Michigan State University2013 Institution Survey

Sites of writing--General Description

Does your institution have an official writing program or department? (n=671)

Yes

What is the institutional home of the writing program or department? (n=248)

independent department

Does your institution have first-year writing? (n=673)

Yes

Is first-year writing part of the writing program or department? (n=646)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for first-year writing? (n=377)

Independent department

Does your institution have writing across the curriculum (WAC)? (n=671)

No

Does your institution have writing in the disciplines (WID)? (n=674)

No

Does your institution have an undergraduate writing major? (n=673)

Yes

Is the undergraduate writing major part of the writing program or department? (n=263)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the undergraduate writing major? (n=196)

Independent program

Does your institution have an undergraduate writing minor? (n=676)

Yes

Is the undergraduate writing minor part of the writing program or department? (n=352)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the undergraduate minor? (n=246)

Independent program

Does your institution have a graduate program in writing/rhetoric? (n=677)

Yes

Is the graduate program part of the writing program or department? (n=157)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the graduate writing program? (n=114)

Independent program

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=679)

Yes

Is the writing center part of the writing program or department? (n=654)

Yes

Does your institution have a basic writing program? (n=675)

Yes

Is the basic writing program part of the writing program or department? (n=357)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the basic writing program? (n=249)

Independent department

Sites of writing--Writing Requirement

Does your institution have a writing requirement? (n=668)

Yes

What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=638)

First-year composition predominately taught by English and/or Writing department (FYC)

Writing in the major

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)

There are other requirements where writing is an explicit goal.

Sites of writing--College Writing Goals

Are there college-wide student writing goals? (n=660)

Yes

Have the goals been influenced by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=377)

Yes

Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement

Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)? (n=667)

I don't know

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

Were there changes to the writing requirement in the past 10 years? (n=585)

No

Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution over the past 10 years? (n=589)

Yes

Which changes have taken place in regards to assessment? (n=437)

A college-wide assessment was added.

A college-wide assessment was dropped.

Were there any changes to the administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing over the past 10 years? (n=597)

Yes

Which administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing changed? (n=396)

A full-time WPA or WCD position was added.

Other

Was the writing program changed in the past 10 years to expand or eliminate areas? (n=609)

No

Were there changes to the staffing of the writing program or center over the past 10 years? (n=595)

Yes

Which changes to the staffing of the writing program or center have taken place over the past 10 years? (n=412)

Peer tutoring positions were added.

Graduate student 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=588)

Yes

If there were any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned, please explain.

additional WC sites added (6 actually)

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 the administrative structures

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.

move WCD from staff to tenure faculty

First-year writing/English composition--General Description

Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement whether explicit or embedded? (n=672)

Yes

How many semesters/courses of first-year writing are required? (n=575)

1

By when must the second semester course be completed? (n=316)

By graduation

How would you describe your first-year writing requirement? (n=577)

FYC

Other

First-year writing/English composition--Placement and Transfer

Does your institution allow students to place out of FYC? (n=443)

Yes

What is your program's placement mechanism?

FYWS (n=18)FYC (n=373)
SAT/ACTYes
AP/IB
CLEP
In-house exam
Directed self-placement
Portfolio
Dual enrollment/ transfer
Other

Does your institution accept transfer credit for other first-year writing requirements? (n=41)

Yes

Who approves transfer credit for FYW courses? (n=539)

WPA

Other

First-year writing/English composition--Goals and Assessment

Are there explicit goals for other first-year writing requirements? (n=42)

Yes

Are other first-year writing goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=30)

Yes

How are the goals for FYW courses assessed?

FYWS (n=66)FYC (n=381)FYS (n=47)Other (n=33)
Paper portfolio
E-portfolio
Random sample
Exam
Professor evaluation
None
Course evaluation
Student surveyYes
OtherYes

Who participates in the assessment of the goals for FYW courses?

FYWS (n=53)FYC (n=326)FYS (n=41)Other (n=29)
WPAYes
Writing facultyYes
Institutional faculty
Outside evaluators
English faculty
Department chair
OtherYes

First-year writing/English composition--Curriculum

What is the content of the other first-year requirement? See Note 5. (n=41)

Themes

Other

First-year writing/English composition--Enrollment Caps

What is the enrollment cap for honors sections of other types of FYW? (n=22)

26-29

What is the enrollment cap for regular sections of other types of FYW? (n=40)

26-29

First-year writing/English composition--Staffing

In the 2011-12 academic year, what percentage of other types of FYW courses were taught by: See Note 2a. (n=37)

Full-Time, Tenure Track English FacultyFull-Time, Tenure Track Writing Faculty
0%
1-5%
6-15%
16-25%
26-35%
36-50%
51-60%
61-75%
76-85%
86-99%
100%

Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching other first-year writing courses? (n=41)

Yes

What form does the faculty development take for FYW faculty?

