A Writing Intensive Course in Statistics & Operations Research

1. A Writing Intensive Course inStatistics & Operations Research Jill R. Hardin & W. Scott Street, IV Statistical Sciences and Operations Research Virginia Commonwealth University

2. Motivation

3. Why Develop a Writing Course? • College writing intensive requirement • Students requested help with improving their writing styles and techniques • Faculty were disappointed with the quality of work being submitted in upper-level classes • Industry contacts desire graduates with communications skills

4. Why Focus on Writing? Student surveys revealed • Many claim no professional writing skills • Those who do are largely self-taught • Students want help with • Style and voice • Audience awareness • Research papers • Citing references • Conclusions • Constructing solid arguments

5. Why Focus on Writing? Faculty Surveys suggested inclusion of • Social context • Technical reports • Revision • Literature review • Audience analysis

6. Why Focus on Writing? Conversation with Tom York, Capital One Group Manager suggested problems with • Brevity and conciseness • Structure and organization • Identifying key points • Adequate summaries • Audience analysis • E-mail form and etiquette

7. Why Focus on Writing: “E-mail-isms” • Shift-phobia i have lefted a message on your answering machine wanting to know if you wanted to get together tomorrow morring and go over the project. • Caps-addict DR. STREET, I DIDN'T MAKE IT TO CLASS TODAY BECAUSE I APPARENTLY HAVE CAUGHT THE FLU. ATTATCHED IS QUIZ 2. • Inappropriate/Nonprofessional E-mail Address msdiscobutt@-----.comlookin4alady@-----.comkillPikachu@-----.comfindmytatoo@-----.com

8. From the Literature • “Situated Learning” (Tyre & von Hippel) • Students must practice writing in the major to become good at it • “Discourse Communities” (Swales, Lemke) • “Learning to ‘talk’ science means acting as a part of the scientific community” • Students must learn specifically what is expected of them in the statistics and operations research communities

9. Structure

10. What Should be the Focus? • Statistics and operations research, with special emphasis on writingor • Writing, with special emphasis on writing in statistics and operations research • We chose the latter!

11. Our Approach Based on student and faculty input, we aim to focus on four general areas: • Career Writing – writing to pursue a career in statistics and operations research • Academic Writing – writing in the academic world of statistics and operations research • Popular Writing – writing about statistics and operations research for the lay person • Professional Writing – writing about statistics and operations research in business and industry

12. Topics Résumé Curriculum Vitæ Cover Letter Thank-you Letter Activities Career Center staff presentation Peer reviews of résumés with group discussion Sample Assignments: Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. What specific skills do you possess? Given a job posting, Tailor your résumé to fit the job announcement. Write a cover letter specific to the announcement. Write a thank you letter giving thanks for the “interview.” Career Writing

13. Topics Literature Review Journal Article Analysis for other fields Activities Presentation by a research librarian Discussion with a faculty member who reviews journal submissions Sample Assignments: Literature review Brainstorm topics Locate sources for a chosen topic Write a summary of findings Present results to the class Outline and analyze a journal article. Academic Writing

14. Topics Newspaper Article, Press Release, etc. Community Writing Activities Guest speakers to discuss “real-life” interactions with the local/regional press Write a press release or newspaper article on the results of a research study Write for the local community Sample Assignment: Given a newspaper article which draws incorrect conclusions from a statistical study, write a letter to the editor that tactfully points out these errors. You should also clearly explain why such conclusions are incorrect. Popular Writing

15. Topics Technical Report Executive Summary Memo E-mail Etiquette Activities Hear from local executives about the importance of good communication skills. Converse via e-mail throughout the semester. Sample Assignments: Complete a case study that requires communicating results to someone with no technical expertise. Write an executive summary of a given technical report. Professional Writing

16. Implementation

17. VCU Writing Intensive Guidelines • Regular Writing • Throughout entire semester • Short-term and long-term assignments • Feedback • Revision • Quantity • Substantial amount of writing • Major revisions count towards quantity • Variety

18. How will we meet guidelines? • Peer feedback • Instructor feedback • Substantial revision • Students will be allowed to revise each assignment at least once • Some assignments will be allowed unlimited revisions before a grade is assigned (within semester time limits) • Quantity, variety, and regularity are inherent in the course structure.

19. Prerequisites and Other Details • Prerequisite is one junior-level course in either statistics or operations research and sophomore-level English composition. • Course will be designed so that students can focus on their own interests – either in statistics or in operations research. • Course will be team-taught by statisticians and operations researchers.

20. In Short….. Our aim is to help students integrate specific academic skills into broader professional skills.

21. Course Implementation • Communications in Statistics & Operations Research (STAT 490 / OPER 490) • First offered in Spring 2003 • Taught by Drs. Hardin & Street • 2 credit hours (upper-level)

22. Student Evaluations & Comments • Students seemed to like the course • 75% rated the course “Very Good” or “Outstanding” • 87.5% found the team-taught aspect beneficial • Only 1 student rated the level of learning as “Adequate” or below. • Comments • “This course was a lot of work, but I did learn a lot.” • “I liked the team-taught aspect because we received two separate opinions (sometimes differing) on our work.” • “Too much out of class work!!!”

23. Final Thoughts

24. Questions and/or Suggestions? If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the SSOR writing intensive course, please feel free to contact us. Dr. Jill R. Hardin P.O. Box 843083 828-1301, ext. 156 JRHardin@VCU.edu Dr. W. Scott Street, IV P.O. Box 843083 828-1301, ext. 138 WSStreet@VCU.edu

25. This presentation is based on research that was funded in part by a Small Teaching Grant that was awarded to Drs. Hardin and Street by the Center for Teaching Excellence at Virginia Commonwealth University. http://www.vcu.edu/cte/

26. The End THE END