WID / WAC PROPOSAL

Whereas; there is a CUNY Board of Trustees mandate “to strengthen the teaching of writing in courses across the curriculum and that such efforts ensure that quality writing skills are fostered in all disciplinary areas”,

Whereas; t here is a QCC Academic Senate degree requirement for 2 Writing Intensive (WI) classes of every student who enters the college from September 2005 onward,

Whereas; the university mandate is more properly borne as a “common responsibility” by the institution through institutional commitment and actions and not only by the student,

Therefore, be it resolved; that the Academic Senate pass the following resolution that shall override all previous resolutions that created the WID WAC Degree Requirement, WID WAC Program and WID WAC Subcommittee, including but not limited to the May 8, 2001 and the May 14, 2002 Academic Senate resolutions:

I. DEGREE REQUIREMENT

Students who enroll in degree programs at QCC as of Fall of 2005 as first time freshman and all transfer students beginning in the Fall of 2005 will be required to successfully complete two (2) credit-bearing Writing Intensive (WI) classes in order to receive the associate degree.*

Designation of Writing Intensive Courses in Associate Degree Programs

1. By 2005, all degree programs will have two courses (all sections) that are required in the degree program being offered as Writing Intensive except for the AA and AS in LA, LS, FA, PI, EH**, and HS**.
2. For degree programs, including the AA and AS programs, where there is no single department with primary responsibility, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Senate Committee charged with WID/WAC will meet with the chairs of all departments involved and arrange for the designation of WI classes.
3. For all degree programs, a Writing Intensive Learning Community may be substituted for one of the WI courses.

* Transfer students who receive transfer credit for courses that are WI at Queensborough may apply for waivers to the WID WAC Committee.

** WI course designations for EH and HS are being negotiated.

II. GOALS for WID WAC PROGRAM

1. To comply with the resolution of the CUNY Board of Trustees
2. To develop the writing abilities of CUNY Graduates
3. To enhance student learning

III. METHOD for WID WAC PROGRAM

1. Degree Requirement: Students who enroll in degree programs at QCC as of Fall of 2005 as first time freshmen and all transfer students beginning in the Fall of 2005 will need to successfully complete two (2) credit–bearing Writing Intensive (WI) classes.
2. WI classes shall consist of classes, some of which are sections of a course, where the faculty member will follow the WI criteria. In some cases WI courses may be established. A WI “course” indicates that all sections of a course will meet the criteria for a WI class and all faculty members who teach that course will meet the WI criteria in the implementation of their syllabus. Such a designation of a WI course will be the result of a decision made by the academic department and the WID WAC Committee with cooperation and facilitation by the Office of Academic Affairs and reported to the Academic Senate for informational purposes. WI classes shall not include EN-101, 102, 103, or their equivalents, or the EN - 200, 300, and 400 series.
3. Should a WI class need to be combined with a non-WI class, the result shall be designated as a WI class and students shall receive WI credit for that class.
4. All new faculty and adjuncts will be made aware of the criteria for WI instruction. The Office of Academic Affairs will ensure support (e.g. stipend or course release) for new faculty and adjuncts to participate in WI professional development so that the courses they teach may meet the College's writing intensive criteria for any WI classes.
5. The Office of Academic Affairs and the Committee on WID WAC will regularly monitor the progress of the WID WAC Program in order to determine whether the degree requirement is being successfully met. The Office of Academic Affairs will take actions as it deems necessary to ensure the letter and intent of the Board of Trustees Resolution is being carried out at the College. As of Fall 2005, WI classes will be identified in the Registration Guide and Schedule of Classes. Beginning Fall 2007, the Office of Academic Affairs will review the necessity of identifying classes as WI.

