Texas A&M International University Pearson Course Redesign Case Study: MyCompLab in the Composition Classroom Seattle, WA Friday, April 13, 2012 Deborah M. Scaggs, PhD Assistant Professor of Composition Writing Program Administrator Laredo, TX

 Located in Laredo, a south-western city of 250,000 people o Largest in-land port in the United States -la fronterra-  Total enrollment ≈ 7000  First-generation post-secondary students  95% Hispanic o English as a Second Language (ESL): Spanish is primary/English is secondary o English Language Learners (ELL): Bilingual, but English is primary o *Heritage Language Learners (HLL): Unique discursive practice

 Enrollment ≈ 1000 students o Roughly 40 sections with a cap of 30 o One day lab/One day non-lab  Consists of 2 courses o English 1301: College Composition I o English 1302: College Composition II  85-90% of the courses are devoted to the evaluation of written work

 Institution: o Increased enrollment, increased cap, limited lab space and classrooms  Instructors: o Class load (up to 5 classes) o Class cap o Paper-load  Students: o Limited exposure to higher-education culture/expectations o Inexperienced writers o Unique language needs

 Public schools focused on state tests  Skills drill approach  Focus on grammar and mechanics  Limited writing experiences  Very few papers graded or few comments made  Limited knowledge of the writing process

 Writing is easy: “auto- pilot” technique  Writing is important  Writing is exciting  Writing leads to better being a better writer  Can express ideas in a detailed manner  Know they need to use quotes  Can find mistakes  Feel ready for college

EEnglish Know and be able to use several rhetorical strategies and purposes. 2. Be familiar with several pre-writing, invention, revision, and editing strategies. 3. Be able to compose essays employing the features of a given genre. 4. Be able to articulate the concept of “writing as a process.” 5. Be able to write an effective introduction or opening that establishes focus, purpose, main idea, and direction; be able to create a body to any writing assignment that is organized, unified, and developed; be able to create an effective conclusion, one comparable in depth and precision to the introduction. 6. Be able to identify and eliminate major grammatical errors from all writing. EEnglish Be able to write, employing several rhetorical strategies, purposes, and features of a given genre and using several pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing strategies. 2. Understand research principles and strategies needed at the university level. 3. Be able to document sources accurately in MLA and APA formats. 4. Be able to identify, evaluate, and effectively incorporate appropriate sources into their own prose. 5. Be able to summarize and paraphrase effectively. 6. Be able to make cogent, logical, and effective arguments in writing. 7. Be able to eliminate grammatical, mechanical, and usage errors from all writing.

 Feel unprepared  Fear writing  Lack direction/focus  Have writer’s block  Have trouble getting ideas  Have trouble starting essays  Repeat ideas  Do not comprehend words  Make lots of errors  Have poor grammar  Have poor sentence structure  *Writing is hard to read Higher OrderLower Order

 English 1301 Specific Information o Diagnostic: words o Personal Essay: 800 words o Review: 800-1,000 words o Argument: 800-1,000 words o Reflective Essay/e-portfolio: words  English 1302 Specific Information o Critical Essay #1: 1,000 words o Critical Essay #2: 1,000 words o Ethnographic Essay: 2100 words Annotated Bibliography: words (per source) (700+ words) o Reflective Essay/e-portfolio : words



Spring students  Average pre-test score: 75  Average post-test score: 838 Fall students  Average pre-test score: 67  Average post-test score: 8013 Spring students  Average pre-test score: 67  Average post-test score: 725

Fall 2009 n=181 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 66 o Post: 73 7 n=128 ENGL 1302 o Pre: 68 o Post: 73 5 Spring 2010 n=187 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 67 o Post: 74 7 n=189 ENGL 1302 o Pre: 70 o Post: 75 5

Fall 2010 n=102 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 65 o Post: 69 4 n=19 ENGL 1302 o Pre: 62 o Post: 66 4 Spring 2011 n=171 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 74 o Post: 79 5 n=197 ENGL 1302 o Pre: 73 o Post: 74 1

Fall 2009 / Spring 2010 n=181 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 66 n=189 ENGL 1302 o Post: 75 99 Fall 2010 / Spring 2011 n=102 ENGL 1301 o Pre: 65 n=197 ENGL 1302 o Post: 74 99

¡Muchas Gracias! Deborah M. Scaggs, PhD