Better Writers, Not Just Better Writing - Even Online

Back in 2008, I was teaching a course that included collaborating on writing online. We played around with a number of services that were available. We tested out online collaboration tools like Writeboard, Google Documents, Zoho etc. that could be used for writing, either for yourself or with a group of students.

Writeboard (*see bottom of this post) allowed us to share a document without fear of losing or overwriting. It allowed me as the teacher to compare different versions of a document and see what each student had contributed. I could subscribe to documents via RSS and be notified of changes. The only real problem was that the interface was more wiki-like than Word-like (which is what all the students were used to using).

The following year Elizabeth Nesius and I teamed up with Ellen Spaldo and Janet Boyd from the Metro Writing Studio at Fairleigh Dickinson University. We did a full-day workshop called "Better Writers, Not Just Better Writing: Online Strategies to Support Writers in All Disciplines" sponsored by NJEDge.Net.

It was a hands-on workshop and sharing session as we worked our way through the process of planning, developing, designing, and delivering online writing resources to support students across the curricula.

We were interested in finding out how people at other writing centers were making decisions on policy, procedures, and even budget, particularly as it applied to supporting students online.

PCCC was already using online tutoring, and was embarking on an ePortfolio initiative as well as using LibGuides and media resources to support student writing.

We chose that title - "Better Writers, Not Just Better Writing" - because we were far more concerned with changing the students as writers than "fixing their papers." We borrowed the phrase from Stephen North's idea that the goal of a writing center tutor, is "to produce better writers, not better writing." (North, Stephen. "The Idea of a Writing Center." College English 46 (1984): 433-446.)

We see many similarities between what we do in meeting with student writers on the ground, and what we do with writers in the computing cloud.

For example, in a tutoring situation, what students need to do to get the most out of a submission to an online tutor, applies to live sessions too. Provide the tutor with as much information as possible about the assignment and you have a much better start to a session. Ideally, we want our tutors to have the teacher’s written instructions, requirements, textbook or readings. We are very lucky in that all of the writing-intensive course sections at PCCC (38 for this fall) provide the Writing Center with their textbook, syllabus and assignments.

We also encourage teachers to send students to the center before they begin an assignment for help in formulating topics, creating an approved thesis etc. If then session is a meeting about starting an assignment, we ask that the student bring a sample of their writing that is in a similar mode.

We have collaboratively created many LibGuides (websites) for courses and services to support these efforts. (Almost all of them are indexed at http://pccc.libguides.com/vtlc


* If you would like to try out Writeboard, you can log in without registering to our original 2009 post for the workshop at http://123.writeboard.com/19fb2cf0f68038b98 using the password: collabwrite   Feel free to experiment and add/change content and leave a comment on your edits.

Occupy the Classroom

Occupy the Classroom is the theme of the 2012 NJCTE Conference this Saturday, March 31st.

NJCTE is hardly a radical organization. And "Occupy the ______ " (fill in the blank) has been a popular meme the past six months.

We best know it for the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district.

OWS has led to Occupy protests and movements around the world. These protests are focused on social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector.

Their rallying slogan, We are the 99%, addresses the growing inequality between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population in America when it comes to income and wealth.

So, why Occupy the Classroom?  Since the movement was intended to effect change by "direct action" (instead of petitioning authorities) maybe it is a call for teachers to take action in their classrooms.

I read a piece by Nicholas Kristof on Occupy Wall Street that also touched on education. He wrote about the expansion of early childhood education and the inequity that may well result if many young people never get the skills to compete.

He quotes Kathleen McCartney, the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as saying “This is where inequality starts.The reason early education is important is that you build a foundation for school success. And success breeds success.”

She shows Kristof a chart showing that even before kindergarten there are significant performance gaps between rich and poor students that widen further in school.

Do we need to occupy the classroom in order to point to inequities in childhood education, technology use and access to resources?

Kristof also mentions that President Obama "often talked in his campaign about early childhood education, and he probably agrees with everything I’ve said. But the issue has slipped away and off the agenda."