IV. CRITERIA FOR WRITING INTENSIVE (WI) CLASSES

A. Writing

All WI Classes shall meet all of the following criteria:

1. Throughout a semester, students spend a portion of their class time writing in the service of learning course material. This writing may be informal and un-graded.
2. A minimum of 10 pages of formal writing will be assigned and will be achieved by assigning several short papers, one short paper plus a longer one, or one longer paper assigned in stages that are each guided and responded to by the faculty member.
3. These 10 pages are responded to and returned to the student by the faculty member so that the student has the opportunity to revise before a final grade for the assignment is given.
4. The faculty member regularly discusses student writing in class.
5. Each time a writing assignment is given, the faculty member discusses and clarifies the assignment and his or her expectations for it.
6. The students' written work is an integral part of the course grade. When combined with short-answer and multiple-choice tests and other forms of assessing student mastery of material, writing assignments should figure significantly (e .g . 30%) in the overall assessment.
7. For liberal arts classes, at least one assessment instrument has a written component that figures significantly in the overall grading process.
8. Written assignments involve at least two (2) of the abilities examined by the CUNY Proficiency Exam (e.g. summary, reading comprehension, critical evaluation of source material including charts and graphs, clarity of expression, ability to use and cite sources, organize an argument, etc.). Additionally, faculty members should make clear to students how assignments contribute to preparation for the CPE.

B. Class Size

Size should in NO case be more than 25 students. The exact limit is to be determined by the academic department and the Office of Academic Affairs but in NO case will that limit exceed 25 students.

C. Instructors

Instructors of WI courses are required to participate in the WI professional development program as organized and run by the QCC WID WAC Program. Only faculty members who have participated in or are participating in the WI Professional Development program may teach WI classes.

V. ADMINISTRATION

Recommendation to the Academic Senate to create a standing Committee on WID WAC as follows:

The Committee on WID/WAC shall consist of the director or one co-director of the WID/WAC Program, three (3) WI certified faculty members from a cross-section of disciplines, one student, and a designee from the Office of Academic Affairs as ex-officio without vote.

The Committee on WID/WAC shall:

1. Oversee and make recommendations to the Academic Senate related to the WID/WAC Program;
2. Review the criteria for a Writing Intensive (WI) class;
3. Recommend changes in the criteria for a WI class to the Curriculum Committee for its approval, which shall be final;
4. Oversee a continuing WID/WAC Faculty Professional Development Program with the Office of Academic Affairs;
5. Hear and decide student cases requesting a waiver from any WI degree requirements;
6. Make the final decision on the designation of a course or section as WI;
7. Insure that all classes designated as WI meet the criteria for a WI class;
8. Coordinate with the Curriculum Committee on issues concerning curriculum.

VI. DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

1. Faculty
   1. Each academic year the WID WAC Program will organize a WI professional development program in order to “certify” faculty to teach WI classes.
   2. The Office of Academic Affairs will ensure that appropriate compensation for the WID WAC Directors (course releases) and appropriate compensation for faculty involved in the WI professional development workshop series (e.g. stipend or course release) is included in the budget for the QCC WID WAC Program.
   3. Faculty will be offered a stipend or course release for participating in the WI professional development workshop series. The workshop series will include at least 16 hours of such workshops. Such workshops will include the submission of complete WI Class Portfolios (or other forms of assessing the implementation of the WI criteria) as defined by the WID WAC Directors, and will include regular meetings with CUNY Graduate Writing Fellows. The WID WAC Directors will use the WI Class Portfolio to make recommendations to the WID WAC Committee regarding whether or not a proposed WI class shall be “certified” by the WID WAC Committee, and therefore be eligible to be taught as WI. Every third year after initially teaching a WI class, faculty members will submit a WI Class Portfolio as defined by the WID WAC Directors to be used for “recertification” of WI status; appropriate recommendations will then be made by the WID WAC Coordinators to the WID WAC Committee pertaining to “recertification” of WI class or course status. For faculty members teaching more than one WI class or course, only one WI Class portfolio need be submitted for recertification.
   4. Adjunct Faculty who are assigned WI Classes by their academic department shall be given the same support as full time faculty for the development and instruction of WI Courses.
2. Students
   Students in each WI class will be offered assistance (e.g. classroom-based tutor; small group tutoring support) from the ISSC in order to support faculty members and students in the writing requirement of the class.