English FY 03 Work Plan

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Program Collaboration and Transfer
Department/Discipline Action Work Plan

Facilitator instructions: Please complete this form and return an electronic copy to the Office of Program Collaboration and Transfer. (Use additional sheets as necessary)

Department/Discipline: English

Facilitator Name: Bob Inkster

Transfer issue/problem one:

Transfer Issue/Problem #1: Assessment/placement is inconsistent within MnSCU schools, thereby establishing different student entry levels into college composition.

Strategy One:	Establish full staff support within the Office of the Chancellor to support a faculty-driven review/redevelopment of an open enrollment school* placement policy. *We note that this issue and the proposed strategies are issues only for the open-enrollment schools, i.e., the two-year institutions. The universities’ restricted admission processes, including ACT assessment of all new freshmen, adequately address this issue at those institutions. Note on goals for Strategy One: Uniform, consistent assessment/placement policies and processes Uniform enforcement of placements, eliminating end runs Enforce computer lock-out through ISRS MnSCU enforce placement policy #3.3
Action Item		Timeline*	Whose Responsible
1. • Set up three listservs 1. A listserv of all English department chairs in MnSCU System 2. A listserv of all 4-year English dept. chairs in MnSCU System 3. A listserv of all 2-year English dept. chairs in MnSCU System		In time to collect data (see action item #2) for Nov. 22 meeting	(MnSCU staff):
2. • Survey departments, using the listserv, to determine their current practice. Questions would be the following What assessment instrument do you use for assessment/placement? Is a writing sample required? If there’s a writing sample, who reads it? How are they compensated? Is there a budget line for readers? What are the threshold scores/gates for placement into the MnTC Goal 1 course? How are the gates enforced? Have you experienced enforcement problems? Please cite specific examples. Do you have suggestions, recommendations?		Before Nov. 22 meeting	(MnSCU staff):

Department/Discipline: English		Facilitator Name: Bob Inkster
Transfer issue/problem two:	Content and credits of Goal 1 college composition courses are inconsistent, causing transfer problems for students.

Strategy One:	(April): If a college does not offer the preferred two levels of college composition, then the college composition course must be at least 4 semester credits.
Action Item		Timeline*	Whose Responsible
1. Collect and collate course outlines for writing courses that serve Goal 1 of MnTC. (MnSCU staff send request, but outlines to be sent to Bob Inkster, preferably electronically)		Nov. 22, ‘02	MnSCU staff to send request, outlines to be sent to Bob Inkster (rinkster@stc.oudstate.edu)

Strategy Two:	(April): One hundred percent (100%) of the student writing competencies in Goal 1 must be fulfilled in the college composition course(s)
Action Item		Timeline*	Whose Responsible
1. Collect and collate course outlines for writing courses that serve Goal 1 of MnTC. (MnSCU staff send request, but outlines to be sent to Bob Inkster, preferably electronically) Note: This action item serves both Strategy One and Strategy Two.		Nov. 22, ‘02	MnSCU staff to send request, outlines to be sent to Bob Inkster (rinkster@stc.oudstate.edu)