Bentley University2013 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)

English Department

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

Yes

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

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for first-year writing? (n=377)

English department

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

Yes

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

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for WAC? (n=227)

Other

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

No

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

Yes

Is the undergraduate writing major part of the writing program or department? (n=263)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the undergraduate writing major? (n=196)

English department

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

Yes

Is the undergraduate writing minor part of the writing program or department? (n=352)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the undergraduate minor? (n=246)

English department

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)

English department

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)

No

If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the basic writing program? (n=249)

English department

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 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

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.

There are other requirements where writing is an explicit goal.

Sites of writing--College Writing Goals

Are there college-wide student writing goals? (n=660)

No

Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement

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

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)

An exemption for first-year writing was dropped.

Were there changes to the assessment of writing at your institution over the past 10 years? (n=589)

Yes

Which changes have taken place in regards to assessment? (n=437)

Other

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)

No

Were there changes to the staffing of the writing program or center over the past 10 years? (n=595)

Yes

Which changes to the staffing of the writing program or center have taken place over the past 10 years? (n=412)

Peer tutoring positions were added.

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 the administrative structures

Other

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.

We're hoping to add a writing fellows program. And we're reevaluating the administrative structure of the program. Currently the program is run by a single director, but we're looking at ways to add assistants or other people into the hierarchy.

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)

Other

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

FYC

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

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

Yes

What is your program's placement mechanism?

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

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

Yes

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

Registrar

Department chair

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

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

Yes

Are FYC goals informed by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=416)

Yes

How are the goals for FYW courses assessed?

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

Who participates in the assessment of the goals for FYW courses?

FYWS (n=53)FYC (n=326)
WPA
Writing facultyYes
Institutional faculty
Outside evaluators
English faculty
Department chair
OtherYes

First-year writing/English composition--Curriculum

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

Literature

Genre/Modes

Writing About Writing (WAW)

Themes

Other

What is the other content of the FYC requirement?

It's an expository writing class. Some of the courses are theme-based, and most focus on non-fiction readings. However, faculty can choose any texts they like for the course, and many include some literature in the course.

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

No

First-year writing/English composition--Enrollment Caps

What is the enrollment cap for honors sections of FYC? (n=261)

18

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

20

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

16

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%YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
1-5%
6-15%
16-25%
26-35%
36-50%
51-60%
61-75%
76-85%
86-99%
100%

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

Yes

What form does the faculty development take for FYW faculty?

FYWS (n=70)FYC (n=373)
Requried pedagogy course taught by the WPA
Required faculty development workshops
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

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)

Placement test

Student self-referral

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

Special sections of FYW

Summer bridge program

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring, not the WPA or WCD

Workshops

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)

15

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

Placement test

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

Other

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

No

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

Intensive 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)

Special sections of FYW

Professional tutoring, not the WPA or WCD

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

Yes

What percentage of the student body is placed into ELL writing courses? See Note 4. (n=160)

5

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

Placement test

Directed self-placement

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

English department

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)

Yes

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)

Yes

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)

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)

Honors students are required to complete a thesis or other writing-intensive capstone experience.

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

How long has the WI requirement been in existence? (n=186)

5-10 years

How many WI courses are required beyond the first-year requirement? (n=185)

2

When do WI courses need to be completed? (n=187)

By graduation

Are there explicit goals for the WI courses? (n=189)

Yes

Have the goals been influenced by the WPA Outcomes Statement? (n=151)

Yes

What form of assessment takes place of the WI goals? (n=149)

No assessment takes place

What are the criteria for a WI course? (n=184)

Revision

Time discussing writing In class

Who certifies that a course fulfills WI designation? (n=183)

Other faculty committee

Are there incentives offered for faculty to teach a WI course? (n=132)

Yes

Which incentives are offered to faculty to teach WI courses? (n=51)

Use of writing fellows

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

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)

Creative 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)

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)

Library

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

No

Are there explicit goals for the writing center? (n=610)

Yes

How are the goals assessed? (n=423)

Student feedback forms

Center usage statistics

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

Face-to-face consultations

Online tutoring via Skype or instant messaging (synchronous)

Writing centers--Consultations

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=225)

480

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=224)

480

How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=223)

100

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)

442

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)

231

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=428)

20

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

Does your writing center work with graduate students? (n=580)

Yes

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

60 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 graduate students? (n=546)

No

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

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

No

Are some or all of your writing center consultants volunteers? (n=543)

No

Do you have others working as writing consultants? (n=531)

No

During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)

100

During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=450)

100

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the fall of 2011 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=448)

12

How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)

12

How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?

Undergraduate students (n=505)
Full-credit course
Half-credit course
Weekly meetingsYes
Monthly meetings
Workshops before the semesterYes
No training required
OtherYes

What on-going professional development opportunities are offered for consultants working in the writing center?

Undergraduate students (n=461)
Attendance at national conferences
Attendance at regional conferencesYes
Presenting at national conferences
Presenting at regional conferencesYes
Reading professional journals
Outside speakersYes
Weekly meetingsYes
Semester inservice or workshop
Written reflections on daily and/or semester workYes
Meet with directorYes
No opportunities available
Other

How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?

Undergraduate students (n=509)
Hourly wageYes
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

How old is the writing fellows program? (n=144)

Less than one year

How is the writing fellows program funded? (n=144)

English department budget

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)

Yes

On average, how many students does each writing fellow work with for a course? (n=131)

15+

How are the writing fellows compensated? (n=144)

Hourly wage

Administrative structures

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

FYWD

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

TT

Where does the FYWD's tenure line reside? (n=228)

Rhetoric/ composition/writing

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

Chair of the department

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

No

If the FYWD director was not hired for this position, how did he/she assume these responsibilities? (n=128)

Previous director retired or left the position.

Are there others who help to administer the FYW program? (n=586)

No

Who has primary responsibility for administering the WAC program? (n=263)

No one

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)

NTT-FT

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

Chair of the department

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)WAC director (n=62)WCD (n=387)
0-0
0-1
1-1Yes
1-2 or 2-1
2-2Yes
2-1-2
2-2-2
2-3 or 3-2
3-3
3-1-2
3-1-3
3-4 or 4-3
4-4Yes
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/departmentYesYes
Assess all or some aspects of the writing programYes
Assess the development of student writing on campus
Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplinesYes
Conduct TA training
Consult with individual faculty across the disciplinesYes
Consult with departments across the disciplines
Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.)
Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer)Yes
Hire professional staffYes
Hire tutorsYes
Schedule writing courses
Schedule writing centerYes
Place students into writing coursesYes
Facilitate placement examYes
Oversee curriculum developmentYes
Train professional staff
Train peer tutors
Advertise program
Oversee program budget
Tutor students
Plan events
Serve on university committeesYesYes
Maintain program website
Serve as an academic advisor
Offer student workshopsYes
Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit
OtherYes