2013 Four-Year Institution Survey

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If there were any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned, please explain. (n=188)

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1. The Writing Fellows program was downgraded, 2. A second-semester freshman writing course was added, 3. A teaching practicum was created for graduate student instructors.
The Writing Center moved from the English Department section of the Liberal Arts classroom building to the University Library
The previous WPA, who held the position for 30 years, retired and a new WPA began work in Fall 2012.
The requirements--all of them--were revamped to reflect the switch from quarters to semesters. So our 2-qtr first-year requirement became a 1-semester first year and 1-semester 2nd year requirement, the number of WI courses in GE and the major was reduced to reflect the 1/3 drop in course requirements overall. A writing center requirement for Developmental composition students was dropped.
The WAC/WID movement has started at my institution, but it is still in early planning and implementation phases, so the fruits of labor haven't come to light just yet.
The Writers' Studio was added
The Writing Center added a satellite library. A campus Writing Board was created.
The Writing Center director position was converted to a Writing Specialist, reporting to the Director of Academic Support. A full-time assistant director position was created and then eliminated.
The writing center is now merging with a learning center
The Writing Center moved from a peripheral are of campus to the heart of campus academics, the fourth floor of [the] LIbrary. It has made a huge difference
The Writing Center moved into the student union. The department undertook an assessment of incoming freshmen writing and uses a common assessment to determine departmental effectiveness.
the number of peer writing tutors increased, by about seven over the past ten years.
The Writing Center tutors are now trained by enrolling in a course. Also, the first 25 hours of their tutoring are paid in academic credit (as requirement for the training course) rather than in cash
The writing center used to be directed by a faculty member in the Liberal Arts office, and now the writing center is part of the academic resource center and directed by the learning disabilities staff. A faculty member in the Liberal Arts now coordinates the Freshman writing program.
The writing center was moved from the main classroom/department building to the lower-level of the library.
The writing center was renovated from a computer lab to a collaborative space with limited computer support (24 to 12).
the writing center was reopened in one of the sciences buildings and a WID program was also addeed
The Writing Intensive course requirement was recently added to the University Studies curriculum. This is not a WAC program, though it is a first step toward a WID program.
The Writing Program is staffed largely by full-time lecturers on perpetually renewable, mult-year term contracts. In 2009, the College created a career ladder for full-time lecturers, offering eligibility for promotion to Senior Lecturer after five years of service and eligibility for promotion to Senior Lecturer-Master Level after ten years of service.
Training was added for peer writing tutors.
Tutoring for writing program classes was moved from a general campus tutoring support center to the writing program itself.
The Peer-Assisted Learning Center was moved from the academic affairs division to student life.
The number of courses requiring writing across the campus has increased an diversified with the new GE requirements, other new GE requirements, and new technologies that encourage more writing and peer response.
We addded a full-time, permanent Associate Director of FYE and have expanded the role graduate students play in the administration of the program. In addition, funding for the Writing Center shifted from the English Deaprtment to the College (yay!).
The 1st yr 2nd semester writing course was changed to a 2nd yr second semester writing course to staff writing program with 1/3 of instructors let go in [the institution's] flagship agenda. The purpose was to hire more professors and have more of them in the classroom, however only a few of us rhet/comp professors (1-2) teach a writing course each semester (out of @170 sections).
Shared outcomes were created for the first-year seminars. Faculty are encouraged, but not required, to include them on their syllabi.
Since I arrived three years ago, I have updated the curricula for all writing courses, which were quite outdated and didn't meet some basic disciplinary standards--while not structural in nature, this change had significant impact, since most of the adjunct instructors lacked current knowledge of writing instruction
Small shifts in organization since the move to First Year Seminars. Organizational changes in the Center for Teaching and Learning and academic support.Our WC/multi-literacy center became part of our Center for Teaching & Learning, which provides faculty and instructional development.
Some FYC sections worked with high school students in our community, as part of curriculum
Sophomore level composition course was moved to the first year, effective Fall 2013
Speaking program folded in
Supplemental Writing Lab was added to the curriculum
Support for ESL/ELL students.
tenure-line position was eliminated.
The 20-year-old First Year Writing Portfolio went digital in 2007.
The new writing coordinator now offers faculty development, luncheons two times per year.
