4. WRITING STATUS QUO
“All First-Year Courses pay
particular attention to writing and
library research to ensure that all
students are introduced to
Macalester’s high academic
expectations for these skills.”
?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
5. WRITING STATUS QUO
• Many FYC faculty have never
been trained in writing pedagogy
• 25% of FYC students report having
had no explicit writing
instruction
?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
6. WRITING STATUS QUO
“Macalester seeks to ensure that all
students receive instruction in writing that
gives attention to writing as a process
(writing is rewriting), and that provides
students individually with feedback on the
mechanics and substance of their writing.
While First Year Courses assists students in
making a transition to college writing along with
myriad aspects of college study, each student
is required to take at least one additional
course with a W designation, in which they will
hone their writing skills and go through a
process of evaluation and rewriting.”
?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
7. WRITING STATUS QUO
• 2011 GERC report: “Nearly one-third of
Macalester students could not express
their ideas clearly and less than 12 percent
were categorized as ‘excellent’ in clarity of
expression.”
• 2013 direct assessment: no improvement
in students’ ability to generate a
meaningful thesis or to write well at the
paragraph and sentence levels after W-
course
• Only argumentative writing for a
scholarly audience counts: extensive
training in other forms of writing doesn’t meet
approval criteria?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
8. WRITING STATUS QUO
“The capstone experience must lead
to peer-reviewed advanced work
appropriate to the
discipline/interdiscipline. This could
be a paper synthesizing contemporary
theory/research, a work of public
scholarship, a paper that presents
original research, a recital or creation
of an original written, visual or
performative work.”
?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
9. WRITING STATUS QUO
• Written capstone projects are
not always required
• Writing instruction is not always
provided to students; writing is not
always evaluated
• The College provides no explicit
guidelines about how to
incorporate writing into the
capstone
?
CAPSTONE
2
W COURSE
1
FYC
10. WRITING STATUS QUO
• Some FYCs teach writing brilliantly,
others not at all
• Some W-courses are rigorous,
others are not
• Some majors require writing-
intensive capstones, others
do not
INCONSISTENT
11. WRITING STATUS QUO
• 2011 GERC report: “Nearly one-
third of Macalester students
could not express their ideas
clearly”
• 2011 GERC report: “Less than 12
percent were categorized as
‘excellent’ in clarity of expression”
• 2013 direct assessment: no
improvement in students’ writing
after W-course
INCONSISTENT
INEFFECTIVE
12. WRITING STATUS QUO
• Only argumentative writing
counts for the W requirement
• We don’t recognize courses that
teach the craft of writing unless for
an academic audience
• We don’t recognize courses that
afford opportunities to practice
writing skills without explicit
instruction in writing
INCONSISTENT
NARROW
INEFFECTIVE
