Appendix B: Logistics, Phase I

Detailed Memo to Faculty Participants in Phase I of the WAC Assessment Process Once They Have Agreed to Participate

Memo to Faculty Participants:  Details and Logistics

TO: Faculty Participant Name and Dept.
FROM: Jeanne Herman, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum
DATE: September 8, 2010
RE: WAC ASSESSMENT: Permission Forms for Three Designated Students, Class Syllabus, Announce Pre-Course Student Survey
CLASS: Departmental Designation and Course Number

THANK YOU for agreeing to participate in Phase I of the WAC assessment process.  A total of __ faculty members who teach WRITD courses during Fall 2010 have agreed to provide input about student writing within their courses.  We have an excellent representation of departments and faculty who will be participating.

As you know, there are three criteria for WRITD courses. 

  1. A WRITD course provides students with opportunities to read and analyze examples of discipline-specific writing.
  2. A WRITD course requires students to complete writing assignments that exemplify the structures, genres, and conventions of the disciplines.
  3. A WRITD course offers students opportunities to revise their work with the help of an instructor's feedback.

If you wish to see details regarding the Writing Program Strategic Plan, Program Goals and Learner Outcomes, please visit the WAC web site.

REMINDERS....

1. I am including three copies of a permission form to be signed by three students in your WRITD class. These students were chosen randomly by a member of the Writing Program Advisory Committee who is assisting with statistical analyses and logistics as part of the WAC Assessment, Phase I. The permission form allows you to share a first and final draft paper for one assignment written by these three students.

Student 1: name
Student 2: name
Student 3: name
Alternate: (In case a student does not wish to participate or drops the class)

Would you please ask the three students to read and sign the permission form if they are willing to participate? Perhaps you could remind the three students that they were randomly chosen and their names will not be included in any summative report. You will be asked to submit the papers once the assignment you choose has been completed but for now, please send the three signed forms in an envelope to the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum.

If for some reason one of the students does not wish to participate, we are providing an alternate name of another student from your class. If possible, could you please send the signed forms within the next week?

2. Would you also just verbally remind students by the end of week one to take the pre-course writing survey found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/66ZGY5F

(The Director of WAC will send a reminder to the students in your class as well but it will help our response rate if you could just mention the importance of their participation in the survey!)

3. Please upload your course syllabus within Moodle when you have a minute.

A Moodle site titled WAC-WPAC Committee has been created and this site will appear when you log into your Moodle account. The course syllabus can easily be uploaded at this site at the link titled: Syllabus. If you are unfamiliar with Moodle, just give me a call at 7614 or send an email to jherman@gac.edu and I will assist!

Thank you very much!

Jeanne Herman

*If you have any questions please feel free to call me at 7614 or send an email to: jherman@gac.edu

Student Permission Form
Writing Across the Curriculum Assessment

Informed Consent Form, 2010-2011

Gustavus Adolphus College is in the process of assessing its Writing Across the Curriculum program and its impact on student writing. As part of this process, your professor has been asked to submit a first and final draft of a paper from three students who were randomly selected by the statistician working with the assessment process. Your papers will only be shared with the Director of Writing, Writing Program Advisory Committee, and the Director of Institutional Research at Gustavus.

For this assessment project, we ask your permission to allow your professor to submit a first and final draft of a paper you wrote within the course. These papers, and the results of the surveys to be completed by all students in the class, will be used in a strictly confidential and anonymous fashion. That is, any reporting of results will NOT refer directly to students by name or course.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, Dr. Jeanne Herman at 7614. jherman@gustavus.edu

Consent to Participate: I have read this informed consent form and agree to participate in the assessment study.

Signature:________________________________ Date:______________________

Please Print Name: ___________________________________________________

Student I.D. Number:___________________________

 

Thank you very much!

Your professor will return the signed forms to the Director of Writing.