NJEDge.net Faculty Showcase

PCCC faculty and staff are presenting at the NJEDge.net Best Practices Faculty Showcase on March 16, 2012, held at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ.

The Best Practices Faculty Showcase is a place for NJ faculty and academics to share innovative teaching methods that involve technology. Each year, over 20 sessions are presented at this one-day event.

PCCC will have the following presenters this year.

Kenneth Ronkowitz, "Unintended Consequences: Measuring Faculty Buy-in to Instructional Technology"

"Besides redesigning 25 GenEd courses across disciplines to include more writing, an initiative at PCCC has been to introduce instructional technology into those same courses. Now in its fifth year, we have found varied success with the six technology components. This presentation looks at the assessment of "faculty buy-in" (or lack thereof) for e-portfolios, video lecture capture, supplementary websites, streaming media, reusable learning objects and online gaming. Through surveys of faculty and students and focus groups, we have tried to determine the best practices that led to faculty using technology in the intended and some unintended ways. Through data from institutional research, we have determined what impact the initiative has had on overall student success. Our efforts have been the 2012 National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Two-Year Colleges in fostering student success."

Elizabeth Nesius, "Creating a Helpdesk Where None Exists"

"As the use of technology in education continues to increase, so does the need to train people to use it effectively. When an institution cannot provide a 24/7 helpdesk to assist students, faculty are often level one support for students, although the faculty themselves may not know how to help with technological issues students have. At PCCC, one way we have found to address the growing need for technology training is through the use of "lecture capture" software like ECHO 360 or Camtasia Relay to create short training videos on specific topics. Not only have training videos reduced the amount of technology training faculty need, but they also have had the unintended consequence of reaching a broader audience than a help desk or in-person training session, which has allowed for broader adoption of new technology. It can also reduce costs, as it provides an alternative to a help desk when dealing with common problems. In the future, we intend to develop short videos not only for technology training, but also for concepts that apply across disciplines so that some content can be offloaded from the classroom, giving faculty more time to spend on course content."

Richard Lauria, "Wiki-fy Your Class"

"A wiki is web page that you create and use to help you teach your classes. It's more than a blog and less than a LMS (Learning Management System). At a minimum, wikis can be used for organizing your class: an electronic bulletin board with your syllabus, course schedule and contact information posted. Another possibility is to use it as a resource: a repository of links, articles and videos to supplement what gets taught in the classroom. To truly wiki-fy your class, you let the students build it. You start with an address and a skeleton structure, but you give students access and let them populate the pages of the wiki. Regardless how you decide to use it, a wiki can be a very powerful tool. I will demonstrate how to create your very own wiki and start using it in your class today."


NJEDge.net is a consortium of academic and research institutions in NJ. Their main focus is innovative uses of education technology and the development of new technologies.

For more information on NJEDge.net, go to http://njedge.net/. For more information about the Best Practices Faculty Showcase, go to http://njedge.net/activities/facultyshowcase/2012/index.php.

Writing Initiative Faculty Institute - January 2012

The Writing Initiative will be holding the 13th Faculty Institute for faculty developing new writing intensive course sections or taking on a WI section for the first time on January 4 and 5, 2012.

This is a collaborative seminar-style event where we will be discussing overall Initiative goals, sharing existing WI materials and best practices, creating new assignments and materials and looking at the pedagogy, tools and resources available for writing intensive courses.

Following the Writing Initiative Handbook, our topics of discussion include:

• Writing Initiative goals and requirements
• Formal and informal writing
• A review of existing course materials (syllabus and assignment samples) both for regular sections and for any existing WI sections.
• Creating new WI assignments - examples & using templates
• Student portfolios: objectives, hands-on use of the eFolio product, sample student portfolios, grading strategies
• Critical thinking assignments – template, rubrics
• Information literacy assignments – template, rubrics
• Responding to and grading student writing - for content and for writing
• Using the Writing Center
• Using eTutoring
• Online resources for online & face-to-face course sections
• Initiative assessment of WI Courses
• Hands-on session using LibGuides as an editor and adding links, resources, media objects etc.

