English Department, SUNY Cortland Program Review

English Department, SUNY Cortland

Program Review

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Table of Contents

I. Curriculum

n. Assessment

m. Faculty

IV. Students

A. Bachelor's Degree in Adolescence English Education

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B. Bachelor's Degree in English

C. Bachelor's Degree in Professional Writing

V. Support Services

VI. Administrative Support

Works Cited

Appendices

Faculty Vitae

Reviewers'Report

Chair's Response

I. CURRICULUM' - - - ' . . . '.

Bachelor of Arts in Adolescence EngliSh Education 7-12 (BA-AEE)

A. Mission, Goals, Objectives

1. Prepare a program mission statement that outlines the goals and their relationship to the college's overall mission statement (conceptual framework).

The overarching goal of the English department's undergraduate program in Adolescence Education EngliSh (ABE) is to help candidates build comprehensive knowledge of EngliSh language,literature, and composition arid related practices for effective classroom teaching. The program's eumculum, rooted in the constructivist model, places highest premium on the student's ability to use innate thinking and language skills to conStruct new content knowledge according to cognitive-constructivist (Anderson 1983; deBeaugrande 1980; Flower 1984; Kueer 1985; Piaget 1985) and socio-coDStriictivist (Bakhtin 1981; Bruffee 1984; Fish 1989; Lakoff and Johnson 1980; Vygotsky 197~) learning theory. This holistlcEngllsh model meets the curricular, pedagogical, ru:td attitudinal goals of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National CowiciiofTeachers of EngliSh (NCTE) while embracing

. SUNY -Cortland's college-wide mission for shaping teacherS committ!:<i to liberal education and the extended responsibilities implied by this charge. See Appendix A for the ".l3 Learning OutcomesIExpectationsfo): Candidates." TheSe outcomes undergird SUNY -Cortland's Teacher EducationConceptualFramework.

To reinforce this philosophical base and ensure students' maximum academic achievement and critical literacy, the ABE progiamupholds new national standards of reflectivity, coherence, prp(essionalcommitment, diversity, technology, and authentic assessment While these teaching traits are infused throughout the program, technological diversity and expertise are fostered . across the academic disciplines; The English department's Composition Program in Acadettnc Writing prepax:es undergraduates to critically think, read, eValnate, and write about diverse non­fiction and literax:y texts for various kinds and levels of meaning, Incorporated in Academic Writing I and Ii are mandatory two-week sessions of computer-assisted instruction in statecof­the-art English department Mac and PC labs. This first-year program affords future teachers equal opportunity to master word processing skills, MLA source documentation standards, and use of varied search engines for research across the. disciplines. Numerous computer labs throughout the campus give potential candidates time, outside of class, to integrate writing and technology. In addition, the English faculty takes advantage of monthly workshops that enrich instruction and broadenstudents'ninge of corumunication with WebCT, PowerPoint, chat rooms, listservs, and emergent technology. Also keyed to new state and national teacher education standards are the four required methods courses (two of which have attached early fieldwork): ABO 341, ABO 441, ABOJ10 and 311, ABO 404 and 405. These courses enable candidates.to further integrate content knowledge and pedagogy with up-to-date technology for gathering and evaluating electronic information and for developing an electronic student teaching portfolio. .

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As active constructors of academic knowledge, students must first fulfill all-college General Education requirements by taking courses in four fundamental academic skills and eight liberal arts categories. The skills base includes courses in academic' writing, information retrieval, quantitative skills, and foreign language acquisition. The liberal arts categories are American State and SoCiety; Prejudice and Discrimination; Contrasting Culture; Fine Arts; History and . History ofIdeaS; Literature; Science, Teclmology, and Human Affairs; and Natural Sciences. This GE core provides students with the cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge and critical thinking lind language skills on which to build comprehensive and integrated knowledge of English language, literature, composition, and discipline-related methods of inquiry and research. Candidates must accumulate 34 to 47 credits within the GE core.

To prepare candidates for provisional certification in Adolescerice Education, English 7-12, the program includes a 36 credit-hour English core and a 40-41 credit-hour professional/pedagogical core. The English core develops in-depth and integrated knowledge of literature, language, and composition for teaching proficiency in today's increasingly global and heterogeneous middle . lind secondary schools, imd the professional ci>re develops student-centered planning, instructional, and classroom management methods. Our undergraduate teacher education program's intensive curriculum challenges students to begin synthesizing their content knowledge with theory-based pedagogy from the start.

Our provisional certification prograril. also piepares candidates for a coherent professional semester. Currently students accumulate 60 hours of pre-service fieldwork in conjunction with two courses linking content (language development and composition) with pedagogy: respectively, ABD 310: Grammar and the Writing Process and ABD 404: Teaching Writing. Acting as teaching assistants at loqd field experience partner schools, candidates apply, hands­on, key Strategies for developing collaborative groups, one-tCHlne conferencing, instructional diversity, special needs accommodations, and NYS learning standards, all of which are pivotal in today's increasingly global and heterogeneous secondary English classroom . .

Students currently accumulate the additional 40 hours offield experience by acting as participant/observers for the first five days (8 hours per day) of their first student teaching

. placement. This arrangement alloWs candidates to dedicate their time and effort exclusively to developing the seeds of a reflective practice. They observe a variety of classrooms and other venues; critically analyze and evaluate-via viewing, writing, and speaking-key instructional ' components and related classroom practices influencing learning; and prepare to make wise planning and instructional deCisions during student teaching. They begin to recognize the intrinsic link between teaching and learning, the need to adjust content to students' age and aptitude levels, and the myriad ways to link content and pedagogy in the English classroom. Graded projects include: maintaining a triple-entry observational journal, shadowing special needs student or interviewing the special education director, and administering a survey of student reading attitudes.

As of fall 2004, all fieldwork courses will be worth 3 credits each and will require 50 hours of participant observation, rather than 30, attached to 310 and 404; the current ABD 385 and 585

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) will eventually be phased out. The progriun's Profi:ssionalseIDester culminates intwo seven- . . week student teaching placements at thennddle I)Ild seCondary ilchoolleVels. By requiring ..•

students to experience the full range of7-12gradelevels and aptitudes, tbisdual placement ensures c8ndidates a comprehensive view of adoleScents' developing cognitive, social, and . academic needS. .. .

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2. Delineate the program's goals and objectives

The GeneiaI Edllcation Core .. . . .. . .•.. . SUNY Cortland's General Education Progmm~ caIididateswith the knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the liberal arts and sciences required specifiCally for, but not _ limited to, artistic eJqlresSion,commUilication,and informatiOn retrieval; fuoolllll.t:ntal . concepts ofhistorY,socialsci~nces, andhumaiiities; aianguage other than English; scieinific and mathematical proCesses; critical andereative thinking; and. the use of writing fur personal expression and critical interpretatipn of academicsourtes (suuunary, objective response, critical analysis and ev3.IUation,synthesis,atgumeirt, and discipline-basediesearch).

English Content Core

Four interrelated contexts shape the prognuil's 36 credit hour Content Core:

1. Thecoinmon New York State (NYS)secoOOaI'y EngliSh curriculum

Almost all undergraduates who successfully complete the Adolescence Education-English program receive initial teaching positions iri New York State schoOl districts. Many, in fact, start teaching in hoIrietown districts. Hence, it is imperative that this program aligns its. curriculum with the language arts cui'riculum currently taught in NYS middle and -secondary schools. As program graduates confum,the five required literature courses in British and American litcratureand Shakespeare provide indispensable literary, historical, and cuhural background for the standard-fiJre secoOOaI'y-level survey courses!JIlli senior electives they will be eXpected to teach. The required poetry course, togethei With the Shakespeare

- requiremeJit, helps students build fouildatirinalknowledgeofpoeticforms and conventions . and critical urldcrstandingof cross-genre language devices upon which theirand.their future students' literary consciouSness depends. The required multicultural elective expands students' concept of literature to include women authOrs and diverse cu1tUres,while . generating ahernate perspectives from which to reexanrineiIigrained beliefs and custorDS. While the required course in Adolescent Literature 1iunilia:rizes studentswitli contemporary . examples of this standaid-fiJresecoOOaI'y gertre, its main goal is to help future teachers develop a more critical perspective of the literary conventions and critical frameworks that shape this popular genre . .

2. Thefour NYS English Language Arts (ELA) learning stlUldards

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Two required coUrses in gnUnmll( and composition, ABD 310: Grammar and the Writing Process, andAED 404: Teaching Writing, target mastery of underlying concepts, processes, and skills. These courses are designed so students can actively and inductively build . knowledge of grammar andwritlng by ;malyziug,compiuiIiglcontrasting,.attd inferring . granmlai and writing concepts in fiction and non-fiction texts and applying these to meaningful listening, speaking, reading,and writing tasks for a holistic learning procesS.

3. The nine NCATElNCrE language arts standards

The program's content core is. eqUany designed to meet the nine national standards for English language arts teacher-preparationprograms:language development, language analysis, language composition, written discourse, reaqmg arid literature, media, instructional media, aSSessment; and research and theOry. 'Ibiis,inaddition to knowledge ofHteratrire, . language,and composition, candidiltes acquire the full range of conStructivist'-Oriented . .

. .. pOOagogicaiskills- needed in English 7-12 claSs.es. These teaehingskills reflect the link betweeri students'evolving language and thinking skills and their.coiltent knowledge; the impaci of enviroilmentaland developmental factors 0n:1anguage acquisition and comPosition; the need for versatility in all three mOdes of written discolirse; and the impact ofpriIit and nonprint media on criticalliteracy. . .

4. The constructivist leaining mOdel . .' .

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The overall thrust of the English core is dual-purpose. On one band, it sati~fies the distribution of literature, langillige, and composition courses required for secondary English teaching. From candidates' perSpective, the English core provides the foundational knowledge upon which to develop skills in teaching studentS to Construct different kinds- of meaning in the diverse. texts they read, discuss, and write about; iuso, to become versatile users and effective communicat<irs of written language. .

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The program's 40-41 credit-hour Pedagogical Core enableS candidates to link both inquiry­based and direct teaching methods with ELAConcepts(language,litei"ature, and . composition) while meeting new teacher preparatory standards set by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The pedagogical cOre also aims to develop students ' understanding of these state-mimdated learning skills: · .. • developmentalprocesses and deficiencies thatafIectstuiients' readiness to learn • relevanttheories of learning and theitrelatiot!ship toniotivation, conuil.luUcation,

classroommanagement, and democratic values . . • the full range of special needs and how they affect student learning • processes of language acquisition andlitenicy development.

Students also must acquire pedagogical skills needed to: • create a safe and productive learning enviromnent

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• . vary instruction to accommodate a full range of learning styles and abilities • develop speaking, listeniD.g, reading, and writing skills, and link them with content

knowledge • develop curriculum, plan instruction, and create multiple research-validated teaching

strategies • formally and informally assess student leamingand teaching practice • foster student/teacher relationships, student growth, and conflict resolution • .. identify and repOrt suspected child abuse • prevent child abduction, drug abuse; fife/arson, and provide safety education

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The centerpiece of the program's professional core are four required courses llnking content and pedagogy: ABD 310: Grammar and the Writing ProcesS! AED 311, ABD 404: Teaching . Writing/AED 405, AED 341: Introduction to Eng\ish Language Arts, and AED.441 : Methods of Teaching Literature and Critical Literacy (currently, 14 credit hours attogether). These scaffolded courses build In-depth knowledge of the concepts and skills needed to teach literature, language, and composition in today's schools. These courses give candidates hands-on experience applying student-centered methods such as inquiry-based instruction, grammar-in-context,the process approach to writing about fiction arid non~fiction texts, double-entry journals for moving from literal to critical reading and writing, and Socratic seminar discussions. These and other constructivist methods prepare carididates to accommodate the full range of7-12literacy needs and to develop comprehensive knowledge of constructivist-oriented theory and practice. (Atwell 1998; Burke 1999; Calkins 1994; Zemelman and Daniels 1988; Berthoff 1978)~ · .

Additional pedagogical goals we designed to meet these new mandates are

• Required course in Philosophy, Sociology, and History of Education: 3 credits According to new state (NYSED) and national (NCA TE) standards, students must be provided with a knowledge of the philosophy, sOciology. and history of education. To meet this dual standard, the college's Education Departmeni has

, createdEDU 471: Social FoundationS of Education, a course taught by a member of the education faculty.

• Workshops required by NYS Department of Education: 2-3 credlts As required by New York State Department of Education, all program candidates must take one of three current 2"3 cr~ hr. courses that meet the requirement for drug studies in the schools. All candidates also must take a three-clock hoUr Child .. Abuse workshop and a two-clockhour workshop in School Violence Prevention.

• Student Teaching Portfolio Students are required to submit a student-teaching portfolio that provides documentation of reflective practices and constructivist-oriented teaching and learning processes. The portfolio muSt include two complete unit plans--one at the middle school level, the other at the secondary level-and a lengthy reflective

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essay covering several relevant topics students have refleCted on; analyzed, and -_ evaluated in-depththrougbout methods courses and student teaching.

• NYS Language Requirement _ Individuals making application for an initial certificate as a teacher of­Adolescence Education- English 7-12 in New York State are required to cQmplete one year o(college-Ievel study Or the equivalent of a language other than English. Ifthisrequirementhas not a1r~ beCnmet, the candidate may take language courses concurrently with graduate study, - -

The ABE program prepares constructivist-oriented teacher educators to consistently:

> -Display broad, up-to-date knowledge of the forms and-uses ofliterature, language, and _ cOmposition, and how this knowledge links with pedagogicalskillsand attitudes --.

> Inteiratecritic31 thinking and langUage skills withliteramre, language, and composition. > InCorporate concepts of diversity and technology in the teachingofliterature, language,

and composition _ . - -_ _--- - - - -> Use planning and instructional Strategies thatreeogni?;e the full range of learning

apti!Udes and styles --> -BulldIistening; speaking. reading, and writing skills in conjunction with studen1$'

developmental ianguageneeds for self-expression; communication; and creativity > Model interaction with a wide range of texts forIiterary response and expression; critical

analysis, evaluation, and synthesis; 'and social interaction - -> Provide a balance of traditional and perfonnance-based aSsessments of learning > Collaborate with students, colleagues, administrators, families, and community members

to.improve the learning and literacy ofall students -> Demonstrate a reflective disposition from which roanalyze,evaluate, improve, and

integrate the teaching and learning processes > Respect aptitudes, cultural backgrounds, and dialects of students, while enhancing

language awareness

3. Define quality of the Adolescence Education English Prog;.am:

The AdoleScence Education EnglishPrograrn definesqua1ity in terms oftheeapabilities of our students after completing their coUrses, Le., the degree to which graduateS have been provided-_ with an education that willenable them to meet professional NCfE andNewYork State English Language Arts standards and the comprehensiveness of preparation for studentteaching.

4. Identify the learning outcomes students should demonstrate.

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The learning outcomes are clearly laid out. in the ABE matrix we created to establish links _ between our curriculum and the NCI'E and NCATE standards. For amore detailed explanation, \

see Section ll. B. 2. of this report. The BAiABE Matrix is included in Appendix B.

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B. Program Design . .

LSpecifY the degree requirements for the program, using the format of the catalog description of the program,

. M~jor in Adolescence Education: English (7-12) [AEEJ

ThiS prograID. is currently under review by the New York State EducatiQnDepartment and is sUbject to modification pending final approval. This Iilajor leads to New York State certification to teach English in grades 7-12. Note:. the bachelor ,ofarls degree requires proficiency ,in a

. foreign ianguage. ' . .

CAREER POTENTIAL .• High school teacher • . Junior high school teacher ' .

• ,Educational researcher .

A. Required Content Courses; 36 credit hours ENG 203: Introduction to Poetry . ENG 307: Computer Technology in the Classroom ENG 325: American Literature Before 1900 ENG 326: American Literature Since 1900 ENG 355: Major Figures in British Literature to 1780 ENG 356: Major Figures in British Literature 1780 to I'resent ENG 374: Literature for Adolescents ENG 411: World Literature ENG 407: Study of the English Language ,' ENG 433: Shakespeare

ENG 4 : Additional course in literature before 1800 Chooseone from thefollowing:

'. . ENO 438: Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose ENG 440: The Age of Satire . . ~G441: The AgeofSeilsibilitY . ENG 442: Restoratio~ arid Eighteenth-CenturyDrama

ENG _ : An elective in ethnic or muiticulturalliterature Choose one from the following:

. ENG 251: IntroduCtiQD to Afriean-AmericanLiterature ENG 252: Introduction to Modem American Multicultw:a1 Literature ENG 256: Introduction to American Indian Literature ENG 261: Introduction to Women in Literature ENG 352: Early African-American Literature ENG 353: Recent African-American Literature ENG 421: African-American Autobiography

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ENG422: American Women Writers ' ENG 423: American Fiction Since 1940 ENG 425: African-American Women Novelists ENG 475: American Multicultural Literature

B.Required Professional Courses: 40-41 credit hours PSY 101: General Psychology I PSY 232: Adoiescent Psychology' or PSY 332: EducationalPsych()logy HLH~: (Choose one from the following):

HLH no PersonalaiidCommUnityHealth HLH 199 Critical School Health Issues HLH 510 Proseminar in Health Foundations

AED 310: Grammar and the Writing Process AED 311: Participant-Observer Experience: Writing Process AED 341: Introduction to English Language ArtS· . AED 404: Teaching Writing AED 405: Participant-Observer Experience: TeachingWriting AED 441: Methods ofTeaching Literature and Critical Literacy AED 385: Participant/Observer. Experience·· AED386: Student Teaching in the Middle School AED 387: Student Teaching in the Secondary School EDU 471: Foundations of Modem Education Child Abuse Recognition arid Reporting (CAR) workshop (NC) School Violence Prevention and Intervention (SAVE) workshop (NC) .

• AED 341 and 441 taken only in sequence fall and spring of jUnior year (or for transfer students in the fall arid spring of Senior Year)

.. AED 385 provides 40 hours of fieldwork on site at stsrt of first student teaching placement.

C.AEE Coding Policy Students will be coded as AEE-W untilthey have achieved a 2.75 overanGPA or better and are ready to begin jUnior year, at which point they need to apply to the Director of Adolescence Education: English (7" 12) for candidacy. Transfer stodents will retain theAEEcWcoding until

- they have successfully maintained their 2.75 GPA for one semester at Cortland. Becanse the. AEE code is required before students will be admitted into the jUnior year courses with attached fieldwork, transfer students coming in with junior status (56.5 credit hours or above) must understand that they will begin these courses in the fall semester of their senior year, and must student teach in the fall semester thereafter. Transfer students who areexceptionaliy well­prepared and have completed all foreign language requirements may petition to begin junior year cOurses during their flISt semester at Cortland.

