General Education Writing Links Program
Administrators and Instructors Agreement
Fall 2006—Spring 2006
This document outlines policies for the General Education Writing Links Program. It informs instructors and administrators about basic curricular arrangements, the level of collaboration expected, degree of curricular linking, instructor deliverables, and compensation. Instructors are asked to sign this document as evidence of assent to the following policies.
1. Curricular Arrangements:
1.1. Seminar Model: This model links a 24-student composition class to another small-sized class. The goal is to get a one-to-one ratio of linked student in each class (i.e., no non-linked student in either class). If the non-composition course has a slightly higher enrollment, the enrollment should be lowered to meet the maximum class size of the composition course. The small size of the seminar model makes it possible for a “tighter link” with more shared assignments and more writing assignments in the non-composition course. The instructor of the non-composition course is therefore expected to collaborate more closely with the composition instructor and make changes to the course to ensure a tight link. The non-composition course instructor will be compensated at a higher level for the additional planning and work that accompanies a tighter link (see #5 below). It is possible that new seminar-sized links may experience low enrollments in both courses initially. Department administrators should allow these courses to make on an experimental basis, unless enrollments continue to be low in successive semesters.
1.2. Lecture Model: This model links a 24-student composition course to a non-composition course with enrollments over 40 students. This means that the non-composition, or “lecture” course, will contain a mixed population of students, some who are enrolled in the link and some who are only enrolled in the lecture course. Because of limitations of SIS and ADASTRA, it is necessary to create two separate sections of the non-composition course that share the same time and room location but that have different call numbers. This allows both populations of students to enroll in the lecture course and ensures a higher enrollment in the lecture course. The population of students in the composition course should only contain students enrolled in the link (i.e., the population of the composition courses should never be “mixed”). Because only a portion of students enrolled in the lecture course will be enrolled in the link, the lecture course instructor is not expected to change his or her course significantly. The lecture course instructor is, however, expected to collaborate with the composition course instructor to help the composition course instructor create a “loose link” that takes advantage of the lecture course’s subject matter, themes, texts, and/or assignments. Because the lecture course instructor is not expected to change his or her course as significantly as in a seminar-sized link, he or she will be compensated less (see #5 below). (NOTE: If a department so desires, a seminar-sized version of the lecture course can be created, which would create a “writing-intensive,” “tight-link” version of the course.)
2. Collaboration:
2.1. Open-Mindedness: The goal of the Writing Links program is to link courses in a way that students experience perceptible ties between the two courses, whether it be “tighter” links based on specific shared assignments or “looser” links based on shared themes or subjects (see Objectives handout). It is assumed that instructors of linked courses will work together to plan and achieve this curricular coherence. Achieving this curricular coherence necessitates that the instructors re-examine their courses and consider changing their texts and/or assignments. Therefore, only instructors who are willing to collaborate with instructors in other disciplines and who are open to changing their courses should participate in this program.
2.2. Duration: Instructors receiving a stipend are expected to teach 2 consecutive semesters of the same link. This 2-semester arrangement helps instructors develop a rapport and make improvements from the initial semester to the second semester. New instructors should be recruited to develop the course for the fall and refine the course in the spring (i.e., do not bring on new instructors in the spring). The pairs of instructors should not be separated or switched halfway through the year. Fall and spring schedules should be arranged as early as possible.
2.3. Frequency: There is no specific requirement about how often instructors should meet; however, there is an expectation that instructors will meet (either face-to-face or “virtually” via e-mail, phone, etc., depending on the pair’s preferences). Instructors planning a seminar-sized link will likely have to meet more often than instructors planning a lecture-sized link. At minimum, the instructors need to meet as often as it takes to produce the two deliverables (see #4 below).
2.4. Faculty Development Meetings: Participating instructors agree to attend and participate in any faculty development meetings scheduled by directors of the Writing Links program.
2.5. Assessment: Instructors agree to cooperate in any assessment activities that require instructor participation, such as surveys, interviews, classroom observations, and grade reports.
