Course Innovation Grant 2015-2017 Proposal

First-Year Composition
Dr. Sandra Tarabochia
Current Status of the Course
The purpose of this proposal is obtain a Course Innovation Grant to help fund
substantial curriculum revision in English 1113: Principles of Composition I
and English 1213: Principles of Composition II. The curricular overhaul is part
of a wider general education reform effort underway at OU. English 1113 and
English 1213 make up the first-year composition sequence, one of three core
general education requirements for incoming students (with few exceptions).
The most recent assessment of English 1113, concluded in 2011, found
students struggled with the central learning outcomes associated with each
major unit in the coursesynthesis, analysis, source integration, and
reflection. A course assessment of English 1213 has not been conducted in
well over five years. It is clear to us that the sequence needs to be revitalized
to enhance student learning and improve students and teachers overall
experience with the courses.
Needs/Opportunities to be Addressed through Course Innovation
Project
Weve identified the following needs/opportunities to be addressed by this
proposed project:

Better alignment between 1113 and 1213

Meet students where they are in terms of interest and ability
Facilitate transfer of learning from FYC to writing situations in
college and beyond
Engage students in analyzing and producing texts in many mediums
and genres
Root students in the OU and surrounding community

Over the last several months, Ive worked with Dr. Garofalo, Chair of the
English Department, Dean Damphousse, Associate Dean Vicki Sturtevant,
Associate Dean Michele Eodice and Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy
(CRL) faculty members Susan Kates and Will Kurlinkus, to develop a blueprint
for remodeling FYC to address these needs and opportunities. In September,
we invited three eminent writing studies scholars to campus to share their
research and administrative practices. In December, CRL faculty held a
retreat facilitated by renowned scholar and award-winning writing program
director Linda Adler-Kassner. As a result of these efforts, weve developed an
ambitious vision for FYC at OU and a plan for implementing the necessary
changes.

Proposed Innovations
Rooted in conversations with top scholar-teacher-administrators, our vision
incorporates best practices within the discipline of composition and rhetoric
for promoting enhanced learning outcomes, enhanced critical inquiry, and
enhanced communication. More specifically, our curricular vision is based on
three pillars: foundational knowledge, habits of mind, and skills and
strategies, as articulated in the 2014 WPA Outcomes State for First-Year
Composition (an official statement from the Council of Writing Program
Administrators supported by a large body of research and practitioner
experience) and in the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (a
document endorsed by the CWPA, the National Council of Teachers of
English, and the National Writing Project).
Overview of Sequence
Upon completion of the Course Innovation Project, First-Year Composition at
the University of Oklahoma will prepare students to be versatile writers able
to succeed in college, career, and civic life. In the first semester, students
will investigate and write about the characteristics of writing expertise,
especially in academic contexts. In the second semester, they will apply their
understanding of writing expertise to problems, issues, or opportunities in
local communities, investigating and crafting solutions that incorporate
academic reading, research, and writing. Students will study and compose a
range of genres with attention to audience, purpose, and context. Small
group work and one-on-one attention from instructors will create
opportunities for students to hone their writing skills, develop their strengths,
and use writing to explore issues and ideas that matter to them. Building on
the ways students already use writing to accomplish various personal,
professional, and academic goals, our rhetoric-based program will provide a
foundation for students to continue to grow as writers.
English 1113 Remodeled
Based on writing pedagogy research, theory, and practice as presented by
two of our visiting scholars, Professor Kevin Roozen from the University of
Central Florida and Professor Cheryl Glenn from PennState University, weve
designed English 1113 so that students will analyze how language functions
in a variety of contexts in order to learn how to transfer writing knowledge
and skill to situations inside and outside of academe. More precisely,
students will study literacy, broadly conceived to include ways of reading and
writing in a range of social situations and contexts.
Featured aspects of English 1113:

Through reading and writing about literacies and studying

conventions of writing in fields or communities they hope to enter,
students will develop a rich vocabulary to use in discussions of
literacies and in critical thinking about their own writing. (The
development of such a vocabulary has proven to enhance writing
expertise and the ability to transfer writing strategies and assess
conventions for new writing contexts).
Throughout the course, students will learn to discuss and plan
writing projects, as they collect and analyze writing representative
of their own literate practices, from academic disciplines, and from
the public sphere.
English 1113 concludes with a multimodal composition project that
builds on earlier work, prepares students to generate writing outside
of traditional alphabetic and textual modes, and showcases student
writing for new audiences.
Throughout the course, students will engage in transfer
interludes, shorter assignments and activities designed to help
students reflect on their reading, writing, and learning processes
and transfer what they learn in English 1113 to writing situations in
college and beyond.