D. 100 Hours Early/Pre-Student Teaching Fieldwork Policy

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Candidates must have achieved a 2.750£ bt:tter ovei"all GF A by the end of the Seri}estc:rprior .' ' to the junior year. Students failing to meet this standard are ineligible to take junior year Col1rses with attached early fieldwork Candidates acquirdO h~urs of early fieldwork in conjunction with the following courses: , " "

, AEO 311 (I cr. hr.) taken in ConjUnction with ABO 3 10(3 ct. hr.) , AB0405 (1 cr.br.) taken m conjunction with AED404 (3 cr. br..) '. " " . , ABO 385(1 (:r.m.) requires candidates to acquire their final 40 hours of fieldwoik "at . their first prncticum by actiJig asaparticipant/observer for five days, eight hours Per day,

, 'and by meeting all published NYSBD criteria. '

E; Student Teaching Policy To beeliiible for the professional semester, which includes AED 385 and is offered for ' undergraduates only in the fall (Unless granted departmental approval), studerits mllSt co;;,plete the followmg requirements: ' ,0' , ' .' ,' • '

1. 21 hours ofEnglishfucIudirig ENG 293,325,326, 355,356,374; 433: • . ' 0

2. ' PSY 101; PSY 232 or333; HLHllO,.I99, or 510; ABO 310; ABO 311,AED404,AED 405, ABO 341, ABO 441,and Child Abuse Reporting and ReCOgnition and School Violence Prevention and Intervention workshops. '

Required grade point average:Stlidents must have a cumulative gtadepointav'erageof2.75in ALL courses to be able to student teach during fall of senior year. sniderits must meet all requirements for eligibility to student teach by the endof the semester prior to the semester they are scheduled to student teach. Additional work in summer school or independent study cannot be used to remedy deficiencies. Students with mcompletes at the end of the semester prior to student teachilig will be ineligible to student teach. If they meet all requjremen~ 'at end of next semester, they can reapply for eligibility and be put on a wait-liSt to student teach.

F. Departmental Policy on Retaking Required Courses Students may retake no more than two required courses. They may retake these only once. Minbnum Credit Hours Required Cor Graduation: 124

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2. Describe the congruence between COUrSe and program goals and nlztlonal standards and expectations in the diScipl~ne or profession, as appropriate. '

The new BA: ABE Program and course requirements have been closely aligned with current NCA TE (National Council for Accrediting Teacher Education Prognims )INCfE (National Council of Teachers of English) standards. We have infused the five NCfE standards for English Language Arts Teacher Education Programs thrOughout the ABE program's Content and pedagogical Cores. The five ,general NCI'E standards are: 1.00Structure of the Basic Program, 2.O-Attitudes for English Language Arts, 3.0-Knowledge ofBnglish Language Arts, 4.0-Pedagogy for English Language Arts, and 5.O-Field-Based Experiences in English Language Arts. To facilitate the infusion of all five generic teacher education standards, we designed a matrix to establish precise links between specific criteria BA: ABE candidates must fu1fill within each standard, and the required courses (content and pedagogical) and related class activities that

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enable candidates to meet those five NCTE standards. For exanip1e, candidateS can meet NCTE standard 1.2(gain knowledge and skills through OIH:lllIlJlUS and field"experiences designed to JXOmote knowledge of theory and practice lnEnglish"lang\Jage arts) by cOmpleting the required methods course AED 385: 40 hours of specified participant/obserVation fieldwork . during the first five days ofthC first student teaching placement. Thealigmnent of aU ~ve sets of teacher educationsulrstandards with a balanCe of content and pnifesswnalcourse actiyities ensures undergI<lduateJXOgnuD caD.didllles ~ extensive and holistic pi-eparation for successful English teaching today. . . ' . .. ' "

TheAEE Matrix for linking coumgoals~daetivities With NciEs~dariJs isinclnded in AppeiuliI B. ' . . ' ' .'

The program also ensures congruence benyeeJlNCTE stanc1ard3.0, KnOwledge ofEilgJish LangUage Arts, and the six literature distribution categories that the New York State Dep3rtiDent . ofEducatjon now requires BA: AEEcalididates to fulfilL In" other words, cotemiinous\with . meeting the requisite 36 ·cfedit hoUrs QfEnglish, students ri1ust tak¢ at l~ one course from each of the 6 following distnlnrtion categories to ~ thenew~eand natioDaLguidelin~: ' "

1 course in AmeriCan Literature with emphasis on women ~uthors and authorlof color: ' ENG 251 : Introduction to African-American Literature . 3 ENG252: Introduction to Modem American MuhiculturaiLiterature 3 ENG256: Introduction to Americari Indian Literatufe .. . 1 ENG 261: introductiOn to Women in Literature. . 3. ENG 352:Early African-Americ;an Writing 3 ENG 353: Recent African-American Writing . 3 ENG 421 : African-AmericanAutobiogrl!Jihy 3 ENG 422: American Women Writers 3 . ENG 423: American Fiction Since 1940 3 ENG 425: African-American Women Novelists 3 ENG 475: American Multicultural Liter8ture . 3

2 courses in Literature before 1800 ENG 220: Introduction toWestemLiterature I 3 ENG 438: Seventeenth-Century Pociry arid Pro~ 3. ENG440: 1'beAge of Satire " .. . . 3 ENG 441: The Age of Sensibility · 3. ENG442: RestQrationand Eighteenth-Century Drama 3 ENG 530: Chaucer '.. . .. . ... '." 3 ENG 538: studies in Seventeenth-Century English Literature . 3 ENG 539: Mihon 3

1 course in British and/or IrilIhLiterature ENG 257: Introduction to Irish Literature 3 ENG 438: Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose 3 ENG 440: The Age of Satire 3 ENG 441: The Age of Sensibility 3

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ENG 442: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama 3 ENG 445: The RomanticAge, . 3

. ENG 446: The Victorian Age 3 ' . ENG455:The EngllshNovelto 1900 3 . ENG456:ModemIrishDrama . 3

ENG 457: Modem Irish Fiction 3 . . ENG 458: Modem Irish Poetry 3 . ENG 470: Modem British POetry 3 ENG 471: The Modem English Novel 3 ENG 530: Chltucer . 3 ENG 538: Studies in Seventeenth"Ceritury English Literature . 3 ENG 539: Milton . '. 3 ENG 548:. StudieS in British Literature 1950 to Present 3 ENG 549: Studies in Irish Literature . 3

1 COUI-$e in Wodd Literature emphasiziDgwomen authors and'authorsofcolor This category is met by required course ENG 411: World LiteratUre ' . 3 1 course in Literature for Young Adults emphasizing women authors and authors of color This category is met by required course ENG 374: Literature for AdoleBCe!lts 3 1 course in technology " . This categoryis met by required course ENG 307: ComputerTechnology in:the Classroom

StudentS who have met the content distribution may select aiJdltionlll '. courses from these electives:

ENG 229, 329,429, 529: Special Topics in English ENG 407: Study of the English Language ENG 499: Independent Study

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Strong congruence is also established between ABE cOurse and program goals and new national standards for expanding candidates' understanding of literature. NCTE now requiies teacher education programs to provide students with a "knowiedge of broad historical and contemporary spectrum of United States, British, and world literatureS, including works from a range of cultureS, works from a range of genres, works by female authors, works by authors of color,

'", works Written specifically for older children and young adults, and works of literary theory and criticism." These expanded NCTE literature standards are fully met by and infused across the ABE program's revised undergraduate literature course offerings. '

3. Describe the congruence between course and curricular goals. courses. and prerequisite patterns.

The design of our B.A. in Adolescence Education English is based upon the declared learning goals and outcomes we have developed in conjunction with the guidelines of the NCA TE Program Standards, as developed by NCTE, for Preparation of Teachers in the English Language Arts. Our required ENG courses in literature, language, and technology and our required

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Professional courses in psychology; health; methods of teaching language, literature, and ' Writing; fieldwork; student teaching; and education directly address our goals and objectives. . ,

The sequencing of our courses is intended to provide a foundation in the discipline; followed by increaSing levels of dePth, specialization, and professional expertise. Groundwork is laid in . courses in composition and General Education, surveys of English and American literature, and psychology. Then studentS proceed to upper-level courses inliterature,andthe l1lethods and fieldwork courses. The capstone experience is the professional seinester of student teaching ..

Our prerequisite patterns allow for progressive development in students'. acquisition of knowledge and pedagogy in literature, langUage, .and Wrifuig. Students are adviSed to talct; the ' bulk of their general education courSes and survey ofliterature courses in the freshman and sophomore years. Much of the junior year is devoted to the methods and fieldwork coUrses, arid much of the senior year to student teachilig. . . .

4. Explain the balance between breadth and depth d~igned iiltheprogram.

The b~dth and depth of course offerings in theAEE Program ~ driven'bythe professional standards ofNCfE for Preparation of Teachers in the English Language Arts. In Literature, .' breadth is provided in Introduction toPoetiy, a 6-credit 'sequence in British literature, and a 6- . credit sequence in American literature. Students delve into specialized genres and periods in courses in adolescent literature, multicUIturalliterature, world literature,and literaturehefore . 1800. They are required to fulfill the 6 literature distribution requirements described in section 1. . B. 2. of this report. Students acquire depth in pedagogy by taking methods courses in teaching grammar, Writing. technology, and literature in the middle school and high school

5. Describe the methods used to ensure comparable learning outcomes among multiple secti~ns ofacourse. .

At present, we do not offer'multiple.s~tions oftheAED courses we teach in Adolescence Education English. AEE students enroll in oiultiple-sectionedcourses in English (ENG); however. For an explanation of the methods used to ensute comparable outcomes in those courses, see the program review for the Literature major.

6. Describe the efforts to assure thatrequired courses .aTul electives are offeredon a.schedule to meet the needs of various student constituencies.

Over the past four years; theAEE course schedule has been continuany modified to meet mandatory NYSED and NCfE teacher education mandates, as well as candidates' need for a comprehensive and sequenced English/education curriculum. The ABE faculty, who als.o serve on the English Curriculum Committee, meet regularly to determine the order and multiple­section needs for all GE courses,the frequency patterns for required English and professional courses, and ways to better integrate and scaffold required program courses.

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Our four-year candidates mUst coiDplete the ~re content Courses (ENG 203, 325, 326, 355, I;; 357, 374,433) in a timely and progressive .manner by the end of the program's sixth (spring, junior) semester, and maintain the 2.75 or above GPA needed to remain eligible for the seventh­Se~er student teaching experience. These seven courses weed out students with inadequate or inflated cross-diSciplinary reading aoo Writing SkiIJs for program completion; they form the program's scaffold as repreSented in the foIloWfug''Suggested Four-Year SeqUeDce fortheBA: ABE Progiain." See Figure 1. .' .... ..

TrliDSfer ~ alsO rmistcomplete these 7 Core courses to be eligible to student teach. ' While this process can extendcoursework fromS to 1 0 seme~ersl5Years, transfer students quickly . realize that sUccessful teaching is predicated on our comprehensive program of study. Due.to inevitable time and staffing constraints, candidates are allowed to waive oile survey courSe (ENG 325, 326, 355, or 356) until after the full student teaching semester. Barring exceptions, four-year and transfer students complete tberemainjng 5 required upper-leveJcontent courses. during their sixth or final semester, thus attaining the required 36 hours ofEN(} courses and confirming subject competency. . '

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Figure 1: Suggested Sequence for Bachelor of Arts: Adoiescence Educatl~n, En~h 7-12

CPN 100 or 102 Acadenrlc Writing I . OE I Americ8n State & Society OE 3 COntrasting Cultures 3 GE4Fm~ 3 Foreign LIiiIgw,lge or Free Elc;ctive 3 .' (only if foreign language req. is satisfied) .

' . . . 15crhr

30r4 MAT Quantitative SkillS . 3 GE 8 NaiuaaJ Sciences . . 4 GE 6 ENG 203 Intro. to Poetry (WI)3 Foreign Language or Free Elective 3 (only ifforeign language req. is satisfied)

16crbr

Second Year . Fall psy Geneml Psychology 1

· ENG 325 American Lit Beforel900 · ENG 355 British Lit. to 1780 .

GE 5 History-History ofIdeas 3 · Foreign Language or ENG Elective. ·3

(only iffor¢ign language req: is satisfied) . . i5crbr

Spring . Free elective 3 ENG 326 American Lit Smce 1900 . 3 . ENG 356 British Lit. 1780 to Present j

. GE2 Prejudice and Discrimination 3 Foreign Language or ENG Elective 3 (only ifforeign language req. is satisfied) HLH . 2-3

17-18crbr Prerequisite for Third Year courses and student teaching: 2. 75 En~h GPA

Third Year Fourth Year . Fall AED 310 Grammar & the Writing Process 3 ABD311 Participant-Observer Experience: Writing Process I ENG 433 Shakespeare I 3 ABD 341 Intro.to English Language Arts 3 PSY 232Adolescent Psychology or PSY 332 Educational PSYChology 3 GE 8 NatuIaJ. Sciences

16crhr Spring AED404 Teaching Writing 4 ENG 374 Literature for Adolescenis 3 ABD 441 Teaching Literature and Critical Literacy 3

GE 7 Science, Tech,Human Affairs 3 ENG 407 Study of English Language3 Child Abuse Workshop NC School Violence Workshop

16crhr Minimum Semester Hours for BA-ABE: 124

Fail

ABD 385 Paiticipant-Observer Experience 1 ABD 386 Student Teaching m MS 7 ABD 387 Student Teaching m HS 7

15crbr Fall ENG 411 World Literature 3 EDD 471Found. of Modem Education 3 ENG ~ Elective m ethnic or multicultural

literature 3 ENG 1 Additional course mliterature

before 1800 3 ENG 307 Computer Technology m the

Classroom . 3 15crhr

Note: All ENG and EnD courses listed above are required and must be taken durmg the semester indicated.

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The program's required professional (education and methods) courses are similarly seqUencM ' and scaffolded,but with the more challenging goal of integrating students' content and . professiQnai goals. We offer ourpairedmethods'courses (ABO 310, 341, 404; and 441 )-the litmus test for preparation for student teacbiDg, graduation, and ultimately a full"time English position-during specifiedspnng and fall semesters of the junior year. This sequence ensures a balance of content andpedltgogy across thejunior year; as well as scaffolding of methods ,

. courses and related ctedit-b~gfieldwork. The AEE course schedule ceriterpieces these 4 capstone methods courses. and related fieldwork that sequentiallY,connect 'candidates' developing conteD.tknowledge of language (AED 31 omi), composition (ABD 404/405), and literature " (ABO 441/385) with cross-disciplinary me!hods a1id related theory of which they have little, if any, prior Jaiowledge.For maximum program coherence, the faculty offers all4junior"year methodscpurses on a TuesdaylThursday, conflict-free, daYtune schedule, thus enal>ling related , fieldwork hours to be schedtiled on a M, W, F basis, depending on .students' needs.

Finally, since undergraduate candidates cOhstitute'a'larger tohort than the~tepopulatio,n, , they areschedtiled to sfudent teach dUring the, fall seniester when; as past practice confirms, a greater number of local teachers prefer to mentor a student teacher. Ironically, as the ABE factilty firid, NYSED's inordinate emphasis on preparing students for spring Regents ELA eXiUnS' compels many experienced and new teachers to turn down spring mentoringassignments~ Since an content and methods ,courses are required by NY8EDand NCfE, all but a few candidateS are denied access to elective courses, a serious program lil:ficiency over which we have no control.

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7. Describe internShip (early fieldwork cind student teaching) opportunities and the rationale for assigning credit.

Description of field experiences and related supervision Adolescence Education-English candidates ¥e required to complete 100 hours offield experienc~ prior to student teaching. The English Department's policy is to have SA candidates meet thi~NYS regtilation by completing the 100 early placement hours prior to student teaching in conjunction with AED 3 HPartioipantcObservation Experience: Writing Process (1 cr.),AED 405 Participant-Observation Experience: Writing (1 cr.), and AED 385 Pamcipant-Observation Experience (1 cr.). AED 311 andAED405 are aligned with ABO 310 Grammar and the Writing Process and AED 404 Teaching Writirig, resPectively.AED 385 involves 5 dayS/8 hourS per day

' as a participant/observer at the site of the student's first student teachingpl~cement.Students must accumuiate60 hours of academic assistantship in the 2 methods courses and 40 hours as particip~tlobservers at their first student ttlaching placement. In addition, they are responsible for organizing, keeping, andsui>mitting content-baseddouble-entryand observational trlple-entry journals for their three field experiences. " , , ' ,

Students acquire these early fieldwork experiences, often referred to as teaching assistantships, in local districts with which the college has established student teaching partnerships. These partnerships are based on a system of reciprocal need: the college's need to provide a variety of pre-student teaching instructional and professional development opportunities, and the'schools'

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n~ for qualified teaching assistants to provide a vanety of academic intervention and tutorial services for students in local English programs: Upon implementation of the new BA: ABE ' program in 2001, candidates,' early fieldWoricopportunities were limited to1ocal area: Sch~l ' districts such as Cortland, GrOton; and CortlandIBOCES. Now; three years later, mentor teachers from over twenty Central New York schooldistricts :volunteer to work with candidates. and , provide them a wealth of classroom. and professional experiences in preparation for studeJit teaching. . . - - : .. ,.". . . - '. -- '. .

Our progrant'sellIly fieldworkplaeemerits offerc~didateseJqianded o~rtunitieS;llri(,t to student teaching, necessary to meetiiew NYS arid national standards,for.teacher preparation. These placements strengthen students' cOntent knowledge while developing a repertcii)'of , ' pedagogical skills in preparation for the professional semester. ,They give novices hllnds-on " experience with the fullrimge, of English classroom practiceS, while acquainting theffiwith diverse school cultures and demogi'aphics. At Cortland BOCES Alternative High School and Jr. ,', ' High, candidates develop pedagogical knowledge and skills by interacting one"to-one With at­riskstudentS.with a range of special needs, and also with eollaborative.learning groups. StUdents are also placed at sites where they work in tutorial, tearning, and'instrllctional capacities Urider ',' supervision of a certified English:.teacher,with7-I2; tbeyalso work with high-risk students needing a range of academic intervention to address specific learning problems impeding ' achievement ()fNYSJanguage arts standMds; Schedules and venues for academiciDtervention sesSions are variable; they can occur: in class; before school; after school; or during extended, eVenIDg, weekend, or summer sessions., These trial experiences provide invalUable preparation , for all dimensions of student teaching, especially the novice's need to view the teaching and learning process 1i:oDl the learner's perspective. Keyobjectives of the eadyfieldwork, are:

• develop professional dispOsitions (reflectivity, personal responsibility, flexibility, and objectivity in forming interpersonal relationships) , ,

• understand broad range of exceptionalities and disabilities and their effect on learning • practice hands~ori cOnStructivistliIiqUiry-based instructional strategies and learning

activities, especially as they relate to Regents English Language Arts writing exams. At all early fieldwork sites; assigned English language arts teacherS provide primary instruction and supervision. additional supervision is provided by the professors who teach the methods courses to Which fieldwork hoUrs are attached: Mary LYnch Kennedy cOOrdinilt<is 30 fieldwork hours, attached t()Teaching Writing, Nor31yn Masselink: c;:oordinates 30 hours attached to , Grammar and the Writing Prcicess, aIld Ellen Hill directs the Adolescence EduCation~ English 7-12 Program wbilecoord1nating 40 hours attached tl> caildidates'first prilcticurtt Congroen<;e arriong all tfueefieldworkdivlsions is established by <;onSistently linking fieldwork l!SSignments with program expe<;tationsand guidelines; correlating fieldwork/teaching assistimtshipswith course, state, and national objectives; evaluating required fieldwork assignments; and encouraging students to design service--Ieaming projects that contribute to the needS of diverse schools.