FYWS (n=70)FYC (n=373)FYS (n=55)Other (n=35)
Requried pedagogy course taught by the WPA
Required faculty development workshopsYes
Optional graduate pedagogy course
Optional faculty development workshopsYes
Individual meetings with the WPA/WCDYes
OtherYes

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)

Directed self-placement

SAT/ ACT scores

Placement test

Advisor referral

What types of supports are available to those students? (n=489)

Special sections of FYW

Peer tutoring

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing

Does your institution have a formal basic writing program? (n=493)

No

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

Is there support for English Language Learners (ELLs)? (n=484)

Yes

Is support for ELLs separate from basic writing? (n=417)

Yes

What type of supports are available for ELLs? (n=412)

Required basic writing course

Peer tutoring

Workshops

Other

Does your institution offer ELL writing classes? (n=408)

Yes

How are students identified and/or placed into ELL writing courses? (n=239)

SAT/ACT/TOFEL

Placement test

What is the institutional home of the ELL writing courses? (n=241)

Intensive English program

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)

No

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)

Yes

How long has the WI requirement been in existence? (n=186)

10-15 years

How many WI courses are required beyond the first-year requirement? (n=185)

1

When do WI courses need to be completed? (n=187)

By graduation

Are there explicit goals for the WI courses? (n=189)

No

What are the criteria for a WI course? (n=184)

Other criteria

Who certifies that a course fulfills WI designation? (n=183)

Curriculum committee

Other

Is there professional development available for those teaching in the WAC Program? (n=298)

Yes

What form does that faculty development take? (n=216)

Faculty seminar

Optional faculty workshops

Individual meetings with faculty members

On-campus speakers

If faculty attend a seminar or workshop, how are they compensated? (n=129)

Other

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

Does your institution have a writing major? See Note 3. (n=656)

Yes

What areas of writing can students specialize in as part of the major? (n=230)

Professional writing

In which department is the major housed? (n=245)

Writing

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

Does your institution have a writing minor? (n=656)

Yes

What areas of writing can students specialize in as part of the minor? (n=312)

Professional writing

In which department is the minor housed? (n=347)

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)

Yes

In which department is the masters program housed? (n=100)

Writing

Does your institution have a Ph.D. program in writing, other than creative writing? (n=654)

Yes

In which department is the Ph.D. program housed? (n=47)

Writing

Does the graduate coursework include a course on writing program administration? (n=47)

Yes, optional

Does the graduate coursework include a course on writing center studies? (n=47)

Yes, required

Roughly how many graduate students in your program complete their Ph.D.s each year? (n=40)

4-6

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)

Other

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)

Multiple locations

Is there a mission statement for the writing center? (n=610)

Yes

Are there explicit goals for the writing center? (n=610)

Yes

How are the goals assessed? (n=423)

Student feedback forms

Center usage statistics

Other

What services does the writing center offer? (n=610)

Face-to-face consultations

Online tutoring via Skype or instant messaging (synchronous)

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

Other

What other services does the writing center offer?

fellows; writing groups--graduate, creative, faculty; workshops in class and in center

Writing centers--Consultations

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=225)

7,500

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=224)

6,500

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=223)

2,000

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)

7,000

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)

5,000

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=428)

1,500

How many online consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=221)

500

How many online consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=222)

500

How many online consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=220)

350

How many online consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=427)

50

How many online consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Note 2b & 4. (n=427)

50

How many online consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=425)

20

What percentage of the undergraduate student body had a writing center consultation during the 2011-12 academic year? See Notes 2a & 4. (n=316)

10

Does your writing center work with graduate students? (n=580)

Yes

How many writing center consultations did your center conduct with graduate students during the 2011-12 academic year? See Notes 2a & 4. (n=184)

6,000

What percentage of the graduate student body had a writing center consultation during the 2011-12 academic year? See Notes 2a & 4. (n=122)

12

What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered? (n=574)

