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CHARTING A NEW COURSE

CHARTING A NEW COURSE. The Sometimes Bumpy Road to Greater Success in Basic Writing. How It Was -- . January 2009 – The Road Begins with a very terse directive: “Fix this!”. How It Was -- .

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CHARTING A NEW COURSE

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  1. CHARTING A NEW COURSE The Sometimes Bumpy Road to Greater Success in Basic Writing

  2. How It Was -- • January 2009 – The Road Begins with a very terse directive: • “Fix this!”

  3. How It Was -- • Spring 2009: More than 60% of students taking Basic Writing passed with a B or better (70% when including C’s). • 2009-10: Changes begin to be implemented; slightly more than one-half of students taking Basic Writing pass with a C or better. • Fall 2010: Of that 60%, less than half made a C or better in Composition I. • 2009-2010: Percentage of students passing Basic Writing with a C or better begins to decline as the percentage of those going on to Composition I passing with a C or better begins to rise.

  4. How It Was -- • What needed to be “fixed” – performance of students going from Basic Writing to Composition I. • Search for answers begins in four areas: • Consult composition faculty for their expectations of student performance (criteria) • Rework Basic Writing curriculum to address those criteria more effectively • Re-evaluate existing faculty • Where were these “struggling” students coming from? • How had they made A’s and B’s and not be able to perform in Composition I? • Chart a new path

  5. 1. Consult composition faculty for their expectations of student performance (criteria) • Discover their concerns about students in their current sections. • Look for consensus in area of expectations • “On Day One, what should these students be able to do?” • Look for consensus (and consistency) in grading • “What constitutes an ‘A’ paper? A ‘B’ paper?”

  6. 2. Rework Basic Writing curriculum to address those criteria more effectively Develop a clearly worded Common Syllabus that spells out performance standards and measurements of that performance. Develop a new pre- and post-test that more accurately gauges student skill levels and, ultimately, growth. Develop clearly worded assignments and grading criteria (rubrics) for all Basic Writing faculty to use

  7. 3. Re-evaluate existing faculty • My “inheritance” • Determining where the problems lie • Classroom observations • Looking at previously graded papers • “Norming” sessions with all BW faculty • Some very difficult decisions had to be made.

  8. 4. Chart a new path • Greater communication among faculty • More effective use of online resources • More effective textbook choice • We wrote our own. • It reflects a view of academic writing consistent with student learning outcomes and Composition I skill criteria.

  9. Results? • Increased rigor in Basic Writing has resulted in, hopefully, a temporary decline in the number of students passing the course. • 2010-11: Almost one-third passed with a C or better • However, what happens to those who do pass? • 2010-11: Of the one-third who passed Basic Writing and went straight into Composition I, 77.6%passed Composition I with a C or better. • 76% of students who went straight into Comp I made a C or better.

  10. Fixing One Problem Uncovers Others • Far too many students withdrawing or failing • Why?? • One possible explanation became clear because of a visit to Bartlesville.

  11. The Problem with “Jennie” • A Basic Writing student at our Bartlesville campus • Attending every class • Participating in every tutoring opportunity she could get • Angry and frustrated • Why?

  12. Where “Jennie” Actually Was -- After speaking with “Jennie,” her instructor, and campus services coordinator, some further checking revealed: English ACT score: 8 “Jennie” needed more than what our current course is designed to provide.

  13. “Jennie” and the Bigger Picture • A possible answer to the withdraw and failure problem • Students feeling left behind get frustrated – and angry – and stop coming to class or withdraw. • A growing problem

  14. Our Bumpy Road to Success -- • Is it “fixed” yet? • It’s never ending. • “Just when I thought it was smooth sailing…” • It’s cyclical. • “Problems = Solutions … which uncover other problems!” • But ultimately it’s worth it.

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