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The program coOrdinator works with the Office of Field Studiesto place student teacherS , in middle school ~ and secondary school second. However, accommodations are made · in the course schedule for both possibilities by providing two different section numbers for each phase of student teachffig: . . . FallSemester ' .. ' '.'

AED 386 010 Studen~ Teaching in Middle School (1st quarter) ; AED 386 020 StudentTe;idring in Middle School (2nd quarter) AED 387.oiO Student Teaching in HighSchool (1st qUarter) AED 387 020 Student Teaching in High School (2nd quarter)

Spring Semester ' . AED 386 030 Student Teaching in Middle School (3rd quarter) AED 386 040 Student Teaching in Middle School (4th quarter) AED 387 030 Student Teaching in High School (3fd quarter) . AED387 040 . Strident Teaching in High School (4th quarter)

. . . .

The primary goal of the student teaching experience is to help candidates ground their teaching practice in interrelated models of constructivist learning and reflective teaching · as well as. state and national (NCIE) language arts standards. The common c<?ncept underlying both models, that of open-ended, criticalinquiry/itttrospection linking teaching and learning, is reIDforced throughout candidates' course of study. The student teaching experience is less a culminating activity than a demonstration. of where they are in the ongoing process of reflectively constructing and synthesizing the concepts, skills, . and dispositions that shape their craftofEnglish teaching.

Student teaching involves two 7-week practica, each of which garners 7 credits, for a total of 14 credits for the entire ' semester practicum. One placement is in a middle school and the other in a secondaryschoot This permits stUdents to experience first-hand and . further conceptualize the developmental needs of learners at both levels. During each placement, clinical practitioners work to progressively improve and enrich their teaching

• craft. Supervisors distribute a packet of 9 student teaching guidelines to the mentor teacher and student teacher at each initial 3-way interview. These guidelines, focusing on all phases of instruction-from planning, to impleIilentatioll; to self- and student-

• assessment-enablecandidates to model and internalize a constructivist-oriented teaching and learning process.

Guidelines: . • Supervisor's Schedule, Observation Schedule, and Checklist for Initial 3-way

Interview . . • The Mentor Teacher/Student Teacher Relationship: Collaborative Goals

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• What to Look for When Observing Student Teachers (recommendedELA strategies) "

• How to Design a Lesson Plan (generic parts) " • Sample direct teachiIlg and inquiry-based (constructiVist and concept-based)

lesson plans "" " " """ " • Supervisor's Observation OUtline (for analyzing I\lld evaluating keyiesson

" components) " ." . " "" " ""." " • Questioning Strategies for Improving Oral Responses and Critical Thinking • self-Assessment Guide for Evaltiatingand ReVising Constnictivist-Oriented

LeSsonPlans " "" " " " • Student TeachiIlg in English Quarterly Evaluation Form (made ouiin finalJ~way

"" meeting) " " " - , . ..... -.' . -' '"

Supervisors distribute these guidelines to'the cooperating' and student teachers at the initial3-waYcOliference: CandidateS also receive thesematerials in EDD 441: TeachiIlg Literature and Critical Literacy ,which they must takethe semester before student " teaching. ThiS gives students ample time to reflect on, discuss, and applyund~lying constructivist principles; synthesize content and pedagogical knowledge; and become """ aware ofclassr06mrea1itiesofien glossed over by textbook abstractions about teachiIlg and leaining ail theypiepare fot.theiqirnctica. "

To develop strong links betWeen ccnstrUctivist-leaming theory and new claSsroom practice; all candidateS are required to have the folloWing leamingexperienceS duriIig student teachiIlg: " . " """" " , " " "" "

• Act asa participant/observer of several ELl. classes and instructionaI levels for 40 hours prior to student teachiIlg.

• Compose and submit to program coordinator a triple-entry obserVational journal. • Apply lesson and unit planning skills to language, literature, and composition

lessons. " " • Apply guided and activerea,d!ng skills to literary', non-fiction, ~d non-print

elements ."," " " • Apply guided 'and active listening skills to specific elements of audio b:xts. " • "Design leaining appliCations that accommodate scaffolding and diverse learning

styles. " " ". " • "" USe full range of effective questioning techniques to develop and integrate

studentS' thinking and language skills with new or expanded English concepts. • Buildinquiiyskills by engaging students regularly in self-assessment activities,

collaborative problem solving, Socratic seminars,and double-entry journal writing.

• Use proactive as opposed to reactive classroom"management practices. • Videotape a full lesson, self-evaluate the lesson, and revise as appropriate.

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• Attend two student teaching colloquiums held on last day of first and second placements to align stUdent teaching with constructivist theory, reflective pmctice, and professional development:

• Duriilg C911oqwums, repOrt on early professional development activities and related insights ..

Atthe end of the sem~ter prior to student teaching, the progmmCoordinatorestimates . . . the number ()f"seciioru;" ofsiudent teachersn:eeded arid related nUmber of stiperVisors:;A

; section of studeirtteachern consistsof3student tea,chers each quarter, or 6 in alLDtiriIlg · the fall semester; there ' are usua1ly8 seCtiorii,and in the spriIig 4-$. seCtions, Since '" ,supervisotsgener3ny receive one sectiort;8 are'assignedin thefaUand 4-5 in spriIig~ The ..

. ' Directoi- o~ AdolesCeilceEducation;E!)glish 7·12 and the Dep3ttineiit Chair recrwt .. . · suptrvisors the prior semester. In addition, the progmm Directoc3cCoUunodates . ' .' . . superVis()rs' geOgraphical preferences for where theywork. Once deterinined;She sends copieS of assignments tathe Ass6ciateDeari of ArtsandSCienceSind thel'ield StUdies'.

· .=~~ilJ!;'~~? , problCnJg1hatoccur; and referring difficult problems to the AsSociate De;u). and I'ic:ld . . '

Studies·to lion' out,;, , .,, ':' ,,",:! ""'" .. " "" .,., .,, ' '''; . .. ... '.>"'" '.''':> ... , . ' .'

Like thepmctice teaci!.er's, the college supervisor's role is ~ooted in.coristructiviSt lciuning :; , :mooel anclthe reflectiveteach~ inOdeL The'~sreSponsil)i1itie'Siilclude: riinnirig

,.." C" , the' iliitiaf 3-wayinterVie'VV to establish inteheIated gOaIs foi the Student teacher, inentor teacher, and ~s()r;forinallyobSei'ving each Stildent teacher foili-tim:es perptacement

' .. and provjding oral and written feedback/analysis following each; providing inforiri~tion ' andlorsuggestions vis~a~vls mdividual .concems~ and conducting a3-way summative . evaluatioIf6fSfudent's'stren'gthsiind goals adhe end of each placement The English ' . Dep3rtnientti~sits own coilterit-b8sedquait¢rlYev3!Uauon formm'addiiion to ... ' .' ..

· ; Co~and'sciosS~iplinarYsecondaryev31uation form. Supervisors ;iind mentor ". . . teachers also complt:t(a college~wide quarieriy evaluatiOli form for each student teacher;

See Appendix C for copies of these three evaluation forms.

What lies between the lines and what students benefit from most, however, is the sUpport and insights supervisors; drawing on years of public school teaching and teacher ' . education, and teacher education administration for some, are eagerto offer. By acting as both .amentor.and co-constructor of knowledge, supervisors prepare secondary English studentforthe rigorouS professioual expectations, challenges, and realities of the 21st

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8. Describe departmental procedures including student participation for the development. review. and evaluation of courses. . .

In tenns of cuincular development, the Adolescence EducatlonEnglish program has macle dramatic changes over the last few years. In 2000-2001, we revamped the curriculum to conform with the guidelines for re-registeririg the program with the State Education Department From 2001 to 2003,we continued to refine the curriculum to meet the demands ofNCATE. For a comparison of the old curriculum andthe newly ~Vised pro~ see Appendix D. .

To desciibetli~proCedUre, new courSCsfuaY be~trooucedby tiJ.efacUIty and, if the faculty member wishes, Qffered for threesem~r:s ~special topics courSes. Courses are then submitted for formalapproval,first to the English Department Curricul\J:Jllc:ommittee and then to the Department Chalf.;Thed;lair subinits the coun,e to the SchoolofArisand ScienCes Curriculum Committee~Ghlning aj>prova1.there, it ls submitted to the All-p>llege Curriculum Committee,'

anduponappiQv.-~tO~~provost· i,_-;'~"'''')·;'· '. .. •. , ' ; . .

In tei:lnSofe~~W;:ti6~$~EngliSh~;t·~~uire,c; ·~tb~t(ta4IT!iDister course/teacher · ~valUatio#{q.&)~Y~rX[i;iiiietii~yj~!J:~S9~.Jhe .CJ.'E,fogns&iyestudent$ the opportunity . .

::~:lS.=::~· · 0 effectiveness· . . .

The~~\~,~i~l!d~~~~t~~~o/~~~:.·~d¥is~~~k withstOOentsto plan and approve JaIl andsprin,g <:purses<:h¥ult}§'-'~c:lp studeri.ts eXamine ()ptj()ns and identify College reso~, aSsi~t withacademicadvisingpr()bl~,andlIll!kestu!1entsaware oftherrprogress towlir~ grad\lll.tion.;· - - ." . c· .c._ _. . • ...... .' . '., .

The Eng!iSh Dep~r!ltIicentiyadop~ 'A~~()r.Ey~tioIlJ~:Which it intends to I!dministeiti> all ad,viseisbeginnin.gtbisspritig 2004.;rhedepartmentwill also assess the preparedriess of its advisees by nl'eaDs of aseeond form. See Appendli DCor copies of these ins~~ " ... , ..•..... ,...... . ..... . '- .', ,

ll. ASSESSaiEN'l' • . ' C •

1. AnalyZe the effectiveness of the AEE program in achieving its goals and objectives in the discipline. Describe the procedures; Criteria, and methods used for this assessment.

Until recently, the Adolescence Education English program relied on the English Department's primary methods of assessment: portfolio evaluation and informalexit interviews. We are currently implementing specialized assessments of the AEEprogram: AEE portfolio assessment, student-opinion questionnaires, and alumni surveys. Student teachers regularly assess their placements and performance therein.

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English Department Assessment's

Each semester the Department collectspoitfolios froin its majors. Students submitthe best papers from each .coursethey Wive taken at Cortland, accompanied by descriptions of the assignments and II reflective letter describing. their intellectual growth as students ofliteratilre, language, and Writing. The most recent evaluation of these portfolios was performed in Spring 2000. Engiish Department faculty members aSsessed thirty-four portfolios, twenty-one of which were submitted by secondary English majors. The evaluators raied the students' perfOnnaDCe on a. scale of 1-5, using a standafdized portfolio assess!Dent form based on 7 essential writing skills: .. . . .

• Explicate texts without the Use. of secondarysolU"Ces · • InterPret theme through systematic analysis • Recognize the relationship between form and content • Talce relevant historical, biogniphic3I, and/or ~al contexts iIito account in the

interpretation ofliterary works · . • . Understand, sUIIUilarize, and sYnthesize critical argumc:rits • Evaluate varied critical views . . .. • Produce effeCtivepro~e:

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The Director of InStitutional· Research and Assessment evaluated themter-rater, reliability of the faculty ratings and found agreement on5 elements. He thenpri>ceeded to calculate the mean. performance of the secondary Englishmajors in each of these areas: .

3.7, Explicate texts without the use of secondary sources 3.7.1 Interpret theme through systematic analysis 3.09 Recognize the relationship bet}veen form and content 2.9 Take relevani historical, biographical; and/or social contexts into account in the

interpretation of literary works 1.83 Evaluate varied critical Views. '

Were the DePartment to repeat this study, we are confident the writing of the AdoleScence Education English majors would receive higher ratings since we have higher admissions criteria than we had in 2000 and we require more writing in our advanced courses.

English Department Exit Interviews

Each spring, the Department Chair holds informal exit interviews with graduating seniors. See the section of this Program Review devoted to the Literature major for a list of the questions that are asked. Up to now, the Department has not gathered or analyzed interview data in a systematic way.

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Beginning in May 2004, we are asking the Department Chair to iriclude the following interview questions for students in the AEE major: .

1. What area of the AEE program (coursewodc, reading/Writing assiwnents, studentJfuculty relations, etc.) do you see as its greateSt asset?·. . '

2. What area (same as abOve) do you see as the program's weakeSt eleinent? 3. Briefly descnoo your career plans andIoq;lans for graduate study. How has your

. major in AEE helped to sbapeand define yourp1ans for the future? . "

' j starting in spring 2004, Adolescence Education English majors willrompile lin electroIDc ! portfolio that will reflect how they have developed theronq)etenCies expected of pre-service

teachers. The ponfoliowill rontain , . " ....' ~ Early fieldwork (1 00 Hours Program) lesson plans and related self-analyses ~ Samples of aCtivities for students with diverse learning . ' ~. A thematic middle school unit plan incorporating varied fiction and non-fiction texts and

meeting the four NYS 1earning standards. ' . ., .' ~ . A fiul-length secOndary (grades 10, 11, or 12) novel otplay.unit tbatdemonstrates

curriculum development skills (ability to create scaffulded unit plans and inquiry and direct teaching lessons) and understanding of student-centered cIassroom practices: student motivation, assessment, andgroupwork;aiso, technolOgica11iteracy, clasSroom. management skills, and individualized instruction (for special needs students). .

~ Observation notes and evaluations from mentor teachers and rollege supervisors. ~ A Reflective Essay on student teaching that demonstrates the ability to analyze and

rompareiroDtrast progress in developing three chosen romponents of the middle and high school student teaching placements

~ Optional products: original student. work and student/teacher relationship-building aCtivities. . . .

At the end of every year, EIIglish Educatioll faCulty will evaluat~ a statiSti~yrepresentative sample of portfolios from the year's AEE graduates to see how they fiillillthe program's mission and goals. ' '

Students, instructors and advisors in theAEE program will receive the following detai1ed~ of requirements:

Cover page: name, major, date, piece of clip art

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Up-to-date resume and brief autobiography .

RequrredPortfoll() products: these mea.surecandidates' mastery ofplamring and teaching goals leamed during undergraduates' junior and senior year or graduates' 2-or

. 3-ye!l1' program. They begin and houSe their portfolio in their ENG 307 (UN) or ENG 506 (GR) website, adding andrevising requlled pioductsas they advance in the program.

» . Early fieldwork (1 00 Hours Program) lesson plans ap.d related self-analyses measure candidates' knowledge of inquiry/constructivist and direct teaching approaches, and emerging reflective teaching practice; these goals are also . developed in conjunction with fieldwork courses: ABO 311· and ENG 405, and method courses: ABO 310, ENG 404, AED 341, AE044LAlI student teaching rubrics must comply with Unacceptable, Acceptable, and Target likert scale.

Samples of leaming activltiesassess candidates' knowledge of diverSe leammg styles and ability to develop and integrate the skills students need for a holistic learning process: critical thinking, viewing, language, and technological skills. These goais are also developed in conjunction with methods CourSes: ABO 341, ABD 441, ABO 310, ENG 404 (UN). ..

» A thematic middle school unit plan incorporating varied fiction and non-fiction . texts assesses candidates' ability to ineet the four NYS leaming standards in varied ways. This multi-faceted literacy~building goal is also developed in . conjunction with ABO 341 and ABO 386/387 (UNG student teaching practicum). .

» A full-length secondary (grades 10, 11, or 12) novel or play unit assesses candidates' curriculum development skills (ability to create scaffolded unit plans and inquiry and direct teaching lessonS) and understanding of student-centered classroom practices: student motivation, assessment, · and group work; also, technological literacy, classroom management skills, and individualized instruction (f'orspecial needs students). These goals are also developed in conjunction with ABO 441 and ABO 386/387. .

» Observation notes and evaluations from mentor teachers and college supervisors I!Ieasure candidates' achievement of student teaching goals and early professional development.

» Final "Reflective Essay on student teaching" assesses candidates' ability to analyze and compare/contrast their progress in devtiloping three chosen components of the middle and high school student teaching placements: ABO 386/387.

~ Optional products: original student work and student/teacher relationship­building activities.

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Starting in May 2004, after Adoiescence Education English majors have CoDipleted their course work, the AEE faculty will administer. a questionnaire to each student. . Respondents will evaIuatecurriculum and inStruction and make. recommendations for

. improving the AEEproSram. We will review SUrvey results ai reglilar intervlils arid meet ' .. to deliberate program chariges; . . . .

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Exit Survey for Adolescence Education, English 7-12 Majors

Goal: to evaluate how well prepared ABE program graduates are to teach English .

Directions: Please rate ona scale of! to 5(1", ~erYwe3.k and 5 = very strong) the , following aspects of your education at Cortland in Adolescent Education, English 7- ' 12:

. NA ' 2 3 .4 5

1. Level of preparation for advanced study OR entry~levei teaching pOSition 2. Breadth of faculty expertise ' . , 3. Rigor/challenge ofthepfogr8m 4. Overall qUality and effectiveness of courses 5. Presentation and explanation of fundamental concepts of the

discipline. . , " ' " 6. Opportunities for practicallhands-onteaching experiences 7. Opportunities for independent research/study 8. Quality of academic advisement 9. Accessibilityoffa~ultyoutside of the classroolll , 10. OppOrtunity for social interaction/events involving iaculty and students I L Opportunities to do the following: '

A. Und~rstand and apply constructivist/inquiry learning theory , B. ,Use planning and teaching methodS that support different learning styles and

ability levels . C. Integrate critical thinking and language skills (NYS Learning Standards) with

language, literature, and composition D.Apply literal and critical reading and writing strategies to a wide range ofprint

and non-print texts E. Use varied traditionru and perfonruince..based assessments to meaSure student

learning . ' , ' F. Infuse concepts of technology and diversity inJangiJage, literature, and '

composition lessons ~ '. . , ' ,

12. Early professional development opportunities and student teaching gorus A. Accumulate 100 hours of diverse field e~ences in preparation for student

teaching ' . . B. Develop an electronic student teaching portfolio: C. Develop planning, collaborative, and networking skills during the student

teaching experience D. Develop key professional dispositions and reflective skills in preparation for

entry-level teaching position

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• Every three years, the filcultywilladII!i$ter a questionnaire to selected AEEalwiIni. Respondents will express their. changing attitudes about their experience in the niajor program and provide infurmation concerning their employment and/or their acti~ies in schooL ' . ' . .

The student teaching experi~nce is~ssed by the student teachercandid8tes themselves, their college superVisors,.and theirmeritor teachers by means of the ''EligibilitY to Student Teach Checklist," "Quarterly Evaluation of Studerit Teaching in English,'~ and ''Cross-Disciplinary QuarterlyEvaluation of Student Teaching in English.." . .

