Clarifying the Content of ENG 105 & ENG 106 Dr. Jerry Burns Dr. Jodi Wagner-Angell

Objectives Inform about learning outcomes and objectives of our composition sequence Learn about the experiences faculty have in assigning writing assignments

Learning Outcomes for Comp. Awareness and use of good writing practices: drafting, proofreading, revising and editing. Ability to write clear, thoughtful, and grammatical prose. Ability to read, write, and think critically. Ability to find, evaluate, incorporate appropriate primary and secondary sources into writing with proper MLA and/or APA documentation. Knowledge of rhetorical and argumentative strategies for successful writing, such as audience awareness, purpose, and ability to adhere to utilize those strategies in writing.

ENG 105: Expository Writing Five major papers Definition / Classification Process Analysis Comparison / Contrast Cause / Effect Argument / Analysis / Evaluation Stress Writing as a Process No research or documentation styles

ENG 106: Argument & Research COMPOSITION OUTCOMES FOR ENG 106: This course in argumentation and research writing will: reinforce and expand upon the rhetorical modes, the foundational mechanics and the composition skills taught in the Expository Writing course; reinforce and expand upon the critical-thinking, the critical-reading and the library skills that were introduced in the First-Year Seminar; require students to read and think critically about selected issues from a variety of disciplines and then write well-developed and thoughtful argument-driven papers on those topics; require that students select and research topics and then for each write a longer college-level research paper that employs summaries, paraphrasing and the use of direct quotes from professional sources; and explain the MLA and APA publication styles of documentation and citation and require that students apply these styles.

National Frustrations “Rather than spending time in first-year composition trying to teach students how to find sources—or using computer programs to chase down plagiarism—faculty members in such courses should scrap the research paper altogether, the researchers said. After all, students exhibit the same kinds of mistakes at the end of their first-year composition courses as they do at the beginning, regardless of the type of institution or whether the course is taught by a full-time faculty member or an adjunct, Ms. Jamieson said.” – from article in Chronicle of Higher Education, March 2012

National Frustrations, cont. “The project, which began as an effort to examine plagiarism and the teaching of writing, looked at source-based student papers from 16 institutions, including Ivy League universities, private and public institutions, liberal-arts colleges, religious institutions, and community colleges. After reading 174 student papers and tracing back their 1,911 citations, the project's researchers were able to investigate the process by which students find, evaluate, and use the sources they cite. "It's very clear that they don't know how to analyze their sources," Ms. Howard said. "They don't understand it and don't know how to do anything but grab a few sentences and go.“ – from article in Chronicle of Higher Education, March, 2012

Synthesis & Analysis

Discussion Questions What do you perceive are the strengths of student writing? What are the issues and concerns you see in student writing? What kinds of assignments seem to touch upon the patterns of 105 or the research skills in 106?

Reasons skills do not transfer Students do not perceive they need to transfer writing process into other courses Students do not believe other courses expect the same rigor or expectations as FYC Students do not always prioritize their time and energy into their non-major courses Some assignments do not allow students to use FYC writing strategies (Wardle)

According to Elizabeth Wardle, students did seem to be able to transfer a “meta-awareness about writing: the ability to analyze assignments, see similarities and differences across assignments, discern what was being required of them, and determine exactly what they needed to do in response to earn the grade they wanted” (77).

Engaging Writing Assignments Addresses a rhetorical problem Provokes thought outside the classroom Allows students ownership Does not feel like “busy” work Relates to students’ interest and/or future Challenges the student Relates to course content Asks students to achieve a clear purpose Is clearly written (Wardle 77-78)

Rubrics

Web Resources https://my.marianuniversity.edu/schools/ArtsSciences/english/default.aspx

Works Cited Berrett, Dan. “Freshman Composition is Not Teaching Key Skills in Analysis, Researchers Argue.” Chronicle of Higher Education March 21, 2012. Web. Wardle, Elizabeth. “Understanding ‘Transfer’ from FYC: Preliminary Results of a Longitudinal Study.” WPA: Writing Program Administration 31.1-2 (Fall/Winter 2007).

Questions?