Writing Across Disciplines Day

This full day event is for faculty who want to incorporate writing into their courses. 

The writing across the disciplines approach is designed to give students additional academic writing experiences, but also to have them practice with the language conventions and specific formats typical of that discipline. For example, the lab report differs in content, format and style from literary criticism or the annual business report.

Based on the best practices that have emerged during the four years of the PCCC Writing Initiative, we will be discussing how to use, assign and evaluate writing that occurs in different disciplines.

There will be a series of topics discussed including:

• A brief overview of the goals of the Initiative and our writing intensive courses 
• What do you do with writing in your classes now?
• Using formal and informal writing
• Creating effective writing assignments
• Incorporating information literacy and critical thinking
• Responding to and grading student writing - for content and for writing
• Writing Resources available to you and your students at PCCC

January 6, 2012  8:30am - 3:30 pm  The Writing Center at PCCC (Paterson Campus)  A113

Space is limited, so if you’re interested in participating, please respond to writingcenter@pccc.edu by December 23rd. Please include your department and the courses you will be teaching in the spring. For more information, go to http://pccc.libguides.com/writing/.

Connections to Area High Schools

One component contained in our Title V writing grant is to make connections with the area high schools that send students to the college and with other New Jersey college writing programs. The high school connection was a focus for us in year 3 (2010).

“Connections,” as we have branded that particular effort, involves collaborating with area schools to share the best practices in teaching writing across disciplines. Our website for the Connections program is at pccc.libguides.com/connection

These connections to other schools could also help PCCC increase general student success by providing coordination prior to and after their PCCC experiences.

Two sessions for high school teachers were held during the summer of 2010 at the Writing Center on the Paterson campus. Alexandra Della Fera coordinated contacting area high schools with a focus on those schools that participate in the PCCC dual enrollment program. Teachers needed to complete an application with information about their current use of writing and how they hoped to expand their use of writing.

Attendees received a stipend of $500 for attendance at the two days and completion of the activities and received professional development hours for their participation.

Though the invitations went to teachers in all disciplines, the majority of applicants were English teachers. In session two, we targeted other disciplines as much as possible and the participants included teachers of social studies, Spanish, and business.

We discussed strategies to address the topics applicants were most interested in and shared approaches and tools that the participants have found effective. The “big ideas” for the two days were the topics we use with our own WI faculty: teachers as writers, the writing process, using critical thinking and information literacy in writing, writing to learn and learning to write, and using technology in the writing process.

Some of the topics on the schedule were: discussing their schools and student populations, a discussion of the results of some pre-seminar questions we asked them to write about, giving feedback to writers, using Wikipedia, using writing prompts, online Microsoft resources, useful grammar web sites, rubrics, holistic scoring, portfolios & reflection, using podcasts, and critical thinking.

The most interesting and longest sessions were devoted to having the teachers share their own “best writing lesson.” These lessons are being archived along with our other resources online.

Mock CWE a Success

On Tuesday, June 28, and Wednesday, June 29, the Writing Center held its most popular Mock CWE workshop yet. The Mock CWE is an intensive, 3-hour workshop designed to help students practice for the College Writing Exam and get immediate feedback on their writing. While a voluntary workshop, students must register in advance in order to attend.

The Writing Center is set up to be as close to real exam conditions as possible. Each student has a computer and all of the materials they would get on test day. In addition, each student receives personalized exam topics based on his/her major and the general question theme for the next exam. (Students are given a choice of 2 questions on the exam.) This mimics the exam itself, as questions are randomly assigned to students within the parameters of their major and the general theme.

The first 2 hours of the workshop consist of students writing the essay. They may handwrite or type it.If they choose to type, the spell check is turned on, but the grammar check is off, just as in the real exam. After students finish writing, typed exams are printed.

In the last hour, we discuss students experiences writing and then turn to the printed essays to evaluate them based on the CWE rubric. Finally, students are encouraged to make one-on-one appointments with a writing consultant to review their own practice papers in depth.

