This article offers a case study of using a flipped, synchronous virtual workshop to introduce first-year writing students to the "Scholarship as Conversation" frame of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Before the workshop, students completed an asynchronous Preventing Plagiarism Tutorial that introduced…

This profile describes a new WPA's choice to work incrementally to assess an inherited, fledgling First-Year Writing curriculum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and change it over a three-year period with continual stakeholder involvement. The methods used for assessment were two rounds of instructor surveys and three rounds of direct…

Following Messick's definition of validity as a multi-faceted construct that includes contextual, substantive, structural, generalizable, external, and consequential dimensions, this study examined an established directed self-placement (DSP) system that had been functioning for ten years at a large university. The goal was to determine the extent…

Examines two West Virginia writing centers and finds no significant difference in the writing quality growth of students taught by individualized instruction in writing centers and those taught by conventional classroom instruction. Finds that the writing center programs achieved the same gain at one-half the instructional cost. (RS)

Examines the theoretical and pragmatic objections to first-year composition courses raised by recent abolitionists who are composition insiders. Assesses four frequently proposed alternative models of first-year composition. Discusses evaluating these alternatives from the perspective of a writing program administrator's dual roles of curriculum…

Evaluates the freshman composition course for students with low standardized test scores at Eastern Illinois University. Finds that the course has been moderately successful in achieving its aim of giving underprepared students a chance of success in college. (SKC)

Proposes a model for writing program administrators to use to assess the effectiveness of composition programs. Argues the need to consider local conditions, evaluate the internal coherence of programs, and consider the external relevance of programs. Describes how using this model led the Writing Center at Northern Arizona University to make…

Addressing a variety of concerns of writing center directors and staff, directors of freshman composition, and English department chairs, the papers in this collection discuss writing center research and evaluation, writing center tutors, and computers in the writing center. The titles of the essays and their authors are as follows: (1) "Narrative…

Responds to a call for proof of the effectiveness of the basic writing program at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, and documents a marked increase in the success rate of basic writers after the program had shifted from a traditional product centered course to a process course. (RS)

This first-year progress report considers the objectives and achievements of CompuEnglish, a project developed at Saddleback College's North Campus (California) to introduce word processing skills into traditional composition classes. Section I offers a summary report on progress as of 1985, reviewing the four phases of project implementation and…

In summer 1990, the English Department of the Metropolitan Community College District (MCCD) in Missouri conducted a self-study to determine whether the English program's subject matter, academic standards, and methods of instruction were consistent with objectives. An Evaluation Committee, consisting of three English instructors representing each…

A summary is provided of the activities and outcomes of Irvine Valley College's (IVC's) CompuEnglish Project, a program designed to introduce word processing skills in Freshman Composition classes and assess improvements in student writing. First, introductory material describes efforts in computer-based composition undertaken at other schools,…

A program at Rutgers University (New Jersey) to integrate information literacy into first-year composition courses involved librarians and faculty. The pilot project included two research seminars within each course. Evaluation of the project revealed a successful basic strategy, useful techniques and elements, and some areas for adaptation and…

This report describes the Learning Disabled College Writer's Project, implemented at the University of Minnesota during the 1985-86 school year and designed to aid learning disabled college students master composition skills through training in the use of microcomputer word processors. Following an executive summary, an introduction states the…

To address the need for information on techniques and theory on the evaluation of composition instruction, this book has been revised to incorporate the most recent thinking on the topic. It begins with suggestions for how readers of different backgrounds can make best use of the book, followed by an introduction. The first chapter deals with…