Professional Writing Program
**Please note that the information provided below is drawn from 2003–2004 data. Also note that the Professional Writing Program, being a new program in the College, has not yet conducted a formal assessment. The Program collects course evaluation information and student feedback on advising; the Program prepares an annual review report. The Program plans to conduct outside, formal review and assessment for 2007–2008).
Learning Outcomes:
- should understand and be prepared to negotiate the organizational, disciplinary, and cultural contexts for writing.
- should be strong writers, with evidence of their writing abilities—and abilities to reflect on those skills and their own writing.
Assessment Methods:
We have not formally assessed any of these goals. We are in the process of revising the Program assessment plan so that we may do so. In the meantime, we collect SIRS and narrative student evaluations of courses and teaching, and also collect student evaluation of Program advising.
Assessment Results:
-n/a
Action Taken:
-n/a
Results from Action Taken:
-n/a
Future plans:
Assessment Methods: The Program has developed an assessment plan (and is currently revising that plan) that directly corresponds to evaluating student learning outcomes. The assessment plan is currently as follows:
Criteria for evaluating the BA program:
- Quality indicators for professional writing faculty (e.g., “Indicators of Quality” as tracked by the department)
- Benchmarking with peer institutions
- Student satisfaction and formative response:
-as evidenced in advising evaluations
-as evidenced in course evaluations
-as evidenced in exit survey for majors (Upon completion of their degree, every student will be asked to complete a written evaluation commenting on their overall experience in the BA program.)
- Alumni satisfaction:
-as evidenced in periodic surveys of program alumni to determine their views of the program over time
Means of assessing student outcomes:
- Quality of student writing
-Quality of student work in required, experiential senior workshop or internship: WRA 455, WRA 493D, or WRA 493E
-Quality of student work samples of student work; student portfolios
-Quality of student work achievements of students in program (e.g., STC awards, publications, fellowships and scholarships)
- Student job placement
-Graduate program placement: Percentage of students who apply and are admitted to graduate programs (key factor: # of acceptances vs. applications; quality of graduate programs for which student is accepted)
-Job placement: Percentage of students with positions in work areas related to disciplinary training within 3 years of graduation (key factor: quality/level of job, student satisfaction with job)
Fifth-year self-study and sixth-year external evaluation
- In the fifth year of the program (AY 2007–2008), the department will conduct a formal self-study using the quality measures above and assessing program performance and student outcomes over the first five years of the program.
- Following up on the self-study, the College of Arts and Letters will conduct a formal external review of the BA program in its sixth year (AY 2008–2009) to determine whether the program is meeting its educational and programmatic goals. This external evaluation should include reviewers from other BA programs in professional writing, but also nonacademic representatives from business/industry and at least one alumnus/a of the program.