The Writing Program’s Spring 2025 FYW Faculty Workshop took place on Monday January 27. You can view the presentation document here to see the agenda and more detail on the administrative updates.
First hour: Administrative Updates
Fall 2024 Assessment Report
The group briefly reviewed results of last semester’s FYW placement assessment. In sum: lots of students need additional preparation to set them up for success as college level writers, but our currently online placement tool is not identifying them reliably. Administering an assessment during the first week of class does not give us enough time to score the writing samples and make recommendations for re-placing students. The Writing Program is attempting to change the process so we can conduct an in-person writing assessment during New Student Orientation. However, this will take institutional support.
State Policy Developments
In line with a recent proposal that writing teachers think from a “teacher-scholar-activist” mindset, the group was asked to consider recent policy changes in CA that impact the work we do in our classrooms. The group discussed AB 705 and AB 1705, which mandate that 2-year colleges change old remediation models. While USD is not subject to these laws, they reflect current thinking about the problems with traditional forms of remediation. The Writing Program will be working on plans to (possibly) enhance or modify our approaches to FYW 110 and FYW 115. When we start moving the project forward, faculty who are interested in this area will be invited to participate.
The group also discussed what are being called “Common Course Numbering” (CCN) templates for first year composition that are currently being put in place at all community colleges and the CSU system. This change is to comply with another state law: AB 1111. This law has some reasonable goals: making course transfer a bit less byzantine and unpredictable for students. This requires a bit of standardization across general education classes at different institutions. Partially due to this policy change, FYW 150 was recently re-classified to CAL-GETC 1A by the Core Curriculum Committee. The second sequence class (CAL-GETC 1B, which is more research-intensive) is currently not offered at USD. More to come on this point later.
Information Literacy Session from Fall 2024
The group circled back to the Fall 2024 discussion about information literacy and FYW 150. The group shared challenges they have encountered and provided feedback on the library session.
Heads-Up: Spring Class Observations
The Writing Program is using a standard descriptive letter and feedback form for all faculty evaluations. Prior to being observed, please feel free to review these forms to note criteria being used to evaluate you. Five observations are required this Spring (because it will be the end of several long-term contracts). These faculty will hear from the Writing Program within the next month to schedule an observation date. Any faculty who wish to schedule an optional observation, please request one! Observations can be helpful for both feedback and professionalization.
Second Hour: Working with Preparatory Writers
Tips and Assignment Scaffolding for Working with Preparatory Writers, by Professor Deniz Perin-Coombs
Professor Deniz Perin-Coombs, who teaches preparatory writing here at USD, and has experience teaching it in other programs, shared a presentation that included both assignment ideas and concrete tips for working with preparatory writers. One tip was to avoid focusing on correcting every grammar error. Instead, point out recurring errors and provide resources to students. This is because a main goal is boosting student confidence and getting them into the practice of writing regularly, without so much “dread.”
Perin-Coombs also emphasized that scaffolding is key for preparatory writers. Her classes always start with easier assignments that aim to build student confidence. Early assignments may include descriptive and letter writing, which are more familiar genres for students, coupled with ample revision to improve drafts. She thus gradually transitions students into more formal, academic writing. This approach helps “dispel [student] notions that Writing = DOOM,” and builds confidence so students are ready to take on more complex challenges.
Feedback Approaches for Preparatory Writers, by Professor Christa Tiernan
Professor Christa Tiernan, who teaches preparatory writing here and at UCSD, shared an assignment prompt and student paper she uses, and then challenged the group to figure out: “what input would you give them?” The example essay was representative of what she receives as a first draft in a preparatory writing class. One helpful approach suggested was to talk to the student, “Writing Center style,” more like a consultant than evaluating professor.
Tiernan does this regularly as a central part of her pedagogy: meet in small workshop groups with students, and ask questions like: “What is the main thing you want to say here? What was the process you used to write this paper?” In the case of the example paper, this approach allowed Tiernan to learn details about the student’s process that accounted for issues that were present. Instead of taking time to respond to these issues in writing, the workshop format allowed Tiernan to have a dynamic interaction with the student about the process, asking “Okay, so what do you think should be your need step anytime you produce a draft using this process?”
If you would like a copy of Professor Tiernan’s assignment, please ask her directly. She is happy to share.