Minutes from the 11/15/07 meeting

WAC Committee Meeting Minutes
11/15/07

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

The committee welcomed Dan Miller to the meeting to speak about possible methods of assessing both the W.I. program and student outcomes in regard to writing. After much discussion, the committee and Dan agreed that the committee should prepare in 07/08 for the first round of departmental assessment of writing skills of their majors in 08/09. Dan suggested that the appropriate time for WI assessment in the disciplines would be no sooner than 2009, and many departments will probably do theirs at the end of the first full cycle of WI in 2010. During this spring and next year, departments should identify what discipline-specific writing traits they want to test and should find or create the instruments to assess those traits in their graduating seniors. The WAC Committee should start planning how to assist departments in their writing assessment.

Alan Wallace announced that Anne Cassidy has agreed to be the representative from the Fine Art’s Division, and the committee’s liaison with the Heritage program.

Jean Preston presented a draft of a letter to the Administration requesting a wage for Writing Fellows more equitable to what wages are for other student positions on campus. The committee requested a second draft, revises per committee suggestions, be sent to the committee via email for further input and/or committee endorsement.

The committee approved the renewal of Pam Smiley’s Interpreting Literature course for W.I. renewal. The other proposals and renewals on the agenda will be voted on by the committee via email.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jean Preston