English 6901 Survey

Diagnosing Written Communication: Cross-Campus Composition Compendium Methods of Composition Research

Writing defined campus wideis like viewing fine art

Its meaning & value

Open to interpretation

Survey every faculty member on campus

Determine range of writing processes & products as well as kinds of writing instruction across the disciplines at YSU.

Gain an overall picture of the role of writing at YSU.

Conduct interviews with interested faculty in each department to identify problems and record solutions.

Ultimately, we hope that a more comprehensive overview of how students engage in writing at YSU will allow us to pinpoint areas of the curriculum that need improvement thereby providing students the tools necessary to put them in the driver’s seat as

they earn their degree.

Goals & Objectives

CategoriesPrewriting / Brainstorming

Multiple drafts of essays

Revision

Editing and

Proofreading Note-taking Research

Writing Bibliography /

Citations Essay Exam

Technical Writing

Survey of Writing Instruction at YSU

Using the scale below, please indicate the importance of each writing element in your undergraduate courses. We realize you may teach numerous undergraduate courses. In general, how important do you consider the following for your undergraduate students?

Place an “X” next to the appropriate number indicating the importance of each writing element in your undergraduate courses

1 = Very Important2 = Somewhat Important3 = Somewhat Unimportant4 = Not Important5 = Not Applicable

How important are the following writing processes for writing required in your

courses?

Prewriting / Brainstorming 1       2       3       4       5      

Multiple drafts of essays 1       2       3       4       5      

Revision 1       2       3       4       5      

Editing and Proofreading 1       2       3       4       5      

How important are the following types of writing for your courses?

Note-taking 1       2       3       4       5      

Research Writing 1       2       3       4       5      

Bibliography / Citations 1       2       3       4       5      

Essay Exams 1       2       3       4       5      

Technical Writing 1       2       3       4       5      

Questions1. What - if any - other steps in the writing process

do you require from your students? 2. What specific types of in-class writing do you

require most frequently? 3. What specific types of out-of-class writing do you

require most frequently? 4. What kinds of writing models or examples do you

provide for your students? 5. How prepared are your students to do the

writing required in your classes? What suggestions do you have for preparing them as writers in your discipline?

Results of Research

ArtMath

HistoryPhysicsNursing

PsychologyHuman Ecology

Electrical EngineeringHealth Care Professions Mechanical Engineering Engineering Technology

Civil & Chemical Engineering

Human Performance and Exercise ScienceCommunications and Theatre

Dana School of MusicBiological SciencesCollege of BusinessForeign LanguagesPolitical ScienceMilitary Science

CriminologySocial WorkGeographyEconomics

Departments Surveyed

All Departments

Very ImportantSomewhat Important

Somewhat Unimportant

Not Important Not Applicable

Prewriting/Brainstorming 32 38 22 22 5

Multiple Essay Drafts 16 20 27 12 11

Revision 35 28 18 9 13Editing and

Proofreading 53 17 13 5 4

Note-Taking 29 22 6 4 4

Research Writing 43 29 13 5 7Bibliography/

Citations 52 28 16 6 7

Essay Exams 14 17 17 6 17Technical Writing 35 31 16 5 11

Style Guides•MLA•APA•Chicago

American Medical Association citation style

CBE (Council of Biology Editors) used by Human Performance and Exercise Science

Turabin used by History, Religion & Philosophy Departments

Physical Review Style Guide used by Physics Department

The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual

Internet Citation Book

Footnotes/end notes

No Preference- just effective writing and an appropriate referencing and bibliographic approach

APSA (American Political Science Association)

Problems with student’s writing abilities identified as:

I. Grammar & Spelling

II. Original thought

III. Editing & Organization

IV. Revisions & Integration

V. Inadequate preparation

“I feel there is a major problem with the freshman and sophomore years in that writing skills are not reinforced at these levels due to the restrictions from high enrollment classes”

“Students don't utilize opportunities to improve their writing skills once they leave classroom requirements behind”

“Writing proficiency is not helped by the sloppy techniques employed by the general population in their internet communications”

“Not prepared after 1550-1551, which may hinder them because of a completely different approach, poorly prepared, No background in tech writing”

They need to write ‘scientifically’ and not how they would speak on a daily basis—too much slang in papers

They need to learn how to use superscript, etc, on the computer

Too accustomed to using first person and contractions Sentence fragments & run-ons

No set skill level among students

Not prepared for technical writing, need to develop clear and concise thought process and transfer to paper

They need to learn to proofread

They need to review their papers and not solely rely on spell check

Not prepared to write in discipline

Fault lies with High School

Lack general writing skills

Solutions

Writing project stage development

Discipline-related use of the library

Continued exposure to college writing, and writing in classrooms will improve their work

Use of headings to organize writing

Substitute 1550 or 1551 with a technical writing class as a GER

Take a technical / professional writing course

Stronger writing requirements for all classes across the curriculum

Ana_Wetzl Josh_Mays Chad_Ries

Angel_Chan Paul_Mauch John_Hazen

Diana_Jones Ronald_Gura

Mindi_Kirchner Amelia_Sanker

Stephanie_Moore Deborah_Watkins Alyson_Eggleston

Melodie_A_ProvencherDr_Kevin_Ball_Instructor

English 6901 Survey Conducted by the Following Individuals

The End