The added mid-level course includes oral presentation instruction with writing instruction. The Writing Center has tutors in residences and at other satellite sites. We're not placing Writing Specialists drawn from the lecturers in departments and programs across campus. We're proposing a Notation in Science Writing for next year.
The closure of the writing center due to absent funding was monumental. The institutional resistance against changing the labeling, operations/philosophy, and housing of the writing "lab" from the LRC to the English Department or composition program has proven impossible till now. The need for more full-time faculty positions in composition has not been met due to budgetary concerns and cuts.
The Coordinator of WAC position was added. There was a WAC program implemented, but it was loosely administered through the dean's office and not by a faculty member. That became part of the position created to fill WAC, Writing Center, and teaching responsibilities. I started that position during Fall 2012.
The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts worked to revise the Core Curriculum to include Writing Intensive courses. There was a lot of resistance.
The English Dept. acquired the college of business's first-year writing requirement/program. The Writing Center budget has both expanded and been slashed. First we have expanded from a time when we had no budget but were dependent upon left-over funds from the Center for Academic Success Program. Then we had our budget cut.
The first writing course was removed from the General Studies program, though the department enforces a prerequisite. The second writing course was retained in the General Studies program, which all students take.
The first-year writing program was added.
The largest change has been consolidating the administration of all the elements of first-year writing (placement, basic writing, and the first-year writing program itself) under the WPA
The location of the Writing Center changed. It moved from the campus Learning Center to the library.
Two sophomore-level composition courses (writing for the sciences, writing for business) were dropped as alternatives to the expository writing course. Now ENG 201 is the only course that fulfills the writing requirement
We added a one-credit course to support on-demand writing, and we've attempted to link this course with another one-credit requirement associated with the core.
QEP was the driving force of the changes.
Writing Center engaged in much outreach across colleges; more of the writing initiatives at the university are being housed in the UWC.
We overhauled the FYC program and expanded the writing center considerably. TT people in rhet comp were hired as directors. Visiting Asst Prof position were credted.
We participated in a review of our first-year writing program by the WPA, which recommended that a Director of Composition be added, and more faculty involvement with the writing tutors be implemented.
We redesigned first-year composition last year.
We went from a face to face approach to tutoring to an online approach via skype and gotomeeting
We've edited and published our own guide to first-year writing, which includes chapters from part-time and full-time faculty and student essays. We've also developed review procedures for part-time, contract faculty that includes a teaching portfolio, classroom observation, and evaluation summaries. We've decreased the number of part-time faculty by creating a group of 4/4/1 special lecturers who are paid $1000 extra for service to the department and university and who are given i-Pads. We've increased the amount of travel support we offer part-time faculty so that they can attend conferences and workshops in the field.
When we changed FYS structure in 2006, we added a voluntary Writing Associates program (almost all faculty choose a WA)
Writing Center budget significantly expanded. FYW phased out separate sections for ELLs for second half of year-long writing sequence
writing center coordinator position made fulltime permanent
writing center has multiple locations; an undergraduate research journal was initiated; a yearly faculty publication of research presented to a public audience began; writing contests were started; a student writing council was created; a program of student ambassadors for the ePortfolio project was initiated
We now require every first year student at to have weekly tutorials in writing, tutorials affiliated with their English 1 course.
Writing center location shifts. Also, oscillating connections with a university tutoring service.
Writing center moved to a new location; writing center became linked (additionally) to basic writing
Writing Center: instituted credit-bearing tutor-training course/practicum; and added online synchronous tutorials for students in adult degree program. Changes occurred after Writing Center administrator moved from English department to Academic Officer/Dean's Council.
Writing Placement changed from a 40-minute writing exam to modified DSM.
Writing program moved to a separate building, with expanded writing center and faculty offices. Training programs for faculty and undergraduate peer tutors greatly expanded. Writing Center integrated with writing seminars so that tutors provide support and feedback to seminar faculty. All seminar faculty have credentials in the academic or professional field represented by their seminar, rather than (for example) an English instructor teaching topic in the social sciences.
Writing requirement now includes a specific goal of incorporating information literacy.
Writing was integrated into a Core Curriculum program with oral comm, critical thinking, and information literacy into a four-course sequence.
