Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program September 24 th, 2015 Claire Hoogendoorn & Drew Fleming 1 Designing Effective Assignments

2 Overview of WAC Certification Process 2 Fall semester: Selected readings about WAC pedagogy Attend 4 WAC workshops Today’s Avoiding plagiarism: 10/22, 1pm Effective grading/minimal marking: 11/19, 1pm Creative classroom: 12/10, 1pm Meet your writing fellow

3 Overview of WAC Certification Process 3 Spring semester: Meet regularly with your paired writing fellow Develop & revise teaching materials following WAC principles Syllabus: explains role of writing in your course At least 1 scaffolded writing assignment: clear due dates Present your experiences & materials at year-end colloquium Beyond Spring: Implement new syllabus/assignments Certified instructors may be asked to contribute to future WAC activities / assessment

Workshop Objectives 1. Differentiate formal vs. informal writing assignments 2. Discuss informal writing and provide tools 3. Explain importance of writing-to-learn philosophy & offer strategies 4. Introduce scaffolding techniques 5. Discuss formal writing assignments 6. Misconceptions about assignment-focused learning 7. Explain value of typed assignment handouts

5 ‘Traditional’ Writing Assignment 5 Assignment 2: Take-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and the European Union Discuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe? What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited. This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Don’t do it! My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their;” Pronoun – anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its“; Use of the second person ( "you“); Unsupported statements of opinion.

6 Formal vs. Informal Writing Assignments 6 Formal Writing Assignments Writing to Communicate A polished piece of work that is representative of formal writing in the field Assignment significantly impacts student grades Informal Writing Assignments Writing to Learn Focus is not on grammar or organization Low-stakes (not graded or minimal points)

Benefits of Informal Writing Assignments Interact with course content Connect new concepts with previous knowledge Retain key concepts Create opportunities to explore class concepts at low risk Assess student comprehensionPrevent plagiarism

8 8 What kind of assignments help students learn course content through writing? Specific formats/structures of assignments you found helpful?

9 Note-taking Questioning what text means or how the parts of the topic connect Define concepts or ideas about subject matter Paraphrase, translate, or rephrase the text React or respond to texts Create problems to be solved with subject matter Apply the subject matter to one’s life Summarize concepts and ideas from text/discussion Writing-to-learn Strategies

10 Reading and Writing to Learn 10 Writing as active reading Ask students to summarize lectures or course readings Help students explore how note taking and other writing helps sharpen ideas Purposeful writing assignments Achieve course outcomes Connect to students’ life experiences Draw upon students’ prior knowledge

11 Topics and notes to yourself Lecture notes Summarizing and Main Ideas Date:Topic: Two Column Note Taking

12 What is Scaffolding? Scaffolding involves systematically structuring smaller informal or semi-formal assignments that build towards a larger, formal assignment. Scaffolding helps support class learning objectives, and this should be made transparent to students. Scaffolding also allows instructors to steadily assess student progress.

13 Scaffolding Examples Philip Roth is/is not a misogynist writer. English: Students brainstorm what author they would want to write about, and identify potential controversies about their writing (before any research is done) English: Assignment: Defend an Assigned Thesis Assignment: Group Brainstorming

14 Formal Assignments Benefit from scaffolding: Build on/integrate informal assignments Tend to be “high stakes” Often ask students to “do” the discipline Students gain experience with polished writing Should require multiple drafts

15 Scaffolding Traditional Assignments Dear Dr. Catlove, You’ve got to help me settle this argument I am having with my girlfriend. We were watching a news show the other night when the news anchor began discussing the benefits of Turkey joining the European Union. I thought that the guy was making some good points, but my girlfriend told me that Turkey joining Europe was a bad idea! I said she was stupid. Needless to say, that started an argument. Please help us save our relationship! Sincerely, European Union Blues Can this relationship be saved? Speaking as Dr. Catlove, write an answer to European Union Blues. Restrict your answer to 250 words or less. Don’t confuse Mr. Blues by using any special political terms unless you explain clearly what you mean.

16 Activity: Transform The Assignment with Scaffolding Take-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and the European Union Discuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe? What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited. This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Don’t do it! My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their;” Pronoun – anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its“; Use of the second person ( "you“); Unsupported statements of opinion.

Misconceptions About Assignment-Focused Learning “Emphasizing writing in a course will take away from content” “Writing assignments are unsuitable in non-English courses” “Adding more writing to my course will bury me in paper grading” “I am not knowledgeable enough about grammar to help students with their writing”

18 All Assignments Benefit From Clarity Always Provide Students with a Typed Assignment Handout Helps the students understand what they “need to do” Assists tutors in the Learning Center in providing appropriate assistance to the student Allows teachers to purposefully design assignments and receive feedback from colleagues

19 Assignment Handout Checklist Is the task clear? Do students know what they’re being graded for? Is the audience specified? Are citation requirements included? Have I listed the assignment requirements? Are revisions assigned? (peer review can be helpful)

20 Next Time on WAC… Avoiding Plagiarism Thursday 10/22 1:00-2:15pm Location: TBA The next workshop will focus on: Understanding plagiarism Strategies for preventing plagiarism Responding to plagiarism Reading from Bean book Chps. 1, 6, & 7