How to Get the Writing You Want: Spring 2011 Writing in the Disciplines
Teaching & Learning Symposium
Thursday, 1/20/11
8:30-12:00
TC-103B, Haverhill Campus
Sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Center
CLICK HERE to view resources and materials from the event!
Do you need strategies for enhancing student writing? Are you interested in developing writing assignments that get better results? Are you looking for suggestions for informal and/or formal writing assignments? Or are you interested in how other instructors evaluate writing, including informal assignments and online discussion boards? This symposium supplies ideas and tactics for increasing your students’ writing proficiency.
The Writing in the Disciplines Open Forum on October 25, 2010 began a conversation about student writing and how it is supported in all content areas at NECC. The symposium continues this conversation by addressing some of the areas of concern and inquiry that were prominent at the forum.
The Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) committee has been working closely with instructors across the disciplines to develop student success with the “learn to write/write to learn” paradigm. Also, WAC strategies can support the NECC core academic skill of Communication. Members of the WAC committee will share information about assigning and evaluating writing, and will be available for consultations to discuss the writing in your courses.
Members of the WAC committee include:
Kristi Arford, Judith Pollock Ciampi, Emily Gonzalez, Laurie Gordy, Meredith Gunning, Marc Mannheimer, Pat Morrow, Lynne Nadeau, Clare Thompson-Ostrander, Barbara Stachniewicz, Elle Yarborough
Program Details
| Program Schedule | |
|---|---|
| 8:30-9:00 | Continental Breakfast Program begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. |
| 9:00-9:55 |
Crafting effective assignments: To get the essays, research papers, and other written responses that you want, you have to craft a writing assignment that students will understand and act on appropriately. This workshop first gives strategies for creating effective writing assignments. The second part of the workshop includes suggestions for interactive class sessions that teach students to analyze an assignment and generate a plan for completing it. Bonus: suggestions for informal writing assignments. |
| 10:00–10:50 |
Evaluation strategies: Do you struggle with deciding how much and what type of feedback to give students? Have you tried using rubrics for grading formal and/or informal assignments? This workshop will provide effective strategies for evaluation of written work from a variety of disciplines. We will share examples of constructive feedback for papers and examples of rubrics to assist in grading assignments such as exams and on-line discussion boards. |
| 10:50-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00–12:00 |
Consultation with WAC committee members: Are you interested in meeting one-on-one to review your rubrics or assignments? Are you already teaching a writing-intensive course, even though you haven’t applied to receive a WI designation (with its attendant cap of 22 students per class)? Here’s your opportunity to consult with WAC committee members regarding specific assignments, syllabi, or Writing Intensive course criteria. To make these sessions more relevant to each of you, please feel free to bring any syllabi, assignment sheets, rubrics, or samples of student writing. |