UH System-wide Standing Committee on Writing

This form is based on the document "Procedures and Policies for University of Hawai`i Writing Intensive Program to Provide for Inter-Campus Articulation of Writing-Intensive Course Designations, April 1988."

According to the 1998 Inter-Campus Articulation agreement, each campus will annually submit to the University-wide Writing Committee a description of how its WI program addresses the concerns listed below.  Campus WI Program director may provide supporting or qualifying details in the blank spaces below questions, or may append additional materials as needed.

Upon receipt of each description the Committee will review, advise, and recommend action on inter-campus articulation of the campus's WI courses.

Campus:          Hawaii Community College       Date:                   April 26, 1999               
Submitted by :        Birch Robison                     Title:  Associate Professor, CC  Reading 

 

I. PROGRAM SUPPORT

 
Personnel    Yes   No
1. Is the program directed by a person who has been appointed and given appropriate released time to supervise the program? (Note: For the last few years, the Committee has interpreted "appropriate released time" as "support that is appropriate for the program’s current size and state of development"-TH)

The WI Coordinator, appointed by the Faculty Senate,  received three-credits assigned time  for  each semester of AY 1998-99.  Assigned time for the AY 1999-2000 is presently being negotiated,  but eventual approval is doubtful.
 

    x         
2. Who assists the director in supervising the program?

Faculty Board
Secretary/Student Assistant
Others _________
Other ____________

The Writing Intensive Committee (WICC)  consists  of one faculty from each of the following units:  Art & Humanities, Social Science & Humanities, Math & Natural Sciences, Nursing,  and the Library.  WICC  assists the WI Coordinator with program implementation, primarily with the review and approval of WI applications and the year-end evaluation report

 

 

     x         
           x  
  ___ ___
  ___ ___

 

 

 

 
3. Do the director and board members have adequate professional/secretarial/clerical assistance to support their work and maintain records necessary for articulation of writing-intensive courses?

The WI Coordinator does all the clerical work.  Since most of the forms and procedures of  the WI program at HawCC have been developed, clerical work is routine and can be adequately managed by the WI Coordinator.  Clerical assistance for a major report is available, however, upon request to the Office of the  Dean of Instruction.

 

     x         
4. Does a network of support exist for instructors of writing-intensive courses?

The WI  instructors have available to them several resources:  the WI Coordinator, who provides one-on-one consultation for teaching of writing activities: the Writing Lab Coordinator for the Learning Center, who instructs her tutors on how to assist students in the writing-intensive classes; and the HawCC  Educator and Outreach Librarian, who provides library instruction and tours.

 

     x         
Overall Teaching Load and Class Size   Yes   No
5. Are classes designated as writing-intensive limited to 20 students so that effective interaction between instructor and student can occur?

 

     x         
6. Are teaching loads of instructors such that courses can be planned for and carried out in a way that is true to the spirit of the guidelines and that does not add unreasonably to the overall workload of the instructor?

 

     x         
7. Is the teaching of writing-intensive courses appropriately rewarded in review processes, including tenure and promotions?

It is still unclear how the teaching of writing-intensive courses is rewarded.  It is the general feeling among liberal arts  faculty that instructors of writing-intensive courses should be highly commended for doing so. However, there is no evidence indicating that this is considered positively  in the tenure and promotion processes.

 

               
Student Needs Yes   No
8. Are enough writing-intensive courses offered so students can meet graduation or degree requirements?

HawCC requires one WI-designated course for completion of the AA degree.  It was decided in a meeting of division chairs,  the Dean of Instruction,  and the WI Coordinator that three WI-designated courses per semester  would be adequate for the number of HawCC liberal  arts graduates.   HawCC  meets that  need at present, and a list of active WI-designated courses  is  provided as Attachment #1.  However, there is a strong need for more  involvement  from content area teachers in order to offer a more diverse selection  of WI courses across the curriculum.

 

     x         
9. Are writing-intensive courses clearly designated in class schedules?

 

      x         
10. Are students advised about the availability of and purposes for writing-intensive courses through regular campus publications?

Information about writing-intensive courses is provided in the school catalog and  schedule of classes.  This year a HawCC web site was set up with links from the HawCC web site and links to the UH-Manoa Program as well as other useful sources.  Its address is <http://www.hawaii.edu:801/wwwwriting/WI>

 

 

     x         
11. Can students who need help on writing problems get help, either from instructors or from staff in a writing workshop or laboratory?

 

     x         
12. Are writing-intensive designations recorded and explained on student transcripts?

WI designations are recorded on the transcript but as yet not explained.

 

               
Budget Yes   No
13.  Have adequate funds been provided to support the program?

For the AY 1998-99, the administration supported three-credits assigned time for each semester for a WI Coordinator.  Next  year, however, this support will probably not continue.

 

  

    x         
II. COURSE DESIGNATION PROCESS

 

   Yes   No
1. Is the writing-intensive designation process reasonable, explained to faculty, and followed regularly by program administrators?

The WI Coordinator informs faculty of  the writing-intensive designation process via several means:  one-on-one consultation for interested faculty, announcements of deadlines and procedures  via the HawCC faculty listserv, and a WI web site with a link from the school's official  web site.  The HawCC WI web site provides information about procedures and deadlines; in addition,  all application  forms are available for copying.

 

    x         
2. Does the designation process include the following:
  • a) Publicizing the hallmarks of writing-intensive courses
  • b) Soliciting Proposals from individual faculty members
  • c) Reviewing proposals
  • d) Approving designation of courses as writing-intensive
  • e) Notifying appropriate personnel of such designations

Procedures and application forms have been updated since a year ago and such information is included in Attachment #2.


     x         
    x         
    x         
    x         
    x         
3. Does the program offer an option for WI designations that extend beyond a single semester? If yes, please add a brief description of the option.

 

           x   
III.   EVALUATION PROCEDURES

 

   Yes   No
1. Is there a program of evaluation that assesses writing-intensive courses to see if they are doing what they are supposed to do-help students improve their writing?

The WI Coordinator oversees the evaluation process each semester and distributes evaluation questionnaires to each active WI instructor.   Near the end of each semester,  each active WI instructor asks  students to evaluate the writing- intensive aspect of the course and then summarizes the feedback.  The completed student evaluations and the teacher summary are returned  to the WI Coordinator,  who in turn shares this information with the WICC.  The WI Coordinator writes a year-end  report summarizing  all evaluations and individual teacher summaries  and makes this report available to the WICC,  Faculty Senate, and the Dean of Instruction.  Information from the process helps the WI Coordinator to advise WI instructors more effectively.

 

     x         
2. Do program supervisors monitor the progress of students as they move through writing-intensive courses?

 

            x     
IV. FACULTY TRAINING PROGRAM

 

 Yes   No
1. Are training programs in writing intensive course instruction provided for faculty who want to participate in them?

 

     x         
2.  Are orientation sessions provided at the beginning of each semester for instructors new to writing intensive course instructions.

Training is available when necessary.  This semester, however,  the new WI faculty   were all writing instructors so training was not needed. 

 

     x         
3. Are resources provided for instructors new to writing intensive course instruction?

The resources available are the WI Coordinator, WI committee members, and the writing tutors in the Learning Center.

 

     x