The "EligtbilitY toStudeDt Teach CheckI.ist';is completed at the beginning of the semester directly befure the student teaching semester; It ensures AEEcandidates have completed the prerequisite courses and have maintained the 2.75 GPA required ror student teaching. BQth the college supervisor and mentor teacher complete the "Quarterly Evaluation of Student . Teaching in English" and the "Cross-Disciplinary Quarterly Evaluation of Student Teaching in English." Copies Of all three furms are in AppendixC. .

. . .. . .

2. Analyze the effectiveness of the program in achieving its goals and ,objectives in general education. Describe the procedures, criteria, and methods used for this assesSment.

The English Department plays asignificant role in addressing both the Cortland and SUNY Gtllleral Education objectives by providing a two-course sequence of composition courses in the GEcategory, Basic Communication, and a number of introductory literature .courses in the category, GE 6. .

Since the GE-6litermme courses will be discussede1sewher~ in the EngliSh I>ePartment Program Review, in this sectiOnwe will foeuson the composition cOurses, fol!ndational courses for majors in AdoIescenceEducittion English. . ' . " .

In Spring 2003, the EDgllshDepartInent was ca11edupo!l to su9mR a SUNY General Edncation Assessment Review (GEAR) for Basic Communication, Writing. the GEAR assessment reqWred students to demonstrate three learning outCollltls:

. produce coherent texts within common college-level written ronns demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supp!>rting' details.

We chose for the GEAR assessment,the CPN 1011103 Argumentative Research Essay because it would enable us to assess students' use of the library, development of argument and evidence, and abilitY to revise. Students were asked to place a preliminary and a final draft of the argumentative research esSay in a Research Portfolio.

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Using the i-ubric for the NYS English Regents High School EXamination and a grading rubric ' created at SUNY Geneseo as niodeis, we desigDatedas our criteria: rhetorical pUrpo~, attention to audience, iJSe of sources, structure and organization, ponventions, imd reVision. Each of the descriptors oonveyshowthe elements appear for eachsoore pofut; The English DepartInilnt GEARConmritteeeVaJ.uirted the Research Portfolios; Asingle sCore. was aSsigned to the overall

, portfolio, and each portrolio was eValuatedindependeirtlyby two re8ders. Split scOres "'- two . pQintSof difference on the six~pofut scale - were resolved by a third reader.

For the GEAR leatning outponie, "produ~ co~ent texis within common colkig~l~el written forms," which we view as the overall essay score, 4.3% of our students exceed the standard; 29.7 % meetthestandilrd; 6H % are approaching the standai'd;and2.2 % full to meet the standard; . The bi-eakdOWn fortlJl? other two scores is as folloW$: ' ' '

Ability to revise and. improve texts . % Exceeding % Meeting ' % Approaching 1.6 17.0 64.9 '

ReSearch and use of sources % Exceeding ' % Meeting 3.8 31.9 '

% Approaching ,63.8

% Notmeeting 16.5 ' ,

% Not meeting 0.5

') The English Department GEAR Committee ,further analyzed and discussed the assessment results, paying special attention to the student essays that had been scored with, one hundred percent agreement. We used these essays to create a set of six anchor papers that rePresent each of the six scOre points and are good exemplars of aparticulai score. After we analyzed the essays, we wrote detailed evaluations of the essays thatreceivedeaehscoie.

The bencJu.nark papers and descriptions are valuable for Composition 101 grading because they will enable us to scOre against the rubric and against the ralJge finders that exemplify the rubric criteria At a filculty meeting in December 2003, we examined the spre8d of GEAR sCores and the proportion of studentsliilling at each score interval At our filcultymeetingin ~y 2004, we will discuss the implications of these data and make recommendations for changes in instruction and in the compositiori curriculum. '

3. AliaIytethe effectiVeness of the program in achieVing itsgoals and objectives for intellectual groWth. Describe the procedures, criteria, andmethodsuse4 for this as.s'esiment.

The SUNY Report of the Provost's Task Force on the Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes . (November 28, 20(0) states, "Measuring an individual' s futellectual growthpreseI1ts a very complex set of issues requiring sophisticated solutions." The Report goes go to say, "[A] group with expertise in academic affairs, student affiIirs, and institutional research- and including student representation [will] be established to determine the. most effective way of meaSuring this fundamentally important aspect of students'tinie in the University" (28). The Task Force recommends thlit meanwhile academic departments should develop procedures "for

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demonstratinghow'their academic programs contribute to students'intellectual growth and development."

We have desi~the curriculum fo~ Ado1escenceEd,Ucation English majors with a vieWloward developing Students' intellectual growth. We encourage students to chart theirprogI'ess . througoout their courSe of study and to m:e1: fiequently with AEEadvisors to discuss then: goals and objectives. In the professi<inal<:ou'fi;es in the major, we seek to educate out pre.:.service teachers to be reflective learners and reflective practitioners. And as the cu1minationofthis goal,' the students' reflective essays play an, important role in their graduation portfolios .

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AnotberWliy we assess intellectual growth is by comparing students'early preconceptionS of teacher preparation and related expectatlonS With theiiresponses to gfaduation eXit interview.' questions and to the AEE exit questionnaire. ' When students are admitted into the AEE program, theycomplete the following Entrance Que~nruUre: . .

Entrance QUestiODDaire for Adolescence Education, English 7-12 Majon

1. Descn"be any prior eXperiences that prepared you for the teaching profession. 2. What factor most influenced your decision to become an English teacher? 3. To date, which undergraduate literature courses most interested you, and how did they prepare you to teach English? 4. In the field ofEilglish (language, literature, and writing), what do you peiceive as your. grestest weaknesses? : . ". ' . . 5. What teaching skills do you expectto develop in your required methods courses in composhion, language, and litei-atUl:e? . _ . 6. How do you expect your 100 hours of fieldwork to prepare you for .student teaching, and beyond? '. .' '.' . ' . . . 7. What professionaltraits do you intend to develop during the AEE prograiri, and why are these traits important?

4. Describe discipline-, college-, and com~ity-retated activities, and how theproiram promotes Qnd supporrs faCulty antistudent involvement and effort. . .

Students in the Adolescence Education English major participate in a wide range ofdisc4>line-, collegec, and comrnuWty-reIatedaCrlvities. StI!4entsbave had their writing published in English . Department literary magazines: Transition andSlie Said, She Said They participate in the English Club and 'in special departmental initiatives, such as clothes drives for our composition courses in Service Learning, and some are members of Sigma Tau Deha, the English Honors Society. Some students write for COrtland's international web-based student magazine, NeoVox, and many participate in Career SerVices' Career Workshops and Job Fairs.

AEE fucuhy and students are heavily involved in the community doing fieldwork and student teaching in local middle Schools and high scho()ls. ThroUgh the AEE methods COurses (AED 310,

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AEO 311, AEO 404, AEO 405, and AEO 441), we move studemsbeyond the cIassrooJnto take their pedagogical skills into the comuiunity. .

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The Adolescence Education English fucwty, tcig& With local teachers in the field, also ~teaching candidateS to a variety of organiZations dedicated to pl'oressional . development at all phases and levels oftelicher educ8tion. Via these, teacher educators and local . teachers can workcollaboratively to replenish and eXpand their shared knowledge of. . profussional standanls, and state and national language aitSstaudai'ds; Three of these are pl'ofesSionalorgani7litiOns representing, respectively, the local, State, and national levels of ' . English teaching and professional development, These are: . .

• The Finger LakesEnglish Educator's' AssOciatk>ri (FLEE) . . -The New York State Council of Teachers of English (NYSEC) .

. · .the National Council ofTeachi:rs of English (NC:TE) .' . :.. '. ... . .' .' AEE fuculty members, along with teachers in the field,' attend bImOnthly' Ioc8I affiliate (FLEE) meetings and the annUal NYSEC (OctOber) conrerence in Albany, NY where Mary Lynch .

. Kerinedy, Ellen Hill, and Jane Richards IegUlarly give. presentations. At these· meetingsruJd conferences, public school teachers also give and attend presentations based,on eolliibortitive and individual English education research projects: These organizatiOns foSter partnerships, at ail three,levels, fur discovering innovative ways to enhance the academic achievement and critical literacy of future English language artsteacbers. .

) As a resuh oftheshaied profussional commitments desCribed above, ABE fucuhy membefs; local cooperating teachers, and English department chairs are planning to forma fourth . organization, the English Advisory Board This agenCy Will meet once or twice each semester to achieve and maintain close alignment between the EngiiSheducation curriculum and changing cutricu1ar, pedagogical, attitudinal, and professional needs of student teachers and cooperating teachers. This dynamic consortium:. > aims to:

• Create and strengthen partnerships between the college and school sites to establish ,additional field experiences that meet national and state standards: " » KnowJedge of multiple exceptiona1ities and disabilitieS ", ~ Knowledge ofNYS language arts standards and learning taskS ~ Practice varying instruction fur different ability levels ~ Practice varying inStruction fur diverse learning styles and furinats

• Help candidates develOp key professional traits of reflectivity, objectiVity~ and work ethic; . .

• Reconceive mentor teacher's role from an isolated coach to a professional with strong ties to all dimensions of teacher education;

• Reconceive student teaching as an integral link in both the teacher's profussional development and the student's academic growth;

• Diversify the teaching profession as a critical step in combating illiteracy;

• Establish a fi'amework of shared beliefs about how students need to learn and how teachers need to teach, thus making student teaching a cohi:rentaud dynamic learning experience for all involved. '

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'- 5. Provide follow-ilP data on studentpiac~ment for the lastfive 'years. Indicate years of data collected and total number of student respondents. .

Follow-up dataonposi-griIduationemployment 8ndcontinuing education is suPplied by the Office of Career. Studies. Mi!:bi:leBaran, the Coonlinator of the Grad Survey is putting the finishing toucheS on~ 2Q02 SiJiVey. The 2003 SUNYCareer Services Grad Survey Will be ' completed this suriunei: (Decerilger 03 cohort data are,DOt yet aVailable)~ Therefure,in response to this and .other requests fur follOw-up data on ABE StUdents, we are ~plying infurmation fu~ the years 1998; 1999; 2000, and 200 L " . '.

For 1998 lind 1 999, the GradSurvejidid DOt~rtthe~~-rate fureach 'mIi~r. In 2000, the response rate fur AEE majors Was 62 % (8 respondentsoutof!l cohort of 13) lind in2001it was 77% (l0 respondents out of a cohort Of 13). .

8th Grade Teacbl:r

English Teacher

English Teacher

English teacher

_ Spanish teacher­

Sub

Teacher

. _ Gaston Co. SD, North earoliDa Harborfields HighSchool

. McKee Voc. & Tech HS .

Port Chester School District

Lowville Academy HS

CanandaiguaSD

OneidillMadison BOCES '

1999: data on 6 graduaJtng seniors.

8th Grade English Teacher . MexiCo cential School District

Eng. Long term Sub.

Euglish teacher _

'. Cornmg Painted Post Schools

.William Floyd SD

secOndary English Teacher

Substitute Teacher

Haverlirig CSD

Various School Districts

Penn Van School District Teacher

2000: data on 6 graduating seniors.

Euglish Teacher

Teacher

Office Manager

Christopher Columbus High School

Developmental Disabilities Institution

Jobert Bottle Company

f -',: - '" [-1 'I· -, ,"

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McGraw School District

Long term substitute Newark Valley High

Night Manager . Wegman's CorpOration

2001: data 9 graduating seniors.

Fayetteville School District

Green Chimneys .

. Johnson City High

Lakeland

Manassas Park City Schools '

N. Babylon H.S.

N.T.

Norwich City Schools

Warwick High SchoolTeacher

. .

8th gr8de English

Teach~r

School! Teacher Assist .

substitute

7th Grade Language Arts! Civics teacher

Teacher

. Recreatio~ prognim leader

English Teacher (9th and 10th)

') Post-!:rllduate continuing education of ABE gradtiates

'I Prior to fall 2003, NYS required teachers to obtain a master's degree within 5 years ofbepnning I employment Under the new regulatioIis, teachers have only 3 years to complete the graduate i degree. '.

I i 1998

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MA

MA

1999

MA

MA

MA

MA

MA

English Cortland

English SUNY Stonybrook .

English Elmira

. English Literature Colgate or Lemoyne

English~ Secondary Education, Elmira College

Literature Cortland

Special Education ' SUNY Binghamton '

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2000

MA

MA

Ethnic Litera~

Special Education

SUNY Stony Brook

Dowling College

MSE

MSE,CAS

Literacy Dowling College

Educational AdmiIlistnition SUNY Brockport

2001

English

Edul Special Edu.

English

, sONY New Paltz

". Mercy

SUNY Cortland , .

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The College has requested th3t the Provost of the SUNY System consider developiDg a statewide employer survey to find out the employment ofteacher education graduates.

Asmentione<i-earIler, we ate preparing a surv~y that will track our AEE graduates' employment . histories.

6. Describe the results. of any alumni follow-up surveys that'reflect student outcomes.

The last alumni survey conducted by the English Department took place in 1995. as part of an English Department Self Study. Questionnaires were sent t() 220 graduates, approxinlately 40 of whom responded. Alumni expressed satisfaction with the English education program. When asked about the areas they felt should have been better addressed in the English education program, they mentioned the teaching of writing and the teaching of reading. In 2003 we added two writing courses to the curriculum for Adolescence Education English: AED31 0 Grammar and th,e Writing ,Process and AED 404 Teaching Writing, and we redesignedAED 441 Methods of Teaching Literature and Critical Literacy to include instruction in critical reading. '

The Office of Career Servicescategorizesfue responses to the Grad Survey by major. We have culled from the survey results for 1998, 1999,2000; and 2001, the AEE graduates' responses to the following questions and items:

• WERE YOU ABLE TO SCHEDULE REQUIRED CLASSES? • HOW WELL DID YOUR ACADEMIC STUDIES PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AND

WORK AFTER CORTLAND? , • HOW WELL DID YOUR CO-OP, INTERNSHIP, STUDENT TEACHING, SUMMER

JOBS PREP ARE YOU FOR LIFE AND WORK AFTER CORTLAND? • RELEVANCE OF COURSES TO CAREER • ACCESS TO FACULTY SUPPORT )

• QUALITYOFFACULTYADVISEMENT • RELEVANCE OF COURSES TO INTERESTS • A V AILABILITYOF MAJOR DEPARTMENT FACULTY OUTSIDE OF CLASS

Sometimes

We are not surprised that one-third of our students report that they were not always able to schedule required classes. Because we are short staffed in the AEE program, it is all but impossible to offer second sections of requiredAEEcourses in the pedagogical core. In spring 2004,boththe undergraduate and graduate courses in Adolescent Literature are being taught by part-time faculty. .

HOW WELL DID YOUR ACADEMIC STUDIES PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AND WORK AFTER CORTLAND?

Using the 0 - 4 Scale whereO=Not at all and 4=Extremely well

N 2 3 4 19989 . 100"10 .

1999 8 25% 37.50"10 37.50% .

2000 6 33.33% 33.33% 16.67% 16.67%

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HOW WELL DID YOUR CO-OP, INTERNSHIP,STUDENT TEACHING, SUMMER lOBS . PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AND WORK AFTER CORTLAND?

o = not at all, and 4 ,: extremely well

N 0 J 2 3 4

I:: I:A I I I 150.00% 150.00"10 I

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RELEVANCE OF COURSES TO CAREER

o = not at all, and 4= extremely

o 2 3 4 19989 66-67% 3333%

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1999 8 . 25,00% 25,00% 50.00% 2000 INA ' .

.

2001 10 10.00"10 110.00"10 50.00"10

. .

Two-thirds to all of the respondents felt their student teaching prepared them for "life and work after Cortland"; however, they did not have a comparable high response for the relevance of their

'. aca4emic studies. In fact, we see a trend. downward: Whereas lOOpercentofrespond~tsin 1998 . thought their academic studies prepared them well, 75 percent of respondents in 1999 gave this assessment, and only one-third of respondents in 2000 tated their academic studies as preparing ' -them well or extremely well .. These findings are explainable when we look back at the post­graduate employment data. All 7 of the students in 1998 and all 6 of the students in 1999 were employed as teachers. In 2000, only 3 of the 6 students were teaching in schools. The other three worked in a developmental disabilities institution, a bottle company, and a supermarket.

ACCESS TO FACULTY SUPPORT

o = not at all, and 4 = extremely good . N 0 1 2 3 4

1998 9 ' . 33.33% .. 67.67% . ' ' .

1999 8 ~5.()()% 75.00"10 .'

.

2000 8 37.50% 62.50% .

2001 10 50.00"10 . . 50.00"10 I

AEE students are generally pleased with their access to facnlty support .

. RELEVANCE OF COURSES TO INTERESTS

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1998 . 9 .' 11:11% 66.67% ....... 22.22% I ' . , '. 1999 8 . ' 12.50% . 37.50"10 50.00"10

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2000 . '. .' 8 .....

12.SO"I0 . SO.OO"I0 . 37.SO"I0 '.

2001 . 10 20.00"10 •.. 14<>.00% . 40.00% . -

. '. . . '. ..,: In all four years,between nand 20 percent ofrespondents reported that their courses were neit related to their intereSts. This curious phenomenon warrants .further . investigation • . ' . .

N o 1 . 1998 9 33.33% SS.56% . 11.11% . .

1999 8 12.50"10 12.50% 12.50% 50.00"10 12.50"10 ·

. '

2000 8 .

25.00"10 12.500;. 62.S0% .'

--'-. "

2001 10 140.00% 10.00"10 30.00% 20.00%

AVAILABILITY OF MAJOR DEPARTMENT FACULTY OUTSIDE OF CLASS

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1999 8 . 125.00% 12.50"10 62.50%

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2000 .. , 8 12.50"10 ." 37.50"10 50.00"10

200i 9 22.22% 33.33% .. 44.44% ·

The most discouraging findings from the graduate surveys relate to the students' assessment of the availability of English Department faculty outside of class and the quality of faculty advisement. Between 12.50 percent and 25 percent give a low rating to faculty availability, and

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an even largerpercemage of students give a low rating to fuculty advisement. These are tWo areas that need improvement in the English Department. Because of the large number of majors and students coded as AEE~ Waiting, filcuhy in the Literature major are called upon to advise AEE students. In spring 2004, the only AEEfilcuJtY member advising UJ:Kiergraduatestudents in the major is Mary Kennedy. Ellen Hill, the progIani coordinator, serves as advillor to all of the Students in our Master of Arts in Teaching English (MA1)proiram, 8nd Nora1yn M.lISse!iDk. the Interim AssistantDepartment Chair, is advising the students in the MSEd and M,A programs,

7. Describ~tliedissemination of tliereSults·of the program review to appropriate consti~ncies. ·

This program review will 00 forwarded to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Provost and Vice PreSident for ACademic Affairs, and the Provost of the SUNY system. Comments from these administratorS, as wen as the detailed eWiuations by the two outside reviewers, willbe eXlllitined and discussed, first by the AEE fiIcuJtY and then bY the entire English Departmimt. The information we receive from this assessment will enable us to

• reacIiconclusions· regarding AEE program effectiveness

• identify major strengths and weaknesses in the prograIil .. • develop newgoab·aiid dbjectives

• inake recommendationi for d:i3iiges in AEE program actiVities

• identify measures that we can Use to monitor program activities on an ongoing basis.