Other

Writing centers--Consultants

Are some or all of your writing center consultants undergraduate students? (n=561)

Yes

Are some or all of your writing center consultants graduate students? (n=546)

Yes

Are some or all of your writing center consultants faculty who teach in the writing program? (n=548)

No

Are some or all of your writing center consultants faculty who teach in other academic departments? (n=539)

No

Are some or all of your writing center consultants professional tutors? (n=548)

No

Are some or all of your writing center consultants volunteers? (n=543)

No

Do you have others working as writing consultants? (n=531)

No

During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)

43

During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=228)

57

During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=450)

43

During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=228)

57

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the fall of 2011 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=448)

30

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the fall of 2011 were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=227)

40

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)

30

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=227)

40

How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?

Undergraduate students (n=505)Graduate students (n=251)
Full-credit courseYes
Half-credit course
Weekly meetingsYesYes
Monthly meetings
Workshops before the semesterYesYes
No training required
Other

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

Undergraduate students (n=461)Graduate students (n=237)
Attendance at national conferencesYesYes
Attendance at regional conferencesYesYes
Presenting at national conferencesYesYes
Presenting at regional conferencesYesYes
Reading professional journalsYesYes
Outside speakers
Weekly meetingsYesYes
Semester inservice or workshopYesYes
Written reflections on daily and/or semester work
Meet with directorYesYes
No opportunities available
OtherYesYes

How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?

Undergraduate students (n=509)Graduate students (n=263)
Hourly wageYesYes
StipendYes
Tuition waverYes
Course creditYes
Faculty salary
Release time
Other

Writing centers--Course-based Peer Tutoring

Does your institution have a writing fellows (course-based peer tutoring) program? (n=577)

Yes

How old is the writing fellows program? (n=144)

3-5 years

How is the writing fellows program funded? (n=144)

Other

Do the writing fellows work both as fellows and in the writing center? (n=145)

Students work both as writing fellows and writing center tutors.

Do the writing fellows regularly attend the class they are assigned to work with? (n=142)

Yes

On average, how many students does each writing fellow work with for a course? (n=131)

15+

How are the writing fellows compensated? (n=144)

Hourly wage

Administrative structures

Who has primary responsibility for administering first-year writing requirement? (n=565)

FYWD

How is the FYWD position classified? (n=274)

TT

Where does the FYWD's tenure line reside? (n=228)

Rhetoric/ composition/writing

To whom does the FYWD report? (n=272)

Chair of the department

Other

Was the FYWD director hired for this position? (n=261)

No

If the FYWD director was not hired for this position, how did he/she assume these responsibilities? (n=128)

The position rotates among faculty in the department.

Are there others who help to administer the FYW program? (n=586)

Yes

If others help to administer the FYW program, how many? (n=347)

2

Who has primary responsibility for administering the WAC program? (n=263)

Other

Are there others who help to administer the WAC program? (n=209)

No

Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing center? (n=546)

Separate writing center director or coordinator (WCD)

How is the WCD or LCD position classified? (n=410)

NTT-FT

To whom does the WCD or LCD report? (n=402)

CAO

Associate dean or provost

Was the WCD or LCD director hired for this position? (n=401)

Yes

Are there others who help to administer the writing center? (n=403)

Yes

If others help to administer the writing center, how many? (n=326)

3

What is the teaching load for writing administrators?

Average faculty member (n=501)FYWD (n=265)WAC director (n=62)WCD (n=387)
0-0
0-1
1-1Yes
1-2 or 2-1
2-2Yes
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
VariesYes

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 programYes
Teach courses in the writing program/department (Not FYW)YesYes
Teach courses outside the writing program/departmentYes
Assess all or some aspects of the writing programYes
Assess the development of student writing on campusYes
Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplinesYes
Conduct TA trainingYes
Consult with individual faculty across the disciplinesYesYes
Consult with departments across the disciplinesYesYes
Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.)YesYes
Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer)Yes
Hire professional staffYes
Hire tutorsYes
Schedule writing coursesYes
Schedule writing centerYes
Place students into writing coursesYes
Facilitate placement examYes
Oversee curriculum developmentYes
Train professional staffYes
Train peer tutorsYes
Advertise programYesYes
Oversee program budgetYesYes
Tutor students
Plan eventsYesYes
Serve on university committeesYesYes
Maintain program websiteYes
Serve as an academic advisorYes
Offer student workshopsYes
Oversee exemption and/or transfer creditYes
OtherYes