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Examples of Assessment by Institution |
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University of Rochester: All students in the College must complete the Primary Writing Requirement. This is most commonly done by completing WRT 105, which is taught primarily by graduate students from several disciplines. The College Writing Program regularly assesses these instructors and undergraduates in these courses.
The Program requires all incoming instructors to complete a writing pedagogy course, to participate in a teaching practicum during their first two semesters teaching, and to meet the Program’s expectations for ongoing assessment. Directors work with a small group of new instructors for guided reviews and discussion of each new instructor's' responses to students’ rough drafts and grades on final drafts. Regular classroom observation by experienced mentors, completion of mid-semester and semester-end student evaluations, instructor self-assessments, and regular consultation with the directors of the program provide instructors with ample feedback and guidance.
In 2005, the Writing Program began a long-term formal assessment of student essays from the primary writing courses. The Program reviewed more than 100 final papers from the previous semester and assessed them along several specified criteria. Early results suggested that students were developing an understanding of college argument structure, but had not adequately shifted from the high school report mode of presenting other views to the more sophisticated method of using arguments to find the best answer or explanation. This finding resulted in greater emphasis in instructor training on strategies for teaching students to further engage and evaluate sources and to develop and respond to counter-arguments.
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University of Rochester |
