University of Wisconsin Colleges2013 Institution Survey

Sites of Writing--General Description

Does your institution have an official writing program or department? (n=118)

No

Does your institution have first-year writing? (n=217)

Yes

Is first-year writing part of the writing program or department? (n=152)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for first-year writing? (n=63)

English Department

Does your institution have writing across the curriculum (WAC)? (n=204)

No

Does your institution have writing in the disciplines (WID)? (n=198)

No

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=219)

Yes

Is the writing center part of the writing program or department? (n=198)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the writing center? (n=171)

English Department

Does your institution have basic writing courses? (n=220)

Yes

Is basic writing part of the writing program or department? (n=199)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the basic writing program? (n=136)

English Department

Sites of Writing--Writing Requirement

Does your institution have a writing requirement? (n=216)

Yes

What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=106)

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

Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal? (n=211)

No

Sites of Writing--College Writing Goals

Are there college-wide student writing goals? (n=216)

Yes

Have the goals been influenced by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=106)

Yes

How are the college-wide student writing goals assessed? (n=113)

Professors certify for writing proficiency when students take writing-intensive courses.

Who participates in the assessment?

Students take an essay exam. (n=43)Students submit a portfolio. (n=28)Writing proficiency determined when students take writing-intensive courses. (n=55)
Writing program director
Writing center director
Writing program faculty
English department facultyYes
Faculty from disciplines other than Writing and English
Readers outside the institution
Associate dean
Registrar
Other

Sites of Writing--Community College Survey of Student Engagement

Does your institution administer the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)? (n=219)

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=219)

Yes

Were there changes to the writing requirement in the past 10 years? (n=193)

No

Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution over the past 10 years? (n=194)

Yes

Which changes have taken place in regards to assessment? (n=133)

A college-wide assessment was expanded.

Were there any changes to the administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing over the past 10 years? (n=195)

Yes

Which administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing changed? (n=100)

Other

Was the writing program changed in the past 10 years to expand or eliminate areas? (n=191)

Yes

How did the writing program change? (n=98)

Other

Were there changes to the staffing of the writing program or center over the past 10 years? (n=194)

No

Were there any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned? (n=193)

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=217)

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=151)

Changes to assessment

Changes to the administrative structures

Changes to expand the writing program or sites of writing on campus

Changes to eliminate or consolidate aspects of the writing program or sites of writing on campus

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.

In the midst of budget cuts, we are in a constant state of battle trying to make the case for a WPA for the college. We made progress last year, but then had a major setback when the position was eliminated this year. It is difficult to know how this will turn out from year to year.

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--General Description

Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement, whether explicit or embedded? (n=217)

Yes

How many semesters/courses of first-year writing are required? (n=142)

1

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Placement and Transfer

Does your institution allow students to place out of the first semester first-year writing requirment? (n=134)

Yes

Does your institution allow students to place out of the second semester of first-year writing requirment? (n=105)

Yes

What is the program’s placement mechanism? (n=98)

Placement exam

Other

Does your institution accept transfer credit for first semester first-year writing requirements? (n=139)

Yes

Does your institution accept transfer credit for second semester first-year writing requirements? (n=121)

Yes

Who approves transfer credit for FYW courses? (n=138)

Department chair

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Goals and Assessment

Are there explicit goals for the first-year writing requirement? (n=141)

Yes

Are the goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=127)

Yes

How are the goals for FYW courses assessed? (n=124)

Professor evaluation

Who participates in the assessment of the goals for FYW courses? (n=116)

WPA

Writing faculty

English faculty

Other

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Curriculum

What is the content of the FYW requirement? See Note 5. (n=139)

Writing About Writing (WAW)

Themes

WAC/ Topic-Based

Is there a common syllabus for FYW courses? (n=139)

No

If two semesters of FYW are required, is the content of the second course the same as the first course? (n=104)

Yes

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Enrollment Caps

What is the enrollment cap for regular sections of the FYW requirement? (n=146)

24

If there is a second semester FYW requirement, what is the the enrollment cap for regular sections? (n=119)

24

What is the enrollment cap for sections of basic writing of the FYW requirement? (n=133)

22

If there is a second semester FYW requirement, what is the the enrollment cap for basic writing sections? (n=101)

22

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Staffing

Is there faculty or professional development available for those teaching in the first-year writing program? (n=129)

Yes

What form does the faculty development take for first-year writing faculty? (n=107)

Optional faculty development workshops

Other

Do those attending receive additional compensation? (n=106)

Sometimes

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=220)

Yes

How does the institution identify these students? (n=157)

Directed Self-Placement

Placement Test

Admissions office/ student affairs referral

Advisor referral

Student self-referral

What types of supports are available to these students? (n=161)

Required basic writing course

Special sections of FYW

Targeted optional writing courses

Summer bridge program

Peer tutoring

Tutoring from the WPA or WCD

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing

Does the institution have a formal basic writing program? (n=154)

Yes

What percentage of the student body is placed into basic writing? See Note 4. (n=84)

22

How are students placed into basic writing? (n=127)

Placement test

Directed self-placement

How do students exit basic writing? (n=125)

Passing grade in BW course

Is there a director of basic writing? (n=127)

Yes

What is the structure of the basic writing program? (n=125)

Prerequisite model

Studio model

How many levels of basic writing are there? (n=103)

1

What is the curriculum of the basic writing courses? (n=126)

Paragraph writing

Reading and writing

Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Support for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Is there support for English Language Learners (ELLs)? (n=144)

Yes

Is support for ELLs separate from basic writing? (n=126)

Yes

What type of supports are available for ELLs? (n=124)

Required section of basic writing course

Required section of FYW

Does your institution offer ELL writing classes? (n=125)

No

Writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing beyond the first year--General Description

Does your institution have a WAC/WID program and/or a writing requirement beyond the first year? (n=203)

No

Writing centers--General description

Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=219)

Yes

Administrative Structures

Who has primary responsibility for administering the first-year writing requirement? (n=127)

Chair of the English department

Are there others who help to administer the FYW program? (n=131)

No