3. Curricular Linking:
3.1. Level of Linking: A minimum of 2 shared assignments is required. What constitutes an “assignment” is open to instructor discretion. An assignment could range from a major 6-week writing project to a small 1-hour homework assignment. Indicators of a linked assignment include shared assignments, instructors discussing each other’s assignments with students, discussion of content from the linked course, and the same text(s) used in both classes (which each instructor might approach differently). In this regard, the shared “assignment” could range from a paper written for both classes, to two different papers written on the same subject/same research, or it could even be a classroom discussion where the assignment is the same text read for both classes.
3.2. Grading: Individual instructors retain autonomy when it comes to grading; each teacher is responsible for maintaining and reporting grades for his or her respective class. There is not a requirement that students receive the same final grade in both classes or that shared assignments must receive one grade or the same grade in both classes. However, students tend to assume that shared assignments will receive one grade, so instructors teaching a link need to discuss their evaluation policies for shared assignments up front and in cases when requirements are not the same explain what the differences are and provide a rationale for the differences. It is recommended that instructors prepare detailed assignment sheets for shared assignments that clarify questions of purpose, audience, format, and evaluation. In cases when any of these elements differ between classes, it should be noted and explained. When grading writing assignments it is not appropriate to have a shared grade that assumes the composition instructor grades only “the grammar” and the non-composition teacher grades only the “content.” But the writing teacher might use an analytic scoring rubric, whereas the other teacher assigns a holistic grade, which might justifiably produce different grades on the same assignment.
3.3. Linking in Seminar vs. Lecture Models: In seminar-sized links, more effort should be made to create “tighter” shared assignments, such as the same paper assigned in both classes, where instructors meet to discuss the assignment objectives, structure, and grading criteria. In lecture-sized links, the composition instructor assumes more responsibility to adapt the composition course to the context of the lecture course. In lecture-sized links, the composition instructor is teaching writing in the context of the lecture course, helping students see how writing can be used as a tool for learning and communicating within the subject area of the lecture course. This will necessitate some collaboration with the lecture-course instructor, even though there is less of an expectation the lecture course instructor will change his or her course.
3.4. Freedom to Experiment: These courses should be considered experimental. Department administrators and course supervisors should thus allow link course instructors leeway to tailor instruction to meet the needs of the link, at the same time ensuring that each course preserves its main learning objectives. Course instructors should be allowed to choose textbooks, assignments, and readings that are appropriate to the aims of the link but which may deviate from standard or recommended curriculum materials, provided the instructors can justify they are still meeting course objectives.
4. Instructor Deliverables:
4.1. Pre-Semester Syllabus and Link Plans Report: The pair of instructors must submit their syllabi at the beginning of the semester with a jointly written statement of how they have met the minimum standards for links and plan to work it into the schedule. The exact details of the assignments (e.g., assignment instructions) do not have to be defined, but at least the major linkages must be established up front. Such a deliverable ensures that instructors will meet to discuss link plans. Also, if the links are agreed upon at the beginning of the semester, the instructors will be more likely to collaborate during the semester to iron out the details of the shared assignments.
4.2. Post-Semester Summary and Analysis: Sometime during the final weeks or shortly after the semester ends, the team will submit a jointly written statement summarizing how the link unfolded and what changes the team would make to improve the link.
5. Compensation:
5.1. Seminar-sized links: Both the composition and non-composition instructor will receive a $1,200 stipend for agreeing to participate in the program for 2 consecutive semesters. This stipend is compensation for the extra planning, collaboration, and work involved in creating effective links.
5.2. Lecture-sized links: In lecture-sized links, the non-composition instructor (teacher of the lecture course) will receive a $600 stipend for agreeing to collaborate with the composition instructor and participating in staff development workshops and assessment activities for 2 consecutive semesters. The composition course instructor will receive a $1,200 stipend.
5.3. Obligations: Acceptance of this stipend obligates the instructor to accept the policies set forth in this document, including being open to considering changes to one’s course to create more effective links, participating in faculty development meeting and assessment, and providing instructor deliverables in a timely manner.
5.4. Renewal: Currently, instructors who wish to continue their link beyond the 2-course commitment are not compensated.
5.5. New Course Proposal: Instructors will be eligible for another stipend if they agree to participate in a different link than their original contract.
I have read the above policies and agree to follow them.
Name / Date3