Beyond A System Mandate:

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Beyond A System Mandate

• How Students and Faculty at CSUMB meet the GWAR
  requirement
• Joseph Eng

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Areas of Interest

• University Writing Program context and a brief
  history of our GWAR work
• How Students currently meet the requirement
• How Faculty help students (and themselves) meet
  the requirement
• Current Issues/wrinkles
• Questions from audience

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1. Program context and a brief history of our
GWAR work1. a. The UWP at CSUMB
http//writing.csumb.edu/site/x5348.xml
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1. b. Executive order and the earlier exam
logistics

• Executive order from the CSU Chancellor, dated
  Feb. 28, 1997, mentioned, re. GWAR, in section C,
  item 4.,
• Certification is an all-campus responsibility.
  Certification may rely on evidence of writing
  ability as demonstrated in written coursework,
  essay examinations, or other measures of student
  writing competence. Measures may be developed
  which best fit individual campus needs.

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CSUMBs Earlier Exam Practice 1997-2004

• GWAR Timed Writing was done in a class setting
  simply for expedience.
• The exam consisted of two parts, including Part
  1 Essay (50 minutes), students responded to a
  paragraph presenting one perspective of a
  complex issue, by answering the question what
  might one other perspective be, and where do you
  place your own perspective in relation to the
  other perspectives? and
• Part 2 Self-Reflection Essay (30 minutes),
  students would respond to What would you have
  done differently to improve your response, if you
  had more time?
• The essay exam was evaluated by faculty readers,
  with a published criterion gauging students
  ability to demonstrate focus, organization,
  support, and proofreading.
• A given essay involved two readers, with a third,
  who was the UWP director or another faculty
  reader to decide on a split reading. Students
  who failed would enroll in a one-credit skills
  course offered in an academic support center, and
  were asked to retake the exam.

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Memo from Acting Dean of College of Undergrad
ProgramsJune 2004

• requesting full transition from Timed Exam to
  Course-Based GWAR Assessment at CSUMB

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2. How Students currently meet the requirement

• http//catalog.csumb.edu/site/x4351.xml
• (general EngCom information and courses at each
  level)
• http//catalog.csumb.edu/site/x8051.xml
• (for specific approved C level courses meeting
  GWAR)

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2. a. Specific EngCom outcomes and approved
courses

• ENGLISH-COMMUNICATION (ULR)
• The outcomes indicate the knowledge, skills, and
  abilities in which students must demonstrate
  competency. The criteria establish the means by
  which those outcomes will be assessed. Finally,
  the standards describe a satisfactory level for
  student performance (the equivalent of passing
  with a grade of C).

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2. a. i. CSUMBs EngCom Outcomes

• OUTCOME Comprehension/Interpretation Ability to
  use empathic and critical reading, listening,
  viewing, and speaking skills to understand
  information and ideas, to distinguish among
  diverse genres of communication, to identify a
  point of view and its explicit support and to
  locate significant points of agreement and
  disagreement among multiple perspectives.
•  
• OUTCOME Analysis/Evaluation Ability to use
  empathic and critical thinking skills to
  understand why different perspectives exist on a
  given topic and to assess their merits.
• OUTCOME Decision Making Ability to use
  empathic and critical thinking skills to make
  ethical and effective decisions.
• OUTCOME Presentation Ability to use oral and
  written communication ethically, effectively, and
  competently.

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2. a. ii. Outcomes at a glance EngCom A, B, and
C Courses
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2. b. Independent Assessment

• http//writing.csumb.edu/site/x17018.xml
• What is Independent Assessment?
• Independent Assessment provides an alternative
  path to taking courses. It requires that students
  submit evidence of their work to a committee made
  up of faculty who teach the English
  Communications courses.

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• Who should apply?
• If you believe yourself to be an articulate
  writer and speaker, with strong preparation from
  previous institutions in both written and oral
  communication, then you are encouraged to apply.
  In addition to having the skills commonly
  associated with good writing and speaking, you
  also will need to have evidence of criteria
  specific to the EngCom requirement, especially
  rhetorical awareness and empathic and critical
  listening."

