Marshall University2013 Institution Survey
Sites of writing--General Description
What is the institutional home of the writing program or department? (n=248)
English Department
If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for WAC? (n=227)
Office of Chief Academic Officer
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)
Office of Chief Academic Officer
Does your institution have a writing center or learning center with writing tutors? (n=679)
Yes
If not part of the writing program or department, what is the institutional home for the writing center? (n=487)
English department
Sites of writing--Writing Requirement
What does the writing requirement at your institution consist of? (n=638)
First-year composition predominately taught by English and/or Writing department (FYC)
Writing-intensive courses that are located throughout the curriculum (W courses)
Senior thesis or capstone experience
Are there curricular requirements that are not part of the writing requirement but that have writing as an explicit goal? (n=657)
No
Sites of writing--College Writing Goals
Sites of writing--National Survey of Student Engagement
Does your institution administer the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)? (n=667)
Yes
Is your school part of the WPA/NSSE Consortium for the Study of Writing in College? (n=494)
No
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)
No
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)
A college-wide assessment 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)
Yes
Which administrative structures of the writing program or the sites of writing changed? (n=396)
A WPA/WCD position was converted to a non-tenure line.
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)
Graduate student 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
Changes to eliminate or consolidate aspects of the writing program or sites of writing on campus
First-year writing/English composition--General Description
Does your institution have a first-year writing requirement whether explicit or embedded? (n=672)
Yes
First-year writing/English composition--Placement and Transfer
What is your program's placement mechanism?
| FYWS (n=18) | FYC (n=373) | |
|---|---|---|
| SAT/ACT | Yes | |
| AP/IB | ||
| CLEP | ||
| In-house exam | ||
| Directed self-placement | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Dual enrollment/ transfer | ||
| Other |
First-year writing/English composition--Goals and Assessment
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
First-year writing/English composition--Enrollment Caps
First-year writing/English composition--Staffing
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 | Yes | |
| Required faculty development workshops | Yes | |
| Optional graduate pedagogy course | ||
| Optional faculty development workshops | Yes | |
| Individual meetings with the WPA/WCD | Yes | |
| Other | Yes |
Do those attending faculty development for FYC receive additional compensation? (n=411)
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
GPA
Advisor referral
Faculty referral
What types of supports are available to those students? (n=489)
Summer bridge program
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Basic Writing
Identifying and supporting diversely-prepared students--Support for English Language Learners
What type of supports are available for ELLs? (n=412)
Required basic writing course
Other
How are students identified and/or placed into ELL writing courses? (n=239)
SAT/ACT/TOFEL
Admissions office/ atudent affairs referral
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
The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Major
The undergraduate and graduate writing major and minor--Description of Undergraduate Minor
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)
English department
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
How are the goals assessed? (n=423)
Student feedback forms
Faculty feedback
Center usage statistics
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)
Writing centers--Consultations
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=225)
1,600
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=224)
1,600
How many face-to-face consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=223)
600
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)
1,300
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=440)
1,200
How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=428)
400
How many online consultations were offered in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=221)
400
How many online consultations were offered in the Spring of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=222)
200
How many online consultations were offered in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=220)
400
How many online consultations were conducted in the Fall of 2011? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=427)
300
How many online consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2012? See Note 2b & 4. (n=427)
200
How many online consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2012? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=425)
200
How many writing center consultations did your center conduct with graduate students during the 2011-12 academic year? See Notes 2a & 4. (n=184)
30
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 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
During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)
65
During the fall of 2011, what percentage of the writing center consultants were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=228)
35
During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=450)
19
During the spring of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=228)
81
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the fall of 2011 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=448)
13
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the fall of 2011 were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=227)
7
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=449)
3
How many consultants who worked in the writing center during the spring of 2012 were graduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=227)
13
How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?
| Undergraduate students (n=505) | Graduate students (n=251) | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-credit course | Yes | Yes |
| Half-credit course | ||
| Weekly meetings | ||
| Monthly meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Workshops before the semester | ||
| No training required | ||
| Other |
What on-going professional development opportunities are offered for consultants working in the writing center?
| Undergraduate students (n=461) | Graduate students (n=237) | |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance at national conferences | ||
| Attendance at regional conferences | ||
| Presenting at national conferences | ||
| Presenting at regional conferences | ||
| Reading professional journals | ||
| Outside speakers | ||
| Weekly meetings | ||
| Semester inservice or workshop | ||
| Written reflections on daily and/or semester work | ||
| Meet with director | Yes | Yes |
| No opportunities available | ||
| Other |
How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?
| Undergraduate students (n=509) | Graduate students (n=263) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly wage | Yes | |
| Stipend | Yes | |
| Tuition waver | Yes | |
| Course credit | Yes | Yes |
| 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)
No
Administrative structures
Who has primary responsibility for administering first-year writing requirement? (n=565)
FYWD
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.
Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing center? (n=546)
Separate writing center director or coordinator (WCD)
If the WCD or LCD director was not hired for this position, how did he/she assume these responsibilities? (n=104)
Previous director retired or left the position.
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 | ||||
| 1-1 | ||||
| 1-2 or 2-1 | ||||
| 2-2 | ||||
| 2-1-2 | ||||
| 2-2-2 | ||||
| 2-3 or 3-2 | Yes | Yes | ||
| 3-3 | ||||
| 3-1-2 | ||||
| 3-1-3 | ||||
| 3-4 or 4-3 | ||||
| 4-4 | Yes | |||
| 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 program | Yes | Yes | |
| Teach courses in the writing program/department (Not FYW) | Yes | ||
| Teach courses outside the writing program/department | |||
| Assess all or some aspects of the writing program | Yes | Yes | |
| Assess the development of student writing on campus | Yes | Yes | |
| Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplines | Yes | ||
| Conduct TA training | Yes | Yes | |
| Consult with individual faculty across the disciplines | Yes | ||
| Consult with departments across the disciplines | Yes | ||
| Supervise professional staff (writing center director, asst.director, admin asst.) | |||
| Supervise tutors (professional and/or peer) | Yes | ||
| Hire professional staff | |||
| Hire tutors | Yes | ||
| Schedule writing courses | |||
| Schedule writing center | Yes | ||
| Place students into writing courses | |||
| Facilitate placement exam | Yes | Yes | |
| Oversee curriculum development | Yes | ||
| Train professional staff | |||
| Train peer tutors | Yes | ||
| Advertise program | Yes | ||
| Oversee program budget | Yes | ||
| Tutor students | |||
| Plan events | Yes | ||
| Serve on university committees | Yes | ||
| Maintain program website | Yes | Yes | |
| Serve as an academic advisor | |||
| Offer student workshops | Yes | ||
| Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit | Yes | ||
| Other |