Based upon the Senate Administration Council on Assessment & Planning report:
1) Nearly 33% (8) of the undergraduate program reports (submitted in 2011-12) identified student
writing/composition skills as an area requiring attention; and
2) These results add to findings from the previous two years’ of PLO Reports.
While these findings may be initially interpreted as decontextualized, they point to a real concern for UC Merced as it approaches its second phase of becoming a distinguished Tier 1 Research University as part of the larger family of University of California campuses. Some of the recommendations pointed to a need to have more productive conversations across departments and schools about the nature and value of written communication for all disciplines and majors. As such, an area that seems to be somewhat neglected is the space for a Writing Center that might begin to faciliate such conversations. A Writing Center that is geard toward helping students in all areas of writing expertise such as: Writing in the Sciences, Writing in the Social Sciences, and Writing in the Humanites would help to foster larger conversations within and across other undergraduate and graduate courses that are writing intensive and that are complemented well when a student is able to write well within that particular discipline. Such a Writing Center should be directed by someone who has had experience with not only Writing Across the Curriculum programs, but also experience in working with a range of students coming from a diverse arrary of cultural and ethnic backgrounds (such as those found on our campus).
1. Identify a space for a Writing Center
2. Hire a qualified Writing Center administrator with prior higher education and Writing Center experience.
3. Hire Writing Center faculty/staff who has experience in Writing Across the Curriculum programs.
4. Hire Writing Center faculty/staff who has experience working with students who possess similar demographic characteristics such as those found here at UC Merced.
5. Advertise to faculty and students the availability of the Center for various purposes, such as help within thier Writing classes and other writing intensive assignments such as those found in, for example, Chemistry Lab Reports.
6. The duties and responsibilities of this Center should be clear in the Job Description.
7. The two proposed faculty to direct this department should be competent in the areas of tutor training as well, as the students who are experts with written communication within their respective fields could be the manpower that would make this Center successful and a possible income resource for prospective students who would work at the Center as Tutors.
8. The Center should espouse a teaching philosophy that is somewhat transparent and grounded in pedagogical theory as to provide a coherent tutoring experience that is focused and practiced.
9. Such a pedagogical focus could be taught in a course that is designed for student tutors who would be hired by the Center.
10. Last but not least, this Center should operate on a daily basis both physically and digitally. Digital tutoring would also be a feature offered by a successful writing center.
Comments
A writing center is a
A writing center is a necessary part of UC Merced's teaching mission. Although some may see a writing center as a service for undergraduates, it is just as essential for graduate students, especially those graduate students who are not native English speakers.
I see the library collaborating with writing center staff to improve students' information literacy, a necessary skill for research-based writing.
Both written communication and information literacy outcomes are on the next WASC accreditation checklist, and the campus needs to be prepared to show we are having an impact in both of these areas.
Donald A. Barclay
Agreed. I think that the
Agreed. I think that the library should definitely have an influential part in a UCM Writing Center and foresee and strong relationship between the proposed Writing Center and the Kolligian Library pertaining to information literacy and graduate student writing support. Graduate students write lengthy reseach papers in various fields and, thus, will definitely benefit from writing and reading intensive services that a Writing Center could offer. Thank you for your feedback. Please know that the Merritt Writing Program will have a more detailed and contextualized proposal for a Writing Center posted tomorrow.