Last week, 18 students attended, and about half had never taken the exam before and wanted to do a "dry run." In addition, most students who attended that workshop also scheduled appointments to work one-on-one with a consultant the following week in preparation for the July exam.

When surveyed, most students reported that they felt their writing had improved and a greater sense of confidence in taking the actual exam. Several students also said they would recommend the workshop to other students.

Practice College Writing Exam Sessions

The Writing Center will offer two "Mock CWE" sessions next week. In these workshops, students preparing for the CWE will get guidance in how to prepare, addressing the topics, and organization. Then, they will take a practice exam. After writing the essay, they will review their essay with an eye to the rubric used to score the essay by college readers.

Pre-registration is required and limited.

Tue., June 28, 5:00-8:00 SESSION FULL

Wed., June 29, 1:00-4:00

Spring Roundtable

The College Writing Committee Presents:
Writing Across the Curriculum Spring Roundtable

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

3:30-5:00 PM

Paterson Room

This roundtable forum is focused on improving writing across the curriculum at PCCC!

 Topics will include:

Text Rendering: Reading to Write and Writing to Read—

M. Hillringhouse

Using Reflection to Enhance Student Learning—

E. Nesius

Reading and Questioning: Questions from the Text that Generate Writing—

David Bolger

Bring your own writing ideas to share!

Feel free to DROP IN!

Sponsored by The Title V Writing Initiative and The Professional Development Committee.

Student Workhops for March and April

Workshops are held in the PCCC Writing Center Annex (A111) on the main Paterson campus (within the library) unless noted otherwise. For more detailed descriptions and updates, check our website.


Survival Grammar continues every Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 with that topic repeated Thursday from 1:10-2:10


Writing Workshops

Preparing for the CWE and other Essay Exams
Wed. March 23, 2:00
Thurs., March 24, 5:30

Attacking the Question
Mon., March 28, 5:30
Tues., March 29, 2:00

Proofreading Strategies for Essay Exams
Mon., April 4, 1:10
Tues., April 5, 5:30

Studying for Exams
Tues., March 1, 5:30
Thurs., April 21, 5:30
Friday April 22, 1:10

Research and Citation
Mon. March 7, 5:30
Thurs., March 10, 1:10
Wed., April 13, 1:00
Thurs., April 13, 5:30


Revising
Mon., April 25, 5:30
Tues., April 26, 2:00

Faculty Workshop: Writing Assignments that Work

Writing Assignments that Work

Presenter: Elizabeth Nesius

Date: Tuesday, 02/22/2011

Location: Paterson Room (off the cafeteria)

Time: 3:30- 5:00

This workshop will focus on creating writing assignments designed to produce the best writing from your students. When students struggle with writing, there is often more going on than just the writing. Some students may have trouble reading and interpreting what you want them to do. The first way to help students write better is to create clear, engaging assignments.

A variety of writing assignments in different subject areas (as well as ones that can be used in multiple areas) will be presented, but please feel free to bring your own assignments - either ones that need to be reworked, or ones that have met with success! We will be sharing ideas and helping each other.

This is a collaborative workshop, so feel free to come late and/or leave early as your schedule allows.

Writing Workshops for January-February

The Writing Center is beginning its writing workshop series for the Spring semester. The following workshops are being offered in January and February 2011.

 Intro to the CWE

This workshop provides a basic overview of the College Writing Exam. It discusses what is involved in the exam, frequently asked questions by students, and gives sample questions and papers.

Location:

PCCC Writing Center

(Paterson campus--in the Library)

 Date/Time:

Mon., January 31, 2:30
Thurs., Feb. 3, 5:30

Preparing for the CWE and Other Essay Exams

This workshop will focus on helping students manage their time when taking a timed essay exam.  It offers strategies for planning the essay and writing within a time constraint so that you maximize abilities and chances of passing the exam.  This is especially helpful for students who have never taken the CWE or who have problems with running out of time or going off topic.  Materials needed:  pen and paper.