Wrting Center control shared between English and Library due to budget issues
[the institution] contracted with INTO to recruit significant number of international students, thus changing our student demographics and needs signficiantly
We now require more coursework to fulfill our writing concentration. In addition, we have a relatively new common core that has several writing-intensive and speaking-intensive requirements. Also, specific programs (e.g., social work) have added writing fellows. Previously, fellows were only attached to basic writing courses. In addition, we are always adding WAC mentors. We are also doing more with visual literacy.
We now have a WAC coordinator
We added a position: Assistant Director of the Writing Proficiency Program. (The Director and Assistant Director are recruited from the faculty and compensated with course reductions.
We have a Writing Track, with three concentrations: creative writing, rhet/comp, and professional writing
We added a well-designed Directed Self-Placement program. Our new writing requirement sequences first-year seminars with WID courses.
We added an Emphasis in Writing and Rhetotic
We are revisiting AP exemptions.
We began an assessment process for the program and are revising the core curriculum for writing, including new university wide WAC outcomes
We created two embedded RA positions in the Writing Program, and we have a consistent structure of Director, Associate Director, and Assistant Director to lead the program. We also lost a staff position.
We developed the BFA in CW
We entirely reconstructed our 2 semester curriculum and added portfolios to all sections.
We had a requirement for a two-semester first year writing/core course from 1996 to 2009. That course had a dual agenda: teaching college writing, and a mandate to address race, class, and gender as sources of privilege and stigma. In 2009, it became 2 credits of writing (taught by adjuncts) in the fall, 4 credits (as just described) in the spring. As of next year, it will be 2 credits fall, 4 credits spring, but without the mandated diversity agenda. That has moved elsewhere in our curriculum.
We have a first year writing course which changes curriculum and assignments almost every year;The university requires a WP course in the major. Little changes.
We have added additional ways to fulfill the writing requirement through "stretch" courses and a composition course with supplemental academic instruction
We moved from a tenured director of FYW + a part-time staff position WC director, to three tenure track positions (FYW, WCD, & WAC)+ 3 postdoctoral Fellows. Now we are back to two tenure-track faculty + two post doctoral fellows
We have been running summer symposiums to support high school English teachers, we have added professional development events for composition instructors, and we haveadded a web site for college readiness. The learning center (AARC) and the Department of English collaborated six years ago to create [our] Online Writing Lab.
We have bolstered our department--doing far more with advanced comp classes (and less with providing faculty one-to-one for students). We have also added an Interdisciplinary Writing Minor to the college, participating with other departments (though administered through the Writing Department).
We have created a line for a WID Coordinator. While the future of this line is in question, it has been partially in place for three years.
We have started to do workshops for faculty who are teaching writing across the curriculum. This is an in-house project led by the writing center director (non-tenure track administrator) and the head of our professional writing major (tenure-track assistant professor).
We hired a full time Writing Center Director. I was directing both the Composition Program and the Writing Center. Now I only direct the Composition Program.
We implemented additional requirements for our writing instructors to teach with greater attention to knowledge transfer and the fundamentals of the research process for writing research papers.
We instituted a stretch composition program in Fall 2009, thus eliminating "remedial" writing courses. We instituted Directed Self-Placement in Summer 2012, replacing a system-wide test as the placement mechanism for FYW.
We instituted an entirely new writing program, top down and bottom up. Writing is now taught by 26 Teaching Assistant Professors, Teaching Associate Professors, and Teaching Professors.
We modified both the guidelines for Writing Intensive courses and the types of courses that could be considered WI.
Recently reduced teaching load for director
program had no guidelines or shared structures before 2004 - -now we have detailed guidelines
2 assistant directors of writing, one to support dual credit and the appleseed writing project and one to train and supervise teaching assistants were added, and given course releases.
changes to placement, changes to were basic writing was run came through our Board of Regents that effected jobs
Based on assessment findings we added a 1 credit supplemental writing workshop for students who need more direct instruction in writing. We also have expanded our faculty development efforts to increase capacity to teach writing. And we included more structure/trainging for our Writing Assistants that are attached to our first year seminar.
Basic writing courses were eliminated by legislative action. A new version of FYC I with a 1-hour tutorial was developed, more graduate assistants were added to staff these tutorials, and Directed Self-Placement was instituted.
