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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/
                 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-