Faculty-student driven five-year plan focuses on writing instruction
OXFORD,
Miss. – A two-year campuswide collaboration at the University of
Mississippi, driven by students and faculty, has identified student
writing as a top priority and resulted in a five-year reorganization
plan to improve the way writing is being taught.
To meet part of
the requirements for reaccreditation by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools this year, the university organized a Quality
Enhancement Plan task force in fall 2006 to identify a student learning
outcome that could be improved. After much research and discussion,
with guidance from other students and faculty, administrators, staff
and alumni, the task force zeroed in on student writing.
“Good
writing complements good thinking,” said John Winkle, professor of
political science and chair of the QEP topic selection task force. “The
ability to write well enhances and solidifies the ability to think
well. Emphasizing writing will help students to communicate more
confidently and more effectively once they graduate from Ole Miss.”
The QEP proposal, which includes precise goals, new writing initiatives and methods of evaluation, goes public this week. The publicity campaign, which includes special campus activities involving faculty, staff and students, is scheduled through Feb. 27.
SACS representatives are scheduled to make their reaccreditation visit to campus Feb. 24-26.
“The Quality Enhancement Plan is a core requirement of the SACS reaccreditation process,” said Stephen Monroe, assistant to the dean of liberal arts and member of the QEP steering committee.
The plan calls for hiring new faculty who specialize in writing, expanding and enhancing the existing Writing Center, and creating a seed-grant program for faculty. The university also plans to adopt technologies to encourage and support student writers. E-portfolios, for example, will enable students to collect and share their writing over a single semester or even over an entire college career.
“Writing is a fundamental skill that all educational institutions should pass along to their students,” said QEP task force member Leigh McWhite, library archivist and assistant professor. “Effective communication is not just necessary for earning a good grade on classroom assignments, it’s also essential for career advancement.”
Early intervention in a student’s UM experience is a high priority, Monroe said. “Right now, almost all first-year students take English 101. The QEP proposes an additional option and an accurate placement process, so that students can benefit from targeted instruction.”
Input from students has been highly valued throughout the process, including student representation on all planning committees, as well as other input, such as the QEP logo being created by students in a graphic design class.
Sederia Gray, a junior liberal arts major from Starkville who is director of academic affairs on the Associated Student Body, has been a participant in the QEP development process. After communicating with fellow students, including holding several focus group discussions, Gray brought to the table such concerns as the need for longer hours for the Student Writing Center, more focus on writing in English 101 and Liberal Arts 102, and more writing instruction for math and science majors.
“QEP is going to be a great asset to incoming students who need extra help in writing,” Gray said. “Even though math and science majors must deal with numbers, there is a writing aspect involved.
“Furthermore, students coming from schools that are not properly funded can grasp those writing skills that they did not learn before jumping into upper level classes that assume the basics have already been learned.”
To better meet students’ needs, plans call for transforming the Writing Center into a Center for Writing and Rhetoric and moving it to a more visible location, possibly the Lamar Law Building. It will operate as a separate academic unit under its own director, with some oversight from the liberal arts dean. Several existing courses are to be moved under the center, including English 101, 102 and 250, as well as Liberal Arts 102.
“The QEP will enhance the good work that our English instructors are already carrying out by providing better support for their efforts,” said QEP steering committee co-chair Ethel Young-Minor, associate professor of English and African-American studies.
While initiatives for the freshman year focus on providing a good foundation in writing, other elements of the proposal involve discipline-specific instruction. In the School of Education, for example, a high priority is placed on producing teachers with sound writing skills.
“For states like Mississippi, writing is the nexus for lifting people and communities out of poverty and changing lives,” said QEP steering committee co-chair Amy Wells, associate professor of leadership and counselor education. “Teachers must write well to not only enhance their confidence but also to promote students’ learning and critical thinking. Better writers and thinkers make for stronger communities.”
For more information on QEP, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/qep .