August 27, 2008

The Fall Semester for 2008 brings a number of changes and new developments to the Writing Program at Rutgers-Newark.    Changes implemented or in process are detailed below. 

As always, we encourage students, faculty and administrators to contact us, at the Writing Program for further information regarding updated operations of the Writing Program. 

Jennifer Arena, Acting Director
Writing Program, Rutgers-Newark

New Subject and Course Codes. All courses in the Unified Writing Curriculum are now officially listed under a discrete subject code: 355. Also, Communication Skills 142 and 143 have received new course codes more consistent with their place in the writing sequence. They are currently coded as 355:098 and 355:099, respectively. To give a comprehensive view of the Unified Writing Curriculum, see the attached Course Descriptions and Outcomes.

Grading Criteria/Grading Consistency Project. In the Fall of 2007, the Writing Program implemented a Grading Criteria (see attached) to foster consistency in grading standards and transparency concerning these standards for all students enrolled in WP courses. To grading consistency as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of comments and the influence of the new grading guide on both grades and comments, we collected and reviewed sets of graded essays from the entire WP faculty. This Grading Consistency Project resulted in our identifying best teaching practices and in creating several professional development seminars to address maximizing the benefits the individualized instruction provided by instructor comments.

New Faculty Training Program. Through our dynamic faculty, we continue to have strong collaborative ties with the English Department and MFA Program. We currently have 12 MFA TAs and PTLs. We also have a number of current and recently graduated MA graduate students teaching for the Program and tutoring for the Writing Center. These bright, young instructors continue to add vitality to the Program. One of our missions has and continues to be providing pedagogical instruction to new teachers. With an increase in the number of new instructors, we have designed an intensive training program. For more information, see attached.

Portfolio Model. This year, we are implementing a portfolio model of assessment. All students are required to keep and to maintain a portfolio, which will be submitted at the end of the semester. Instructors will meet with WP administrators to review portfolios. The purpose of this review is to further assess grading consistency and Writing Program grading standards as well as to assess student performance and progress in their respective writing courses. We are currently exploring E-Portfolio capabilities through Blackboard and have a scheduled training session on this new technology.

Academic Integrity Workshops. In conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Writing Program and its support unit, the Writing Center, are offering a series of workshops as a sanction for students who have committed academic integrity violations. This workshop series is being conducted by an AI and focuses on the ethical, cultural, and legal aspects of plagiarism. Instruction is also provided on proper attribution and citation skills.

Writing Advisory Group. Last year, the Writing Program formed a Writing Advisory Group, with representatives from the Writing Program, the Writing Center, the Deans Office, Biology, English, History, Psychology, and Urban Education. The purpose was to generate a dialogue on faculty concerns regarding student reading and writing skills. The perspective offered by these colleagues provided (an will continue to provide) important insights into the needs of both our faculty and students across a broad range of disciplines.

Writing Across the Curriculum. In collaboration with the Business School, Womens Studies, and African American Studies, the Writing Program has offered several cross-listed, 300-level WI courses this summer and fall. We hope to broaden and to continue this collaboration in the future.

Writing Center. The Writing Center continues to provide support in the form of individual and group tutoring to both undergraduate and graduate students. During the 2007-2008 academic year, Writing Center tutors worked individually with 598 undergraduate students for a total of 1305 tutorial visits. We also initiated a series of workshops for students enrolled in Writing Intensive courses (see attached flier). In addition, through a grant from the Graduate School, we continued to provide workshops and tutoring to graduate students in all disciplines and designed intensive workshops for students in programs such as Nursing and Public Administration. These workshops have been integrated into those programs orientation and training sessions.