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WAC Newsletter
Number 8
Wright State University
March 1998
INSIDE:
Call for WAC Faculty Profiles
Critical
Thinking and Computer-Aided Instruction in Sociology 200
A Message from the University Writing Center
Spring Quarter WAC Workshops
Call
for WAC Faculty Profiles
March 1998
|
Each
WAC newsletter highlights ways WSU faculty are using writing to enhance
learning in their courses. I have been able to profile those courses or
individual assignments only because Professor X told me Professor Y was
doing something really interesting. I have good reason to believe that
Professors A-W are also doing good things that the rest of us might be
able to adapt to our own courses. |
|
Joe Law,
WAC Coordinator |
Critical
Thinking and Computer-Aided
Instruction in Sociology 200
March 1998
Everyone would agree that sharpening our students’ critical thinking
and problem solving abilities--one of the stated goals of the General Education
program--is a highly laudable goal. Before attempting to meet that goal, some
will point out, we need to know that our students are reading and understanding
the basic materials of the course. How can we know that with any certainty,
especially in large classes?
Dr. Marlese Durr, who often teaches Sociology 200 (a required GE class
that enrolls as many as 450 students in some sections), has found unusual and
effective ways of dealing with these questions. Rather than sacrificing class
time to frequent reading quizzes or merely replicating textbook information in
lecture form, she requires students to take weekly computerized tests over their
reading. Cumulatively, these tests constitute almost a third of the course
grade, so students do take them seriously.
|
By
ensuring that students look closely at fundamental concepts, the weekly
exams and CRM really constitute a first step toward developing critical
thinking abilities in the context of sociology. |
Because the concepts are new to most students, Dr. Durr has also created
an opportunity for students to gauge how well they know the material before
taking the weekly exam. Those exams are licensed from the publisher of the text
she uses for the course. Working with the publisher, Dr. Durr has developed her
own customized computerized review module (CRM) so that students can take
practice exams before taking the test itself.
Like the actual text, the CRM contains true-false, multiple choice, and
fill-in-the-blank modules. In working through the CRM, students cannot leave a
practice module until they have provided a correct answer. Because the correct
answer is also keyed to the text, students easily can review as needed.
Developing all the individual sections of an effective CRM was labor intensive,
but Professor Durr reports positive results over the three years that she has
been working with this approach.
The weekly exams and CRM really constitute a first step toward
developing critical thinking abilities in the context of sociology by ensuring
that students look closely at fundamental concepts. Other writing assignments
take them further in that direction. Besides requiring regular newsgroup
postings, Dr. Durr assigns a research project that requires students to
integrate textbook-derived knowledge and first-hand observation.
Each student is given a sociological concept that he or she must observe
in process on at least three occasions. Besides writing field notes on their
observations, students must also submit a detailed sentence outline describing
their research steps and observations.
While helping students to internalize new concepts, this assignment also
addresses all three goals of the WAC program: it gives students an opportunity
to work on their writing skills, it uses the writing as an opportunity for
discovery and learning, and it introduces a form of writing associated with a
specific discipline, in this case field notes.
Students are also supplied with a detailed set of grading criteria that
can be used to outline content of the final paper. Besides providing this
essential information and making teacher expectations clear, the criteria sheet
has at least two other additional advantages: it allows students to concentrate
on content without the added difficulty of having to determine an appropriate
form, and it helps to ensure consistency among the various teaching assistants
who will work with the course in different terms.
Anyone wanting more details on either the CRM or the research assignment
can find information on Dr. Durr’s syllabus for SOC 200-01 (Fall 1997). It’s
among the course
syllabi on the Wright State home page <http://www.wright.edu/academics/soc/index.html>.
Her approach should prove adaptable to a number of other courses.
A
Message from the
University Writing Center
March 1998
The University Writing Center welcomes students in writing intensive
courses across the curriculum. We offer writing consultation, free of charge, to
all WSU students. Any student may schedule one thirty-minute appointment per
week; international students and those who are in developmental classes or
registered through the Office of Disability Services may schedule more time.
Students may also "walk in" without an appointment at the top or
bottom of an hour and work for thirty minutes with a consultant who does not
have a client scheduled at that time.
Writing consultants are available to offer help to writers on tasks such
as generating and expanding ideas; organizing and revising drafts; editing and
proofreading; formatting papers in MLA, APA or other research styles; tackling
grammatical problems; and other writing concerns. Writing consultants offer
one-on-one assistance; however, writers must do their own work. Consultants do
not write or edit others' work.
The Writing Center also offers a library of resource books on various
writing topics, a computer lab (consultants and clients have priority), help
using computers or WordPerfect, workshops on various writing topics, and a
Writer's Hotline for quick or one-time questions that can be answered over the
phone.
To help your students
make the best use of the Writing Center, please consider the following
suggestions:
Please contact the University Writing Center at 775-4186 with any
questions or requests. E-mail may be sent to Nicky Macklin, Interim Director (nmacklin@desire.wright.edu)
or Scott Geisel, Writing Program Facilitator (pgeisel@desire.wright.edu).
The Writing Center will be open for tutoring through the last week of
winter quarter classes. Hours for the spring will be 9-5 Monday - Thursday, and
9-3 Friday. Check out the Writing
Center's Website at <www.wright.edu/academics/writingctr/>.
Spring
WAC Lunchtime Discussions
March 1998
The following workshops/luncheons will be presented twice to accommodate
different teaching schedules. All will be at noon in the Student Union and will
last for one hour. Lunch will be provided.
To get more information or to register for any of the sessions, call Joe
Law at x2155 or E-mail him at joe.law@wright.edu.
These workshops are open to all interested in using writing in their classes,
not just those teaching designated writing intensive classes.
WAC
and Writing Center Workshops for Students
For information about workshops for students presented jointly by the
WAC program and the University Writing Center, see Workshops
or look for Writing
Center Workshops with WAC in the title.
This page last modified 03/10/98.