Location:

PCCC Writing Center

(Paterson campus--in the Library)

Date/Time:
Mon., Feb. 7, 5:30
Tues., Feb 8, 2:00

Attacking the Question

Ever sit down to write a paper only to realize you don't even know where to start? The place to begin an essay is with the question. What is being asked of you? What is required in the answer? This workshop will teach you how to attack an essay starting with the question. You'll learn to decode "professor speak" and figure out what's really being asked of you. From there, you'll learn how to formulate and organize an answer.  This workshop will help students taking the CWE to figure out exactly what a question is asking and how to go about answering it.

The focus of this workshop will be topics on the November CWE theme: Consumerism.

If you have a paper that you're struggling with, feel free to bring the topic to the workshop to get some examples of how to get started. Materials needed: pen and paper.

Location:

PCCC Writing Center

(Paterson campus--in the Library)

Date/Time:

Tues., Feb.15, 5:30
Wed., Feb. 16, 1:00

Proofreading Strategies for Essay Exams

This workshop will help students overcome some of the problems with editing of writing an essay in a timed setting.  This workshop will give you some strategies geared specifically toward timed exams and allow you to notice more of your errors before you turn in the test!  It will be especially helpful for students who are not confident in their writing abilities, haven’t written in a while, or have problems with grammar and editing.

Location:

PCCC Writing Center

(Paterson campus--in the Library)

Date/Time:

Thurs., Feb. 24, 1:10
Fri., Feb. 25, 5:30

Studying for Exams

This workshop aims to help students prepare for lengthy exams.  It will help students figure out how to organize the information in their notes and readings, understand the broad themes in the course and discover the best study strategies.  If your instructor has handed out a study sheet, please bring it to the workshop.  You can also bring in your lecture notes, textbook and any exams and/or quizzes taken during the semester.

Location:

PCCC Writing Center

(Paterson campus--in the Library)

Date/Time:

Mon., Feb., 28, 1:10
Tues., March 1, 5:30

For full descriptions of the workshops and a schedule of upcoming workshops for the summer, go to http://pccc.libguides.com/writingcenter and click on the "Student Workshops" tab.

If you have any questions about upcoming workshops or the Writing Center, please contact Elizabeth Nesius at enesius@pccc.edu.

Survival Grammar Is Back!

Survival Grammar

Every week Elizabeth Nesius will lead students through a different grammar topic each week.  Students will be provided with new information, review, handouts, and practice materials.  This is a great opportunity to brush up on  grammar or learn it for the first time!  All PCCC students are welcome to attend.  Registration is not required.

Location:  PCCC Writing Center, Paterson campus library

Day/Time:  Every Wednesday, from 5:30-6:30 PM

                    Workshop repeated on Thursday at 1:10

This week's topic is: Parts of Speech

For full descriptions of the workshops and a schedule of upcoming workshops for the summer, go to http://pccc.libguides.com/writingcenter and click on the "Student Workshops" tab.

If you have any questions about the workshop or the Writing Center, please contact Elizabeth Nesius at enesius@pccc.edu.

 We hope to see you there!

Writing Intensive Course Development Seminar - January 11-12

This week's (January 11 & 12) Faculty Institute is the second part of the development process for faculty developing math and science WI courses that will be piloted in the Spring or Fall 2011 semesters.

While part 1 focused on developing materials, this institute will focus on reviewing those materials (syllabi, assignments etc.) that have been developed by participants since last summer. In a seminar setting, we will discuss both the plans and methods for implementing them in the classroom during the pilot semester.

We will meet Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 - 3 pm in the Writing Center.


Our agenda includes these areas of discussion:

• Institute Part One Recap
• Review of your WI syllabi
• Incorporating critical thinking into writing assignments and using the CT rubric (Ken Ronkowitz)
• Incorporating information literacy into writing assignments and using the IL rubric (Ken Karol)
• Creating your WI course LibGuide and adding content including media resources (hands-on session)
• Formal and informal writing defined
• Review of your formal writing assignments
• Strategies for grading writing as writing (and for content) and grading policies
• Using the student e-portfolios - technical information, implementation and evaluation (Anita Kumar)
• WI Course evaluation: reviewing progress during the semester with the team, and by the Task Force

We require participants to bring along the materials from the first summer session (handbook etc.) and all materials for their new WI section – especially the revised syllabus, writing assignments, textbook and any media titles being used.