8 . . Describe the plarming process, . including those to be used to formulate and implemem chonges baSed on program review analysis.

Wbatthe AEE JacuJtY would like to do is meet regularly to discuss the insights and · recommendations resu1ting from this program review, reach cOnsensus on the changes we wish to implement, and present a proposal to the entire Department. But there is a large gap between

• what we would like to do and what we are capable cif doing. We have serious questionS about bow we Will irilplement the prograrnchangesemanating from theNCATE review, let alone the changes from this SUNY program review. Though English has. 16 tenured and tenure-track filculty, only three - Ellen Hill, NoraJ.YU M.asselink, and Mary Kenlledy - specialize.in AEE, teaching the required courses in the pedagogical core, setting program policy, developing curriculum; and responding to the.incessairt directives for assessment. To be blunt, weare acutely shori stiIffed and grossly overworked. .

For example, in the last four years, we have had to write two lengthy, laborious reviews of our . graduate and undergraduate AEE programs, one for the SED program re-registration and the other for the NeATE evaluation. While we were still in the throes of the NCATEreview, we were told we would have to undertake yet another project: the current SUNY program review.

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The responsibility for gathering, analyzing, and reporting data for these reviews falls always on the same two people, Ellen Hill and Mary Kennedy. -

Another example that illustrates how multiple responsibilities preclude implementing change and entertaining new proposals is the fact that the AEE faculty is spread thin. We divide our time between the AEE undergraduate major and other programs. Masselink teaches courses in 17th

century literature as well as AEE courses in language and grammar. Kennedy serves as Campus Writing Coordinator and Director of Composition and teaches the AEE comses in writing and, at the graduate level, a course in research in the teaching of English. Hill directs the MAT graduate -program as well as the undergraduate program, teaches methods courses in both programs, and oversees all of the student teaching. All three faculty teach the fieldwork courses and sit on a newly furmed MATIMSEd Graduate Committee whichjudges the portfulios of approximately 15 graduate students per year. Keep in mind that everything we have described in this report is duplicated at the graduate level in a healthy Master of Arts in TC<3Ching English program that enrolls a minimum of15 students per year and a Master of Science in Education program that enrolls 2 to 5 students per year.

As a postscript, we should point out that the English Department is currently searching for an assistant professor in AEE. When this person is hired, his or her teaching responsibilities will '­cover upper-level and graduate courses that are presently staffed by part-time mculty. Therefure, even with this new hiring the program will not substantially gain a new person who can implement all of the changes described in this review. There will consequently be a continuiJig gap between what the AEE fuculty would like to do and are able to do.

nie burden on our department will become even greater beginning in Fall 2005 when students from Anadolu University (furkey) arrive on campus expecting to take courses in Grammar and Language Acquisition and Development as part of their dual certificate program in Teaching English as a Second Language. Similar programs are currently being worked out with the Pultusk School of Humanities (poland). Our department will not possibly be able to accommodate an additional 20-60 students a year in these courses unless another line is granted. With only one tenured faculty member with a subspecialty in English Language Arts, and one full-time/part-time .lecturer with a Master' s Degree in Linguistics, we simply caimot expand our _ ofIer:ings beyond current levels without hiring an additional person with expertise in this area.

9. Describe the mosr recent evaluation of the program, what was learnedfrom the '~aluation, -and what improvements resulted.

In 2000, the AEE program was thoroughly reviewed fur re-registration with the New York State Education Department (SED), and many changes were implemented in order to meet SED mandates. From 2001 to the present, we have been preparing for the March 2004 NCATE review and site visit. We have scrutinized the AEE program recasting the curriculum to conform with NCTE and NCATE guidelines. In addition to these enormous efforts, on a smaller scale we regularly assess courses by means of a course dossier review.

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New York State Education Department (SED) Re-Registration

NeW-regulations required us to establish what SED calls a "pedagogical core" and to add to the AEE course of study lOOhours oHieldwork. In 'order to comply with these demands, we created a new course, then called ENG 404 Teaching and Assessing Writing, and added fieldwork experiences to that cOurse and to three other courses: EDU 341 Introduction to Secondary Education, ENG 402 Grammar for Teachers, and EDU 441 Methods ofTeacbing English. We also made substantial revisions to AEE cOurses to include new standards imposed by SED.

NCA TE Accreditation

More recently, we scrutinized the AEE program and made additional changes and improvements in order to comply with NCfEJNCA TErequirements. These cluinges include our revision of field work coUrses from one credit to three credits and the addition of a weekly contact hour for the participant with the supervising teacher.

CoUrse Dossiers .

The English D~ent regmarlyreviews curriCUlnm by means of Course DosSier evaluations. Fac¢ty members are required to submit Course Dossiers to the Department Curriculnm Committee the first time they teach a new ~e and every third time thereafter. The Dossier consists of the course syllabus and Copies of essay assignments andexaminatious.

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111. FACULTY A. Mastery of Subject Matter

Faculty Summary

1. Number of faculty assigned to the program '

Men ' . Women Minorities

2. Credentifils

Bachelor's ,Degree Master's Degree Doctorate .

.. 3. Experience

0-3 years 4-7 years 8-11 years 12-15 years 16-24y~ 25+ years .

B. Effectiveness in Teaching '

Full-time

13 13 3

26 26 17

0 3 1 3 9 10

Part-time

12 8 o

18 18 3

I 5 2 2 4 5

.1. Describe the hiring proceIJures. includingfonnulation of the job description, publication of the position, representation on the search committee; and responsibility for the final decision.

. Job descriptions are created by the search committee and submitted to the departnient for possible emendation and final approval. Positions are advertised in MLA Job Information List and any other suitab1e.professional and local soUrces. Search committees are composed of at least one expert in the field, plus two other departnient members. The final decision is made by the full-time tenured and tenure-track members of the department. See end of report for copies of faculty vitae.

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2. Explain how the training and interests of the faculty contribute to appropriate breadth of the program's mission. Indicate areas, if any, in which greater strength would be beneficial.

Faculty generally teach courses appropriate to their trainjng and interests. Greater strength is needed in the area of Victorian English literature, as this line has been lost because of unrestored budget cuts. The addition of another full-time line in Adolescence Education would allow us to staff multiple sections of critical courses that are filled to capacity every semester with a backlog of students waiting to enroll. An additional person in Adolescence Education would also allow us to offer graduate and undergraduate instruction by full-time, tenure-track instructors with Ph.D.s rather than by part-time and full-timeJpart-time lecturers with Master's Degrees, which is what we are now frequently obliged to do.

3. Analyze the teaching loads and how they are distributed amongfaculty by rank.foll-time, part-time, and teaching assistants (number of course / number of "..students).

Tenured and tenure-track faculty teach a 4/3 load (90-100 students); full-time non-tenure-track faculty teach a 4/4 load (1"00-120 students); part-time faculty teach one or two courses per semester (22-60 students).

4. Highlight faculty innovations in teaching.

}> Service learning }> Web cr courses }> Courses in our new professional-writingprograrn }> Innovations in integrating issues of diversity into the curriculum }> -InnovationS in collaborative learning and in technology, the latter of which ha~e been

aided by Title ill grants }> Applications of online capabilities to teaching English composition-especially grammar

exercises and peer collaboration }> Establishment of multiple student-teaching partnerships with secondary English prognims

across the state }> Development of inquiry-based pedagogical and curriculum-development strategies to

meet accreditation standards for constructivist learning principles }> Development, application, and presentation of cultural-awareness building strategies that

mutually benefit students, mentor teachers, and graduate English interns }> Designing, applying, and presenting new theory and related practic~ that enable

secondary students to take critical stances toward favorite adolescent novels }> Publication of student writing }> BLOGGER used in classes }> Teaching website construction to writing students }> Incorporating new software applications into courses }> Participation in electronic learning communities }> Teaching oftheruatically linked courses

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~ Development and promotion of learning-styles techniqueS; primarily through the "Engaging First-Year Students" filculty workshop

~ Incorporating visual arts, music, and live theatre into classes.

· 5. Describe the program's procedures for evaluating effectiveness in teaching . .

CoUrse observations are required lIIlIlUilIly for untenured filculty unleSs they have reached the stage of term appointments. Course-Teacher evaluations are reqllired for every class section t,mght by the department Course Dossiers are required every third time a course is taught, to ensure that basic course requirements are being met by instructors.

c. Scholarly Ability

Over the past three years, the department bas been extremely active, Producing 16 bookS, 31 · journal articles; 5 book chapters, . 12 soUrcebook or encyclopedia entries; 25 reviews, 3 notes; and llmanuscript evaluations . . Faculty have also bad 6 poems pUblisbed, as well as 2 short stories. . Membezs have presented their work at professional ccinferences 44 times 8Jl(l have chaired . : ses;;ions 13 times. Much of the scholarshipcciUuted above is standard literary criticism, wliich,

, obviOusly, revews departn;lent members' vital. coonectionto their literary fields; but much of it . ' also CODcems writing theory andpedagogy,reflectirig the growth and vitality of the department's writing component, including the highly pOpUlar new niajor in profeSsional writing. A few of the articles have been published electronically, and some ofthemconcem the. pedagogical

. implications ofming technology m thecl3ssroom; such work shoWs afilcultY that is attuned to changes in the academic world, and that, in some cases, is 1e8ding inquiry into new fields. '

The department has continued to sponsor and host the annual Central New .York Confere~ on . Language and Literature, DOW iii its fourteenth year. The conference attractsscbolars from most

, states and dozens offoreign countries .

D. Effectiveness or University Service

· This department undertakes a heavy load of committee work, including in some cases work perfumiedby our underpaid Part-timC fucultY. The department has three major, standing . committees (Curriculum, Graduate, Personnel) and several other important comniittees, especially thOse concerned with student writing. A particularly heavy workload for most of the

, professoriate has been organizing and working to meet NeATE and SED accreditation . requirements. Committees of the School of Arts and Sciences and college-wide committees also carry a heavy workload, such as work done €In Title Ill, General Education, and assessment (both at the department and college levels). Our department's voice has also consistently been the loudest on campus in terms of seeking equitable treatment for pint-time fuculty.

Our filculty is also considerably involved in international education. For instance, we have three members active on the college Study Abroad Committee, our filcuity have devised courses that

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encourage the exploration of other cultures, and our annual Central New York Conference on Language imd Literature has accommodated and facilitated the participation of scholars from over thirty foreign countries. Also, Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational and Women' s and Gender Studies was launched. .

In oilier areas of writing the department has a particularly distinguished record of serviCe. The development of the new major in Professional Writing has been a monumental task. ~dditionally, work is always ongoing to improve student writing at all levels, particularly through the encouragement of the teaching of writiIig-intensive courses across the entire campus and refinement of the program in freshman composition. The continuation of showcases for student writing such as Transition and She Said/She Said (now administered as the Cortland Writers' Association), as well as the publication of academic student writing in Parnassus, edited by. the department, reveals a department that has made a solid commitment to encouraging students to write well. Also well worth mentioning are the dep3(lment's involvement with the Writer's Guild and NeoVox, the college's web journal.

Finally, it should be noted that in addition to its publications the department does a considerable amount of writing: practicing what we preach. ·For instance, we have for quite some time edited and written the department newsletter, which is distributed to alumni, emeriti, and current " students and filcuity. We have also been the editors.of and major contributors to the UUP (union) newsletter; this also reflects the department's historically high level of political involvement, which is necessary in a university system that seems interminably under ideological and fiscal attack.

In addition to faculty concern for student writing, facultY also work with students in many other ways. Presentations in student dormitories are not unusual, faculty are involved. with Phi Kappa Phi honor societY, and some faculty act as advisors for sororities or fraternities. The English Club, active for decades in sponsoring faculty/student mixers, poetry readings, and other activities, unfortunately lapsed from existence, as students were hamstrung by newly imposed student-government regtilationsand became disillusioned from the extrinsic political burdens placed on them. Finally, the department's record of advisement of both graduate and

. undergraduate students is generally excellent.

In terms of community service, we have much ·to be proud of. Perhaps most notably the department has vigorously promoted service learning, including the development of a service­learning website. We have also been involved with the Learning Disabilities Subcommittee of the Resource Allocation Committee for the City of Cortland, the Cortland Community RoundtableAdvisory Board, and the Cultural Council of Cortland County. Individual faculty members teach Professional Development courses through the Center for Lifelong learning as well as throughTompkins-Cortland Community College Business Development & Training Center. We have also done work with the Onondaga Nation and made significant contributions to the National Women's Hall of Fame. It is well worth mentioning that we have done an enormous amount of work with the local secondary schools and have been involved with urban teacher education.

E. Continuing Growth

1; .Identify steps taken to asSure that faculty members maintain currency in their disciplines and the activities that result in the continuing growth offaculty .

. Resources for faculty development are severely limited. . Travel funds are highly restricted (often laughably so in the not-unusual times of fiscal crisis); though programs for untenured faculty rightfully ease their burden. somewhat. .. ..

Currently the weight is abOut ;31 each for teaching, research, and service. The categories of continuing growth and J;IllISteryof subject matter are routinely not taken seriously.

1 . . Of the five criteria listed above, describe how the program's £{Valuation and promotion procedures weight each category.

Same as #2 . .

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IVo, STUDENTS (BA-AEE)

A. Student Proffies

1. Annrial cohorts Jar the last five years

Key for Term: year +'10 = winter yeai+ 20 = spring

. year + 60 = sUmmer year + 90 = fall

. Keyfor ~ajor:SEN= Secondary English; AEE = J\dolescence Education EngliSh; AEEW = Adolescence Education English Waiting. Students majoring in English education were formerly designated as SEN. ID. fall 2000 the designation changed to AEE. Students are coded AEEW until they.meet the 2.75 GP A requirement aild·are officially aCCepted into the program.

GradUates

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" Year to Year Major Full-time Year Nuinber

199910 SEN 0 i

199920 SEN 80 3 I

;rt(~ 199990 ' SEN 91 2 1999 11

200010 SEN 0 8 i 200020 SEN 80 2 I

I 'i 200060 SEN 0 13

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200090 AEEW 21 0 i ;:-'._"

1 , -'co : SEN 78 4 2000 13 ,

! 200110 SEN 0 S

200120 AEEW 18 0

) SEN 66 2 ,

200160 AEEW 0 2

SEN 0 8

200190 AEE 2 0

, AEEW 37 2 i !

62 .:;-·.<.:.:-1 SEN 2 2001 15 ' i

<I 200210 SEN 0 9 _0' i 200220 AEE 7 0 i

AEEW 3S 1

SEN 48 4

200260 AEE, 0 1

SEN 0 9

200290 AEE 7 0

. ...

AEEW 71 1

SEN 28 4 2002 22

200310 ·AEEW 0 4

SEN 0 1

200320 AEE 5 1

AEEW 63 2

SEN 22 1

200360 AEE 1 1

AEEW . 8 1

SEN 0 3

200390 AEE 11 0

AEEW 67 2

SEN 6 0 2003 24

200410 AEE 0 4

AEEW 0 2

200420 AEE 9 1

AEEW 60 2

2. Describe the program strategies to recruit students

Admissions efforts target underrepresented populations in high schools and two-year collegeS. Special recruitment and visitation programs are designed to appeal to prospects who are self­identified as ethnic minorities . . On campus recruitment programs for underrepresented student groups include transportation, overnight lodging and meals. Targeted correspondence with schoiarship infonnation is routinely provided to underrepresented students interested in education majors at SUNY Cortland. In addition, the President has charged the Task Group on Ethnic Minority Student Recruitment and Retention with addressing this important area. Cortland's Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.RE.) Scholarships provide full, four-year

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awards fur ethnic mincirity students. SUNY Empire State Minority Honors Scholarships provide finaJ:icial support to academic achievers who identify themselves ;IS African, Latino, or Native American. Our Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) provides full financial support .' for historically disadvantaged students seeking a college educ8tiOn. .

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The AEE fiIculty bas developed Successful strategies fur recruiting first-year and tnmsfer studentS. Two years ago, we r.Used candidates' required cUmulative OPAfroma minimum of2.5 to a minimum of2.75, At the same time, we placedcaDdidates inawait.1istf'W" status that · could oIllybe lifted after they applied for the juniorc and senior-year professional semesters (involving several levels of pre-service teaching), and maintained the requisite overall OP A. UnSiuprismgly, as a resuh of heightening this critical teacher education standard, first-year ABE students. enter more prepared to develop challenging cri>ss-disciplinary reading and writing skills . and, in tum, the strong liberal artS fuundation for successful teaching; transfer studentS are also wait-listed fur the profesSional semesters until they have conipleted the AEE content Core .and maintained the requisite overall OP A. The progIam's new OPA now plaYs a pivotal role in . attracting first-year and transfer students who are competent in the English language arts, committed to excellence in teaching, and serious abouttheir own professional development.

The AEE filculty also participates in two college-wideOpeil House events each year. The first, .' held each October on Columbus Day at Corey Union and Park Center, allows us to ptesentour specialized program in the English departiOO;rt's JIlilin office. This option gives the program director and department chair the opportunity to speak: with parents and potentiai program applicants alike, in an infurmal question-and-answer session. about a broad range of pro~ related concerns. In particular, it enables us to highlight required content and professional courses, and give in-depth analyses of the progJ'am's six state-mandated literatllre categories; four scaffolded methods courSes, 100 Hour Early Fieldwork Program, and professional . development opportunities, all of which have helped to steadily increase the AEEeilrollment since 1999 and double the number of ABE graduates. See Section ID.A.6 fur a detailed account of enrollment patterns~ .

The second Open House, also college-wide, is held each spring at Corey Union and ParlcCenter. Here, along with representatives from all college departments and teacher education programs, the AEE director and English chair give registered undergraduates a scheduled overview of the program and its unique features, encourage them to apply fur early admission, answer questions fielded by stUdents and parents, and develop a list of potential applicants and contact information to fullowupon. The college's spring Open House also invites students to attend other . departmellt presentations to narrow down their choice of a ruajor.

3. Identify the program minimum requirements for admitting students.

Entering first year, first time students must have a minimum high school average ofB with 3-4. units in each college preparatory subject (English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and Foreign Language). Required SAT 1 or ACT exam scores vary with the strength of the high school record (middle 50"10 range of scores considered: SAT 1 980-1120; ACT 22-25). Extra curricular involvement is important for admission and scholarship consideration.

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Students must have a minimum cumulative OP A of2. 7S to become Ado!escenceEducation . . English majors. Applicants are coded as Adolescence Education English Wl$ing (AEEW) until they have successfully maintained their 2.7S GPA fur one semester at Cortland. Because the . AEE i:9de is required before students will be adJnittedinto the junior year courseS with llttached fieldwork, transfer students coming in withjuniQr status (56.5 credit hours or above) must under$nd that they will begin these courses in the full semester of their senior year, and must stlJdent teach in the full semesterthereafier . . Transfer students who are exceptionally wel1~ prepared and have coIIlpleted all foreign laIJguage requirements may petition to beginjulii~r year courses during theirfust seinesterat Cortland. ' .

