ASCRC Writing Subcommittee Minutes 2/23/07
Members Present: J. Carter, I. Crummy, N. Hinman, C. Jacobson, K. Kuipers, M. Medvetz, D. Micus, E. Reimer, J. Scott
Members Excused/Absent: A. Harrison, A. Walker-Andrews
Ex-Officio Present: N. Mattina, K. Ryan
Chair Hinman called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.
The minutes from 2/16/07 were approved.
Communications:
Professor Scott and Kuipers were welcomed as new members to the committee.
Unfinished Business:
The last amendments to the draft guidelines were discussed and several minor revisions made. The language appended below was approved and will be disseminated to ASCRC. Chair Hinman will attend ASCRC on 3/6/07 to explain the vision and answer questions. There will likely be additional revisions made by ASCRC before the document will go to the Faculty Senate for approval. After the changes are approved, the committee will be busy with implementation and discussions with the administration on how best to proceed in terms of resources and the least amount of campus disruption.
Forms and guidelines should be developed to facilitate the review of existing and proposed lower and upper-division writing courses. The forms will ask departments to define and defend the amount and type of writing used in the course.
The committee will also need to revisit the use of ENEX 200 as a placement option.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
Recommended Writing Course Guidelines (February 23, 2007)
This document describes the Writing Course Guidelines for The University of Montana-Missoula.
I. Overview
The ability to write effectively is fundamental to a liberal arts education, essential to academic inquiry, and better prepares students to succeed in their academic, professional, and civic endeavors. Composition and writing courses at The University of Montana (UM) help students become adept at writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. Students should learn to use writing as a means of synthesizing and retaining course material.
Writing Requirements
To satisfy the writing requirements at UM and to demonstrate writing proficiency, students must complete:
College Composition
The Composition Program seeks to advance the University's mission to pursue academic excellence in the context of writing instruction. Composition courses facilitate students' achievements in exploring and enacting rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading, writing and research processes; and knowledge of conventions. Writing is a powerful means of purposeful inquiry, communication, and action in the classroom and in the world.
Lower-Division Writing Courses
Courses numbered 100-200 and accompanied by a "w" designation are lower-division writing courses. These courses use informal and formal writing to enhance writing skills and promote critical thinking in content areas. Students are required to complete the College Composition course (ENEX 101), or its equivalent, prior to taking a lower-division w-course.
Writing Proficiency Assessment
The Upper-Division Writing Proficiency Assessment is a two-hour essay exam that all students seeking their first undergraduate degree must pass. Students pass the exam if their essay demonstrates adequate critical reading, writing, and reasoning skills as measured against a published scoring rubric (available at http://www.umt.edu/writingcenter/documents/17.WPAScoringCriteria.pdf). The exam may be taken after students complete 45 credits and passed before earning 70 credits.
Upper-Division Writing Courses
Courses numbered 300-400 and accompanied by a "w" designation are upper-division writing courses. Unlike the lower-division w-courses, these writing classes typically focus on the student's major area of study; as such, the courses are developed by faculty members according to their expertise in disciplinary conventions for research, analysis and writing in their fields and focus on teaching those same skills to their students.
Samples of Writing Tasks
Writing tasks may include formal and informal, graded and ungraded, and in-class or out-of-class exercises. The range of possible writing tasks includes journal entries; case studies; lab reports; free writing; annotated bibliography; essay; analyses; proposals; abstracts; reviews; field notes; electronic postings; research papers; or proofs.
II. Guidelines
W-courses are designed to fit into a logical progression of writing development as students move through the college curriculum. Therefore, lower and upper-division writing courses have different expectations. Courses that are designated as w-courses are reviewed and approved by the Writing Committee and Academic Standards and Curriculum Review Committee (ASCRC). Faculty proposing writing courses or those that are assigned to teach departmental courses are encouraged to seek guidance from the Writing Center or other campus resources. Departments will determine the criteria for graders, if used.
Lower-Division Writing Courses
Upon completing the lower-division w-course, students should understand writing as means to practice academic inquiry and be able to formulate and express opinions and ideas in writing. Upon completing the lower-division w-course, the student should be able to:
Learning Outcomes
Requirements for Lower-Division Writing Courses
Upper-Division Writing Courses
Upon completing the upper-division w-course, students should be more active, confident, and effective contributors to a body of knowledge and should understand the ethical dimensions of inquiry. Upon completing the upper-division writing course, the student should be able to:
Learning Outcomes
Requirements for Upper-Division Writing Courses
Recommended Department and Campus Support for Writing Courses
To ensure sufficient support for faculty members who teach writing courses, academic departments and the administration are encouraged to consider the following recommendations:
Ensure that Banner supports the guidelines for class size, course sequence, and grade requirements
Faculty Senate
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812