1 Responding to writing needs at the University of LimerickLawrence Cleary, Caroline Graham, Catherine Jeanneau and Íde O’Sullivan University of Limerick Íde, Caroline and I are here to talk about how we, at UL, have addressed concerns about the writing competencies of anyone subject to assessment outcomes in the four institutions that comprise the Shannon Consortium: UL, LIT, IT Tralee, and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Initially, writing clinics and seminars were responses to anecdotal concerns. Much of that response came via UL’s Language Support Unit. Ad hoc clinics and workshops were held for language students by teachers of languages and by EFL teachers from the UL Language Centre. And the flow-rate of interest increased to the point at which it became obvious that there was strong support for a university-wide initiative on writing.
2 The efforts of those interested in developing a writing initiative culminated ina week-long consultation with visiting Professor Jim Henry of Virginia’s George-Mason University, who led a series of workshops on writing and, with interested parties, explored how that university-wide support could be translated into a systematic, comprehensive approach to writing while addressing individual, disciplinary concerns; a student / academic staff audit of attitudes on writing, writing practices, and writing needs; several submissions for funding for a UL initiative; and, eventually, for the collaborative effort which culminated in a funding award, which sees us here before you. When we talk about competencies, we open up a can of worms, so we might want to say that, initially, competency was measured in terms that were sometimes measured in institutional terms and at other times in discipline-specific terms. Sometimes we spoke of essays and reports; at other times, we spoke of writing as more specifically situated: essays for a module on French literature or primary research reports for a course in Aeronautical engineering. All along, the problem had been one of “how do we improve the quality of academic writing?” As time progressed, how we defined competency did not so much change, but became much more complex and contingent. As we began to look at the problem of how to develop academic writing, we began to see that the concerns that we had for student writing in higher education were paralleled by concerns for the writing competencies of graduates who had secured places within industry. Studies on transferable skills development began to appear, and recommendations were made to include transferable skill development into the curricula. The problem became one of “how do we improve the quality of both academic and professional writing?” There were many candles in the wind that had to be considered when addressing this problem. Encouraging and developing a systematic approach to writing across six colleges accommodating thirty departments was not the least of our considerations. There was also the matter of replication in the three other institutions comprising the Shannon Consortium. What’s more, as Research Officers, Íde and I were commissioned to secure theoretical underpinnings for whatever academic plan or programme that would be instantiated. We needed to consider how both the US and UK and its commonwealth countries approached the problem. Why a compulsory composition module (sometimes two) for first years? Why a writing centre? Why a writing in disciplines approach? Why writing across disciplines? Why writing through centres for teaching and learning? Should we be a “fix-it-shop” or should we provide the impetus for a cross-disciplinary conversation on writing, developing the vocabulary that perpetuates the conversation? Should we focus on students or on staff development, helping students to develop writing strategies as learning strategies or helping staff to incorporate writing exercises that achieves that same end into their curriculum?
3 Why writing matters “Knowledge, innovation, creativity andworkforce skills are now the key success factors for Ireland’s economic and social prosperity.” Mary Hanafin T.D, Minister for Education and Science, 25 April 2005, on the occasion of the launch of the European University Association ‘Review of Quality Assurance in Irish Universities’ Sectoral Report. However we approached writing, it would have to be right for the Irish context. One influence that could not be ignored was the force that motivated our innovation funding: sustenance for a knowledge economy. Since Lisbon 2000 (and before), the goal for Europe has been to become “ the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”, has been given primacy alongside infra-structural development.
4 Why writing matters On the Edge: Securing a Sustainable Future for Higher Education, Report of the OECD/IMHE-HEFCE project on financial management and governance of higher education institutions, 2004. Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy, 5th Report, Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2007. The Desoto Report: Definition of and Selection of Key Competencies, 2005. Transferable Skills in Third-Level Modern Languages Curricula, (The Transferable Skills Project: DCU, TCD, and WIT) Communities of Practice 5: The Teaching Learning and Development of Professional Transferable Skills, 2007, The Programme for University Industry Interface (PUII), UL. Promoting Enterprise-Higher Education Relationships, 2007, Forfás. A number of European Council, OECD, national and international studies have been conducted over the years to determine the role of education and, in particular, higher education in developing the skills graduates need to successfully participate and sustain both themselves and the economy in an information society. Many of these studies include measures of the importance of writing skills to industry. Jobs.ie / Science and Technology / Research and Development First 25 hits 14 (56%) specify communication Of the 14, 7 explicitly mention writing
5 Generic skills necessary to a knowledge economyExpert Group on Future Skills Needs (2007) Basic/fundamental skills — literacy, numeracy, IT literacy; People-related skills — communication, interpersonal communication, team-working and customer-service skills; and Conceptual/thinking skills — collecting and organising information, problem-solving, planning and organising, learning-to-learn skills, innovation and creativity skills, systematic thinking, adaptability. These categories come to us from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (2007, p. 49). We see writing as a way of developing all of the above skills, barring, perhaps, numeracy. Give an example
6 Primary research – staff and student surveyImportant consideration for UL’s response to developing academic and professional writing?
