Maximizing Campus Responsibility for the Writing Assessment Process

Abstract

The Writing Across the Curriculum movement sensitized institutions to the need for institutionwide commitment to improving student writing. At the University of South Florida, a widely used rubric has offered a powerful method for moving from spoken commitment to real change.

Facilitating Scholarly Writer Development: The Writing Scaffold

“…The reviewed evidence supports the need for a comprehensive and deliberate approach to teaching writing to students (Cowles et al, 2001;Flateby, 2005;Harris, 2006;Luthy et al, 2009;Whitehead, 2002). While the overall approach, model, or framework for facilitating writer development varies, a consistent set of strategies have been reported in the published literature.…”

“…While the overall approach, model, or framework for facilitating writer development varies, a consistent set of strategies have been reported in the published literature. Using Bloom's Taxonomy (Flateby, 2005;Granello, 2001;Harris, 2006), to create sequenced assignments (Harris, 2006;Luthy et al, 2009) that are peer and/or faculty reviewed and then revised (Caffarella & Barnett, 2000;Harris, 2006;Luthy et al, 2009;Rieber, 2006), and evaluated or assessed using a detailed rubric (Harris, 2006;Luthy et al, 2009) are the most frequently addressed strategies reported in the research and best practices literature.…”

“…Beyond the nursing evidence, Flateby () described a best practice that resulted from writing assessment results at the University of South Florida (USF) that were lower than university expectations. While the assessment was helpful in assessing writing proficiency, it did little to identify specific areas of deficiency.…”

“…The cognitive scale of the instrument was based on Bloom's Taxonomy (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, ) and allowed for written essays to be assessed on knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The tool is now used campus wide, and results have been used to increase the number of writing assignments, and facilitate WTL and “reader‐centered writing in which feedback and revisions beyond editing are major components” (Flateby, , p. 25). This work reinforced the need for the writing assessment process to be consistent in all programs throughout the academic setting.…”

Pain and Pleasure in Short Essay Writing: Factors Predicting University Students' Writing Anxiety and Writing Self‐Efficacy

“…Faculty members across disciplines such as math, sciences, business, and the arts that incorporate writing into their core requirements are often challenged by students' resistance to writing; resistance which may stem from anxiety, poor academic performance, and lack of recognition that writing is important in their lives. Flateby (2005) argued that the entire campus community must participate in the assessment process to improve the quality of students' writing. One small, four-year university on the United States-Mexico border participated in the assessment process by implementing the Quality Enhancement Plan, which was focused on assessment and enhancement of college students' writing performance.…”