Date of Award
2010
Degree Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Robert Schwegler
Abstract
Scholars in the field of rhetoric and composition are still only beginning to grasp the need for crucial examination of writing assessment as a locally-constructed, fully collaborative and necessary professional research activity. In particular, few assessment scholars have examined the attitudes of writing assessors in a full-scale course outcomes assessment--or even acknowledged the importance of their viewpoints and interpretations in such an assessment. This study investigated the attitudes, definitions, and self-perceptions of writing instructors fully engaged in assessing writing course outcomes. Empirical models for observation, survey, and interview were applied to fully gather, analyze, and triangulate data collected from writing faculty participants. Qualitative descriptive techniques were implemented to fully identify the following steps in the writing assessment process: Faculty-wide discussion of the assessment's focus and preliminary design; Assessment session - norming, rating, reflection; and Post-assessment reactions and responses. Results from this research study reveal several distinct patterns and important trends that can significantly impact writing assessment practice particularly with respect to the assessment of departmental course outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Vancza, Valerie A., "Inside writing assessment: One faculty's collective engagement & active critique within departmental course outcomes" (2010). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 2402.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/2402
Terms of Use
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