7 Staff survey Online survey (May 2005)Part I: Existing writing activities at the University of Limerick Part II: Needs analysis Quantitative and qualitative data and analysis 99 respondents Wide range of respondents: Faculty and administrative staff Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Informatics and Electronics, Science Mature Student Office, Adult Education, etc. Representatives from all six colleges/disciplines, and all the types of writing associated with them, namely essay writing, report writing. Interestingly, five of the 601 respondents in the staff survey equated writing with handwriting. Further enthusiasm shown in follow-up conversations and telephone calls.
8 Student survey Survey of students’ writing needs (May 2006)Online survey (MarkClass) Quantitative and qualitative data and analysis 601 respondents From all disciplines: Business, Education Engineering, Humanities, Informatics and Electronics, Science The staff survey was followed by a more detailed student survey in May As the purpose of each survey is different, the questions in each vary. In this paper, it is primarily the results of the student survey and the students’ perceptions that will be presented. Data from the staff survey will also be reported in order to give solid backup to the students’ comments and to shed more light on what the students have said. It is also used as a means of triangulation. MarkClass – specifically designed for educational establishments, universities and colleges to create student questionnaires
9 Student profile Year of study Age group GenderBalanced representation of students (year of study, age and gender)
10 Findings of student surveyAttitudes of students Their perception of the importance of writing What they perceive as their weaknesses in writing Their need for writing support The form this writing support should take
11 Students’ attitudes towards writingImportance of the impact of writing skills on helping you reach your full potential at University 79.3% find it either very important or extremely important. Only 0.7% feel it is not at all important. All 99 respondents in the staff survey indicated that student writing has an impact on reaching their full potential at university. I don’t think people with poor writing skills are taken very seriously.
12 Students’ attitudes towards writingImportance of the impact of writing skills on your future professional life 72.8% feel that writing skills are either very or extremely important for their future professional lives. Only 0.7% feel it is not at all important. 97% of the respondents in the staff survey believe that students’ writing skills have an impact on their future professional lives.
13 Student difficulty completing written tasks1/3 of students find it difficult or very difficult to complete written tasks.
14 Student difficulty completing written tasksDeveloping an argument Referencing Clarity of expression Redrafting Adopting an appropriate style Language appropriate to subject area Structuring and organisation of text Vocabulary Punctuation Presentation / layout Grammar Spelling Most difficult Least difficult Mechanics Although the quantitative data suggests that the students perceive elements such as spelling, grammar and punctuation to be relatively easy, the qualitative data later suggests that these are areas where they need help. When students highlight areas where they feel they need support, their comments do not extend to the basic literacy skills. Staff, however, do comment on the need for help in the basic literacy skills such as spelling, grammar and punctuation. They say they don’t need help with the mechanics, but the electronic resources they consult are primarily to deal with the mechanics.
15 Students’ attitudes towards writing improvementImprovement in writing since you started studying at UL
16 Students’ perceptions of why they have/have not improvedEvidence of improvement Stated reasons for improvement Strategies used to improve Evidence of improvement: Students knew that they had improved because they were now able to structure a text in a manner appropriate to their discipline. Stated reasons for improvement: 135 (26%) students attributed their improvement to the sheer volume of writing that they had done. Strategies used to improve: Students received feedback and used it to make improvements
17 Students’ reasons for a stasis or regressionSome reasons offered by the students: in addition to receiving no guidance or instruction, no feedback on their performance, other than through their mark, was provided they did not do much writing, or were in courses for which there were few, if any, writing assignments they did not see any need to improve as assessment emphasised content over style their difficulties with the disciplinary style of their course hindered their development
18 Support for writing Nearly half of the students claim to have received no support for their writing. Primarily, this was in the form of guidance from lecturers or part of a module. The staff survey concurs with this. Only 36 of the 99 respondents, 36.4%, are involved in any activities which aim to develop students’ writing, primarily as part of a module. The majority of these activities are aimed at fourth-year students, followed by postgraduate and second-year students. 19 of the 36 respondents, 52.8%, indicate that the primary target group is fourth-year students. The students also comment in their needs analysis that the support they do get in writing is often in their fourth year, which they feel is too late. 66.7% of staff do not engage in any activities which aim to develop students’ writing. These figured correlate to what the students said. Therefore, the lack of support and a structured approach to same highlighted by the students is well founded. Not a systematic approach to supporting writing.
