Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

The Assessment Culture and Undergraduate Writing Programs

Department

Writing Department

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2013-2014

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Abstract

We are living in the age of assessment and accountability in higher education, where data is collected for retention rates, student loan debt, and job placement. Student success is almost exclusively measured in economic terms. This presents a problem for the humanities in particular. My paper will focus on the measures a writing program should develop and focus on in order to be fair to the student but also maintain the goals of a liberal education. We must look to new measures that can help change the narrative for the ways we measure student success. A Writing major is trained to be versatile, and often that versatility works against students and departments in terms of what is and is not measurable. This paper will look at ways critical thinking, problem solving, and citizenship might be taken into consideration in the process of assessment. This paper is part of a panel titled "The Debts We Owe: Undergraduate Writing Programs Respond."

Conference Name

Association of Writers & Writing Programs National Conference

Conference Location

Seattle, Washington

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