Revised Assignment Sequence in English 1113:

Literacy Narrative: Students will tell a story in a first person narrative

of how they achieved a level of intellectual curiosity about a subject or
a practice (not necessarily academic) and became a kind of expert
about that subject or practice. Students will reference the narratives
on the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives at the Ohio State
University: http://daln.osu.edu/handle/2374.DALN/7 for models and
inspiration.
Value: This assignment will root the course in students own literacy
practices. It will help them see they already read and write for a range
of purposes and have experience learning new ways of reading and
writing to accomplish their goals.

Literacy Profile: Students will interview a student, graduate student, or

faculty member in an academic discipline of interest to them and write
a descriptive profile of how that person uses reading and writing in a
disciplinary context.
Value: This assignment will give students a chance to explore fields
and disciplines they are interested in, beginning in their first semester
at OU. It will allow them to network with students and teachers in the
discipline connect their existing literacy strengths to academic
literacies.

Analysis: Writing in the Public Sphere: Students will find an issue or an

organization that interests them and collect and analyze texts that
discuss the same issue in various ways, through various literate
practices. They will analyze features and styles of writing that define
effective written communication in a particular conversation in the
public sphere.
Value: This assignment will expose students to reading and practices
involved in writing for the public realm. It will help them connect their
own literacy strengths and academic interests with writing they may
do in response to civic issues.
Multimodal Composition: Writing Identities: Students will create a
multi-modal project that presents their own multidimensional writing
identities. They will produce a piece of work that showcases all the
facets of their writing and composing selves.
Value: This assignment invites students to draw connections across the
various realms in which they investigated literacy practices over the
semester. It asks them to reflect on their own reading, writing and
learning practices and present a literacy CV of sorts to outside
audiences. The multimodal dimension gives them practice with a
range of composition tools they will use in English 1213, throughout
college and beyond.
English 1213 Remodeled
English 1213 is designed to give students the opportunity to learn from the writing
expertise of others in order to improve the world. Whereas English 1113 is inwardly
focused, inviting students to reflect on their literacies and investigate
literacy practices in contexts they find compelling as they produce inquiry
based genres, English 1213 is outwardly focused, inviting students to
examine community problems or opportunities that can be addressed
through writing and identify or develop appropriate communicative
responses.
Featured aspects of English 1213:
Students harness qualitative interviews, site observations, and
writing studies research to analyze communications assets and
address writing problems/opportunities in community and public
contexts.
Throughout the course students learn to perform interviews and site
reflections, locate communications problems, identify community
assets, understand writing in context, transfer writing expertise
from one situation to others, and create interactive and multimodal
responses to the gaps they identify.

The course culminates in an interactive, multimodal showcase of

students research findings and communicative innovations.
Throughout the course, students will engage in transfer
interludes, shorter assignments and activities designed to help
students reflect on their reading, writing, and learning processes
and transfer what they learn in English 1213 to writing situations in
college and beyond.

Revised Assignment Sequence in English 1213:

Locating a Writing Problem: Students research a communication
problem and the community that encounters that problem on a daily
basis. Students might talk with leaders of organizations they wish to
join, read the OU Daily or Norman Transcript to identify campus and
community issues, find magazine articles on future careers, or even
talk with family members and friends. Based on initial findings,
students write a brief formal proposal, outlining how they will continue
to research the community and problem.
Value: This assignment invites students to engage with community
issues, problems, and opportunities that align with their own strengths,
interests and passions. It teaches them to understand the role of
communication in the challenges and problems communities face.

Learning from the Experts: Students interview three community

members about the community problem/issue theyve identified.
Students treat interview subjects as experts and seek to learn from
them about the nuances of the issue and possible solutions. After the
interviews, students generate 1. A visual assets map outlining the
communitys writing assets: skills, resources, genre standards,
connections and 2. A collection of coded quotes tracing at least three
ideas/themes across all subjects.
Value: This assignment asks students to identify the communicative
expertise of community members, broadening their sense of the goals
and strategies of reading and writing and assumptions about how
literacy practices function across contexts. The final products engage
students in the process of coding qualitative research and the visual
presentation of research datapractices they will surely adapt in other
courses and career paths.

