The College of New Jersey2013 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 program

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

Yes

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

Yes

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

Yes

Is WAC part of the writing program or department? (n=306)

Yes

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

Yes

Is writing in the disciplines part of the writing program or department? (n=265)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for writing in the disciplines? (n=184)

Independent department

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

No

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

No

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

No

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)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the writing center? (n=487)

Independent program

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)

Yes

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 seminars taught by faculty across the curriculum (FYWS)

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

Mid-level writing course

Writing-intensive courses that are located throughout the curriculum (W courses)

Writing in the major

Senior thesis or capstone experience

Other

What other writing requirements does your institution have?

We require at least three writing intensive classes from each student

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)

A senior capstone/thesis for some or all students has writing as an explicit goal.

The first-year seminar has writing as 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

How are the college-wide student writing goals assessed? (n=379)

Departments assess majors through a senior-culminating experience.

Who administers the college-wide assessment?

Students take an essay exam.
Writing program director (n=108)
Writing center director (n=37)
Associate dean (n=18)
Faculty committee (n=119)Yes
Registrar (n=10)
Chair of the department (n=75)
Other (n=121)

Who participates in the college-wide assessment?

Students take an essay exam.Students submit a portfolio.Professors certify for writing proficiency when students take writing-intensive courses.Departments assess majors through a senior-culminating experience.
Writing program director (n=106)Yes
Writing center director (n=65)
Writing program faculty (n=105)Yes
English department faculty (n=150)
Faculty from other disciplines than writing and English (n=163)YesYes
Readers outside the institution (n=15)
Associate dean (n=22)
Registrar (n=13)
Other (n=63)

Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement

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

Yes

How does your writing program use the NSSE data? (n=425)

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)

Yes

Which changes have taken place in regards to the writing requirement? (n=382)

The writing requirement was changed.

An exemption for first-year writing was added.

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

No

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

Yes

How did the writing program change? (n=346)

The writing program became an independent program or department.

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)

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 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.

I hope to move toward full-time non tenure track instructor positions to eliminate the need to repeatedly hire new contingent faculty. My WAC/WID anwers might be confusing because we are in the early stages of developing a WEC Program, inviting departments to meet to determine how they can enhance the writing assignments offered in the courses.

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)

2

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

Second semester, first year

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

FYC

FYS

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

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

Yes

Does your institution allow students to place out of FYS? (n=58)

No

What is your program's placement mechanism?

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

Does your institution accept transfer credit for FYC? (n=454)

Yes

Does your institution accept transfer credit for FYS? (n=53)

No

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

Registrar

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

Are there explicit goals for FYC? (n=463)

Yes

Are there explicit goals for FYS? (n=61)

Yes

How are the goals for FYW courses assessed?

FYWS (n=66)FYC (n=381)
Paper portfolio
E-portfolio
Random sample
Exam
Professor evaluationYes
None
Course evaluation
Student survey
Other

First-year writing/English composition--Curriculum

What is the content of the FYC requirement? See Note 5. (n=456)

Themes

Other

What is the other content of the FYC requirement?

Argument based, generally using definition, causal, evaluation and proposal approaches to essays. Each instructor chooses a theme through which to explore reading and writing these arguments.To elaborate on your next question, we use a syllabus template which spells out learning goals, including recommended number of drafts, workshops and essays.Using these goals, instructors are free to write their syllabi to fit their theme.

What is the content of the FYS requirement? See Note 5. (n=60)

Literature

Themes

Other

What is the other content of the FYS requirement?

There are a wide range of topics for First Year Seminar, including politics, film, literature, history, and music, to name a few. Community engagement is built into the course.