4. Explain the acceptance ratio;

ASth~ student profiles in Sectio~m.Al ofthis~eportdemonstratej oclyon~quarterto orie-tluro of the applicants to the AEE program meet the minimum programrequiremepts, are accepted . into the progtam, and gradUate.

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5. Compar~ the ~sity of the program to that of the institutiori,other instituti~, the ~egion, and the state.

We regret that very few ABE majors are or have been members ofcultura1minority groups~ For that reason, we have not kept systematic records ofAEEstudents broken down according to race or ethnicity. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment provides this data for the College. As of the institution's officialfall reporting date of October 15,2003, theundetgraduate enrollment by various categories is

Non-resident aliens

Black, non-HispiLnic

American Indian or Alaskan Native

Asia or Pacific Islander

Hispanic

White, non-Hispanic

Racelethnicity unknown

Total

10

148

15

70

191

4,842

520

5796

We presently do no not have information about the diversity of other institutions, the region, or the state . .

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6. Analyze the enrollment patterns over the last five years.

Weare supplying tJ1eemollment ~attei-nsfi'om 1998 to 2001. More recent data have not been . prOCClSSe(L Key for Major: SEN =SeconciaIy English; AEE = Adolescence Education En~h; ' .. AEEW = Adolescence Education English Waiting. . . .

% 2002 ALL FT .' PT M F F

I 72 SEN . 32 29 3 9 23 %

. 77 AEEW 73 72 1 17 ' 56 %

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2001 ALL . FT PT M .' F F

AEE 2 . · 2 0 2 100

SEN i 63 ' 61 2 18 45 71 I

AEEW 140 39 1 9 31 78 .

% 2000 ·. ALL FT PT M F F

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SEN . 82 80 .' 2 23 59 , 72 AEEW 21 21 5 16 76

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% 1999 ALL FT PT M F F

SEN 94' . . ' 93 1 27 67 71

. 1998

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SEN 10127150 1651 . -

& the above tableS. demonstrate, the Am: major is enjoying ulcreaslng pOP~arity. We see a trend of a largerniunber of stUdents seeking aihnissioninto the major. In 199&, we had 77 students. By 2002, that number had increased by 28 students to 10.5 applicants. -

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 --

Students 77 SEN . 94 SEN _ __

. 103 AEE, SEN, AEEW 105 AER, SEN, AERW 105 SEN, AEEW. -

The number of students wbo are accepted into the major ~d who consequently graduate as AEE majors is also increasing. .

Year AEE GraduateS 1999 11 2000 l3 2001 1~

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2002 22 2003 24,

From 1999 to 2003, the number of AEE graduates has risen from 11 to 24. This is an encouraging trend especially in light of the fact that we have raised the required OP A to 2.75 and increased the demands of the program.

The enrollment tables indicate that the percentage of part-time ABE students is very low arid it has remained relatively stable. Women continue to outnumber men. From 1998 to 2002, the percentage of female students ranged from 65 percent to 75 percent, with a slight rise in 2000, . 2001, and 2002. Thisgender distribution reflects the national average of28 - 30 percent male teachers and 68 - 72 percent females:

B.Student Needs ' - .

1. Describe the goals oj the students entering the program.

The main goal of our prospective teachers is to complete the English teacher preparation program in a timely fashion, preferably in four years. Almost all of our students aspire to use their degr~ to get a good job in a middle school or secondary school. Some students enroll in . masters programs before embarking on a teaching career; however, most plan to teach and attend

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... ~. ; . graduate school simultaneously. TeaChers fu N~wYork State must completetheirMaster's Degrees Within three years. ' . .

2 Describe the fi"oncial needs of tlu! students enrolled

There are 00 available statistiCs that specifically address the financial needs of students enrolled in the ABE prpgiam. I(.students are eligible for financial aid, according to the Office ofFiriancial Aid, all aid applicants receive an offer of aid even if that offer fucludes only loaps. .

According to the OfficeoffustitutionalResearchand Assess~ent, 4;689 of the 5,686 stUdents who are currently seeking degrees. applied for need-baSed financial aid.~ nuniber of students determined to have financial need was 3,488. Of that DUmber, 3,428 were awarded aid, ·The . number of students who were awardedneed-based scholarships or grants was3,136.The number awarded need-based seif"help was 2,995. . '.' .

On average, the percentage of need that W8Smet of studentS ~ were awarded iiny lIi;ed-based aid, excluding aD.y aid that was awarded in excess of need as well as any resOurces that were . awarded to replace EFC (PLUS loans, unsubsidized loans and private ahernative loans), Was 71 percent. The average financial aid package was $7,880.

The most recent Graduate Survey f~r which we have data, the Grad SUrvey of200f,. asked .'. . students, "Do you ha'!e student loans'?' In response, 572 responded y~ .. Ofth()&! ~" !lDSWered the questiOn, 557 respondents prpvided the amount nlnge of their loans: . .

~ with Loansl 572 (77"10)

~ of RespondenulLoan Category

137 (25%) $7,000_ $10,000

79 (14%) $10,001 - $13,000 69 (12%) $13,001 -$16,000

71(13%) $i6,001- $19,000 76 (14%) $19,001- $22,000

42 (7"10) $22,001 - $25,000

28 (5%) $25,001 - $28,000 22 (4%) $28,001 - $31,000

33 (6%) $31 ,000-+

3. Describe the academic needs of beginning and transfer students.

Pre-Service teachers require strong skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and oral communication. For that reason, we require a minimum GP A of2.75 for entrance into the

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Adolescence English Education major. As expiained earlier, first-yearstudentsand 1:ransfei' students are wait-listed until they attain the rCquired GPA. The program's GPA plays a pivotal role in attracting first-year and transfer students who are competent in the English language arts, committed to excellence in teachiIig, and serious aboQt theiiown professional development. . - - . - -.' -.

4. Describe the special needs of groups of stUdents, such as nontraditional, intenuitional, . disabled, and underprepar:edsW.dents.· '. . . ' . .

On the whole, nontraditionai stude~ts have proven to be sti'o~g1y motivated ~d prepared foi the rigors of the AEE program. Beca~eof the nature of our program, seldom have we enrolled ; international students who are part of ex change prograffis'with universities abroad.Leiiming~ disabled students who identify themselves to their professors are given specialaccommodatioris such as note takers and individualized testing. These accommodationS are arranged through the Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP). . .

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5. Explain any academic placement procedures.

Upon entrance to the major ~d each semest~r thereafter,students inAdolescenceEducatio~ English meet with theii advisors to discuss the courses they should be taking and the order in which they should take them. The adviSors guide sp1dents through the major, keeping in mind the program sequence described in Section II. B. 6 of this report. Every effort is made to place students in the appropnate courses ill the appropriate time. ' . . .

6. Describe the diverse learning styles of the students and the strategies for engaging them. . . .

AEE students, like all students, learn in different ways and have multiple intelligences. In the AEE program, we acquaint our preservice teachers with theories and research in learning styles so that they will have the resources for dealing with diverse leiuners in their own classrooms. As explained in Section II.A.2, one of the objectives of courses in the AEE professional core is to equip teacher candidates to "vary instruction to accommodate a full range. oflearning'styles and abilities." In the AEE program itself, we have a comparable obj~tive for accommodating our students' learning. Typical university classes consist o(lectureswith occasional recitation and discussion. We are keenly aware thatm;)t all students absorb itiformationi~this type of setting. We I1se avariety'ofinstructional strategies to provide learning experiences that are verbal, . auditory, and kinesthetic: a mixture of independent learuing and cooperative/coltabomtive learning, peer reviews of written work, debates, PowerPointpresentations,participation in online . discussionlists, experiential learning, role-playing, and So forth. . .

7. Describe any orientation activities designed to introduce students to the program.

When students are admitted into the ABE program, they meet with the Coordinator for an orientation session, at which they complete the 'Entrance Questions for AEE 7-12 Majors" which is included in Section II.C.3 of this report. They are assigned anAEE advisor with whom they periodically meet to chart their PrQgress throughout their course of study.

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8. An~lyze attrition patteT71S and describe efforts to improve retention . .

Attrition data are tracked by first-year cohorts. A large nwnber of ABE majors join us at the end of their sophomore year; thus, no data are available to allow us to measure attrition for our ~~. '

, 9: Analyze the time students take to completedegrees.

Because of the increased number of required courses and fieldwork reqUirements imposeq by the New York State Department of Education, increasing numbers of students, particularly transfer

I students,in theAEE program are having difficulty completing the4" degrees in four years. For a , I' more detailed explanation of this problem, please return roour dispussion inSectionll.B.6. '

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n. CURRICULUM and m. STUDENTS . '.'

Bachelor of Arts in English (BA-ENG)

A.Missions, Goals and 9bJectives ~ . ... . "

1. Prepare 'a program mission statement that outlines the goals and their ~elationship to the institutional miSsion statement. .' . '

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The English Department of SUNY Cgrtbind shares importirit academic. goals With other English Departments in our sister inStitUtions, in our emphasis on small classes and excellent teaching, as well as outstanding scholarship, research; service to the cOlllmunity, strong advisement, and development of the independent mindS of our students. ..

2. Delineate the program's goals and objectives. - . . . .

The goals and objectives of the English Liberal Arts Program are twofold in that we provide both general eduCation courses (see C. 2. below), and courses designed for our majors. Our goals are to bring our students to develop their maximum ability in close reading ofinajor texts in English; be they fiction, drama, poetry, or essay, in verbal arguments in class, and developing well-written and well-argued essays 'lnd exams about their conclusions. In the process, students on all levels are able to use and document the arguments of others. Thus we promote clear prose that . -. shows, from textual arguments and others' research and scholarship, themes and hypotheses of the students' own creation. . '

Emphasis on creative, thoughtful, and virtually microscopic work with texts is paramount. And this includes verbal presentations as well as essays. When students gradUate from SUNY Cortland with an English degree, or when they merely pass a general education introductory course, they should be able to develop arguments clearly with judicious use of the evidence and explanation thereof. And they should be able to revise themselves (from mere proofreading to major moves such as removal of smuggled-ill arguments). And they shoilld be savvy in the area of literary theory and able to use fairly the arguments of others.

Since our department insists on academic freedom as to methods of teaching, including grading, modes of teaching, .and specific research expectations, our students get an unusually well rounded background in reading and arguing about texts . .

~1 3. Define quality as it relates to the program.

As quality control, we ask our majors to deliver their best essays to a portfolio of their work and to engage in class discussions that also present those ideas, their development, and evidence: For general education students we insist on revision of both spoken and written essays. Thus our students gain quantifiable ability to think critically, an awareness of the excitement of discovery,

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an appreciation of diversity, and a respect for physical and emotional well-being. Above all our students will become culturally literate.

4. Identify the learning outcomes students should demonstrate.

. We help students become good ~itizens with thought;ful and creative appre~iation~f the written and spoken word. We promote strong social Conscience and an appreciation of the environment and diverSe intellectual and cultural heritages. These are thelearning outcomes our studentS should demonstrate.

B. Program Design

l. SpecifY the degree requirements for the program, using th~ /ormatof the cata/ogdescription . . for the program. · .. . ..

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Degree Requirements listed on pages 3641 of the coUege catalog apply to all of three of our majors. All majors also require 90 credit hours in courses designated "liberal arts courses.".

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Major in English (ENG) . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . The following courses meet the College requiremenHor the bachelor of3rts anil the major in

English. Thebachp.lnT of "'ft .• requires proficiency in a foreign language.

CAREER POTENTIAL • Teacher • Librarian . • Data Analyst • Editor • Adtniiristrator .

• Lawyer • Researcher • Speech Writer . .Publisher

A. Requrred COurses: 21 credit hours ENG 203: Introductionto pgetry*

. ENG 302: Writing About Litem~e· . ENG 325: American Literature before 1900 .. ENG 326: American Literature since 1900 ENG 355: Major Figures in British Literature· to 1780 ENG 356:Major Figures in British LiteratUre 1780-Present

One course in literature before 1800 from the following (the English Department strongly urges students to take ENG 433: Shakespeare to fulfill this requirement) ENG 433: Shakespeare ENG 438: Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose ENG 440: The Age of Satire ENG 441: The Age of Sensibility ENG 442: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama

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! For those who ~t eligibility requirements; this requirement may also be met with one of the following 5OG-level courses: ENG 530: Chaucer ENG 538: Studies in Seventeenth-Century English Literature ENG 539: Mihon .

B; ~ Eng1ish cO~:15 credit ho~ofliteraturecouIses with at 1east 12 credit ho~ at the 400 level. '

• English majors must pass ENG 203 andENG302 with aC- or better grade.

,,:"' 1 , " 1 TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION: 124

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'1i 2. Describe the congruence between coW'se and program goals and nation~l standaFds ~ expectationsinthe diScipline or profession, as aPpropriate. " ,

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, Our course and program goals (see IIA 1. arid 2.) are designed with intellectual rigor, exposure to a range of world literatures, and the teaching of critical reading, thinking, and writing foremost -­in mind. These goals are in accordance with national standards of the diScipline as represented

, in the catalogs both of leading universities and comparable (teaching-oriented) colleges around , the country. Infuct, review of ~h programsVitany guided the Eng1ish departmeirt as it ' thoroughly revamped the BA English major during Academic Year 2000-2001. - ,

3. Describe the congruence between coUrse and cW'ricular goals, coW'ses, andprerequisite patterns.

The prerequisite patterns of the English major allow for progreSsive development of our students' leaining, with successive courses in the major both demanding more evolved Skills of critical reading and writing, and depending upon a broader knowledge of ~onVentionally recognized great texts. Students must pass CPN 101 Acadeinic writing II, before being permitted to take the 200~levelcourse required for the major, ENG 203 Introduction to poetry. ,The rigorous textual analysis skills stUdents learn in ENG203 prepare them for ENG 302 . Writing About Literature; and English majors must pass both ENG 203 and ENG 302 with a C­orbetter grade. ENG 302 islimited to 22 students to allow for individual and smaIigroup instruction, and personal professorial attention to each student;s writing, The essential c:loSe reading and written and oral argumentation skills learned in ENG 302 help to fu1fi11 our curricular goal of teaching our students to read texts with a ceitainlevelofcompetence and sophistication, as well as to engage in literary analysis in their oral and written work, and as such form the foundation of their Continued study in the major.

Another key curricular goal is that our majors learn a history of American and British literature. The four required survey courses, ENG 325 American Literature before 1900, ENG 326 American Literature since 1900, ENG 355 Major Figures in BritiSh Literature to 1780, and ENG )

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356 Major Figures in British Literature 1780-Present, serve this gOaL Within these courses; students are also exposed to multicultural literatures, for our faculty teach African Anieri,can; Native.American, Chicano/a, Asian, Latino/a; andlor JewishJiteratures in the American literature surveys, arid Irish and other COmInonwealthliteraturesintheBritish literature surveys; · To . ensure that our students gain a. long historical sense of literature, we additionally require them fo

. take one course in literatUre before 1800, from several choices (see iI.B.L). .

By the time o~ ~ajo~get to the 400-levelcourses, for Vllhicbat least oneoftherequirecfsurvey courses is a pre-requisite; they have begun to acquire and employ the tools of close reading, and have had a good deal of instruction and practice in constructing textually-supported literary argumeritS. These critical reading, thinking, and writing skills lite honed and further developed in the l2mininnim credit hours of 400-level English courses required for English majors; This intellectual growth is facilitated in sigilificant part by the fact that all our400-leveleourses are Writing Intensive, per program mandate. Such Intellectual preparation is particularly'Well~suited to our 400-level courses,whereinsfudents have the opportunity to read fewer texts with greater depth and sustained critical attention than the 300~level survey courses general1y permit. It is also at the 4OO-level where our stUdents encounter multicultural literatures, as many of oUr faculty, again,inciudesuch literatures intheir400-ieveicourses, according to individual specialty. Lastly, although Students have been introduced toV!irious critical perspectives for . contextualizingliterature in ENG 302, students receive an introdUction to critical theory andlor literarY criticism in each 400-1eveI ~-OlJ.rse they take; per program mandate. This satisfies our '. curricular goal of providing our majors wiilia: basic grounding inliterary thoory,which lielpsnot only to sharpen our students' criticalthinking, but also equips those who go on to graduate study (see I.C,5,), . . . .

4. Explain the balance between breadth and depth designed in the program,

Breadth in the program is achieved by the initial required courses, ENG 203 Introduction to Poetry, and ENG 302 Writing About Literature, which instruct students in critical study and writing of the three primary literary genres: poetry, fiction (prose); and drama, • The subsequent four reqUired. survey courses of American and British literature (see II.B.3), and the additional required course in literature before 1800 teach olif inajors a history of literature and familiarize them With literaturefroin the 10th century (BeoWulf) and Medieval times (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) to the contemporary and multicultural literatures of the present

Depth in the program is achieved by the requirement of 15 additional credit hours of literature courses with at least 12 credit hours at the 400 level. At this level, stUdents may choose to . concentrate in British or American literature, and on early or modem literature. Additionally, the 400-level writing-intensive courses require English majors to write substantially longer papers thim they write in the earlier courses, and require them to research and pursue in depth a topic for these papers.

5. Describe the methods used to ensure comparable learning outcomes among multiple sections o/a course,

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Our assiduous Course Dossier Evaluation (CDE)process (see Ap~diIJ» ensurescomparabie learning outcomes IllDOng muhiple sections of a coUrse •. All instructors must submitCDEs fur every course they teach fur the first tUne,' and fur every third time they teach thirt COurse thereafter. These are scrupulously reviewed by our Curriculum ColllJIiittee, which rises an .' enumerated checldist ofquality controlto ensuretbat all courses are structuredapprojlIiateIy . both fur the level of the course and for its writing-intensive designation, where applicable. AlthoUgh CDEsare required'fur all courses according to these guidelines, we do. not have multiple sections of our upper,level (ie. 4QO-level) courses. .

6. Describe efforts to assure that required ~ourses and elec/rves Ore off~"'ed 011 a schedule ;0 meet the needs of various student constituimcies. . ,

MultiPle sections of the initial reqUired courses, ENG 203 and 302,~offeredeverysemester, " and they consistently fill to full capacity. Each of the fuurrequiredsurvey courses is offered every semester. Years ago, we offered two sections of some of these coUrses eacbsemester, We bad to reduce.these co~ offerings to once each semester due to enrollment. Eachnowfi1lS to near or full capacity every semeSter; Atleast one course from the before-}1I00groupisoffered each semester; and ENG 433, Sbakespeare,which"the.English dq>artment strongly urges . students to ~e[.< .] to fill this requirement:' is offered every semester(CourseCatalog 120). These courses also conSistently fill to capacity. At least three additional400-1evelcourses are offered each semester, with each fuculty member's specialty 4QO-level course being offered once yearly . . We have studied carefullytbe enrollment levels in4()()..level English courses over the last several semesters to determiD.e that offering this number of 400-level courses each semester ensures enrollment to near capacity.

