Faculty Projects
Determining Retention and Graduation Rates of Writing Center Clients
Janet L. Hagemann
The Writing Center was created to meet the advanced writing needs of the SJSU population and to increase retention and graduation rates by providing effective one-on-one tutoring. My objective in conducting this research is to compare retention and graduation rates of student who utilized the Writing Center with retention and graduation rates of a comparable group of students who have not used the Writing Center.
In spring 2012, I will begin a random search of Writing Center clients from English 1B courses from Spring 2007-2008. Once I have identified 25 English 1B students who used the Writing Center during that time period, I will track a control group of students from those same English 1B courses who did not use the Writing Center.
I will note the following information for each student:
- Number of times that student utilized the Writing Center
- English 1A and 1B course grade
- Major
- GPA
- Grade in 100A (if applicable)
- Grade in 100W
- Student’s graduation information
After accumulating and studying this data for 50 or more students, I will compile my findings in a report. I anticipate that the data will indicate a positive correlation between student use of the Writing Center and student graduation and retention rates.
Timeline for Spring 2012:
Note: I expect to be able to track 5 students per week – approximately 40 students through February and March. My initial objective will be to identify students who were in English 1B during the period from spring 2007-spring 2008. Our online appointment system has changed since that time, and I am not sure how difficult it will be to gather that data. Once those students have been identified, I anticipate it will be somewhat easier to locate students who were in those same English 1B classes but who did not use the Writing Center.
February: I will begin collecting a pool of Writing Center clients who were in English 1B during the Spring 2007-Spring 2008 semesters. As I locate students who meet those criteria, I will also track the data listed above for each student.
March: I will continue tracking students until I have a cohort of 25 students who meet the criteria. Then I will begin collecting a pool of 25 students who were in the same English 1B courses as the cohort group but did not use the Writing Center.
April: Begin writing the report summarizing the data and my findings.
May: Finish and revise the report
In addition to my work on this project, I will begin work on the Writing Center Annual Report, 2011-2012 in April.
The Assistant Writing Specialist (AWS) Program
Michelle Hager
The Writing Center implemented the Assistant Writing Specialist (AWS) program in January 2011, at the start of the spring 2011 semester. Applicants for the Assistant Writing Specialist position must complete the same intensive training as full upper-division and graduate-level Writing Specialists. However, AWSs are sophomore-level students who have not yet taken the WST, completed 100W, and achieved upper-division standing. Once an AWS has completed the above tasks, he or she has the potential to become a full Writing Specialist.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, I completed the following tasks:
1. Created the program for Assistant Writing Specialists.
- Decided upon pay scale, general qualifications, and hiring criteria for the new position.
- Created the full job description.
- Posted the full job description on the Writing Center web page.
- Conducted all steps of the hiring process with all prospective Assistant Writing Specialists.
- Hired four Assistant Writing Specialists during the 2010-2011 academic year.
2. Maintained the program for Assistant Writing Specialists.
- Assisted AWSs with their daily tutoring responsibilities.
- Answered questions from the Assistant Writing Specialists as they adjusted to their new positions at the Center.
- Helped the AWSs deal with difficult tutees, problematic tutoring sessions, and instructor concerns/complaints.
- Provided critical commentary about the e-mail messages and "Homegrown Handouts" created by the AWSs.
- Discussed ways to improve tutoring sessions with the AWSs on an individual basis.
- Helped AWSs reach a spring 2011 average evaluation score of 93%.
The Assistant Writing Specialist program has benefited the university and the Writing Center in a few key ways: (1) it has helped to draw in freshman and sophomore level (lower-division) tutees; (2) it has allowed exceptional lower-division students to become tutors at the Center and get excellent professional job experience; (3) it has allowed the Center to retain high-quality tutors for a lengthier period of time; and (4) it has increased the diversity of the Center since the AWSs are ethnically diverse and from different major departments.
The Web Presence of the SJSU Writing Center
Michelle Hager
One of my primary on-going responsibilities is to maintain and promote the web presence of the Center. During the 2010-2011 academic year, I accomplished the following tasks:
1. Updated the official Writing Center website.
- Reorganized the website.
- Made all necessary updates.
- Uploaded new Homegrown Handouts.
- Maintained the workshop schedule.
- Posted pictures and bios of new tutors.
- Posted new pictures from the Center.
- Collected and posted "testimonials" from instructors and tutees.
2. Created and updated the Facebook fan page for the Writing Center.
- Publicized the new Facebook fan page.
- Posted "tips of the week" from our tutors.
- Posted relevant updates about the Center (announcements, hours, services, etc.).
- Shared relevant links.
- Reviewed page statistics.
- Helped the Center gain 205 individual Facebook "fans" (as of September 2011).
- Helped the Center gain 24 page "fans" from a variety of sources (other SJSU groups, a PR firm in South Dakota, an editing service in Oregon, and other Writing Centers throughout the nation, including Texas A&M, private university WCs in New York and North Carolina, a state college in Florida, etc.).
These online projects have been crucial public relations activities for the Center. They have publicized the Center to both SJSU faculty and students and other universities, Writing Centers, and scholars throughout the nation.
Student Tracking Project
Gloria Collins
In the Fall of 2011, I began tracking random groups of students from English and LLD 100A courses beginning with Spring 2010. I noted the following information for each student:
- Community college transfer or SJSU student?
- English 1A and 1B course grade
- Major
- GPA
- WST scores
- Grade in 100A
- Grade in 100W
- Student’s graduation information
After accumulating and studying this data from at least 60 students, I will report the trends and patterns that emerge. I am sure this information will reveal grading patterns in writing courses, how the WST measures our students’ writing abilities, how the test predicts performance in 100A, how students do in 100W after taking 100A, and other eye-opening facts we cannot currently anticipate.
I hope this report will inform the Writing Requirements Committee about various issues that concern the entire campus community: the state of student writing in general, the literacy expected of students at graduation, the standards and expectations we have of native speakers vs. English Language Learners (ELL), and the application of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) at SJSU.
I hope that this report will help the Writing Requirements Committee and writing instructors
all over campus improve writing instruction for our diverse students.
Timeline for Spring 2012:
Note: I hope to track 10 students per week – 80 students over the course of February and March.
February: Continue tracking 100A students, and track some students who did not take 100A.
March: Continue tracking students, and if time permits, begin interviewing 100A and 100W instructors for their feedback.
April: Begin writing the report
May: Finish and revise the report
