CONNECT Writing Project

Summary

A collaborative group of faculty and staff from the five CONNECT institutions met to develop a rubric with agreed-upon writing outcomes and competencies for all two-semester series of first-year writing courses at all participating colleges. Ninety-seven full time and adjunct faculty then participated in a faculty development conference as part of this model approach for the alignment of general education requirements.

Activity Description:

In accordance with the mission of CONNECT - to promote collaboration among the public institutions of higher education in Southeastern Massachusetts - the Writing Project involved faculty from those institutions in discussions about their general education writing programs to develop an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. A planning group of two faculty members from each participating institution was formed in spring 2004. The ultimate goal is to strengthen transferability between community colleges and the four-year institutions. The joint project focused on learning outcomes and evaluation strategies in the writing sequence (the courses typically called Writing I and Writing II or similar names) each college requires as part of its general education program.

Objective(s) of Activity:

• To articulate and clarify the learning outcomes each institution expects students to achieve in required general education writing courses
• To articulate and clarify the criteria each institution uses to evaluate writing in these courses
• To develop a one-day summer professional development institute to assist CONNECT faculty to revise syllabi and to enrich teaching and evaluation strategies in the required writing sequence
• To develop model syllabi for the use of faculty who teach sections of the required writing sequence
• To plan for project evaluation and dissemination.

Impact/Results of the Activity:

• In an initial meeting, the project participants discussed similarities and differences among campus writing outcomes
• In the summer of 2004, the Writing Project faculty developed common goals for the writing sequence and a common approach to evaluating student achievement
• Participants produced a grid to compile information about writing courses: descriptions, method of placement, texts and assignments, course objectives, evaluation, incorporation of technology and information literacy, and writing across the curriculum activities
• The group developed a rubric with agreed-upon writing outcomes and competencies for all two-semester series of first-year writing courses at all participating colleges
• BCC hosted the Writing Project's planning meeting on January 31
• In the spring of 2005, Writing Project faculty presented at Southern Maine Community College's 2 nd Annual Assessment Conference (in collaboration with NEASC). Their presentation was called "Breaking Barriers for Common Outcomes in First-Year English Courses at Five Colleges."
• A one-day faculty development conference open to all full-time and adjunct faculty was held at Bristol on June 1 with approximately 100 participants
• In the summer of 2005, the group met to plan for a website and handbook for all faculty teaching first-year writing courses at CONNECT institutions.
• On March 24, 2006,The CONNECT First-Year Writing Group Presented at the College Conference on Composition and Communication in Chicago. Read event summary.

Why program/activity is considered a best practice?

The CONNECT Chief Executive Officers have identified as a primary area of collaboration a project to facilitate the transfer of credit among the various institutions. This effort will necessitate working on several dimensions of transferability: program articulation, alignment of general education requirements, coordinated advising for joint Admissions and other potential transfer students at the community colleges, and transcript management. The CONNECT Writing Project faculty have developed a model approach for the alignment of general education requirements. Their conclusions, that regardless of the emphases for Writing I and II at particular institutions, the learning outcomes are similar at the end of the two-course sequence, have also increased the level of trust among faculty at different institutions and created an atmosphere for future collaboration.

Copyright 2006