Making the Course the Problem

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Making the Course the Problem

• Elizabeth BirminghamDepartment of English
• November 20, 2002

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Todays Presentation

• The problem with composition
• A problem-based composition class
• The problem in other disciplines

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The Problem with Composition

• Almost universal in the US, rare in all other
  places in the world
• Associated with retention in first year
• Highly motivated students write better
• Little evidence outside isolated anecdotes that
  unmotivated students write better after these
  courses

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The Problem with My 120 Course

• Students taking a first year writing class for
  3rd time or more (76)
• Students think they will not have to write in
  their careers (42)
• Students who think they are bad writers (81)
• Students are not invested in this educational
  experience (58)

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Goal Get Students Invested

• Convince students they will need to write and
  that this course offers them important skills
• Convince them they can learn to write (not in one
  semester, but over time, and with practice)
• Convince them that they are responsible for what
  they learn

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Typical Course Goals for 120

• Students will
• Undertake research locate, evaluate, document,
  and appropriately use diverse sources
• Summarize, analyze, and synthesize texts and data
• Write arguments appropriate for specific
  audiences and purposes
• Work productively on collaborative projects

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The Problem Design an Engaging Program

• Redesign a composition program, but be aware of
  competing interests that will shape that program
  
• Students
• English teachers
• Teachers in other disciplines
• Administrators
• Local employers

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Assignments

• A paper about previous experiences with writing,
  comparing individual to the class through the
  informal survey data collected.
• A report researching a writing program at another
  university (wrote 5 individual reports
  collaborative executive summary).

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Assignments

• Interview paper on a member of students interest
  group (designed questions, interviewed someone,
  wrote paper with interview data).
• Long report on attitudes of members of interest
  group (developed and tested survey instrument,
  received IRB exemption, put survey on web,
  gathered data, analyzed data, wrote report).

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Assignments

• Proposal arguing for a student-designed writing
  program (wrote executive summary, proposal with
  data from research, oral presentation).
• Individual reflection on learning experience.

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Getting Students Invested

• Students know this is a real problem.
• Their research into writing programs convinces
  them there are many interesting approaches, but
  none that easily meets the needs of every
  stakeholder or would be appropriate to NDSUs
  student population.
• Students are forced to think about an issue from
  a different position (they like role playing).

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Getting Students Invested

• Students are challenged to produce work that
  could have an impact outside their class they
  are accountable to people outside their teacher.
• Students become convinced that hard work and good
  research could bring about change.
• Students make contacts who become interested in
  their workteachers, administrators, local
  employers.

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Meeting Course Goals

• Assignments that require research
• Primary (interviewing, surveying, data analysis
  and interpretation).
• Secondary (web-based research, text- based
  research professional journals, edited
  collections, first year texts, program manuals,
  mission statements, etc.).

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Meeting Course Goals

• Assignments that require summary, analysis,
  synthesis.
• Assignments that require arguments appropriate
  for specific audiences and purposes (reports,
  proposals that respond to needs of all
  stakeholders in a complex rhetorical situation).
• Assignments that require collaboration.

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Assessing Teaching Learning

• Higher scores than in my grad class
• Highest scores Ive had
• Significant improvement in focus and
  interpretation of data, slightly better
  organization, same problems with editing, ease of
  expression, etc.
• More confidence in ability to take on writing
  tasks (4.8 agree with I am a bad writer.)

• Survey of student engagement
• SROI
• Rubrics comparing primary traits in similar
  assignments at beginning and end of semester
  (focus, organization, use of data, ease of
  expression, editing)
• Writing apprehension test

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What Students Learned

• How to read journal articles.
• How to get along with people.
• How to organize large (overwhelming, some said)
  projects.
• How to write surveys. (And therefore, how to
  choose words very carefully to help get the best
  information.)

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What Students Learned

• How to analyze survey data. (How to get help from
  the stats lab.)
• To talk to professionals in my field and people I
  dont know.
• How to use what other people say as evidence to
  make a point.
• That I already know a lot about many things, and
  I can use that knowledge as a base for learning
  about other things.

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What Students Learned

• That once I've done research into something I
  want to change, or strengthen, my opinions count
  as much as anyone's.
• That if I take enough time, I can write pretty
  well.
• That good writing takes time, research, and
  revision.
• That writing to get something done is satisfying.
  

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Good News

• Throughout all my years as a student, I have
  hated English class. Past teachers have hated my
  work, criticized my analogies, and mocked me for
  my interpretations. . . . I only did exactly what
  I had to do just to get by. That is until this
  particular writing class. I knew from the first
  day of class when we proceeded to go around the
  room and tell how we really felt about
  composition class that this year was going to be
  a hell of a ride.Andrew Betcher

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Good News

• When I entered English 120 I had no idea it was
  going to be like this. I figured we would be
  reading boring stories on subjects I cared
  nothing about and writing essays on topics that
  had no meaning to me. Instead, I ended up in a
  class where we were to come up with a writing
  program to suit faculty, administration,
  students, and future employers needs. I admit,
  I was kind of relieved to know that I wouldnt be
  reading those dumb stories out of the textbooks.
  But I think that would have been easier. Todd
  Taverna

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The Bad News

• In a regular class, this problem received less
  interesting results.
• Students complained that the class was too hard
  and time-consuming, that grading was too hard
  (B-).
• SROIs were typical for me, department.

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The Bad News

• Student wrote on SROI, This would be a great
  course for students that are smart and interested
  and want to work very hard, and maybe learn more.
  But that would NOT be me.

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The Bad News

• A second student wrote She grades too hard.
  When I work on something for two days, I want an
  A.

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Why Im convinced. . .

• Students complained, but they worked hard
  (produced very strong proposals).
• Students collaborated effectively.
• Student work improved (slightly) from beginning
  to end of semester.
• No students dropped the section (felt committed
  to their groups, if not the class).

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Disciplinary Problems R Us

• With the people at your table, share your
  programmatic goals for student learning. (What
  does your program want your students to be able
  to do/to have learned when they graduate?)
• Specifically, what disciplinary knowledge do
  graduating seniors need?
• How do students typically become aware of this
  disciplinary knowledge?

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Disciplinary Problems R Us

• With the people at your table, discuss some
  disciplinary problems it might be useful to have
  students investigate (these could be ethical or
  leadership issues, research problems, or genuine
  disciplinary conflictsconflicts we often neglect
  to teach, but which define what we believe about
  our discipline).

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Disciplinary Problems R Us

• Now, with your group, think about where in your
  curriculum discussion of such problems might be
  most beneficial to students?
• A gateway course, a capstone, an ethics course, a
  special 189 section?

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Finally . . .

• Understanding what constitutes a problem in a
  discipline helps make students insiders in the
  university and in our departments.
• Demythologizing the process by which disciplinary
  knowledge is made invites students into the
  active work of producing knowledge, rather than
  positioning them as passive consumers.

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Finally . . .

• Teaching disciplinary conflicts in capstone
  courses allows students a look at the complex
  issues that will shape their professional lives.
• Offering exploration of teaching and learning
  issues (such as what constitutes effective
  writing instruction) in gateway/gen ed courses
  encourages students to take responsibility for
  their learning.

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Thank you!

• PBL links
• Course materials