Because we added first-year students in the fall of 2014, we developing a first-year comp program.
Began a Writing Fellows program; added two satellite writing centers to the main writing center
Both the Expository Writing Program and the Writing Center were moved into the main humanities buiding on campus when that building was renovated. The result was increased visibility for the Program and Center.
Both writing center facilities were incorporated in major building renovations.
Budget expansion--program more than doubled, more than double consultant positions, added FT Assistant Director and Admin Coordinator.
Changes in personell (due to retirements, moves and university policy) allowed us to rethink some of our curriculum.
College of access was closed on main campus resulting in removal of developmental writing courses from main campus; tutoring center in access college moved; university converted to semesters resulting in rewriting of gen ed writing requirement and coursestPlacement was defunded and scaled back. All incoming students used to take an in-person essay exam. That shifted to a model of some online, some f-t-f taking the exam. That shifted further so that only students who earn a certain score on ACT/SAT are required to take the essay exam for placement. Another change: ESL comp courses were created for students whose first-language is not English and who score a certain score on TOEFL.
Associate Director of WritingCenter was hired
College Writing II changed from a print based paper portfolio to an electronic portfolio in Blackboard Enterprise Edition
Coordinator of ELL position
Coordinators of the Center for Writing and ESL are full-time faculty members in English who receive one course relief each to coordinate the program.
Criteria for approving Writing Intensive courses were expanded to include digital texts.
CTLR was added to merge with writing program
Curricular change: new support model for English 101 (ALP-like model; 4-credit experience); no basic writing anymore; new and innovative placement as of 2013
Curricular development
Development of hybrid online course; development of fast-track for top basic writing students; development of WAC program with extensive TA training; incorporation of Writing Project site
Directed self placement added
Based in part on the NSSE survey, a Provost's Writing Task Force has met to address writing issues in departments across the university. The writing center received a Title V grant to create a Writing Fellows program and an online tutoring program.
As of this year, we have four peer tutors on duty at a time during the evenings and three during the days and weekends. Eight years ago, we had one tutor on duty at a time, and were not open on Saturdays. For the past three years, there have been 3 sections of WRI 107 / Writing for International Students ; eight years ago there was one.
Divided the WPA position from one position into two positions (a writing program director and a WAC director) with adequate reassigned time for each. Six full time Ph.D.s in comp/rhet or applied linguisitcs were hired in the last 10 years. In addiition nine non-tenure track full time lecturers, trained in comp rhet, were hired.
A WAC/WID program was added.
5 regional campus writing directors were added, all new tenure-track positions in English; each is responsible for first-year writing, writing center and W course support on each campus
5 years ago, we changed the required Academic Writing I and II courses to have a shared syllabus format, with a common curriculum and common scoring rubric.
A 3-unit semester-long tutor education course has been added for both undergraduate and graduate students.
A Classroom-Based Tutoring Program was pilotted
A full-time administrative assistant was added to the Writing Studio staff.
A full-time administrator of the Learning Commons now oversees the Writing Center (as part of the Learning Commons) but not the Writing Program, of which the Writing Center is a component. A halftime support position in Reading and Rhetoric went full-time two years ago, but is not structurally affiliated with the Writing Program.
A non-faculty full-time Director of the Writing Center was replaced by two faculty (in English and Philosophy) who each direct half-time.
A pre-tenure WPA was hired (out of graduate school).
A WAC program has begun to take hold through a grass roots initiative. The Center for Innovation and Learning (our CTL) has taken a direct role to develop a more robust writing program.
Academic support added an online writing lab several years ago.
All writing courses now earn baccalaureate credit and we have added a Stretch First-Year Composition course. The two-semester FYC includes a Writing Center workshop hour in the first semester for all students (a group tutoring setting).
acess to online resources/tutoring
added an additional alternative writing program to offer FYC equivalent: Expository Writing Program
Addition of Graduate Writing Studio administered separately from FYC program
Addition of peer facilitated writing studios, addition of MFA in creative writing
additional peer tutoring sites
additional WC sites added (6 actually)
Afer analysing the challenges of WAC where the writing director has to mobilize faculty and administrators in other colleges and departments for their buyins, we invented new pedagoies and goals for WAC and operate it within the English department.
