Hi Margaret It might be worth your while to propose a longitudinal, qualitative and quantitative study, in which you compare the experiences of students who use the centres versus those who don't. I can see for example interesting statistical studies tracking the history over several years of the traditional "B" or "C" students. A well designed study might give you more answers. Interviews with such students might also prove interesting. -----Original Message----- From: Margaret Procter <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: October 14, 2002 9:30 PM Subject: Measuring the worth of writing centres >Colleagues: > >Can you help me find established benchmarks and other measures of best >practice for writing centres and writing courses? I'm being asked to come >up with these for the Arts and Science component in the new U of T planning >and budget cycle. This recurrent exercise could be a good opportunity for >the 14 or so writing centres here and the increasing number of writing >courses to show administrators how important and successful we are. But in >budget-cutting Ontario we also have to see it as one more challenge to >defend our existence. > >I am aware of Jim Bell's methods for program evaluation (he outlines them >in Inkshed 14.7, available at >http://www.stthomasu.ca/inkshed/dec96.htm#subtitle3), which depend on >intensive interviewing of students. Has anyone found other ways of >gathering "hard" data -- maybe about retention rates? Are there other >measures of student success related to writing-centre use that are both >valid and vivid? We will certainly provide testimonials from students and >fellow faculty, but hope we can also speak some of the administrative >language of numbers. > >Thanks, > >Margaret. > >-- >(Dr.) Margaret Procter >University of Toronto >Coordinator, Writing Support >15 King's College Circle >Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H7 > >(416) 978-8109; FAX (416) 971-2027 >http://www.utoronto.ca/writing > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > 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/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-