Writing Across the Curriculum Committee Minutes for 26 October 2000 Present: George Bissinger; Patricia Clark; Robin Webb Corbett; Christine Hutchins; Marsha Ironsmith; Laura McArthur; Liza Glasgow, SGA member; Patrick Bizzaro, Writing Across the Curriculum Program Director; Jan Tovey, Director of the Tutoring Center Committee approved minutes for 28 September, with provision that George Bissinger be added as present at the meeting First order of business: Committee considered request to designate HLTH 4605, section 199, Community Strategies for Health Education, as a Model 4 combination of approaches writing intensive course Professors Mary Glascoff and Hans H. Johnson from the Department of Health presented the course goals and requirements to the committee Committee considered the use in HLTH 4605 of substantive, extended writing; multiple drafts of writing assignments; peer review groups on writing assignments; instructor response to writing assignments; and the ways that the course helps students to link content of writing assignments to material they are tested on Committee approved HLTH 4605, section 199 as a writing intensive course, with provision that the course better fits the Model 2 professional writing course Second order of business: Committee revisited request to designate RCLS 4004, Philosophical and Current Issues in Leisure, as a Model 2 professional writing intensive course Professor Cheryl Estes from the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies presented the course goals and requirements to the committee Professor Estes suggested that she clarify with her department and colleagues whether other sections of the course will use the writing intensive assignments she uses Committee approved RCLS 4004 as a Model 2 professional writing intensive course, with provision that other sections of the course that do not use the syllabus considered by the committee will need to submit separate requests designation as writing intensive Third order of business: Committee considered request to designate CLSC 4801 and CLSC 4802, Professional Practice Issues, as a Model 2 professional writing intensive course Committee noted that syllabus suggests that as part of CLSC 4801 students submit a research study proposal to the IRB for professional review; in CLSC 4802, students refine and implement the research proposal written in CLSC 4801 Committee approved CLSC 4801 and CLSC 4802, Professional Practice Issues, as a Model 2 professional writing intensive course Fourth order of business: Bizzaro reported in his capacity as Interim Director of the Writing Across the Curriculum Program that the Writing Center is moving from the Department of English to university-wide sites. The center currently has a central location, but arrangements are being made to establish satellite locations in every building on campus; tutors will go to satellite locations in order to integrate writing instruction university-wide and better assist students Fifth order of business: Committee considered proposal by the Committee on Committees to integrate Writing Across the Curriculum duties into a consolidated Academic Standards Committee Committee noted that the consolidated committee would have 7 faculty members and make decisions not only on writing intensive curriculum and course designations, but also on standards and instruments for measuring teaching excellence, renovations of existing classrooms, construction of new buildings, designation of honors curriculum and courses, and approval of courses for General College credit Committee considered the breadth of expertise the consolidated Academic Standards Committee would demand from faculty members, from architectural decision- making to approving courses for General College credit Committee considered the extensive input of time such a committee would require of the suggested 7 faculty members Committee considered whether the duties of the Writing Across the Curriculum Committee, facilitating students' writing in their major areas of study and aiding faculty in implementing writing in courses, would be adequately addressed in a committee that places such extensive demands on its members Clark offered to submit the committee's concerns to the Committee on Committees and to the Faculty Senate Sixth order of business: Committee discussed possible revisions to the models and requirements for writing intensive courses as outlined in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program Handbook Bizzaro pointed out that the information on the Writing Center is now incorrect Bizzaro suggested that the committee revisit the Handbook's suggestion that writing intensive courses specify numbers of pages of writing for the course Bizzaro and Tovey suggested that the Handbook might clarify the role of multiple drafts in writing intensive courses Tovey suggested that the Handbook might take into account the special needs of web courses and online projects Bizarro suggested that the Handbook might take into account service learning; some internships, for example, might be designated writing intensive Bizzaro and Clark suggested that the Handbook and Writing Intensive Course Proposal Form should reflect writing intensive courses' goals of enhancing overall writing content of courses, promoting students' ability to learn through writing and improve on writing Tovey offered to begin revising the Handbook prior to the next meeting Seventh order of business: Committee discussed possible revisions to the Writing Intensive Course Proposal Form, clarifying goals of writing intensive courses and options available to departments submitting proposals Tovey suggested that Hutchins suggested that the form might suggest that departments who feel it will clarify writing components might submit a sample writing assignment since these may help the committee better evaluate writing components Clark moved to add to the agenda of the next meeting discussion of the application process and the Writing Intensive Course Proposal Form Eighth order of business: Committee considered the potential for enhancing faculty involvement in writing intensive courses if the committee could implement ways of assisting faculty, perhaps through workshops and colloquia on efficient ways of integrating writing into courses Committee considered the potential for enhancing faculty involvement in writing intensive courses if the committee could provide some kind of support-ideally incentives and compensations--for faculty willing to provide opportunities for writing in courses with high enrollments and wide-ranging course content; this is especially important given that faculty teaching writing-intensive sections of courses currently receive no more support than those teaching sections of the same courses that are not writing intensive