ࡱ> >@=g $bjbjVV .6r<r<xx4.....giiiiii$| f..eee..gegee:,.`'`3 S0R I  @ee x : WAC Committee Meeting Minutes Friday, March 16, 2012 GCS 214B, 12:00 2:00 Present: Daniel Murtaugh, Ellen Ryan, Julia Mason, Rachel Luria, Jeff Galin, Julianne Curran Absent: Allen Smith, Rosario Medina-Shepard, Fred Bloetscher, Joe Su Development of departmental training program for TAs teaching WAC courses Jeff Galin (JG) opened by summarizing an honors program being developed by the School of Accounting. It involves writing compacts, which require students to respond to additional writing projects across three years of the accounting major, including a capstone project. These assignments are added to existing courses for honors students. TA involvement is still to be determined. Developing a more substantial method of TA training, potentially with the Center for Teaching and Learning, should be an issue addressed by the WAC Committee, especially pertaining to TAs with large WAC workloads, little support, and who may be out of field. The School of accounting honors program serves as a pilot for both the QEP and writing-enriched curriculum (WEC). This kind of program and existing large section WAC courses have led to a need for uniform guidelines for TA training with writing intensive courses. Julia Mason (JM) asked how a mandate would be approved, and JG explained the chain of WAC ( UUPC ( Faculty Senate for an approved mandate requiring TA training for WAC courses. Ellen Ryan (ER) questioned the number of TAs served, and JG estimated about 100 TAs involved with WAC courses, and maybe 30-50 who are not trained. However, these estimates are not confirmed. JG explained that each department would need to describe its TA training program, meeting WAC guidelines developed for this purpose. Programs would also support department curriculum. Ideally, a pedagogy course is dedicated to TAs, but this isnt realistic for some departments. WAC would offer several models to be adopted or modified, and provide minimal guidelines. Ultimately curriculum needs would dictate models. Each department with a TA-taught/facilitated WAC course will have to propose or provide a description of their TA training program to be approved by the WAC Committee as part of the WAC certification process. This must be a collaborative effort between WAC and various programs. Regarding types of models, Dan Murtaugh (DM) noted that ENC 6700 (Studies in Composition and Methodology & Theory) is not discipline specific, but JG did not think this course would work outside of English. JM suggested a 6925 Colloquium model, where small TA groups meet with an Instructor of Record (IOR) or mentor, and DM added students and faculty mentors must take the responsibility of this course seriously. Departments may object to a colloquium if it is perceived as displacing discipline-specific courses. JM and ER suggested an expectation/commitment of TAs regularly meeting mentors to discuss context of teaching instead of a required course, since TAs have few questions until they enter classrooms. JG noted Englishs extensive model and Historys emphasis on discipline professionalization. In any case, department/faculty must be invested in TA training. ER emphasized presenting training programs as helping departments improve curriculum and make jobs easier. Committee members voted unanimously in favor of developing a TA training/support mandate for TAs teaching WAC courses or facilitating breakout sections from large classes. The director of the WAC program will collaborate with departments, identifying its needs/goals to inform its training model. Regarding a training requirement threshold, DM said that if a TA grades formal (argument-driven, 5-6 page) papers written outside of class, then theyd need training. The committee discussed what elements should be included or required as part of a training program. The following were agreed upon with relevant considerations (when applicable): TAs must have: Commenting and Grade norming Validated working knowledge/understanding of grammar. Training and support must be provided when needed. (WAC guidelines for 2000-4000 level courses need to be amended to require a system for students to track their patterns of error in their writing.) Working knowledge/understanding of a rubric. WAC is hesitant to mandate developing rubrics. WACs rubric is a starting place, but departments need to adjust for their needs/goals. Ability to read academic texts/discourse as a window into writing. TAs need to be able to map a texts argument in their discipline to help students use texts to respond thoughtfully and begin to engage in disciplinary conversations. Reading skills as a content requirement could be perceived as diluting writing, so Reading and Writing Argument and Analysis is better phrasing, since not all writing includes argument. Reading, analyzing, and writing field notes and data are more relevant than argument in some disciplines. Classroom management training to deal with difficult students or situations. Recertification process JG summarized TA training program development would become part of WACs recertification process, especially with limited university resources causing higher reliance on graduate students in the classroom. This past Fall 2011, Philosophy and History WAC syllabi were recertified for the WAC program with the existing guidelines. Next Fall English will be reviewed, and the following year will be courses from all other departments. Continued discussion of adopting a Writing Enriched Curriculum program Julianne Curran (JC) explained the correlation chart between ý WAC course guidelines and University of Minnesotas Writing Intensive (WI) courses. The WEC program requires departments to assess vertically their writing-intensive curriculum, thus there are not designated WEC courses but rather WEC units/departments. Nonetheless, existing Writing Intensive courses remain on the books and are utilized by departments. Goals and assessments vary by discipline (hence JC completed a correlation chart between ý WAC and WI, not WEC). A WEC units curriculum might have Writing Intensive courses, but not all WEC unit courses are WI certified, nor are WI courses unique to WEC units. JG supplemented that WEC is about curriculum-based conversations within a department. WEC enhances WAC by enabling departments to conceive of curriculum beyond individual courses, to conduct self-studies by analyzing/articulating desired learning goals/outcomes, and by assessing student achievement outcomes. WAC becomes more integrated into university programs. The committee agreed that ý should maintain its current WAC program, and consider adopting a two-tiered type program with WAC courses having considerable amounts of writing to meet Gordon Rule requirements. Supplementing these would be Writing Enriched/Writing Enhanced (name to be determined) courses with writing, but not at the same intensity as a WAC course. Department incentive to develop a WEC program would have to include some incentive program that may be affiliated with WAC departmental development grants, QEP development grants, or external grant incentives. Developing such a program would only be possible with an external grant. JC and JG will look into these grants and follow up with the committee. NEXT MEETING: Thursday, April 12, 2012; 12:00-2:00; GCS 214B KLMV8 9 I P _ d q v      ! 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