19 Need for additional support98% of the respondents in the staff survey feel that there is a need for support for students’ writing. Ironically, only 66.5% of students feel the need support for their writing. And even some students talk about how they are already strong writers and do not need any help.
20 Types of additional support suggested by studentsStudents have a preference for the following means of intervention: Integrating writing development into existing modules Occasional seminars A dedicated writing centre Online resource Lack of commitment to devoting extra time for writing development is evident. Both the staff and student surveys show a preference for integrating writing support into existing modules and for providing online support. However, staff indicate that there preferred type of initiative (after integrating support into existing modules) is providing specialised modules. This is one of the least preferred options of the students. They are more in favour of occasional seminars to support writing. Again both staff and students agree that the writing support should be a lot earlier and take a more structured approach. Both agree that a dedicated writing centre would be an important means of providing additional support.
21 Other types of support which the students suggestEssay writing competitions Feedback on writing Drop-in centre for writing skills Sample answers / examples / guidelines Continuous practice and evaluation of writing skills One uniform referencing style Creative writing / greater freedom A formal booklet on writing skills Co-ordinated approach from the University and its staff
22 Conclusions from primary researchWriting is not getting the attention it needs despite the fact that it is central to success at third level. Non-systematic approach to writing support and development
23 What is UL’s response to developing academic and professional writing?What has influenced this response? Writing centres have a long history in the US. We can learn a lot from this history and what came before, which will help us build a conception of their role today. Early 20th century: “The Laboratory Method”, method of instruction in the classroom to eliminate errors (Carino, 2001:12). 1930s: Emergence of writing laboratories - separate laboratory instruction on writing (Carino, 2001:13): Moore (1950) made a distinction between the writing laboratory and the writing clinic. 1970s: Emergence of composition as a research field (Jim Henry) New writing centres date to the early 1970s (North, 1984:438). Peer tutoring began to leave behind the programmed instruction of writing labs (Boquest, 2001). End of 1980s: Writing centres are everywhere in the US
24 What a writing centre is not (North, 1984)A place where papers get “cleaned up” (433) A “proofreading-shop-in-the-basement” (444) A “skills center” or “a fix-it shop” (435) A “first aid station” to deal with mechanical errors (437) A remedial agency Hoping for miracles However, these “first aid” remedies and “treating symptoms” do not solve the problems of writers (Hairston, 1982:82).
25 Concept of a writing centreFocus should be on the process and on the writer, not the text (the product), thus student-centred Focus on the cognitive process of writing Focus on metacognitive processes associated with writing Developing a dialogue about writing is key in this process A pedagogy of direct intervention: “the teaching takes place as much as possible during writing, during the activity being learned, and tends to focus on the activity itself” (North, 1984:439). “[…] a tutor is a holist devoted to a participant-observer methodology” (North, 1984:438/9). This may leave students feeling frustrated as they may be impatient to have a piece of writing to be quickly corrected. But in the long term they may become better writers. The importance of dialogue about writing.
26 Pedagogic implications“Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing” (North, 1984:438) Everyone in the university community can improve as writers: Undergraduate and postgraduate students Teaching staff Researchers At any time during the composition process
27 The UK response Academic Literacies research group (Institute of Education, University of London) Literacy in Higher Education research group (King’s College, University of London) Writing Development in Higher Education (WDHE) Network Teaching and researching writing has been an important subject matter in the US for decades and has informed many views on teaching writing in other countries (Ganobcsik-Williams, 2006:xxiii). It was only in the early 1990s that universities in the UK began the movement to develop student writing in higher education (Ganobcsik-Williams, 2006:xxi), coinciding with the expansion in higher education from an elite to a mass system Nowadays, realisation and recognition that academic writing needs to be taught (ibid.).