7. Describe internship opportunities and the rationale for assigning credit.

Although we do not have formal internship opportunities within the English major, we encourage service to the cOmmunity for eVery English major, and fuculty moreover serve both in an advisory capacity and as fuculty Spo!lSOrS for English majors who secure internships through the Cooperative Education Office. EnglishDepartmentfucuItY provide professional Supervision of . student interns, who, in .l;OOpemtionwith the Cooperative Education Program, have interned at loca1newspaper offices and in locallawofiices. , The Cooperative Edu~onProgram assigns . university credit for such internships. ' .

,8. Des;"ibe aepartme~tal procedures including student participotion for.the development,' . review, and evaluation of courses. ' .

Each of our course assessment measures is centered on student participation:

1. Students complete Course Teacher Evaluations (CTEs) for every course that must be included in each Department member' s yearly renewal portfolio, assessed

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by the. DepartmeDt Personnel Committee. Favorable CfEs are required for contract . reneWal.

2. All E.h majors are required to keep a portfolio on file in the English department, into which they submit the best paper from every E.h course they take throughout their Cortland undergraduate career. The portfolio requirement is a tOol expressly for the P1l1JlOse of the Department's self-asse~nt;portfolios are available for all faculty to review and discuss at department meetings. -

3 . . The Department .Chair conducts an exit interview with all graduatiDg seniors. -This interview includes specific questions directed at the quality of courses.

4. Faculty members have frequent informal and formal contact with English majors, establishing a rapport withmanyofthemthrOugho~ the.ir tUne at Cortland, and regularly inquiring as to the quality of their experience in English _ courSes . .

- 5. Career Services asks grad~ Cortland students which fuculty have significantly iirl'luenced their lives for the better. The English Department receives a high proportion of the "Co~ions" cards that Career Services sends to those faculty chosen by the students for this question.

9. Describe the advisement procedures and the way the department assesses advisement effectiveness. .

The English department divideS its ENG major advisees evenly among those departnlent members who do not advise PRE majors, hence assuring that adviseesare matched with faculty members' advising specialties. The Department has developed Advisor and Advisee EValuation Forms (see Appen.diI E) for each student and advisor to complete aUhe conclusion of every -advisement session. We will use this form for the asSessment of advisement effectiveness for the first time this Spring 2004 semester.

C. Assessment

1. Analyze theejJecfi)'eness o/the program in achieving its goals andobjecttves in the discipline. l)escribethe procedures, criteria, and methods used/or this assessment.

The Department of English is Committed to an ongoing assessment of its progr!lms and Services. Our rigorous self-assessment comes from examination of papers in the portfolios, exit interviews witt). majors, and Course Teacher Evaluations from all students. .

2. Analyze the effectiveness o/the program in achieving its goals and objectives in general education. Describe the procedures,criteria, and methods used/or this assessment.

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As for general education, we continually revise our introductory offeriilgsbotb fur Content and method, witbspecial attention to students developing ability to detect theory and bias in their readings of secondary material, such as biography and literaty criticism, and experience aesthetic appreciation ofa wide variety of texts that reflect global and historical interests.

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3. Analyze the effectiveness .of the progrcim in achieving its goals and objectiVesfor fnteliectuaI growth. Describe the procedures, criteria, and methods usedfor this 'assessment:

The Final Report of the Provost's Task Forceonthe Assessment of Student LeantingOutcomes indicates the difficulty of assessing intellectnal growth of the students on the ClUDpus in a meaningful way. We are happy to say that the English DePartment, by offermg a wide variety of courses that are ever changing, buildS successively on the studeilts' discernible target sophistication in language study and skills. ' We provide coursework of increasingly demanding rigor that has prerequisite preparation. We also ' strongly encoUrage study abroad participation, especially in Loridon,to stretch theirabilities. . . . . '. .' . 4. Describe discipline-; college-, and communifycrelated studeni activities, and how the program promotes and supports faculty and student involvemeril and effort . .

Frequent rapprochement between students and filcultyis promoted in meetings of the English Club, invited "speakers' evenings, brown bag lunch presentations, and departmental mixers.

Most significant over the past five years, however, have been the efforts of some of our part-time . and full-time/part-time lecturers to offer service-learning composition classes despite tepid (or even non-existent) administrative support. These service-learning classes (at one point, up to six sections per semester) ofter students an opportunityto use community service to improve . learning and learning to improve community service. Students registered for CPN '102or CPN l03,then,commit to thirty hours of quality community service over the course. of a semester. Students write both forand about their agency. An incomplete list of partner agencies in which our students have volunteered appears below:

BlodgettSchool, Syracuse, NY. Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse . Catholic Charities . Circle K City of Cortland, Code Office Communities That Care Cornell Cooperative Extension

. Cortland Area Agency on Aging Cortland Area Child Care Council Cortland County Health Department Cortland Elementary Schools Cortland Loaves & Fishes Cortland Migrant Education Outreach Program

Cortland YWCA Bridges for Kids Cortland Youth Bureau "

. Family Counseling Services Habitat for Humanity Homer Youth Center Hunger & Homeless Coalition Liberty Partnerships Program New York Public Interest Research Group Northwoods Rehabilitation OCM-BOCES Roots 'n' ShootS

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RSVP: Retired & Senior Volunteer Progtam Salvation Army Seven Valley Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse .

Students Against Swea~ps WaldenP1ace '. . . Welfiue-to-Work Project Youth Leadership Program

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In addition, forthepast two or three years, each semestd, the stI!dents in the service leaining courses have sponsored a F~ Clothing, and HoUsing Suppiy Drive at the end of each semester to benefittheJoCal commuility> . . '.' '.

Ideally, at some point, the college will see fit to require a service-learning component fur every graduating student, but until then, the English Department is quite proud Qf its pioneering efforts in this area. ' '. . '" .

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5. Provide follow-up data on Student placement for the lastfive yeprs.· Indicate year(s} of data collected and total number of student responses. ' . .

Approximately a third of our students go on directly to graduate school be it English gradJJate . studies here and elsewhere, law, communications, or other disciplines that immi:di.ately IJlake use of their English skills. A third go into helping develop products inEnglish related industries such as publishing, the media, peripheral jobs relating to law, government, and social service. A:third try out their skills with interim jobs in industry in the largest sense, tours in the military, and . work in areas far afield of English studies, but which require their skills in Writing, revising,and thinking.

6. Describe the results of any alumni follow-up surveys that reflect the student outcomes.

Most alumni follow up surveys provide printed material for the SUNY Cortland Chronicle, newsletter and other publications produced by the adininistratiOn, but the English Department has an excellent direct flow of feedback from students, perhaps thanks to small classes and considerable student contact with professOrs.

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7. Describe the dissemination of the result; of the in-oiram rewe'w toappropriare . constituencies. ' '.

The English I>epartineDt meets frequentlyto disseminate the remilis· of rigorous Self-assessment, and we pass our reSuItson to the administnition and Chancellor's office, always emphasizing'the need to teach writing which resembles the professors' oWn research andsChOIarship~ " ,

8. Describe the planning processes, including those to be 1ISed to formulate and implement changes based on review analysis. .

Curriculum committees on departmental and higher levels to the Dean's, Provost's and Chancellor's constantly oversee the fonilillation and implementation of changes to' \>ur program, to include promotion of improvementof classrooms, reduced teaching loads (we teach 12 and 9

units per follo\Vingsemester), and promotion of scholarship, research. and teaching through grants internal and external to the university, including sabbaticals . .

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9. Describethemost r.ecent evaluation of the program, what was leamedfrom the evaluation, and what improliements resulted.

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The most r~entself-eval~tion and outside reaction to our prograIn IS the NCATEreview of this year. The department is enthusiastically awaiting the results of this evaluation and vindication of , our unusually rigorous self-assessment program.

m. STUDENTS (BA-ENG) ·.

A. Student ProfIles

l. Annual cohoris for the last five years:

Year to Year . 2002-2003 2001-2002 2000-2001 1999-2000

2. Describe the program strategies Used to recruit students: .: . . .

College Admissions handles student recruitment and admission. The English Department has also takena number' of measures to recruit students. Faculty attend the spring andiall open houses, andprospective students meet with faculty and the department chair. Students and parents are encouraged to attend classes on open house days (and are welcome at'any other time) .. In the late nineties,departmentmembers cal1ed 'and wrote to prospective. English majors who had been accepted by the Col1ege, to ailswer any questions and encourage them to attend . Cortland. The department maintains a Web page with fuformation about faculty and syllabi of

. current courses, and maintains a l>ulletin board in the hall Of Old Main. Since many students attend Cortland because ofpi>sitiye reportS about thescliool fr()m friends or relatives, the department maintains contact With graduates ihrough the annUal mailing of a department newsletter. English Club fiJIictions, with guest speakers and poetry readings, aie ()pento all students. The several department publications, like She Said/She Said and Transition also pUbliciZe the department on campus. Many students are attracted to the program from the superlative teaching in General Education courses, like Introduction to Literature. The Central New York Conference on language and Literature, sponsored by the English Department, has given the College international name recognition. Recently, the department tried to make the liberalarts major more attractiveto prospective studentS, and bring it into line

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with reqUirements at other college, by eliminatingmimy of the ancillary requirements, by eliminating many of the ancillary requirements, like bistory.imd philosophy.

3 and 4. Identify the program minimum requirementsfor admitting shidents and explain the acceptance ratio. .

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Minimum admission requirements and acceptance ratios are determined by College AdmiSSions: . .

S.Co,npare the shident diversity of the p~ogram to that of the institution. other inmtutions.

The enrollment of minority students in the college as a whole isrefIected in departnlent enrollments. Because of Cortland's location in rural upstate New York, theseniunbersare small. The English department regrets the paucity of ininority stUdents on canipus and in the English major in particular. Many classes of interest to minority students are available in the English department, and many attrilct minority stUdents ftom other majors: ·lntroduCtionto African­American literature, Modem AmencanMuhicultura1littirature, American Multicilltural •. '. . literature, Jewish American literature, and Native American literature areoffei-ed .oil a reguhir ." .' basis. Non-traditionill students have been amorigoUr best graduates; one, for example, recently' won a Chancellor's Award for Excellence.

B. Student Needs '

1. Describe the goals of the students entering theprogram.

Many students have clearly defined goals, such as teaching or law school or journillism. Some liberal arts English majors plan to teach, but have opted to earn a B.A. degree in English and, . after graduation, an M.A. T., often at SUNY Cortland. Some students are more vague about long term goals, but most English majors share a common love of reading, writing, and analytical thinking. Career Services and department faculty in conferences with students make career suggestions.

2. Describe the financial needs of the students enrolled.

During the 2000-2001 academic year, 74% ofCortIand students received some form of financial . aid. Many students work: while carrying a fu11load of classes; this cuts into study time and affects student performance adversely. .

3. Describe the academic needs of the beginning and transfer students.

Both freshmen imd transfer students are like college students everywhere: some are very well . prepared, and some need work on writing and reading skills. See below under IV. Student . Services for ways the under prepared student is aided. All entering freshmen take a one-credit class called COR 101: First-Year Experience Course, and all students take two semesters ofa writing course.

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Spring 2003 F8.ll2oo3 Spring 2002 Fall 2002 Spring 2001 Fa1l2001

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As one can see from~ above, attriti9n fur reasons other than failing grades aDd plagiarism Qr' other disciplinaIy dismiss8I is veiylow, ' and is nOt something the dcipartlnent bas felt a need to address.

9.Analyze the timesndents take to complete degrees. ',' . .

In 1999,. thedepartml:nt voted to drop anci1laryrequirenients Iikefou{~~~ ofli~ory~ one ofPhuosophy. We did, so m order to make our Iplljor flexible enough not only to allOw

, students to gr3duate within fuur years, but also to have a minor. Currently, 17 out of our 49 ' .. ' ENG majors are also purSuing a minor in another subject. The most popular minorforour EN'G studentS is also offered in the English Department-the MinOr in Profussional writing. Other " popular minors inclUde History, Political Science, and Communications; Another resUlt ofour dropping the ancillary requirements is that we have made it easier for students whofui- one reason or another are uDableto complete the more rigorous AEE program to sWitch to a straight English major and still graduate in four years:

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n. CURRICULUMandID. 'STUDENTS, , Bachelor of ArtS in Professional Writing

A. Mission, Goa and Objectives

1. Prepare a program mission statemenl that outlines the goals and their relationship to the institutional mission statemenl. ' ,

Professional Writing will provide, a h"beral arts education in preparation fur a wide range of writing and editing c3reers, as well as for other professions benefiting froin a strong rhetorical ' education. Our mission is to help Cortland students develop an Understanding of the ethical, moral, and political issues involved ill rhetoric; a critical, intellectual understanding of the historical and contemporary issues of rhetoric, including technology; and a strong sense oftheiir own writing practice. , '

2. Delineate the program 's goals and objectives.

The program has established the fullowing curricular goals/objectives: • to investigate the i'elationshipbetween the "hUlllllriistic" and the ''profess~onal''; • to study the intersections between rhetoric and poeticS; " ' ' ' , • to cieatea cUrriculum that provides a breadth of experiences and choices in the field of

rhetoric and profesSional writing; , to present students with ,a diversity of views on writing; , ' '

• to maintsin course offerings in technoiQgy that reflect the latest develops in new media; and • to assist students in developing reflective, intellectual, ethical aDd professional concepts of

themselves as writers and citizens; • to show competence in editing and proofreading; • to show competence in oral presentation; • to show coIDpetencein research practices.

3. Define quality as it relates to the program

We recognize quality in our program when it embodies the ~eflective,revisionary process that ' we seek our students to follow as writers. Tbatis, our program is quality when ~ fuculty and students as a corurnunity continually engage the difficuh philosophicaiquestions underlying rhetoric. One might suggest that a "quality" writing program produces "good writers" or "good , writing," but this only begs the question, "what is 'good writing?", We believe that in order for our program to maintain "qnality," this question must not be treated as a problem but as a productive aporia. ' ,

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4. Identify the learning outcomes studenl,rshould demonstrate:

Students should be able to articulate and strategicallye¢ploy their Understanding of the writing process; .

• rhetorical differences among genres; fundamental rhetorical concepts, i,nchiding audience, purpose, and argumentation;

• the rOle of fechnology in writing; ' . . . • . the role of writing in the workplace; • revising and editing; . . . • poetic/creative writing practices; and • producing \VOIles itiagroup setting . .

B. Program Design.

Major in Professional Writing [i'WRT)

A. Required Courses: 25 credit hours PWR 209: Writing in Cyberspace I PWR 295: Introduction to Professional Writing PWR 393: Technical Writing .

. PWR 395: Revising and Editing '

. PWR 399: Rhetoric . PWR 495: Internship in Professional Writing PWR 497: Senior Semiilar in Professional Writing One course in creative writing: PWR 212,213 or 315

B. At least 9 hours of elective Professional Writing courses, six hours at the 400 level.

C. Additional Courses: 12 credit hours English courses: Nine credit hours with at least six credit hours at the 300 level or higher. Philosophy coUrse in ethics: pm 203, 240 or 382 . .

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION: 124

2. Describe the congruence beiween course and program goals and nationalstandards and expectations in the discipline or profession, as appropriate.

The curriculum has been designed so thatthe required courses will provide students with a breadth of experience, allowing them to become more focused in their electives. The additional coUrses in English and philosophy give students an opportunity to think about writing from different disciplinary perspectives. Currently there are no national or professional standards for professional writing programs. An examination of existing programs will show a wide variety of designs. Ours represents one of the broadest curriculums, which reflects our own values in that we see our program more as a liberal arts degree than as specifically preparing our students to enter a limited range of professions (e.g. technical writing or corporate communications). That said, our .

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curricUlum does offerco~in technical writing and writing for various media-.-two skill sets that are identified by the US LabotBureau as importantfor Writers. .

3 . . [)escribe the congruence between course and curricular goals. courses. andprerequisite patterns. .

Our prere<Iuisites are qUite fum~d .• As oUr program was reeentlyrevised,we are cUrrently correcting errors in the college catalog. Ourclirrent requirements havestudents cOmplete ihe composition sequence (CPN 100/102 and IOi/l03) before taking most of our courses. We expect our studentS to have an introductory understanding 'of the writing procesS; academic reading and . writing, and basic research skills. Otherwise there are requirements an;lOng our technology courses: PWR 309 and 415 both require PWR 209, which illtroduces students. to basic new media design • issues:and applications. . ' . .

4. Explalnihe balancebetw~en breadth and depthdesignedin the program.

The program has 25 credits of required cours.es that include.courses in writing for new media, rhetorical theory, creative writing; and ta;hnical Writing: These courses provide breadth for the '. . program. The nine hours of electives allow stUdents to focus on technology, rhetorical and poetic. theory, creative writing, or busmess co=unication. .

5. Describe the me.thods used to ensure comparable learning outcomes among multiple sections of a course.

Three methods exist to ensure comparable learning outcomes. First, the department's curriculum committee .periodically reviews syJlabi. Second; the three faculty involved in the progr!IID meet on a weekly basis. These meetings include discussions of current courses. Third, our assessment procedures (see next section) include portfolio review of student work from their courses.

6. Describe efforts to insure that required courses and electives are offered on a schedule to meet the needs. of various student constituencies.

Given the small size of our program, our ability to offer courses is limited. However, we have designed our offerings to ensure that all students will have the opportunity to complete t\leir major within two years. This design of course ofi'emgs is necessary as a significant niunber of our' majors are juniorcoJlege transfers. Inaddition, members of the professional writing faculty carefully advise all of the PWRT majors to make sure that students take their required courses iiI the most efficient sequence. . .

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7. Describe the i~ternship opportunities and the rationale for assigning credit.

All majors are required to take a minimum of three internship credits. On campus opportunities include working with Neo Vox, a student-produced web magazine created in collaboration with six. intemational university partners, and the Cortland Writers' Association, a student group that produces two annual literary magazines and runs public readings' on campus. However we encourage students to seek offccampus internships when possible (lack of transportation and the

necessity Qf part-time jobs sometimesniakes this impossible fot stUdents). The Career Services office provides internship placement assistance for all College students.

mternship credits are awarded at the rate of one credit for forty hours of work over the semester. All majQrs are required to take three credits (120houts). However, studentsbave the option of tiling additional credit through the Career Services office. Students may choose. to engage in a full- time internship off-campus (e.g. for a publisher in New York City). Of our first'graduating class of majors, we have had two students who have pursued such an internship. '. . '. . -. .: - . . '. -' .

· 8. Describedepartmen.tal procedures including studeiltparticipaiion!or the development, review; · and eValuation of courses. . . . .

Though we are relatively new, wehavedevelopedandlor significantly revised eight courses in the · last three years. Course development is driven by faculty initiative and usually sterns from discussions among the three core faculty. Course-proposals-often grow fromprograni assessment, which includes student input. Also stildentswhointern Within the program have been: given the opportunity to participate in course design. Formal departJiJ.ental propedures for course evaluatioll include Course Dossier assessment as well as Course propoSal approval by the department . curriculum canimittee. The curriculum conimittee also reviews syllabi and arranges for periodic ". peer observations of faculty. All faculty conduct Course and Teacher Evaluations (CTEs) at the end of each semester in each coUrse.