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• What is the process?
• Once you have signed up for EngCom Independent
  Assessment, the EngCom Committee Chair will send
  information via e-mail regarding timelines,
  applications procedures, and criteria.
• What evidence do you supply?
• You will have two important contacts with the
  committee the Cover Letter and Portfolio
  Worksheets, and the Portfolio itself.

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• The Cover Letter and Portfolio Worksheets serve
  as the first formal contact with the Committee.
  The Portfolio is your second contact with the
  Committee. It provides evidence that you can
  handle complex ideas in extended written and oral
  communications and has three required components
• Two samples of writing
• VHS-formatted videotape of a public speech or
  similar oral communication.

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• How does the committee evaluate portfolios?
• Each portfolio is read/viewed by members of the
  committee and rated "passing" or "needs more
  work." Any piece that does not pass will be read
  by two, or in some cases, three members of the
  Committee. The Committee uses stated criteria
  provided to students who apply for Independent
  Assessment. Both criteria and standards have been
  established by the Committee prior to the
  evaluation of portfolios.

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2. c. Student Support Services

• i. Academic Skills Achievement Program (An
  academic support center)
• http//asap.csumb.edu/
• ii. A developmental English course WRT 95,
  Integrated Reading and Writing
• http//writing.csumb.edu/site/Images/writing/wrt95
  prospectus.pdf

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3. How Faculty help students (and themselves)
meet the requirement

• 3. a. EngCom C Courses as Proseminars, Major
  Learning Outcomes, and Capstones
• BUSINESS 304 4 credits Ongoing approval from
  Fall 2003
• COLLABORATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 302  4
  credits Ongoing approval from Fall 2007
• COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 300   2 credits 
  AND CST 300L 2 creditsOngoing approval
  from Spring 2000 
• EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND POLICY 300 4
  creditsOngoing approval from Fall 2001 
• GLOBAL STUDIES 362 4 creditsOngoing approval
  Spring 2003 through Spring 2008
• HUMAN COMMUNICATION 311 3 credits, open only to
  Liberal Studies students.Ongoing approval from
  Fall 2006 Practical Reasoning and Communication
• HUMAN COMMUNICATION 312 4 creditsOngoing
  approval from Fall 1995 Cooperative
  Argumentation

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3. b. EngCom C course information

• EngCom learning communities
• All faculty teaching EngCom courses
• Meet to certify courses proposed for the EngCom
  curriculum
• Meet to discuss pedagogy/assessment, if time
  allows
• Teaching and assessment coops
• UWP-lead workshops
• Prefall all-campus teaching workshops

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4. Current Issues/wrinkles

• 4. a. EngCom needs in this distributed model,
  involving department chairs cooperation
• 4. b. English Communication course
  recertification

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4. b. i. An EngCom Exit Portfolio(being drafted)

• EngCom C
• Exit Portfolios will include the following
  minimal submissions
• One revised essay in comprehension and
  interpretation. Example HCom 312 Critical and
  Empathic Reading Response
• One revised essay in analysis and evaluation.
  Examples HCom 312 Personal Argument Analysis
  Essay and Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument.
• One revised essay demonstrating decision-making
  abilities. Examples HCom 312 Researched
  Argument Essay and Group Roundtable Findings
  Essay.
• One revised essay demonstrating presentation
  skills. Examples HCom 312 Community Policy
  Letter to a Public Body and Written Research
  Proposal.
• One Impromptu writing sample demonstrating
  technical competency
• One reflection essay (if not included in the
  above)

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EngCom C Exit Portfolio (continued)

• 4 b. ii. A Shared Criteria and a Holistic Reading
  Rubric (being piloted during Spring, 07 Coops)
• 4 b. iii. An EngCom Instruction Guidebook
• 4 b. iv. An All-Campus Pre-Fall Teaching Workshop
  (as a TLA-UWP coop)

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• 4. c. Independent Assessment
• Because of the current EngCom Assessment Coops,
  UWP is interested in aligning the proposed EngCom
  Exit Portfolio with the current requirements of
  Independent Assessment.
• 4. d. Capstone courses needing outcomes

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5. Questions from audience

• End of powerpoint
• E-mail address joseph_eng_at_csumb.edu