January Seminars for New WI Faculty

This week (January 4 and 5), we will be holding our seminars for new Writing Intensive faculty in the Paterson Writing Center from 9 - 3 pm.

This two-day seminar is for faculty taking on a section of an already developed Writing Intensive course, and teaching WI for the first time

The topics covered over the course of the 2 days will include:

1. Writing Initiative goals and requirements
2. The Writing Initiative Teacher's Handbook 
3. Using the Writing Center
4. A review of the existing WI course materials: syllabus, assignments etc. and suggestions for revisions and additions.
5. Using the 3 initiative rubrics for assessment
6. Components of the formal versus informal writing assignments
7. Incorporating critical thinking in writing
8. Incorporating information literacy in writing
9. Hands-on session using the course LibGuide and making additions to it (links, resources, media objects etc.)
10. Student portfolios: why we use portfolios, use of the eFolio product, sample student portfolios, grading strategies.
11. Online support for online course sections and all students.
12. Using Writing Center tutoring and eTutoring

Information on faculty development in writing at PCCC is at  http://pccc.libguides.com/writing/

Workshop Today: Studying for Essay Exams

WORKSHOP: Studying for Essay Exams -- Friday, Dec. 3, at 4:00

Preparing for an essay exam requires both essay writing skillls and study skills, and so it is often a stressful task for students.

This workshop will address:

1. how to prepare before the exam - determining the main themes of the semester, organizing notes, etc. 
2. the different types of essay questions instructors typically use and how to answer them
3. how to organize the essay
4. We will also look at sample student essays and critique what was done well and where they need improvement

Get ready for December's final exams!

Changing Engagement in Large Lectures

NJEDge.Net is offering a free webinar featuring Perry Samson, from the University of Michigan on "Changing Engagement in Large Lectures."

Professor Samson has ideas for making the sage-on-the-stage lecture hall more engaging and is developing software called Lecturetools at the university.

Lecturetools is a web-based alternative to clickers (student response systems) that has been shown to dramatically increase student engagement, even in large lecture classes. This presentation walks through how to set up a course and a lecture and then invites participants to play along as virtual students.

The University of Michigan will make Lecturetools available to other schools.

Dr. Perry Samson, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, created Web-based software, LectureTools which lets students use their computers during classes to pose anonymous questions, mark up lecture slides, and answer questions posed by the instructor in real time.

Perry was interviewed in the Wall Street Journal in June 2010 on his Lecture Tools.

Perry Samson, Ph.D., a meteorologist and professor at the University of Michigan, teaches a lecture class in Extreme Weather. He explains how tornados form and why climate change may result in more intense hurricanes. Now he’s shaking up education with a robust interactive response system called LectureTools, which makes use of the laptops his students carry into his lecture hall.

During class, students can view Professor Samson’s PowerPoint slides on their laptops and take notes directly on the slides. Using a chat window, the students can anonymously ask the teacher’s aide questions during the lecture. Professor Samson can see the questions, too, providing him with valuable insight into the student’s comprehension of his lecture without disrupting the flow of the class. Students can also rate their understanding of the slides, giving him more immediate feedback.

We will be broadcasting the webinar in A111 of the Writing Center December 8th, Wednesday from 11:15 to 12:30 if you would like to attend.

You may also register online and view it from your desktop.
http://www.njedge.net/newreg/registration.php?id=1064

A Writing Across the Curriculum Roundtable at PCCC

The College Writing Committee and the Professional Development Committee are presenting a Writing Across the Curriculum Roundtable on Thursday, November 18, 2010 from 3:30-4:30 PM in the Paterson Room in Academic Hall.

