

SAT/ACT scores

Placement test

How do students exit basic writing? (n=125)

Passing grade in BW course

Is there a director of basic writing? (n=127)

No

What is the structure of the basic writing program? (n=125)

Prerequisite model

How many levels of basic writing are there? (n=103)

3

What is the curriculum of the basic writing courses? (n=126)

Grammar

Sentence writing

Paragraph writing

Reading and writing

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Support for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Is there support for English Language Learners (ELLs)? (n=144)

Yes

Is support for ELLs separate from basic writing? (n=126)

No

What type of supports are available for ELLs? (n=124)

Required section of basic writing course

Professional tutoring, not the WPA or WCD

Other

Does your institution offer ELL writing classes? (n=125)

No

Writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing beyond the first year--General Description

Does your institution have a WAC/WID program and/or a writing requirement beyond the first year? (n=203)

No

Writing centers--General description

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=219)

Yes

Is the writing center free-standing or part of another institutional unit? (n=157)

Part of another institutional unit

If the writing center is not free-standing, what larger institutional unit is it a part of? (n=105)

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. (n=157)

Multiple locations

Is there a mission statement for the writing center? (n=153)

Yes

Are there explicit goals for the writing center? (n=152)

Yes

How are the goals assessed? (n=104)

Student feedback forms

Faculty feedback

Center usage statistics

External review

What services does the writing center offer? (n=155)

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

Writing centers--Consultations

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=83)

2,558

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=85)

2,697

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=84)

121

How many online consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=82)

78

How many online consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=83)

82

How many online consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=82)

16

What percentage of the student body had a writing center consultation during the 2012-13 academic year? See Note 2a & 4. (n=66)

2

What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered? (n=143)

45 minutes

Writing centers--Consultants

Are your writing center consultants undergraduate students? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants faculty who teach in the writing program? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants faculty who teach in other academic departments? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants professional tutors? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants volunteers? (n=127)

No

Do you have others working as writing consultants? (n=127)

No

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=72)

22

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=72)

45

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were faculty who teach in the writing program? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=65)

16

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were faculty who teach in the writing program? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=67)

33

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were faculty who teach in other academic departments? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=11)

5

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were faculty who teach in other academic departments? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=12)

10

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=68)

6

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=68)

12

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=69)

6

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=69)

19

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were faculty who teach in the writing program? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=61)

14

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were faculty who teach in the writing program? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=63)

44

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were faculty who teach in other departments? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=12)

6

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were faculty who teach in other academic departments? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=13)

19

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=65)

6

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=65)

19

How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?

Undergraduate students (n=90)Faculty who teach in the writing program (n=77)Faculty who teach in other academic departments (n=21)Professional tutors (n=71)
Full-credit courseYes
Half-credit course
Weekly meetings
Monthly meetings
Workshops before the semesterYesYesYes
No training required
Other

What on-going professional development opportunities are offered for consultants working in the writing center?

Undergraduate students (n=78)Faculty who teach in the writing program (n=70)Faculty who teach in other academic departments (n=19)Professional tutors (n=66)
Attendance at national conferences
Attendance at regional conferences
Presenting at national conferences
Presenting at regional conferences
Reading professional journals
Outside speakers
Weekly meetings
Semester inservice or workshopYesYesYesYes
Written reflections on daily and/or semester workYes
Meet with directorYesYesYes
No opportunities available
OtherYesYesYes

How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?

Undergraduate students (n=96)Faculty who teach in the writing program (n=85)Faculty who teach in other academic departments (n=31)Professional tutors (n=80)
Hourly wageYesYes
Stipend
Tuition waver
Course credit
Faculty salary
Release timeYes
OtherYes

Writing centers--Course-based Peer Tutoring

Does your institution have a writing fellows program (course-based peer tutoring)? (n=143)

No

Administrative Structures

Who has primary responsibility for administering the first-year writing requirement? (n=127)

Faculty committee

Are there others who help to administer the FYW program? (n=131)

No

Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing/learning center? (n=139)

Separate writing center director or coordinator (WCD)

How is the WCD or LCD position classified? (n=87)

TT

To whom does the WCD or LCD report? (n=85)

Chief Academic Officer

Was the WCD or LCD director hired for this position? (n=86)

No

If the WCD or LCD director was not hired for this position, how did he/she assume these responsibilities? (n=32)

Previous director retired or left the position.

Are there others who help to administer the writing center? (n=115)

Yes

If others help to administer the writing center, how many? (n=55)

2

What is the teaching load for writing administrators?

All full-time faculty (n=97)FYWD (n=11)WAC director (n=6)WCD (n=79)
0-0
0-1
1-1
1-2 or 2-1
2-2
2-1-2
2-2-2
2-3 or 3-2Yes
3-3
3-1-2
3-1-3
3-4 or 4-3
4-4
4-5 or 5-4
5-5YesYes
6-6
Other

What are the job responsibilities for writing administrators?

FYWD (n=14)WAC director (n=8)WCD (n=85)
Teach courses in the first-year writing programYes
Teach courses in the writing program/department (not FYW)Yes
Teach courses outside the writing program/department
Assess all or some aspects of the writing program
Assess the development of student writing on campus
Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplinesYes
Consult with individual faculty across the disciplinesYes
Consult with departments across the disciplinesYes
Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.)Yes
Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer)Yes
Hire professional staffYes
Hire tutorsYes
Schedule writing courses
Schedule writing centerYes
Place students into writing courses
Facilitate placement exam
Oversee curriculum development
Train professional staffYes
Train peer tutorsYes
Advertise programYes
Oversee program budgetYes
Tutor studentsYes
Plan eventsYes
Serve on university committeesYes
Maintain program websiteYes
Serve as an academic advisor
Offer student workshopsYes
Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit
Other