All peer tutors must complete a composition theory and pedagogy course for credit in order to work as writing peer tutor.
All the structural personnel changes were begun when the Writing Program was jettisoned from English, as is happening in many places. Writing developed a minor and joined with another minor on campus, Library Science, to form an awesome new department. A Writing Major is currently working its way through the governance system.
Distance tutoring, 1-time appointments, and the Student Writing Group Project were added to the Writing Center.
Dramatic change of focus in methods of writing taught in the freshman composition class (ENG-105)
Previous computer lab converted into Academic Resources Center (concurrent with renaming by Administration from "Math and Writing Center" to "Academic Resources Center"
One of the main changes to GE program, to writing classes and to all classes in our department was creation of student learning outcomes.
mid-level advanced comp recently changed from a 200 level to a 100 level second semester course
More contribution from across the disciplines in terms of participation in the first year program. More interest in working with the writing center director, one on one, in developing assignments.
more first-year writing courses linked to a 1-CR support course emphasizing skills and goals as taught in the individual sections
more full-time, tenure-track faculty now teach in the composition program
More funding to add more tutors. Additional hours of service. Online scheduling and record-keeping program.Research opportunities for peer tutors
More integrated English Language Learner support has been developed.
More reliance on adjuncts; 68 percent of our sections are taught by adjucnts who earn $1800 for teaching a three credit writing course. They do not receive benefits. There is also current pressure from the Provost to raise caps to 35, created video lessons that can be delivered by undergraduates, so professors only meet with students one hour a week and the rest of the time with undergraduate peer "workshop leaders." This is all under the guise of "innovative solutions" to create "consistency."
My title was changed from Associate Director of the Learning Center to Director of the Writing Studio to highlight the focus of my position.
Not sure if this was clear in earlier comment. The director of the Writing Center is now also charged with directing the Learning Center. While these remain separate units at present, it's not clear how long this arrangement will hold. Interestingly, the program and practices of the Writing Center are guiding the revisions of the Learning Center in this instance.
Online Writing Support was added 3 years ago and the Online Learning Specialist position, which is responsible for creating and running writing workshops and providing direct writing support was added 2.5 years ago.
Major curriculum overall
Originally, 101 was a research based course and 102 was a writing about lit course; now 101 is an introduction to academic writing course and 102 is a research writing course. We were also required (not by us) to make the theme of the 102 course "cultural diversity/global competencies." The Regents wanted to pick up on the global education trend, and since everyone has to take ENGL 102 (save the honors folks), 102 was appropriated to fit in this requirement. Most of us hate it.
Our Biology Department has implemented its own program of Biology Writing Fellows to teach students how to write lab reports and professional articles--so, introductory and intermediate writing in the discipline. Some of their fellows are already peer tutors in the Writing Center, others are Biology students who write well in Biology.
Our first year writing program is and always has been housed within the English department. Within the last five years, the English department has added a technical and business writing undergraduate major and minor. Additionally, our longtime WPA has stepped down from his position, and a new WPA has very recently taken over the position, which will result in changes to the FYC curriculum going forward. We are in a moment of transition right now, so it's difficult to discuss changes that have occurred within the last ten years. Changes are happening right now and going forward.
Our institution selected "writing" as its "Quality Enhancement Plan" for SACS accreditation. Specifically, we will enhance the teaching and learning of writing for all faculty, staff, and students, and this initiative includes academic, professional, personal, and extracurricular writing. This means that, after a 5 year process, all departments/majors/minors and student life areas will have developed writing goals, assessed for those goals, planned interventions, and and implemented those interventions.
Our long-standing writing major underwent massive overhaul and disengaged from the literature faculty and their coursework. We now have a liberal arts writing major that includes both professional and creative writing, bound by rhetoric.
Our technical writing program shifted to a Rhetoric and Professional Writing Program
Our university is undergoing major changes with a whole new Core being installed this year. The learning outcomes at all three Module levels claim a new emphasis on writing across the curriculum; however, it is not clear how much the university will invest in professional development to guide and encourage faculty in other disciplines to assign and teach more writing. In addition, the writing program at our university is in flux because our WAC person and our Director of the Writing Center are retiring. From within the English Department, I am launching a Writing Studies minor to be in place in 2104-2015; however, we cannot add personnel and must cross-list many courses with other departments. We are a liberal arts institution with strong professional schools (educaction, business, nursing, and law), which are important in driving the Core revision. the Core revision
Our writing center director retired, and that position was taken over by the director of FYC. We hired a Director of the Writing Certificate Program and Writing Fellows Program (same person).
