Wendy:
WI courses are a dangerous row to hoe because they can easily be gutted of the
necessary investment. There were some articles on this point written in the
1980's.
The chief investment is the diminished class size requiring more instructor
time, so it is very difficult to quantify accurately. I think you could most
helpfully present this in terms of a formula. Let's say you have 100 Chemistry
students who currently take a 3rd year course in a single class in a large
lecture. If you were to break them into a reasonable class for a WI experience,
you'd have a max of 25 but preferably 20. Hence a course that is now taught by
one prof would require five. So, for two courses per program, you multiply the
cost of delivery by this formula:
WI Cost = Original Cost X #students/20
This is easier to calculate in highly programmed disciplines like engineering
than it would be in say, Sociology, where students have a range of options.
(One simple solution is to choose a mandatory course to make WI). Note, too,
that lab costs need not be multiplied. It is the move from lecture to other
teaching mode that costs. You should add something for the coordination required
between instructors, too -- say 10 hrs of meeting over a term.
In addition, faculty teaching such courses need training. I think that Cornell
University does the best job of this through its John S Knight Writing
program. Faculty take a 10 day summer training course in teaching writing
within the discipline. They learn strategies -- such as writing to learn,
formative feedback, value of drafting, keeping lab notebooks and journals -- and
come up with a clear course design. These designs are monitored. The program
puts strict limits on the amount of reading, writing, discussion of readings,
discussion of writing issues that need to go into the courses. At Cornell, these
discipline specific courses replace the traditional US. first year comp. Note,
however, that their main objective is to teach writing, with the disciplinary
material being secondary.
Note that a discipline-based course will need to be taught by someone in the
discipline, rather than by a writing person parachuting in. Only from within the
discipline will the values of the discipline be truly apparent.
best of luck with it.
Rob Irish
Wendy Strachan wrote:
> Greetings!
>
> Here at SFU we are still in the throes of getting a new undergraduate
> curriculum through Senate. That curriculum includes provision for requiring
> all students to take at least 2 discipline-based writing-intensive courses
> before they graduate. The main objections to this initiative are the time
> it will require for faculty to develop courses and work with students on
> their writing and, related to that, the cost.
> I've been asked for some ballpark figure of what it might cost to fund such
> an initiative. Does anyone's experience include the figures or list of
> budget allocations with estimates or actual annual costs. One person here
> did an estimate of half a million dollars per annum which involved using
> lecturers with expertise both in writing and the discipline in which the WI
> course was being offered.
>
> I'd be most grateful for any suggestions and help here with providing an
> estimate.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Wendy
>
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--
**************************************
Dr. Robert Irish, Director
Language Across the Curriculum
Applied Science and Engineering
University of Toronto SF B670
416.978.6708
http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing
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To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
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For the list archives and information about the organization,
its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to
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