The Writing Initiative: Granted, Technology Makes Better Writers

Granted, Technology Makes Better Writers Ken Ronkowitz and Greg Fallon Passaic County Community College

Historical Backdrop
Recommendation from Middle States (April 2004)
Response: The College Writing Committee
Information gathering
focus groups
Surveys
Visits
research)

Historical Backdrop
Faculty Survey (FA 04, 80+% response rate from faculty)
Development of ideas (63% dissatisfied)
Support of ideas (64% dissatisfied)
Preparation in research (65% dissatisfied)
Editing, proofreading (82% dissatisfied)
Preparation in grammar (79% dissatisfied)
Ability to evaluate info (66% dissatisfied)
Ability to synthesize info from various sources (71% dissatisfied)
Develop thinking best through writing (81% agree)

College Writing Committee Recommendations to the Academic Council (Fall 2006)
Student grad requirement of two W-I courses ;
Faculty training in writing and critical thinking integration for W-I instructors;
Establishment of college-level writing center ;
Ongoing assessment of student writing and critical thinking skills development;
Online resources (eTutoring, ePortfolios, and others) to aid students in improving writing and critical thinking skills;
Writing partnerships formed w/ 4-yr schools and other institutions;
Writing activities developed in coordination with College’s own developmental and ESL programs along w/ local high schools ; and
Advisory board , made up of PCCC faculty and staff members, formed to help guide the College Writing Initiative.

Approval Of Title V Grant Application
Title V grant proposal for $2.5 M over 5 yrs. (Summer 2007)
Develop 20 distinct, W-I gen ed courses (w/ multiple sections);
Provide comprehensive training (w/ stipends) for faculty;
Create and staff college-level writing center for student and faculty support; and
Develop and provide extensive online resources and writing support.

Writing improves through writing
Technology can improve the teaching of writing and
the resulting student writing.

Change Agents
Low/No Tech
Writing Intensive redesign of Gen Ed courses
Professional development
Writing Center
Standardized rubrics for writing, critical thinking, info literacy
Tech-Driven
ePortfolio
LibGuides
eTutoring
Blackboard
Portal COL 102
Media – FMG, wpunj.edu/ njvid
Blogs
Podcasting
and…

PCCC’s Graduate Writing Exam
Unique in NJ Higher Education (?)
Students are not awarded their degrees without passing an essay examination near the end of their degree program.
Eligible to take the exam upon successful completion of Composition II and upon having attained at least half of the credits needed for graduation.
Offered throughout the year
Given two topics from which to choose: one pertaining to their major and a general topic
Students who fail on their first attempt are strongly encouraged to arrange to work with a tutor from the testing center before taking the exam again.

Accountability & the GWE
Pass/Fail 1-12 holistic scale 7+ is passing
65% pass (mostly 7’s) on first attempt
The Initiative hopes to improve
The average to 8
Passing to 85%
An increased number of essays at 9-12
The GWE is not THE measure of our success, but… WHY?

Changing Accountability
Reacting to U.S. D of Ed and Congressional criticisms of Middle States & other accrediting agencies…
Are they truly holding colleges accountable?
Are they too collegial? 

Changing Accountability
Suggestions made include more objective measures be used in the accrediting process, such as standardized exams for students.
The proposals in some ways are similar to the “No Child Left Behind” programs for K-12.
While the exact impact on colleges is not currently known, we can expect a far more rigorous review in the future with particular emphasis on Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning Outcomes .

Using Technology Tools Consortiums Collaboration Web 2.0 Online Apps

eTutoring.org
Northeast eTutoring Consortium (30+ schools)
Shared resources among the participating members; we provide writing tutor

eTutoring Platform
Synchronous & Asynchronous
Synchronous (using Macromedia Breeze™) for chat with whiteboard, application & file sharing, audio & video
Asynchronous tools
online Question Queue where students can submit questions
Online Resource Center - links, tips, & techniques for improved writing skills.
Online Writing Lab 

eTutoring - Online Writing Lab
Students request help with written assignments by submitting their documents (see online form)
All correspondence is archived—a complete document revision history exists (students may submit 3 drafts of all assignments)
Interested in being an eTutor?

The Freshman Year Experience
A required 1-credit course (w/ plans to expand to a 2-credit hybrid) that can also serve as an introduction to the aims and resources of the W-I courses:
information literacy; online library databases; LibGuides; eTutoring; ePortfolio; online journaling…

“ Library 2.0” – easy read/write and collaboration for librarians and faculty for resources and shared links
Community - 130+ libraries world wide, 2,500+ librarians who share ideas, content, and collaborate on creating guides.
http://www.springshare.com/libguides/

pccc.libguides.com
Hosted service
Shared edit access to pages
Easily embed videos, RSS feeds and podcasts
Import Del.icio.us tag clouds
Enables tagging of content and
organizing guides by subject categories.
LibGuides browser button to quickly add weblinks to your Guides.

pccc.libguides.com
Insert dynamic scripts for web forms, catalog search boxes, or online databases search boxes inside your guides.
Widgets to embed library content into any blog, website, social network, or courseware system. (Flash components that can be placed inside any page with a simple <object> tag)
Track usage statistics for your Guides
Share Guides on del.icio.us, and 

LibGuides In Facebook
first library app available to Facebook’s 50 million users
users select LibGuides from apps list
app will recognize the user's school affiliation and present them with their "home" system.
distribute library content across the web
meet students where they are
improve visibility of resources & services

ePortfolios Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC)
student-centered platform
augmented by a Project Builder and an Assessment module
Students create and customize portfolios for academic, career, or personal uses
maintain their plan of study
share their work, goals, and achievements with advisors, career counselors, and employers
ePortfolio.org is a hosted application (no additional IT hardware or staffing)
enterprise level Data Center 24/365

ePortfolios Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC)
Faculty, departments, and institutions can create portfolio assignments linked to scoring rubrics.
Assessment committees can randomly select portfolios, score them with rubrics, and generate assessment reports.
ePortfolio is integrated with Blackboard or Vista allowing for Single Sign-On & students may select previously uploaded files in Blackboard’s Content Management system to be included in their electronic portfolio.

Entry Wizard Page

NJ Collaborations?
Writing
Writing assessment & accountability
Using technology to improve writing
ePortfolios
2.0 tools
Consortiums
Northeast  NJ?

The Writing Initiative: Granted, Technology Makes Better Writers

by Ken Ronkowitz

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