Swarthmore College2013 Institution Survey
Sites of writing--General Description
What is the institutional home of the writing program or department? (n=248)
independent program
If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for WAC? (n=227)
Other
Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=679)
Yes
Sites of writing--Writing Requirement
What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=638)
Writing-intensive courses that are located throughout the curriculum (W courses)
Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal? (n=657)
No
Sites of writing--College Writing Goals
How are the college-wide student writing goals assessed? (n=379)
The goals are not assessed.
Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement
Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)? (n=667)
No
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 added.
Writing-intensive courses were added to the writing requirement.
Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution over the past 10 years? (n=589)
No
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.
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)
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)
No
First-year writing/English composition--General Description
Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement whether explicit or embedded? (n=672)
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)
Advisor referral
Faculty referral
writing center tutor referral
Student self-referral
What types of supports are available to those students? (n=489)
Targeted optional writing courses
Peer tutoring
Tutoring from the WPA or WCD
Workshops
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Support for English Language Learners
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)
No
Does the institution require some students to complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience? If so, what are the requirements? (n=216)
It varies by department.
Individual students can choose to complete a senior thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience.
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
Who participates in WAC assessment?
| Paper Portfolio | Electronic Portfolio | Random Sample of Student Writing | Writing Exam | Professor Evaluation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPA (n=25) | |||||
| Writing program faculty (n=23) | |||||
| Faculty from across the institution, via committee or ad hoc group (n=77) | Yes | ||||
| Outside evaluators (n=6) | |||||
| Other (n=24) |
What are the criteria for a WI course? (n=184)
Number of pages or words written
Revision
Time discussing writing In class
Which incentives are offered to faculty to teach WI courses? (n=51)
Use of writing fellows
Smaller class size
Is there professional development available for those teaching in the WAC Program? (n=298)
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
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)
Free-standing
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
How are the goals assessed? (n=423)
Student feedback forms
Faculty feedback
Center usage statistics
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 how to lead a class discussion
Assistance with how to prepare a poster presentation
Writing centers--Consultations
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=225)
1,117
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=224)
1,260
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=223)
0
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)
777
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)
495
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=428)
0
How many online consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=221)
0
How many online consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=222)
0
How many online consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=220)
0
How many online consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=427)
0
How many online consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Note 2b & 4. (n=427)
0
How many online consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=425)
0
What percentage of the undergraduate student body had a writing center consultation during the 2011-12 academic year? See Notes 2a & 4. (n=316)
30
What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered? (n=574)
30 minutes
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 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
During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)
97
During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were other personnel? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=36)
3
During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=450)
98
During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were other writing personnel? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=36)
2
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 other personnel? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=37)
1
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)
36
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were other personnel? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=37)
1
How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?
| Undergraduate students (n=505) | |
|---|---|
| Full-credit course | Yes |
| Half-credit course | |
| Weekly meetings | |
| Monthly meetings | |
| Workshops before the semester | |
| No training required | |
| Other |
What on-going professional development opportunities are offered for consultants working in the writing center?
| Undergraduate students (n=461) | |
|---|---|
| Attendance at national conferences | Yes |
| Attendance at regional conferences | |
| Presenting at national conferences | Yes |
| Presenting at regional conferences | |
| Reading professional journals | Yes |
| Outside speakers | |
| Weekly meetings | |
| Semester inservice or workshop | Yes |
| Written reflections on daily and/or semester work | Yes |
| Meet with director | Yes |
| No opportunities available | |
| Other |
How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?
| Undergraduate students (n=509) | |
|---|---|
| Hourly wage | Yes |
| Stipend | |
| Tuition waver | |
| Course credit | |
| 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
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)
No
On average, how many students does each writing fellow work with for a course? (n=131)
10
Administrative structures
Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing center? (n=546)
Solo writing administrator
Are there others who help the solo writing administrator to administer the various sites of writing? (n=33)
Yes
What is the teaching load for writing administrators?
| Average faculty member (n=501) | FYWD (n=265) | WAC director (n=62) | WCD (n=387) | Solo writing administrator (n=40) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | |||||
| 0-1 | |||||
| 1-1 | |||||
| 1-2 or 2-1 | Yes | ||||
| 2-2 | |||||
| 2-1-2 | |||||
| 2-2-2 | |||||
| 2-3 or 3-2 | Yes | ||||
| 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) | Solo writing administrator (n=38) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teach courses in the first-year writing program | ||||
| 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 | Yes | |||
| Assess the development of student writing on campus | Yes | |||
| Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplines | Yes | |||
| Conduct TA training | ||||
| Consult with individual faculty across the disciplines | Yes | |||
| Consult with departments across the disciplines | Yes | |||
| Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.) | Yes | |||
| Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer) | Yes | |||
| Hire professional staff | Yes | |||
| Hire tutors | Yes | |||
| Schedule writing courses | Yes | |||
| Schedule writing center | Yes | |||
| Place students into writing courses | ||||
| Facilitate placement exam | ||||
| Oversee curriculum development | Yes | |||
| Train professional staff | Yes | |||
| Train peer tutors | Yes | |||
| Advertise program | Yes | |||
| Oversee program budget | Yes | |||
| Tutor students | ||||
| Plan events | Yes | |||
| Serve on university committees | Yes | |||
| Maintain program website | ||||
| Serve as an academic advisor | Yes | |||
| Offer student workshops | Yes | |||
| Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit | ||||
| Other |