Council of Writing Program Administrators

For participants in the Development of Writing Items on the NSSE:

I'm transferring some notes we've exchanged via email to this blog so everything will be in one place.

Shirley Rose

(from Chuck:)

Dear contributors:   

Thanks very much for attending Saturday's NSSE/WPA working session, and thanks for agreeing to continue this work through this week and beyond. Shirley took careful notes and forwarded them to me; they're pasted in below.      

For Monday, July 23: each group (see table below) sends a list of draft questions to me (or whole group if you like). Then, the "executive committee" (Paul, Bob, and I) will continue developing them. Please send your questions even if it doesn't seem you've got things just right; we need your ideas.     

Shirley's notes explain the plan from here until refining the questions in September. I will keep you all informed about our progress and will probably be asking for your input at some points. Lkewise, please feel free to write to me if you have questions or suggestions. Thanks again for contributing to this project. //Chuck Paine 

SHIRLEY'S NOTES

Robert Gonyea (NSSE)

  Chuck Paine   Paul Anderson   Shirley Rose Multimedia Joe Janangelo Multimedia Darren Cambridge Multimedia Patricia Burnes Context Jill Gladstein Context Suellynn duffey context Barbara Lutz Process Carol Haviland Process Jeanne Rose Process Joel Wingard Process Sandra Jamieson Location Steve Wilhoit location Gary Goodman Location Chris Anson Genre Linda Bergmann genre

 After Robert Gonyea’s presentation of the basic facts about the NSSE, the group subdivided into smaller groups to brainstorm about what we wanted the questions about writing to capture. Subsequently our interests were divided into five categories and the larger group reformed into five subgroups to draft questions based on those categories:

Multimedia, Context, Process, Location, Genre

Each group generated several questions, which were collected by Chuck. The plans for further action are the following:

1. Immediately:
   1. Each group should send questions to Chuck if they did not do this before leaving the room on Saturday afternoon.
   2. Bob and/or Chuck will email the digital slide presentation to Shirley for posting on the discussion site (or send a link). [attached below]
2. By July 23: The questions will be compiled and posted on a discussion blog or similar space on the WPA website.
3. July – August: Participants will post information about additional relevant resources on the blog space.
4. Discussion of the question development will be open to WPA members,
5. By September 1: a small group from our session will work on refining the questions that have been generated. (how will this group be recruited?)
6. September 15: Refined/revised questions will be passed along to Bob Gonyea