Placement assessment methods changed for domestic and international (second language) incoming students; basic writing program revised to co-requisite writing studio
Merged with Academic Resource Center
Lost the graduate program.
Effective fall 2010, class size for first-year writing courses went down from 24 to 15 students per section. Teaching load for graduate students changed from 2 sections per year to 3 sections per year. We have also seen significant growth in the undergraduate student population.
general education now includes a vertical writing curriculum
English department provides a faculty coordinator to collaborate with the tutoring programs for English tutoring.
established a bridge program course for at-risk students, […] which covers writing, rhetoric, and critical thinking
Facility was created for tutoring
First year writing is taught in several departments: English, Pan-African Studies, Asian-American Studies, Central American Studies, Chicana/o Studies nad Queer Studies. All departments all work from a common stretch curriculum, although each department incorporates different content areas.
First-year core writing courses shifted focus from exposition to academic argument. Basic writing component of Academic Learning Support Services shifted focus from sentence- and paragraph-level writing to ideas and argument.
Focus of freshman courses changed to academic argument from more general types of writing
For students who need to exhibit basic skills but can't do it in a regular class, we added a basic writing course rather than a writing-intensive humanities course
FT writing center coordinator position added
Full-time assistant director position added to the writing center; graduate assistant lines added to the writing center
Goals of first year writing were revised to reflect the university's initiative to assess learning. An Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs directs assessment; additionally, a Director of Retention was hired to initiate systems for identifying students at risk in all classes. A Director of Advising also was hired to administer an entire new unit. The WPA works closely with each administrator.
Learning Center was renovated providing an enhanced space for tutorial work
Higher administrators have legislated changes: A standard syllabus in FYC (replaced standard goals and collaboratively developed curriculum); 1st semester TAs do not teach but shadow FYC classes and tutor. As before, they also take a grad seminar in teaching college writing. They teach in in their second semester. The Writing Center was moved into a new, fancy space--central in the university's campus. This has boosted our business a lot (we became more visible).
Hybrid classroom redesign state and national initiatives have changed our sites of writing.
I don't know if this fits, but I have this impression that the gen ed cluster (which holds quite a bit of weight in how we shape this first year requirement) sees the communication course requirement as very similar to our writing courses. The overlap in recently revised course outcomes is stunning. With the options of clep, and other exemptions for first year writing, a significant percentage don't take the writing requirement, but they all must take the communication requirement because there aren't ways to get out of it. The outcomes that were recently revised for that course are stunningly similar to our own. In many ways, I would argue, our courses work together. So while we've reduced from 101 and 102 to "103," the communications course seems to be playing a role in that 2 course requirement? As a new person, I may be wrong about this...
In 2010, we began offering multiple online sections of both ENG 101 and 201. Also, some of the courses proposed for the new WI program will be offered online and/or as hybrid courses.
In addition to the Writing Center housed in the Tutoring Center, Expository Writing Faculty will provide all tutoring for Expository Writing classes. The writing center will remain available for students with non-Expository Writing work.
In the early part of the decade, administrators and the dean's advisory cabinet voted to eliminate the second half of our two-semester sequence of freshman composition.
Increased investment in technological infrastructure and WAC professional development (in part due to garnt funding).
Just to clarify: Our Writing Center started up in 2005. Since it started, we've changed the directorship to a tenure-track line and have added graduate and professional consultants. In the FYW program, our cohort of full-time NTT instructor lines has grown, in the last ten years, from four to eight.
Last year massive changes were made to the curriculum and standards for placement testing, ePortfolio (added), the orientation and execution of the writing program, etc. by the 2012-2013 composition director. She has since stepped down from that position, and most of her changes are being overturned or significantly modified.
[We hired] hired a consultant (funded by a grant) to do a study of writing at [the institution] and a Teachers Teaching Teachers grant funded various faculty committees. The Provost created an "Essentials Writing Group" committee.

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