Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program

September 24th, 2015

Claire Hoogendoorn & Drew Fleming

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Designing Effective Assignments

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Overview of WAC Certification Process

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Fall semester:Selected readings about WAC pedagogyAttend 4 WAC workshops

Today’sAvoiding plagiarism: 10/22, 1pmEffective grading/minimal marking: 11/19, 1pmCreative classroom: 12/10, 1pm

Meet your writing fellow

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Overview of WAC Certification Process

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Spring semester:Meet regularly with your paired writing fellowDevelop & revise teaching materials following

WAC principlesSyllabus: explains role of writing in your courseAt least 1 scaffolded writing assignment: clear due

dates Present your experiences & materials at year-

end colloquiumBeyond Spring:

Implement new syllabus/assignmentsCertified instructors may be asked to contribute

to future WAC activities / assessment

Workshop Objectives1. Differentiate formal vs. informal writing

assignments2. Discuss informal writing and provide tools3. Explain importance of writing-to-learn

philosophy & offer strategies4. Introduce scaffolding techniques5. Discuss formal writing assignments6. Misconceptions about assignment-focused

learning7. Explain value of typed assignment

handouts

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‘Traditional’ Writing Assignment

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Assignment 2: Take-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and theEuropean Union Discuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe?What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited.

This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Don’t do it!

My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their;” Pronoun – anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its“; Use of the second person ( "you“); Unsupported statements of opinion.

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Formal vs. Informal Writing Assignments

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• Writing to Learn• Focus is not on grammar or organization

• Low-stakes (not graded or minimal points)

Benefits of Informal Writing Assignments

Interact with course content Connect new concepts with previous knowledge

Retain key concepts Create opportunities to explore class concepts at low risk

Assess student comprehension Prevent plagiarism

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What kind of assignments help students learn course content through writing?

Specific formats/structures of assignments you found helpful?

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• Note-taking• Questioning what text means or how

the parts of the topic connect• Define concepts or ideas about

subject matter• Paraphrase, translate, or rephrase the

text• React or respond to texts• Create problems to be solved with

subject matter• Apply the subject matter to one’s life• Summarize concepts and ideas from

text/discussion

Writing-to-learn Strategies

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Reading and Writing to Learn

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• Achieve course outcomes

• Connect to students’ life experiences

• Draw upon students’ prior knowledge

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What is Scaffolding?

Scaffolding involves systematically structuring smaller informal or semi-formal assignments that build towards a larger, formal assignment.

Scaffolding helps support class learning objectives, and this should be made transparent to students.

Scaffolding also allows instructors to steadily assess student progress.

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Scaffolding Examples

• Philip Roth is/is not a misogynist writer.English:

• Students brainstorm what author they would want to write about, and identify potential controversies about their writing (before any research is done)

English:

Assignment: Defend an Assigned Thesis

Assignment: Group Brainstorming

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Formal Assignments

Benefit from scaffolding:

Build on/integrate

informal assignments

Tend to be “high stakes”

Often ask students to “do”

the discipline

Students gain experience with polished writing

Should require multiple drafts

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Scaffolding Traditional Assignments

Dear Dr. Catlove,

You’ve got to help me settle this argument I am having with my girlfriend. We were watching a news show the other night when the news anchor began discussing the benefits of Turkey joining the European Union. I thought that the guy was making some good points, but my girlfriend told me that Turkey joining Europe was a bad idea! I said she was stupid. Needless to say, that started an argument. Please help us save our relationship!

Sincerely, European Union Blues

Can this relationship be saved? Speaking as Dr. Catlove, write an answer to European Union Blues. Restrict your answer to 250 words or less. Don’t confuse Mr. Blues by using any special political terms unless you explain clearly what you mean.

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Activity: Transform The Assignment with ScaffoldingTake-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and the European Union Discuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe?What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited.

This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Don’t do it!

My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their;” Pronoun – anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its“; Use of the second person ( "you“); Unsupported statements of opinion.

Misconceptions AboutAssignment-Focused Learning

“Emphasizing writing in a course will take away from content”

“Writing assignments are unsuitable in non-English courses”

“Adding more writing to my course will bury me in paper grading”

“I am not knowledgeable enough about grammar to help students with their writing”

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All Assignments Benefit From Clarity

Always Provide Students with a Typed Assignment Handout

Helps the students understand what they “need to do”

Assists tutors in the Learning Center in providing appropriate assistance to the student

Allows teachers to purposefully design assignments and receive feedback from colleagues

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Assignment Handout Checklist

Is the task clear?

Do students know what

they’re being graded for?

Is the audience specified?

Are citation requirements

included?

Have I listed the assignment

requirements?

Are revisions assigned?

(peer review can be helpful)

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Next Time on WAC… Avoiding Plagiarism

Thursday 10/221:00-2:15pm Location: TBA

The next workshop will focus on:Understanding plagiarismStrategies for preventing plagiarismResponding to plagiarism

Reading from Bean bookChps. 1, 6, & 7