This is a forum for the discussion of ideas focused on improving writing across the curriculum at PCCC.

Topics will include:

• Journaling: Where Ideas Take Flight - Margaret Holland
• Dramatic Writing: Creating Scenes to Explore Topics - Mark Tambone
• A Creative Way to Teach Critical Thinking - John Fruncillo

No registration required. Bring your own writing ideas to share.

PCCC Writing Initiative Presenting at TYCA Conference

The Writing Initiative team and WI faculty fellows will have a major presence at the Two Year College Association (TYCA) Northeast regional conference next month. Five members of the PCCC community will be giving presentations.

"Capitol Improvements: The Two-Year College as an Agency of Change" will be held November 4-6, 2010 in Washington, DC. TYCA's regional conferences foster the intellectual and pedagogical growth of English teachers and administrators in the two-year colleges throughout the region.

On Friday, a session on "Writing Connection: Bridging the Gap between High School and College" will be done by Alexandra Della Fera, Elizabeth Nesius, and Ken Ronkowitz.  This presentation is on our Connections program to work with area high school teachers across disciplines to create varied opportunities in writing-to-learn rather than the traditional learning-to-write approach that might apply only to the English classroom.

One of three presentations on Saturday from PCCC is "Collaborative Assessment: Working Together toward Institutional Change" by Elizabeth Nesius and Kelly Bender. Their looks at methods of collaboration for course-and program-level assessment and data-sharing to help both faculty and program administrators. Instructors can improve the WAC elements of their courses without sacrificing content, while still furthering the program mission of helping students to write well and think critically in any discipline. Writing program administrators, on the other hand, can improve both the writing program implementation and the training of its faculty to teach WAC courses. Students will benefit by experiencing WAC courses that are clearly defined, engaging, and optimized for their learning.

Ken Ronkowitz will present a workshop on "Adopting Open Textbooks." Open textbooks are openly-licensed textbooks offered free online by authors. The open license sets them apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, and print. They are also editable so instructors can customize content, cross-platform compatible and work with adaptive technology. This session looks at the how to identify, evaluate, and adopt Open Textbooks, and training opportunities for those wanting to adopt open resources, do peer reviews or open their own writing. Ken is an Advocate/Trainer for NJ as part of the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER).

Also on Saturday, Christine Redman-Waldeyer will present on "Public Writing: Linking Journalism, the College Newspaper, and Composition." Teaching journalism is always challenging but more so in a community college setting where students may not be prepared to write academically. It is one opportunity to prepare our students how to research and because students’ work is often “public” because it is tied to the college newspaper it helps students understand accountability, teaches them the need to consider what is libelous, to consider expert opinion, and the need to observe without bias.

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TYCA (Two-Year College Association) is an organization under the umbrella of the NCTE (National Council of the Teachers of English) specifically designed for two-year college English teachers. Within National TYCA, there are seven regional TYCA organizations. Each works to foster the intellectual and pedagogical growth of English teachers and administrators in the two-year colleges throughout the northeast region. Our specific goals include conducting our annual conference in the fall and publishing a newsletter, which features members' articles, fiction, and poetry.

Workshop: Attacking The Question

PCCC Writing Center workshops are open to all PCCC students and designed to help students become better writers in a variety of situations. All workshops are free and you do not need to register. Be sure to arrive for the starting time as we begin promptly.

Some workshops may focus on the CWE, but all are designed to provide information that applies to writing in other academic settings.

Attacking the Question
Tuesday October 26 at 5 pm and repeated on Wednesday 1:10 in the Writing Center

Ever get an essay assignment from an instructor that seems to make no sense whatsoever? Ever sit down to write a paper only to realize you don't even know where to start? An essay begins with the question or prompt. What is being asked of you? What is required in the answer?

This workshop will teach you how to "attack" an essay starting with the question. You'll learn to decode "professor speak" and figure out what's really being asked of you. From there, you'll learn how to formulate and organize an answer. This workshop is very useful for students taking the CWE to help you determine exactly what a question is asking, and how to go about answering it.