North Central Michigan College2013 Institution Survey

Sites of Writing--General Description

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

Yes

What is the institutional home of the writing program or department? (n=97)

English Department

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

Yes

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

Yes

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

Yes

Is WAC part of the writing program or department? (n=70)

No

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

Yes

Is writing in the disciplines part of the writing program or department? (n=61)

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)

Office of Chief Academic Officer

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

Yes

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

Yes

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)

Yes

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)

No

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

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

Who administers 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=45)
Writing program director
Writing center director
Associate dean
Faculty committee
Registrar
Chair of the department
OtherYes

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 faculty
Faculty from disciplines other than Writing and EnglishYes
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)

Yes

How does your writing program use the CCSSE data? (n=139)

Argue for additional resources

Support curricular changes

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)

Other

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

No

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)

A writing center was added.

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

Yes

Which changes to the staffing of the writing program or center have taken place over the past 10 years? (n=114)

Part-time teaching positions were added.

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=193)

Yes

If there were any additional changes to the writing program or the sites of writing at your institution not already mentioned, please explain.

We implemented the ALP program and dropped the lowest level of basic writing.

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 expand 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.

I hope to see our writing center expand significantly.

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)

2

By when must the second semester course be completed? (n=95)

Other

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

AP test

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)

Registrar

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)

Paper portfolio

Random sample

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

WPA

Writing faculty

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Curriculum

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

Genre/ Modes

Writing About Writing (WAW)

Themes

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)

22

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

22

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

20

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

20

First-Year Writing/ English Composition--Staffing

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty in the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

35

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, tenure-line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty in the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty in the rhetoric/composition department or program? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by full-time, non-tenure line faculty from departments besides English and rhetoric/composition? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by part-time faculty hired by the English Department? See Note 4. (n=105)

59

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by part-time faculty hired by the rhetoric/composition department or program?

0

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by the WPA? See Note 4. (n=105)

6

In the 2013-14 academic year, what percentage of sections of the first semester writing course were taught by other? See Note 4. (n=105)

0

If there is a second semester requirement, was it staffed similarly? (n=91)

Yes

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

Individual meetings with the WPA/WCD

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)

SAT/ ACT Scores

GPA

Admissions office/ student affairs referral

Advisor referral

Faculty referral

Student self-referral

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

Required basic writing course

Peer tutoring

Professional tutoring, not 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)

60

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

SAT/ACT scores

Other

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

Other

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

No

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

Other

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

Grammar

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)

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

Does your institution require all students to take writing courses taught by the English or Writing department for students in other departments? Does not include the first-year writing requirement. (n=35)

No

Does your institution require all students to take writing-intensive (WI or W) courses taught by departments other than English or Writing? (n=36)

Yes

Writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing beyond the first year--Writing-Intensive Courses

How long has the WI requirement been in existence? (n=11)

Less than a year

How many WI courses are required beyond the first-year requirement? (n=13)

0

When do WI courses need to be completed? (n=12)

By graduation

Are there explicit goals for the WI courses? (n=13)

No

Is there professional development available for those teaching in the WAC program? (n=35)

Yes

What form does that faculty development take? (n=35)

Faculty seminar

Optional faculty workshops

Individual meetings with faculty members

If faculty attend a seminar or workshop, how are they compensated? (n=14)

They receive food at the event.

Writing centers--General description

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

Yes

Is the writing center free-standing or part of another institutional unit? (n=157)

Part of another institutional unit

If the writing center is not free-standing, what larger institutional unit is it a part of? (n=105)

Teaching and learning 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=157)

Academic building

Is there a mission statement for the writing center? (n=153)

Yes

Are there explicit goals for the writing center? (n=152)

Yes

How are the goals assessed? (n=104)

Student feedback forms

Faculty feedback

Center usage statistics

External review

What services does the writing center offer? (n=155)

Face-to-face consultations

Online tutoring via Skype or instant messaging (synchronous)

Writing centers--Consultations

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=85)

200

How many face-to-face consultations were conducted in the Summer of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=84)

30

How many online consultations were offered in the Spring of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4.(n=63)

198

How many online consultations were conducted in the Spring of 2013? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=83)

60

What percentage of the student body had a writing center consultation during the 2012-13 academic year? See Note 2a & 4. (n=66)

10

What is the average length of a consultation or tutorial session offered? (n=143)

60 minutes

Writing centers--Consultants

Are your writing center consultants undergraduate students? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants faculty who teach in the writing program? (n=127)

No

Are your writing center consultants faculty who teach in other academic departments? (n=127)

No

Are your writing center consultants professional tutors? (n=127)

Yes

Are your writing center consultants volunteers? (n=127)

No

Do you have others working as writing consultants? (n=127)

No

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=72)

2

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=72)

50

During the fall of 2012, approximately how many writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=68)

1

During the fall of 2012, what percentage of the writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=68)

50

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=69)

2

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were undergraduate students? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=69)

2

During the spring of 2013, approximately how many writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=65)

1

During the spring of 2013, what percentage of the writing center consultants were professional tutors? See Notes 2b & 4. (n=65)

50

How are consultants working in the writing center initally trained?

Undergraduate students (n=90)Faculty who teach in the writing program (n=77)Faculty who teach in other academic departments (n=21)Professional tutors (n=71)
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=78)
Attendance at national conferencesYes
Attendance at regional conferencesYes
Presenting at national conferencesYes
Presenting at regional conferencesYes
Reading professional journalsYes
Outside speakersYes
Weekly meetingsYes
Semester inservice or workshopYes
Written reflections on daily and/or semester work
Meet with directorYes
No opportunities available
Other

How are consultants working in the writing center compensated?

Undergraduate students (n=96)Faculty who teach in the writing program (n=85)Faculty who teach in other academic departments (n=31)Professional tutors (n=80)Other (n=22)
Hourly wageYesYes
Stipend
Tuition waver
Course credit
Faculty salary
Release time
Other

Administrative Structures

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

Other

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

No

Who has primary responsibility for administering the writing/learning center? (n=139)

Other

How is the WCD or LCD position classified? (n=87)

Staff-PT

To whom does the WCD or LCD report? (n=85)

Dean of students

Other

Was the WCD or LCD director hired for this position? (n=86)

Yes

Are there others who help to administer the writing center? (n=115)

No

What is the teaching load for writing administrators?

All full-time faculty (n=97)FYWD (n=11)WAC director (n=6)WCD (n=79)
0-0Yes
0-1
1-1
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
4-5 or 5-4
5-5Yes
6-6
Other

What are the job responsibilities for writing administrators?

FYWD (n=14)WAC director (n=8)WCD (n=85)
Teach courses in the first-year writing program
Teach courses in the writing program/department (not FYW)
Teach courses outside the writing program/department
Assess all or some aspects of the writing program
Assess the development of student writing on campus
Conduct faculty development with faculty across the disciplines
Consult with individual faculty across the disciplines
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 staff
Hire tutorsYes
Schedule writing courses
Schedule writing center
Place students into writing courses
Facilitate placement exam
Oversee curriculum development
Train professional staff
Train peer tutorsYes
Advertise programYes
Oversee program budget
Tutor studentsYes
Plan events
Serve on university committees
Maintain program website
Serve as an academic advisor
Offer student workshopsYes
Oversee exemption and/or transfer credit
Other