Possible Solutions or Responses: Students further research the possible

solutions from Assignment 2. They create annotated bibliographies
that combine the expertise of writing studies scholars (research in
writing studies journals) and the expertise of in-context writing experts
who have dealt with similar problems. Students compare and contrast

solutions and make their evaluations more accessible by producing 4

infographics, which visually represent their analyses.
Value: This assignment asks students to critically analyze a range of
responses to a communicative problem. Applying an analytical lens to
material and presenting evaluative conclusions in an accessible way
(including infographics) are practices valued in a range of academic
disciplines and professions.
Adapting a Response: Students choose the best solution from
Assignment 3 and adapt it to their chosen community, using what
theyve learned about the community as well as what theyve learned
about writing in context.
Value: This assignment teaches students to synthesize material, think
creatively in response to real world problems, and consider the
implications of communicative decisions within particular contexts.

Presenting Interactive Prototypes: Students create an interactive

prototype that demonstrates a small-scale version of their solution.
The goal is to create an object (a comic, cereal box, pop-up book,
sticker campaign, board game, DVD) or a planned experience
(flashmob, protest, parade) that can be found by a specific audience,
experienced, and used to capitalize on an opportunity or address a
need. Students create a poster with a plan of distribution and an
explanation of how the object functions rhetorically. Students display
and celebrate prototypes in a program-wide showcase.
Value: This assignment engages students in critical, rhetorical thinking
as they consider how to communicate effectively with particular
audiences. The final showcase highlights civic engagement and
writing as doing. It allows students to sharpen their presentation
skills and gives them a shared experience in which they can come
together and see what it means to be in a community of OU writers.
The showcase opens doorways to community and organization
involvement and, ideally, gives students the opportunity to start
conversations with professors in areas of interest.

Projects to Support Remolded Curriculum

Several projects are underway as we develop the curriculum and design
resources and procedures for training teachers and supporting students
through the transition process. These projects include:
Coordinating a team of faculty, instructors and FYC staff/administrators
to develop assignment sheets. This will involve working with
create.ou staff to determine the extent to which the program can be
integrated into the final projects for 1113 and 1213.

Constructing a Teachers Sourcebook with in-class activities

designed to support students in learning the knowledge, habits of
mind, and skills needed to successfully achieve the major assignments.
Developing an alternative textbook option to replace the textbooks
we currently use in English 1113 and English 1213 and to specifically
support the new curriculum.
Establishing and facilitating mentoring groups among teachers piloting
the new curriculum.
Designing and organizing our first program-wide showcase of final,
interactive prototype projects in English 1213. Assembling a
committee to judge projects and present awards to teachers and
students responsible for exceptional projects.
Designing portals for teachers and for students to access course
related information and resources.

Assessment Plan
FYC is working with Felix Wao to build assessment into the revised curriculum
from the beginning. I attended the Qualtrics workshop hosted by the Office
of Assessment and plan to incorporate a survey tool into our assessment
plan. Associate Director of FYC, Jerry Stinnett, and I are registered for the
programmatic assessment workshops hosted by the Office of Assessment.
We will have a more concrete assessment plan before the launch of the pilot.
Desired Outcomes
Improve student experience as evidenced by student evaluations
Improve student achievement of learning outcomes across both
courses
Increase visibility of the FYC program and student writing
Improve retention from first year to second year
Improve students ability to transfer what they learn in FYC to future
courses and beyond
Improve teacher motivation, morale, preparation, and ability to
deliver curriculum
Achieve better alignment with other core gen ed courses

Budget Breakdown
Spring-Summer
2015
Item
Date
Pilot leaders (5)
April 1-May 31

GRA

May 31

Pilot leaders (5)

June 1-July 31

GRA

June 1-July 31

Jerry Stinnett

June 1-July 31

Justification
Cost
Learn and help
develop
curriculum/course
(scaffolding/sequen
ces) in order to train
and guide pilot
teachers
Work on open
source D2L site;
develop survey for
pilot assessment;
develop process for
gathering
assessment
material.
Develop
curriculum/course
and prepare to help
with summer
training and lead
focus groups;
contact pilot group
members
Work on open
source D2L site;
develop survey for
pilot assessment;
develop process for
gathering
assessment
material.
Mr. Stinnett will
have been part of
planning all spring.
His appointment
ends May 31 but he
can stay through
July. His expertise is
important for
continued
development and

