“writing” our wrongs: csub and mywritinglabplus pearson course redesign, february 2012 randi...
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“Writing” Our Wrongs: CSUB and
MyWritingLabPlus
Pearson Course Redesign, February 2012
Randi Brummett ([email protected])
Brooke Hughes ([email protected])
CSU, Bakersfield
About California State University, Bakersfield
Quarter-based campus (10 weeks)
Non-traditional students
Most do not live on campus
Average age = 23
Enrollment: almost 8,000 Students
38% Hispanic (3,040 students)
73% of those students are ESL or Generation 1.5
62.5% First-Time Freshman Regular Admits requiring English Remediation
Commuter Campus
Budget Cuts/Furloughs
Because of the items above, we decided to rethink our course design.
Challenges that Lead to Using Technology
We lacked
Money
Time
Space
Quality & Consistent Learning
A Better Way to Track SLOs
Small class sizes (from 23 to 35)
English 50 – Basic Skills
Model used: Replacement
Before After
Description Required writing tutoring hours after class every day
10 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class
Work Environment Full class (17-25) with one tutor (often inexperienced)
Students work on their own
% of Grade 0% (required hours, but no category set aside in overall grade)
10%
Grade Determined By Attendance Score in program
Types of Topics Covered Various grammar and writing
Basic & sentence level grammar
Summer only, grant funded Entrance program
English 80 – Reading and Writing
Model used: Replacement
Before After
Description 10 required separately scheduled grammar workshops (1 a week for 1 ½ hours each) outside of class
10 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class
Work Environment Class split into 2 groups (anywhere from 12-15 students)
Students work on their own
% of Grade 10% 10%
Grade Determined By Attendance Score in program
Types of Topics Covered Basic & sentence level grammar
Basic & sentence level grammar
Developmental course Focuses on paragraph to essay
English 99 – Writing and Critical Thinking
Model used: Replacement
Before After
Description 10 required pick-and-choose grammar mini-lectures (1 a week for 1 hour each) outside of class
15 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP outside of class
Work Environment Groups can be anywhere from 2-200
Students work on their own
% of Grade 10% 10%
Grade Determined By Attendance via sign up sheet
Score in program
Types of Topics Covered Writing Writing
Developmental course Focuses on essay and modes
English 110 – Writing and Research
Model used: Supplemental
Before After
Description There was no clear before/after for this course, as we did not use the Replacement model.
Program is OPTIONAL5 – 10 topics, chosen by the instructor to best supplement their class
Work Environment Students work on their own
% of Grade No more than 10%
Grade Determined By Score in program
Types of Topics Covered Varies by instructor from grammar to writing to research
Freshman composition Focuses on research paper
Humanities 207 & 407 Model used: Fully
Online
Before After
Description Students work one-on-one with an instructor for 17 hours on grammar, writing, etc.
20 required topics and pre/post diagnostics in MWLP
Work Environment Walk-in and/or appointment only
Students work on their own
% of Grade 100% 100%
Grade Determined By Completing all 17 hours Completing 20 topics & diagnostics
Types of Topics Covered Writing, Grammar, Documentation, etc.
All topics in the program
One unit, Credit/No Credit course
Non-English Courses
We are working with multiple courses across disciplines as a grammar supplement.
Two Options
Linked Option: Students sign up for the one-unit course 207/407 where we manage it
Incorporated Option: We train the instructor & help him/her create a course in MWLP, where he/she manages it
Disciplines we’ve worked since 2006:
Social Work, Sociology, History, Chemistry, Geology, Communications, Business, Music
Beginning in 2011, we began offering trainings for non-English faculty throughout the year
Thus far, we have trained 27% of our faculty!
Our Training Process
English faculty are trained/re-trained every summer at orientation, regardless of previous experience (mandatory)
We offer frequent “brush up” trainings for English faculty throughout the year
Writing Resource Center tutors are trained at least once a year
Our Training Process, cont.
Non-English faculty are trained in a three tier process:
Tier One: Demo/Informative Session (30 minutes)
Tier Two: Hands-On Session (1 hour)
At the end of the session, faculty are given a consultation form
Tier Three: One-on-One Consultation (30 minutes-2 hours)
Faculty meet with us one-on-one to go over the consultation form and discuss the best way to incorporate MWLP into his/her class
Tier Four: In-Depth Training (30 minutes-2 hours)
Faculty come in for hands-on, in-depth training to learn about how manage their course, set up the study plan, etc.
Tier Five: MWLP Learning Communities (1 meeting/quarter)
Faculty gather in small groups to discuss pedagogy and curricular policy when using MWLP.
Faculty receive a “comp buddy,” who keeps in contact with them for the year and can help with the implementation of MWLP in the course.
Redesigned Developmental Courses Compared to Traditional with Mini-Lectures/Tutoring Component
Since our redesign, our fail rate in developmental courses is
almost 8% lower.
Average Retention (in %) of Students in English Courses
After the redesign, on average, our retention rate went up
14.9%.
Average Length of Time (in Quarters) Students Spend in English Courses
After the redesign, our students are spending an average of 1 less
quarter in remediation.
Percentage of Grades Comparing Preparedness for Freshman Composition
In Freshman composition, the pass rate of students who used
the program in a previous English course is 8% higher.