Program Assessment
Since Lauren has only been the WPA at NMSU since 2016, she is still developing ways to assess the program. Currently, Lauren is following the practice conducted by the previous WPA, in which the general education committee reviews one course per year. Lauren holds the gen ed committee chair. She shared that “Before I came to NMSU, the prior WPA worked toward getting teachers to approach the course from a more rhetorical perspective, rather than one in which students learned the genre forms of tech com (so, get away from a how-to model and lean toward a writing as practice model).” Lauren has continued this practice, stating that “This academic year and last, we studied ENGL 218, one of our gen ed writing classes.” These studies are useful when evaluating the courses goals and how instructors meet these goals.
I questioned how a study of a course is conducted and what the steps were to achieving the committee’s goal. Lauren explained that “For the gen ed committee’s study of ENGL 218, “Technical and Scientific Communication,” we began last academic year by conducting group interviews with 218 teachers. This was important for 2 reasons, 1) I was new at the university and didn’t have a good sense of the course, how its stated goals were achieved in practice, and how the course was taught; and 2) there was such a diverse group of teachers, that I wanted to know how the course would be approached by faculty, GAs and adjuncts with experience as technical communicators, and GAs and adjuncts who had no industry experience but were using the textbook and syllabus to guide their pedagogy. The committee met with 3 groups of about 5 teachers each and asked them questions about their approach to 218. We also collected syllabi and sample assignments. Because of this committee’s other duties, our analysis of the documents has taken 2 years to get to. We have looked into issues that we noticed from the collected materials, such as the need to 1) consider a different textbook, 2) provide more access to computer labs for teachers of 218, 3) create a guidebook of assignments and approaches for teachers of this course, and 4) update the syllabus template.” Upon evaluating ENG 218, the gen ed committee has set tangible goals for updating this course and for better supporting the instructors teaching this course.
Things Lauren has not yet done/would like to do: “I would love to do some of the kind of assessment that I was able to conduct at Eastern where our program was small enough to conduct portfolio assessment. NMSU’s program is so big.” There is also not currently any assessments of student learning or student behavior in process. By implementing assessments of teachers, student learning, and student behavior, Lauren would receive a more informed perspective. According to Laura Brady in “A Case for Writing Program Evaluation”, program reports can serve as a “snapshot” of the program to see where it currently stands and can be used as a record in seeing how a WP has evolved (85). By conducting a wholesome WP Evaluation, either formal or internal, Lauren would have a better idea of the areas she wants to address and improve upon. Though WPAs like Lauren are incredibly busy, Chris Gallagher suggests that WPAs should view assessment as part of their already existing tasks, instead of as a separate duty. He states that “assessment is integral to what we do. Done well, it helps us improve all areas of our programs. By helping us see how those parts of our programs work together (or don’t), assessment can even help us keep our heads above water” (40). Gallagher suggests that instead of assessment adding to WPAs list and contributing to the “drowning” feeling, assessment actually helps WPAs reflect upon their practice and keep “our heads above water.” When approaching the task of assessment as a WPA, Susanmarie Harrington advices that when “faced with a request to do assessment, you can easily get drawn into planning means of colleting student work or strategies to score student essays or portfolios or conversations about what sort of assessment method is appropriate. Resist such thinking until you have addressed the foundation of the assessment: What do you want to know? And how will knowing that enable you to do your job better?” (203). By choosing to focus on areas that faculty agrees need the most attention or on areas of which faculty disagree (such as curriculum), WPAs are more likely to receive more faculty participation: “Any assessment activity that is driven by your sense – or your faculty’s sense – of true curiosity will result in information you can use. And when that happens, everyone benefits” (Harington 203). Perhaps the first suggested step for Lauren when determining how to tackle assessments is to meet with faculty and determine which areas need the most immediate