Susan Kates (CRL June-August

faculty)
Will Kurlinkus
(CRL faculty)

Fall 2015
Item
Pilot Leaders (5)

GRA

June-August

training.
Help train pilot
teachers and be
part of summer
workshop
Help train pilot
teachers and be
part of summer
workshop

Date
Justification
Cost
August-December Lead regular
focus group
meetings with
pilot teachers,
revise materials
and generate
new materials
(assignment
sheets, readings,
sourcebook);
Develop training
materials to
begin using in
spring.
August-December Continue D2L
maintenance,
revision,
development with
open sources;
help train
teachers on D2L
during summer
workshop;
implement
assessment
practices and
establish
procedures
(attend
assessment
workshops);
produce training
materials with

feedback from
pilot leaders
Total for Fall

Spring 2016
Item
Pilot Leaders (5)

Date
January-May

GRA

January-May

All non-pilot
Choose from one
instructors
of three A
(between 30 and sessions and one
40 people)
of 3 B sessions (2
sessions total).

17 new GTA pilot

teachers
(estimate of
incoming class)*

Total for
Spring

Every other week

(8 sessions) for
1.5 hours

Justification
Lead regular
focus group
meetings with
pilot teachers,
revise materials
and generate new
materials
(assignment
sheets, readings,
sourcebook).
Continue D2L
maintenance,
development w
open sources;
implement
assessment
practices and
establish
procedures
(assessment
workshops);
produce training
materials with
feedback from
pilot leaders; plan
for showcase.
Attend
information/traini
ng/professional
development
events to learn
new curriculum;
study curriculum
materials
Attend
information/traini
ng/professional
development
events to learn
new curriculum;
study curriculum
materials

Cost

Total for Year

1

Summer 2016
Item

Date

Justification

GRA

June-July 31

Develop
instructor and
student portals
and/or
course/program
website; compile
assessment data;
revise training
materials with
feedback from
pilot leaders;
organize fall
showcase

Total for
Summer

Cost

Fall 2016
Item
Pilot Leaders (5)

Date
August-December

GRA

August-December

30-40
instructors

August
-December

6 RTF who were

pilot last year
become
additional pilot
group leaders

August
-December

Justification
Cost
Lead regular
focus group
meetings with
incoming RTF and
GTA pilot
teachers, revise
materials and
generate new
materials
(assignment
sheets, readings,
sourcebook);
Develop training
materials to begin
using in spring
Develop
instructor and
student portals;
compile
assessment data
and write report;
revise training
materials with
feedback from
pilot leaders
Participate in
project group with
RTF and present
at spring
returning
instructor
workshop (about
4 meetings per
semester)
Facilitate project
groups of vet
instructors
teaching new
curriculum for the
first time; ID
teaching puzzle,
troubleshoot,
solve, present at

returning
instructor work
shop in spring
Total for Fall

Spring 2017
Item
Pilot Leaders (5)

Date
August-December

GRA

January- May

30-40
instructors

August
-December

6 RTF who were

pilot last year
become
additional pilot
group leaders

August
-December

Digital
pedagogy
training for FYC

May

Justification
Cost
Lead regular
focus group
meetings with
incoming RTF and
GTA pilot
teachers, revise
materials and
generate new
materials
(assignment
sheets, readings,
sourcebook);
Develop training
materials to begin
using in spring
Develop
instructor and
student portals
and/or
course/program
website; compile
assessment data
and write report;
revise training
materials with
feedback from
pilot leaders
Participate in
project group with
RTF and present
an output (about
4 meetings per
semester)
Facilitate project
groups of vet
instructors
teaching new
curriculum for the
first time;
produce output
TBD
Digital Media and
Composition
Institute

Director and 1
RTF group leader
Conference
March
travel-FYC
curriculum team
(Tarabochia,
Kates, Kurlinkus)

Total for
Spring
Total for Year
2

Final Total: $150,000

registration fee
Present program
profile and initial
assessment
findings at
Conference on
College
Composition and
Communication