“Writing” Our Wrongs: CSUB and

MyWritingLabPlus

Pearson Course Redesign, April 2012

Randi Brummett (rbrummett@csub.edu)

Brooke Hughes (bhughes@csub.edu)

CSU, Bakersfield

English 50 – Basic Skills

Model used: Replacement

Before After

Description Required writing tutoring hours after class every day

10 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class

Work Environment Full class (17-25) with one tutor (often inexperienced)

Students work on their own

% of Grade 0% (required hours, but no category set aside in overall grade)

10%

Grade Determined By Attendance Score in program

Types of Topics Covered Various grammar and writing

Basic & sentence level grammar

Summer only, grant funded – 200 students/year Entrance program

Textbook: None

English 80 – Reading and Writing

Model used: Replacement

Before After

Description 10 required separately scheduled grammar workshops (1 a week for 1 ½ hours each) outside of class

10 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class

Work Environment Class split into 2 groups (anywhere from 12-15 students)

Students work on their own

% of Grade 10% 10%

Grade Determined By Attendance Score in program

Types of Topics Covered Basic & sentence level grammar

Basic & sentence level grammar

Developmental course – 450 students/year Focuses on paragraph to essay

Textbook: Mosaics (Flachmann)

English 99 – Writing and Critical Thinking

Model used: Replacement

Before After

Description 10 required pick-and-choose grammar mini-lectures (1 a week for 1 hour each) outside of class

15 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class

Work Environment Groups can be anywhere from 2-200

Students work on their own

% of Grade 10% 10%

Grade Determined By Attendance via sign up sheet

Score in program

Types of Topics Covered Writing Writing

Developmental course – 930 students/yearFocuses on essay and modes

Textbook: Inst. Choice & Quick Access (Troyka)

English 110 – Writing and Research

Model used: Supplemental

Before After

Description There was no clear before/after for this course, as we did not use the Replacement model.

Program is OPTIONAL5 – 10 topics, chosen by the instructor to best supplement their class

Work Environment Students work on their own

% of Grade No more than 10%

Grade Determined By Score in program

Types of Topics Covered Varies by instructor from grammar to writing to research

Freshman composition – 1350 students/yearFocuses on research paper

Textbook: Inst. Choice & Quick Access (Troyka)

Humanities 207 & 407 Model used: Fully

Online

Before After

Description Students work one-on-one with an instructor for 17 hours on grammar, writing, etc.

20 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP

Work Environment Walk-in and/or appointment only

Students work on their own

% of Grade 100% 100%

Grade Determined By Completing all 17 hours Completing 20 topics & diagnostics

Types of Topics Covered Writing, Grammar, Documentation, etc.

All topics in the program

One unit, Credit/No Credit course - 450 students/yearTextbook: None

Non-English Courses

We are working with multiple courses across disciplines as a grammar supplement.

Two Options

Linked Option: Students sign up for the one-unit course 207/407 where we manage it

Incorporated Option: We train the instructor & help him/her create a course in MWLP, where he/she manages it

Disciplines we’ve worked since 2006:

Social Work, Sociology, History, Chemistry, Geology, Communications, Business, Music

Beginning in 2011, we began offering trainings for non-English faculty throughout the year

Thus far, we have trained 33% of our faculty!

Our Training Process

English faculty are trained/re-trained every summer at orientation, regardless of previous experience (mandatory)

We offer frequent “brush up” trainings for English faculty throughout the year

Writing Resource Center tutors are trained at least once a year

Our Training Process, cont.

Non-English faculty are trained in a five tier process:

Tier One: Demo/Informative Session (30 minutes)

Tier Two: Hands-On Session (1 hour)

At the end of the session, faculty are given a consultation form

Tier Three: One-on-One Consultation (30 minutes-2 hours)

Faculty meet with us one-on-one to go over the consultation form and discuss the best way to incorporate MWLP into his/her class

Tier Four: In-Depth Training (30 minutes-2 hours)

Faculty come in for hands-on, in-depth training to learn about how manage their course, set up the study plan, etc.

Tier Five: MWLP Learning Communities (1 meeting/quarter)

Faculty gather in small groups to discuss pedagogy and curricular policy when using MWLP.

Faculty receive a “comp buddy,” who keeps in contact with them for the year and can help with the implementation of MWLP in the course.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

Course Redesign data

CSU, Bakersfield

Item Cost Cost Saved Total per Quarter

Cost Saved Total per Year

English 80 Grammar Workshops (1 a week for each class/10 weeks; 18 sections a year; split into two smaller grammar sections; 1.5 hours a piece)

$10/hour $1800 $5400

Rooms for above 12 classrooms/week

180 hours of classrooms use

540 hours

English 99 Mini-lectures (2 a week/10 weeks)

$100/per lecture $2000 $6000

Rooms for above 2 large lecture smart classrooms/

week

20 hours of classroom use

60 hours

207/407 Instructor Time Cost *(with, on average, 50 students)

17 hours/student enrolled

850 hours 3400 hours (offered in Summer)

TOTAL: $11400 saved4000 hours saved

*NOTE: Another benefit is that we are now able to accommodate more students in 207/407. Before, we had 50 students enrolled. Currently, we have 200+ a quarter enroll in this course.

Redesigned Developmental Courses Compared to Traditional with Mini-Lectures/Tutoring Component

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

% of A 22.7% 23.4% 19.6% 13.8% 16.9% 15.2% 11.5% 10.3%

% of B 39.4% 43.1% 27.9% 36.8% 33.4% 37.2% 32.1% 39.8%

% of C 16.7% 15% 31.8% 34.3% 37.3% 33.8% 45.8% 40.6%

% of D/F

21.2% 18.5% 20.7% 15.1% 12.4% 13.8% 10.6% 9.3%

Average Retention (in %) of Students in English Courses

Average Length of Time (in Quarters) Students Spend in English Courses

Percentage of Grades Comparing Preparedness for Freshman Composition

Pre- to Post-Diagnostic Comparison