Is there a common syllabus for FYC courses? (n=457)

No

Is there a common syllabus for FYS courses? (n=61)

No

First-year writing/English composition--Enrollment Caps

What is the enrollment cap for honors sections of FYS? (n=29)

>12

What is the enrollment cap for regular sections of FYC? (n=451)

16

What is the enrollment cap for regular sections of FYS? (n=60)

18

What is the enrollment cap for basic writing sections of FYC? (n=286)

>12

What is the enrollment cap for basic writing sections of FYS? (n=17)

Varies by semester

First-year writing/English composition--Staffing

In the 2011-12 academic year, what percentage of FYC courses were taught by: See Note 2a. (n=422)

Full-Time, Tenure Track English FacultyFull-Time, Tenure Track Writing FacultyFull-Time, Tenure Track Other FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track English FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track Writing FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track Other FacultyPart-time English FacultyPart-time Writing FacultyEnglish Graduate TAsWriting Graduate TAsOther Graduate TAsWPAOther
0%YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
1-5%
6-15%
16-25%
26-35%
36-50%
51-60%
61-75%
76-85%
86-99%
100%

In the 2011-12 academic year, what percentage of FYS courses were taught by: See Note 2a. (n=54)

Full-Time, Tenure Track English FacultyFull-Time, Tenure Track Writing FacultyFull-Time, Tenure Track Other FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track English FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track Writing FacultyFull-Time, Non-Tenure Track Other FacultyPart-time English FacultyPart-time Writing FacultyEnglish Graduate TAsWriting Graduate TAsOther Graduate TAsWPAOther
0%YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
1-5%
6-15%Yes
16-25%Yes
26-35%
36-50%
51-60%
61-75%Yes
76-85%
86-99%
100%

Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching FYC? (n=457)

Yes

Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching FYS? (n=61)

Yes

What form does the faculty development take for FYW faculty?

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

Do those attending faculty development for FYC receive additional compensation? (n=411)

Yes

Do those attending faculty development for FYS receive additional compensation? (n=57)

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)

SAT/ ACT scores

Placement test

Faculty referral

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

Required basic writing course

Peer tutoring

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing

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

Yes

What percentage of the student body is placed into basic writing? See Note 4. (n=164)

1

How are students placed into basic writing? (n=207)

SAT/ACT scores

Placement test

How do students exit basic writing? (n=207)

Passing grade in BW course

Is there a director of basic writing? (n=209)

Yes

What is the structure of the basic writing program? See Glossary for terms used. (n=205)

Studio model

How many levels of basic writing do you have? (n=197)

2

What is the curriculum of the basic writing courses? (n=203)

Grammar

Sentence writing

Paragraph writing

Reading and writing

Other

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

Other

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

Yes

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

Placement test

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

Other

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)

Yes

How would you describe the mid-level course? (n=124)

The course is similar to a writing-intensive course.

Each department determines which course fits this requirement.

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)

No

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

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

No

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

Creative writing

Journalism /media writing

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

English

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)

Part of another institutional unit

If the writing center is not free-standing, what larger institutional unit is it a part of? (n=379)

Tutoring center

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

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

Yes

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

Face-to-face consultations

Online tutoring via Skype or instant messaging (synchronous)

Online feedback via e-mail (asynchronous)

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

Writing centers--Consultations

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

50 minutes

Writing centers--Consultants

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

No

Writing centers--Course-based Peer Tutoring

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

No

Administrative structures

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

FYWD

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

Hybrid Faculty/Staff-FT

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

Associate dean or provost

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

Yes

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)

1

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)

Staff-FT

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

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)

2

What is the teaching load for writing administrators?

Average faculty member (n=501)FYWD (n=265)
0-0
0-1
1-1Yes
1-2 or 2-1
2-2
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
Varies

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)
Teach courses outside the writing program/department
Assess all or some aspects of the writing programYes
Assess the development of student writing on campus
Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplinesYesYes
Conduct TA training
Consult with individual faculty across the disciplinesYesYes
Consult with departments across the disciplinesYesYes
Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.)Yes
Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer)Yes
Hire professional staff
Hire tutorsYes
Schedule writing coursesYes
Schedule writing centerYes
Place students into writing coursesYes
Facilitate placement examYes
Oversee curriculum developmentYes
Train professional staffYes
Train peer tutors
Advertise programYesYes
Oversee program budgetYesYes
Tutor studentsYesYes
Plan eventsYesYes
Serve on university committeesYesYes
Maintain program websiteYesYes
Serve as an academic advisor
Offer student workshopsYes
Oversee exemption and/or transfer creditYes
Other