Writing Across the Curriculum

 Resources for Faculty

Improving Students' Writing Project
This new initiative came out of the Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLO) Communication subcommittee and offers
the services of writing consultants / coaches to work on improving student writing in departments and programs across the college.
(This is part of the larger “Closing the Loop” ISLO Initiative.)   See attached flier for more information (or scroll down for more information)!

Faculty Workshop Series:  I Assigned a Research Paper - What the Heck Is This?
This three-part workshop series will help you create or improve research paper assignments and assessment criteria.   All workshops will be offered on the Lowell campus by MCC “Writing Coaches” Jill Keller, Denise Marchionda and Ellen Nichols.  Compensation in the amount of $250 will be paid to faculty who attend all three sessions, develop or revise a research assignment and assessment rubric as a result, and agree to implement and evaluate the impact of that assignment on the quality of student research writing during the Fall 2009 semester.   
See the attached flier for more information and an application!
Sponsored by the Improving Students' Writing Project 
Wednesday, February 4, 1:00-2:30, Wednesday, March 4, 1:00-2:30,  & Wednesday, April 1, 1:00-2:00 

 

Want to focus a department or division meeting around improving students’ communication skills?

Need a Coach?

Concerned about students’ writing, numeracy, oral presentation, information and/or technology literacy skills?  Need some quick, simple ideas for improving these communication skills in your classes?  Need some expertise to help you identify important criteria for these skills?  Wondering what you should be able to expect from students based on their pre-requisite or concurrent Writing and Math courses?

Invite a Coach to your department/division meeting!

FAQs:  What are some of the things that a coach can do with faculty at a department or division meeting?  Coaches will attend your meeting and provide you with an overview of the many services they can offer, and/or they can come and work with you on a specific project, e.g.:

·    Developing rubrics that are appropriate to students’ written and numerical skills

·    Developing exam questions and assignments that elicit the information you are looking for

·    Embedding student use of the Writing Center and/or etutoring for draft revision as a required assignment component

·    Integrating essential information literacy skills into short and long-term assignments

·    Developing effective PowerPoint assignments (including oral presentation skills)

·    Teaching students how to read and analyze data in multiple formats (Numeracy coach will teach this in your class)

Do the coaches get paid for their work?  Yes, faculty coaches are paid stipends for their work.  Professional staff coaches are not able to receive stipends, but they still want to help!

Who can I talk to further about this?

Ellen Nichols (x3805) and Elise Martin (x3572)

How can I get a coach to come to a department or division meeting?

Call Elise Martin (x3572)

What if I want to implement a change in my course, based on work done with a coach at a department or division meeting?  There is minigrant funding available for which faculty are encouraged to apply to implement new strategies and evaluate their effectiveness.