Rob: talk to Daryl Caswell ([log in to unmask]) if you haven't already
done so. He has been spearheading an innovative engineering course in
design and communication that sounds similar in many ways to what you
are doing. It's a first year course that seeks to get engineers out of
the typical linear-sequential mode before they have a chance to get
into it.
Doug
[log in to unmask] wrote:
>Bonnie and others:
>
>When I floated the idea a few years ago about WI courses in engineering with a
>course cap of 30, I was more or less laughed out of the room. Our classes are,
>as is typical in Engineering, more like 100 (or up to 400 in some cases). We
>have an innovative new course coming onstream next year which combines small
>group seminars (25 students) with a larger lecturer and a design lab. It will
>combine communication and design. It will involve significant writing
>instruction, but the model is very different than WI courses as I've seen them
>conceived.
>
>Rob
>
>Quoting Bonnie Waterstone <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>
>
>>Rob,
>>As one of the faculty -- or rather a sessional instructor -- teaching a
>>class of 30 (Education 100: Selected questions and issues in education)
>>as a pilot writing intensive last semester as SFU, I can tell you that
>>I think the class size needs to be examined, and/or teaching assistants
>>considered. However, there are ways to use writing activities in class
>>and ways to avoid lots of marking. CWIL staff at SFU are really
>>helpful in thinking about this. But, there are only 3 of them, and a
>>big program to implement.
>>Bonnie
>>(jumping in for the first time to this list serv)
>>On Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10:56 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Kathryn:
>>>
>>>I didn't see mention of class-size restrictions in your W courses.
>>>Traditional
>>>WI course structures limit class size in order to facilitate the
>>>teaching of
>>>writing and revision. It was this factor that killed off the idea in
>>>Engineering at U of Toronto. Are your numbers restricted? If not, how
>>>do/will
>>>the faculty cope?
>>>
>>>Rob Irish
>>>
>>>
>>>Quoting Kathryn Alexander <[log in to unmask]>:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>At 01:14 PM 5/19/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Hello all - as you might know from Wendy Strachan and my
>>>>presentation
>>>>at INKSHED - SFU has now passed in Senate as of last monday the "W"
>>>>requirement for writing-intensive learning across the entire
>>>>undergraduate
>>>>curriculum.
>>>>
>>>>I can pass along our web-site for the Centre for Writing Intensive
>>>>Learning (CWIL) and links to faculty resources that have a list of
>>>>pilot courses and some assignments and syllabi.
>>>>
>>>>These are the criteria that new "W" courses will be expected to
>>>>integrate
>>>>into their existing curricula and they define what SFU means by a "W"
>>>>course. I have posted them below.
>>>>
>>>>I have also provided a link to the Centre for Writing Intensive
>>>>Learning
>>>>web-site where you can find these guidelines
>>>>
>>>>http://www.sfu.ca/cwil/facrespg/wguidelines.html
>>>>
>>>>and also discipline specific resources that have been developed in
>>>>pilot
>>>>courses since the FALL 2002 semester.
>>>>
>>>>http://www.sfu.ca/cwil/facrespg/wil_courses.html Here you can look at
>>>>syllabi and some assignments from pilot courses that have already
>>>>begun to
>>>>integrate w criteria.
>>>>
>>>>The general rule of thumb will be that as of Sept. 2006 new
>>>>students
>>>>will be required to take 6 credits ( 2 courses) of w courses in
>>>>total, one at lower division and one at upper division.
>>>>
>>>>This is a work in progress ( as is the web-site) - but after two
>>>>years of
>>>>really hard work - the criteria and the infrastructure is in place.
>>>> Let
>>>>the games begin!
>>>>
>>>>cheers
>>>>
>>>>kathryn
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>I'm putting together a workshop on the state of WAC and I want to
>>>>>update
>>>>>myself on what other people are doing. I'm especially interested in
>>>>>which universities use a writing-intensive course model. I'd be even
>>>>>more grateful for specific resources such as the criteria used for WI
>>>>>courses, how many of them must be taken, how this is enforced -- the
>>>>>logistical nitty gritty.
>>>>>
>>>>>If everyone is willing, I'd suggest replying to the list rather than
>>>>>to
>>>>>me personally -- there have been a number of such discussions that
>>>>>started on CASLL and then moved off-list, and I for one would have
>>>>>liked
>>>>>to follow the conversation; I'm sure many others will be interested
>>>>>too. Nice break from viagra ads.
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks, all!
>>>>>
>>>>>Doug
>>>>>--
>>>>>Dr. Doug Brent
>>>>>Associate Dean (Academic)
>>>>>Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary
>>>>>2500 University Drive N.W.
>>>>>Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
>>>>>Voice: (403) 220-5458 Fax: (403) 282-6716
>>>>>http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent
>>>>>
>>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>>>> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
>>>>> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
>>>>> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>>>>>
>>>>>For the list archives and information about the organization,
>>>>> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
>>>>> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
>>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>"A Writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for
>>>>other people." Thomas Mann
>>>>_________________________________________
>>>>
>>>>Kathryn Alexander, Ph.D.,
>>>>Centre for Writing Intensive Learning (CWIL),
>>>>Simon Fraser University,
>>>>Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6
>>>>Office: AQ 6207
>>>>Tel: (604) 268 - 6799 Fax: (604) 268 - 6915
>>>>email: [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>>> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
>>>> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
>>>> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>>For the list archives and information about the organization,
>>>> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
>>>> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
>>> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
>>> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>For the list archives and information about the organization,
>>> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
>>> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Bonnie L. Waterstone, Ph.D.
>>Faculty of Education
>>Simon Fraser University
>>Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
>>
>>phone: 604 886-3227 (h)
>>
>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
>> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
>> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>>
>>For the list archives and information about the organization,
>> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
>> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>>
>>
>>
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>
>For the list archives and information about the organization,
> its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
> http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>
>
--
Dr. Doug Brent
Associate Dean (Academic)
Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary
2500 University Drive N.W.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
Voice: (403) 220-5458 Fax: (403) 282-6716
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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