28 Academic literacies approach (Lea and Street, 1996/1998)Rejection of the study skills model/skills approach Rejection of the academic socialisation model Literacy is a social practice (power struggle) Student writing is therefore concerned with “the processes of meaning-making and contestation around meaning rather than as skills or deficits” (Lea and Street, 1998:159). “[…] one explanation for problems in student writing might be the gaps between academic staff expectations and student interpretations of what is involved in student writing” (Lea and Street, 1998:159). Rejection of the study skills model/skills approach: […] literacy is a set of atomised skills which students have to learn and which are then transferable to other contexts” (Lea and Street, 1998:158). Fix-it approach (grammar, spelling) to resolve the student deficit Rejection of the academic socialisation model: Induce students into a new “culture”, namely the academy (ibid.). Literacy is a social practice: “The notion of academic literacy has been developed from the area of ‘new literacy studies’ in which literacy is seen as a social practice rather than a set of cognitive skills to be learnt and assimilated. This approach takes account of the cultural and contextual components of writing and reading practices” (Lea and Street, 1996:2).
29 Writing initiatives in the UKWriting in the Disciplines Project, Queen Mary, University of London The Thinking Writing Initiative, Queen Mary, University of London (Mitchell and Evison, 2006) Building an academic writing programme from within a discipline, University of Derby (Ganobcsik-Williams, 2006) Writing development and support for teachers, University of Strathclyde (Murray, 2006) Important dialogue with staff in order to develop and initiate new approaches to writing Teaching teachers to teach writing as part of the Centre for Academic Practice involves developing their understanding of writing by increasing opportunities for their own writing development. This then puts them in a better position to develop their students’ writing.
30 Responding to Writing Needs at ULHaving looked at all these factors, we were able to come up with the most appropriate model for the Irish context. We believe that model to be a writing centre that incorporates a multiplicity of approaches.
31 Our response Establish a writing centre which would allow for a multiplicity of responses A co-ordinated approach Sharing of experiences: University of Limerick Writing Research Forum provides opportunities to discuss initiatives in writing and new approaches to writing ULWF: Collaboration on writing across disciplines – research that informs writing The writing centre would have an important role in providing guidance to lecturers on clearly outlining guidelines in assessments and giving feedback specific to writing. See discussion in Skillen, J. (2006) “Teaching academic writing from the ‘centre’ in Australian Universities", in Ganobcsik-Williams,L. (ed.), Teaching Academic Writing in UK Higher Education: Theories, Practices and Models. Palgrave Macmillan This deals with the advantages of integrating writing instruction into the curriculum and contextualising writing instruction. In such an integrated approach, writing becomes an important part of the discipline (Skillen, 2006:143). Writing instruction is available to all at a time when it is needed.
32 Steps taken Initial initiatives at UL includingfocus group discussions pilot interventions the Writing Research Group Belief that need for writing support exists in other institutions. SIF-funded Shannon Consortium Regional Writing Centre set up in AY06/07 involving ITT, LIT, MIC and UL.
33 Shannon Consortium Regional Writing Centre activitiesShadowing activities Needs analysis surveys of students and staff audits in other institutions Interventions in various forms Various student target groups Develop staff development Peer-tutoring programme Action Research One day conference Collaborative links.
34 Examples of Writing Centre activities at UL Sept/Oct 2007Seminars/workshops: 17 different initiatives (82 contact hours) 19 drop-in session 1,146 student “visits”
35 Conclusions: Potential of writing centresSystematic approach to writing development Community-wide conversation on writing Combine discipline-specific knowledge with expert knowledge in writing Writing issues of specific target groups, e.g. non-traditional, first-year students Development of professional transferable skills.
36 Conclusions: Potential of writing centresFostering metacognitive thinking about writing leads to the development of generic and transferable skills for students in all disciplines. It is probably safe to assume that much of the focus on transferable skills in Higher Education institutions are a result of the work of the OECD and the EC to tailor the workforce to a knowledge economy. Knowledge economies tend to morph in mid-sentence. They require that their workforces be highly adaptable. Skills utilized in one situation may be applied in another situation. The importance for students of developing transferable skills, and the contribution such skills make to the development of a successful workforce, have been highlighted in a number of recent studies in the UK and Ireland (NCIHE, 1997; Forfás, 2003; IDA, 2004). More and more frequently, employers are seeking a broad skill-set from their employees, beyond technical expertise or specialist knowledge. The recruitment campaigns of many graduate employers highlight the kinds of skills (including transferable skills) and qualities they look for when recruiting graduates of any discipline. (Transferable Skills Project 2006)
37 Conclusions: Potential of writing centresBetter writers in both academic and professional settings