. .'. . 9. Describe the advisement procedures and the way the d"purtillent assesses advisement effectiveness.

The three core writing faculty advise all of the majors. Entrance interviews, usually conducted during a student-faculty writing retreat, assist faculty in identifying students' specific writing interests and provide an opportunity to discuss the features and requirements of the 'progrlim. The department is currently in the process of developing-an effective advisement assessment procedure.

C. Assessment -

1~3. Analyze the effectiveness of the program inachiiving its goals and objectives in the. discipline, general education, and intellectual growth; Describe the procedure,criteria, and methods used for this assessment. . . ..

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Although the new ProfeSSIonal Writing Program does not teach any General Education courses,it has used assessment to help develop and refine its programmatic goals and to construct a strong curriculum for this new major. Core faculty, David Franke, Victoria Boynton, and Alex Reid, have developed a Professional Writing assessment plan which uses a range of assessment measures, establishes connections among program goals, curriculum, and portfolio requirements, and considers a spectrum of student learning outcomes . .

As our major assessment tool, we focused on the Professional Writing Portfolio, a compendium of student work. In the attached "List of Required Contents (or Your Portfolio," we connected key projects in our curriculum to program goals and established which particular projects in specific

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/:~?; . . . . 10. are required in portfolio; We ask students to supply sample Writing froiD their cOurses, writing that demOnstrates each of the portfuliO goals of the professional writing major. &cause the portfolio goals aretied explicitly toco,ursesin the major; studentswill be able to constrUct a . cross-section of what they have learned and how well they have learned it by collecting writing projects that reflect the goals of the program. Vsing SUch a cheCkliSt, we will i:nsure that our . ', students understand our departmental goals and submit essays that deinonstrate the gOalS .. ;'

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. Also in our Senior Semmar, students will work with their portfolios, reflectiilgon what they have . leariled. The portfolio experience will .. be the focus of this capstone course which wiUdefine the studies and practices ofwritiJigthroughoutthe:Professional Writing major. StudentS.willshare their productions in ordeito ~bethecomnion studies and practices they have learned. For this • purpose,studenis Will .construct their portfolios as websites as well ,as hard copy. The goals of the . Professional Writing inajOr will provide stud~nts With ambrie forilsSesSmg what theyhave .' learned and for producing an in-depth presentation ofiliemselves as writers; ; At the end of the . co,urse, students will preSent their best of portfolio writing in a pubiicforum. The course will be geared to reflecting on and revising students', writing portfolios and 10 students preSenting ; . .. theinselves as professional writers.

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Professional Writing fuculty have also deCided to useinitialstudeDt-fuCulty Conferences as wen as written entrance que~~es, exit surveys, and oral exit inteiviewsto .~ our program. .The . Professional Writing Committee holds conferences withall in-coming Professional Writing MaJors ' .'~ the, . Fell Sem~ster. During these co, nfere~, mculty, inakeS'.J...e, that stud,eritslmdeistand, the ;

)rtfulio assessment and find out inore about them using the Entrance Questionnaire. (See below) 1D. the Senior Seminar in Professional Writing, all students are required to complete an Exit Survey. At the end of each academic. year, the Professional WritingCoromittee reviews the Entrance COnfereDces and the ExitSurveys; evaluates portfolios; reviews our portfolio requirements and goals in light of the results of our evaluation; and plans changes to the currictilum and/or our assessmeut plan as a result of our assessment results.

As we build the major, we recognize how important a strong assessment plan is~ Though we have just begun to, assess the Professional Writing major, we have developed aplan and lIIive data from our first year. The following nemsare the asseSsment instrumeuts we have develoPed. tbe ''Entrance Questionnaire for ~fessional Writing Majors," the "List of Required Contents for Your Portfolio," and the "Exit Survey.,. See Appendix F for the raw data from the Entrance Questionnaire and the ExitSurveyfromour first graduating class in 2003-4. .

. The resUlts fromthe Exit Survey given in the Fall 2003 Senior Seminar in Professional Writing • show that students generallY have had a good experience as ProfessionalWciting-majOrs. However, "Frequency of essentialCourseofferings" seems to be a problem for oiJrstodents. This perceived problem may be. thi: resUItofhow small the program is curiently; There is one section offered of each course and all PWRTmajors end up having to register for that section. This problem should correct itself as the major grows.

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courses are required in portfolio. We askstudeilts to supply sample writing from their comses, writing that demonstniteseach of the portfolio goals of the professional writing major. Because the portfolio goals are tied explicitly to courses in the major, studentS, will be able to construct a cross~seCtioh ~of whitt they have learned and howwell they have learneditby collecting writing projects that reflect.thegoals of the prograln. Using such a checklist; we will ensurethat om students understand our departmental goals and submit essays that demonstrate the goals.

Also in our Senior Seminar, students will work with· their portfolios, reflecting on what they have ' learned. The portfc;>lio experience will be the focus of this capstone course which will deffue the studies and practices of writing throughout the Professional Writing major: Students will share" ' their proci1lctions in order to describe the common studies and practices they havelearned. ,Foithis purpose,students will construct their portfolios as websites as well as hard cop'y.The goals of the ',', Professional Writing major will provide studentS with a rubric for assessing what they have .' , ' leamedand forproducing an in~epth presentation of themselves as writers. Atthe eQ,d of the • course, students will present their best of portfolio writing in a public forum., The course will be , geared to reflecting on andrevising students' writi1)g portfolios and to studen~ .. resenting themselves as professional writers. '

ProfeSsional Writing faculty have also decided to useinitiaI student-faculty i:onferencesas well'llS : written entrance questionnaires, exit surveys,and oral exit interviews toassegS our program. The Professional Writing Committee holds conferences with all in-comingProfessional Writing Majors inthe Fall Semester. During these conferences, faculty,make sure thlit'students under!itand'1lie ;;r,: 'I portfolio aSsesSIlleilt and find out more about them using me Entrance QUestionnaire. (See beIowi~ , ht the Senior Seminar in Professional Writing, all studentS are required to complete an Exit Survey. At the end of each academic year, the Professional Writing Committee reviews the Entrance Conferences and the Exit Surveys; evaluates portfolios; reviews our portfolio requirements and goals in light of the results of our evaluation; and plans changes to the curriculum andlor our assessment plan asa result of our assessment results. '

As we build the major, we recognize how important a strong assessment plan is. Though we have just begun to assess the Professional Writing major, we have developed a plan and, have <!lita from our first year. The following items ,are the assessment instruments we have developed, the ' "Entrance Questionnaire for Professional Writing Majors," the "List of Required Con~nts{or Your Portfolio," and the "~xit Survey."See Appendix F for the raw data from the Entrimce Questionnaire and the Exit Survey from oui first graduating claSs in 2003-4. '

, The results from the Exit Survey given in the Fall 2003 Senior Seminar inProfessionlil Writing , , show that students generally have had a gwd experieneeaS Professional Writing majors. However, ''Frequency of essential course offerings" seems·to ~a~pro~lemfor our students~ This~ceived probfenimay be the result of bow small theprograDl is curr,ently. There is one section offered of each course and all PWRT majors end up having to register for that section. This problem should correct itself as the major grows.

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Entrance Questionnaire for Professional Writing Majors

PleliSe fill out this questionnaire and bring it with you to the Entr;mce Interview with the Professional Writing Committee. .

1. Describe your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

2~ Which PrOfessionaIWriting courses inter~t you most and why?

3.What writing have you done that you feel is particularly strong?

4~ Describe your careerplans~dlorplansfor gTaduate study. "

5. Are you consideringa minor? In what area? . .

6. Which two of the portfolio pap<:r requirements are most appealing to you and why? .

7. Which of the portfolio pap<:r requirements is least app<:a1ing to you and why?

B.Do you understandtheportfolio requirement for the Professional Writing major? " - .

9. Describe how you envision yo~ internship expdence. What would you like to learn? How many credits would you like to commit to your internship experi~nce? Wouldyciu like to do your internship on campus, off campus, within commuting distance or in another location?

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. List of Required ContentS for Your Portfolio

Every semester, collect all of your of work from each of your professional writing courses •. You will nt:edcopies of all of your work when you takePWR 497, Senior Seminar inPro~ssional . Writing.

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1. A paper that explicitly refers to rhetoncal principles Likely sources for this paper include all Pro~sional Writing 'courses; Here are a few examples of appropriate selections: 1. a rhetorical analysis of a text, e.g. a: speech, an advertisement, a piece of literature, a business document, or a bumper sticker; 2. a theoretical paper in whic~ the .writer . . demonstrates her understanding of rhetoric; 3. a paper in which the writer applies rhetorical theory to the subject matterofhis minor; 4.apaper that demonstrates how discursive practiCes shape aild are shaped by cultural forces. . . .

2. A new mediatex,t _ Likely sources for this project will be assignments from Experiments in Creative. Writing or Writing in Cyberspace I and ll.

3. An analYSis ofa coinmUnity's discourses . Likely sources for this paper will be assignm:entsfrom aily professional writing course, especially the core courses. You may also write this kind of aruiIysis during your internship.

4. Adocument exelI!Plifying a technical genre Likely sources.for this paper will be assignments from any professional writing core oourses. Examples of such documents include a set of instructi()ns, a grant proposal, a technical report, a feasibility study, a progress report, a business plan, a public relations document, a public service announcement, and white paper.

5. A problem solving document Likely sources for this paper will be· assigmnentsfrom Technical Writing, Internship, and elective PWR courses like Business Writing. Technical reports or reSponses to scenarios will be likely texts fulfilling this requirement. .

6. A collection of creative work Likely sources for this paper will be assignments fromany creative writing courses.

i 7. An essay using sources I Likely sources for this paper will be the PWR core courses and theory courses .

. . :' \ 8. A Resume 3nd Cover Letter ! You will be composing this piece in PWR 297, Introduction to Professional Writing. 1

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;1~ A'0 Belowis the numerical Witi ~e have collected ~o far from oUr firSt Exit Surveygiv~ in the Fall ." ": '

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2003 Senior Semina,rin Professional Writing Course. . . . . .

ll. EVALUATION OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING' . Instructions: .

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ASPECTS OF UNDERGRADUATE PREP ARAnON INPROFESSIONALWRrrING AT CORTLAND

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poor . very Not . . good

applica1>le ..

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L Level of preparation for advanced study or entry 3 5 2 level position in discipline

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2~ Breadth of faculty' expertise 1 2 6 . . .

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3. Rigor/challenge of prograin 2 4 3 ..

4. Quality and effeCtiveness of teaching 2 4 3 ,

~. Presentation and explanation of basic principles i 4 3 and fundamental concepts . '

6. ()pportunities for practical experiences . · 3 4 2 . .

7. Availability of appropriate computeClab equipment 2 2 5 .'

". . 8. Opportunities for independent reSearch/study . . 1 1 ,4 3

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9. Frequency of essehtial course offerings 2 5 ."

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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING .

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A. understand and apply rhetorical theory 2 3 4 .

0; B. understand and apply poetic theory 2 1 6 .

C. understand and apply multimedia and technology theory .. 2 5 2 .

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D. Understand and apply document designtheorv . .... , ' . 5 3 1

E. ~te in a variety of well-defined genres . . '. . , . , 2 7 ' .

F. s~, synthesize, and evaluatecriti<:af arguments · '. . . " 2 2 4 ' . ,

G. understand professionalidentities of writers . 4 1 5 .

H. understand the composing process . ... . . .,: . .', ..1 . " . 1 4 4

I. produce effective prose 5 4 .

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J. edit and proofread .. . . , 2 3 4 . . ,

K. use the library . . 1 1 5 1

L think critically ' . .' 2 3 4

~L speak effectively . ' 1 2 2 4

I 11. QUality of-advlillced study 1 2 3 3

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12. Accessibiiity offacu1ty out-side the clMsroorn . .

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B ._Quality of undergraduate academic advisement I 1 5 2 .

14. Career (employment) advisement ' I .' 3 4 1 .

15. Opportunity for eo-curricular Activity (e.g. Cortland ,

5 5 Writer's Association guest lectures, etC.) , , . '

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16~ SocIal interactionleveritsinvolving students and faculty . ' 2 .7 , . , . . ' ..

17. Concern of faculty for students as "persons" 3 6

5-6. Provide the follow~up data 0/'1 student placement for the last five years. Indicate year of data collected and total number of student responses. Describe the results of any alumni surveys that reflectthe student outcomes. ..'

Because the Professional Writing Program has just begun, we do not have very much data. The data above and in Appendix A constitute our assessment. We are proud of ourplan and our preliminary results.

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7. Describe the diss~min~tionof the results of the program review Joappropriate co~ti~ncies . . . . ". .

SincC? we aresuchanew program, we haveilot disseminated assessment results except aJllong program faculty. Wehaye ~cussed the results from last semester iil Professional Writirig . .. . meetings. ··

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8. Describe the planning proces:ses, including those to. be used to fOrrrJulateolll! implement . changes based on program review analysis ..

We are in the formative stages of assessment Since we have yet to analyze the data from ollrFail 03 assessment, we do not know what kinds of outcomes will diive the planning process. Certainly. the Professional Writing faculty willuse our assessment data to form curricular change and to redesign courses. .

.. 9. Describe the mostre~entevaluation of the program, what was learned /rom the evaluatiOli, a~d what improvetiJents resulted. . .. ... .

See the results of our most recent evaluation and our analysis of the results above.

ID. THE STUDENTS (BA-PWRT) A. StudentProfdes,

I. AnnUal cohorts for the last five years: .

Year to Year 2001 2002 2002 2003 2003 2004

Part-time o o o

Graduates . o o 2

2. Program strategies /(1 recruit students: . ... . . . . .. . ..

Five~trategiesare used: Faculty visit regional and local high schools,cOntactstude~tS in their classes and colleagues' claSses (visiting classes when possible); use an advaneedwebsiteto .. explain the program, follow~upWith e-mail inquiries, request promotional materials;· attend career fairs and major fairs, hold well-publicized readings, and hold a "Professional Writing Day" fair for introducing newcomers to the program. .

3. Identify the program minimum requirements for admitting students: .

Criteria for admission are comparable to those for other Arts and Sciences majorS. Freshmen are required to have a college preparation program at the New York RegentS level or itS equivalent: 3~ 4 years of academic subjectS (English, foreign language, mathematics, science, etc.); a high school average in the B- range or better; SATor ACf composite scores of 800+ or 16+ respectively.

rIl1Illifer student with over 45 credits will be required to have a 2.4 GPA. Those with fewer than 45 credits must have a 2.8 GPA. The minimum criteria for non-transfer students includes an

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averageGP A of at least 2.75 jnaIl Writing llrtensive cpurses (includingCompositiOn 100 lind 101) taken prior to enrollment in the major. An overa1l GPA of at least 2. 75 in all other subjects is also required. Students will present a portfoliothairefiectsupon their interests in writing(tbis may include, forexampre. materials such as high school projects, creative work, writing.for an employer lind the like). Entering students must diScuss their writing goals during a personiil ' . . interview with the coordinator of the major. . '

4 . . Explain the acceptance ratio.' .' . .:...:. .. . ~ ,- . ; .

At preSent PWRhas a 100% acceptance ratio. No applicant to the PlVgr8m has failed to meet the minimum criteria, lind most have exceeded it.

5. Co~pare student diversity of the program to thai of the i~hitiori, olher institUtions, the region , and the state: ' . . . ' . - ,- ' -

Our studenfbody is about 3% Latino (that is, one studentof27). In this; we .have a diversity ratio thatis roughly equivalent to that of the institution, but lower than S?meother iIlstitutiOiIs, . . approximately equal to that of the region, but much lower .thanthe diversity ratio of the state taken .. as a whole. . . " ,

. B. Student Needs

1. Goals of students entering the program:

Student entrance surveys report that stUdents are interested in becoming better writers, getting a 'good (rewarding and well-paying) job after college, and having an enjoyable time in their classes along the way. '---.. .... ' . .

2. Financial needs of stutknts enrolled:

Approximately SOOIo of our students attest to having very serioUs finaricial needS . . Their fimillies are greatly stretched to pay for their schooling, books, room or board. Almost all of oUr students work one or two low-paying, labor-intensive jobs, often late into the night. Our returning (non­traditional) students, often single mothers, struggle with health care, child care,transportation, tuition and mortgage costs. . .

3. Academic needs of beginningstudents:

Beginning and transfer students often have had very superficial writingexpenence. Theybave written neither long nor demanding papers. the situations they write for are often completely artificial. S1;udeDtshave not spent much time reading, either, having spent considerably more time iIi :front ofthtitelevision. Students need more classes than we can offer in order to gain the . requisite experience.

• 4. Special needs:

Nontraditional students need classes offered in the afternoon or evening;internationalstud~D.ts . need intensive ESL classes; disabled students need accessible classrooms and audio-visual aids; underprepared students need small classes and close mentoring relationships with their teachers.

5. Academic placement procedures: none

6. Diverse learning styles of students and strategies for engaging them:

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ProfeSsional writing majors and minors come from a wide variety ofbackgroUllds and. with very . different learning experiences and strategies. They can,. however,· be characterized as belonging to . three over1apping groups .. ~e firSt groop might be called "creative" writers. These students tend to understand the material in Professional Writing in terms of its imagistic qUalities. They are quick to recognize metaphor, dialogue aDd narrative, but less adept at fornrulatingarguments. . They tend not to think, write, or read syllogistically, with an eye to the sequence and validity of premi$CS. · Sirice nlany ProfeSsional Writing classes deal witharguIDents about thenatlire arid function of language and media, these students are accommodated by proViding them With organizational tools: outlines, summaries, and classroom discussions of the teXt's embedded

. claims. These students respond well when asked to attend to the purpose of an argument, from . which all the clainis proceed. '.

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Other students, those we characterize as our "technical" students, tend to graVitate to the technical . aspects of a text, noting its grammar, syntax, claims, and specific examples .. They have difficulty, however,when asked to explicate the general significance of the argument. As writers, they can . struggle when asked to provide detail of their own or use description . . These students are accommodated by providing them with strategiesfor developing their papers and classrooin discussion; we ask them to elaborate their claims by providing contrast and context. A student who might note the use of as assertion in Plato's *Phaedrus, * for example, would be encoiJragedto look at the surrounding paragraphs for dues how that claim is embedded in the text's ongoing dialogue. Such a student might also be asked to develop a paper by writilig first about claiins that

. . are opposed to the students' oWn; thus developing an argument by co~.trasl Finally, our "technical" students.are often asked to present their thoughts by using figures of speech. If a student were to note that the Plato disparagingly compares rhetoric to "cookery," for example, we might ask for other sorts of negative comparisons (dancing, using cosmetics, Iip-synching): .

Finally, many students in Professional Writing might be characterized as visual learners, perhaps an effect of television and computers.· We do not view this a deficit on their part, but do try to make links between these visual images and text-based and speech-based work. Many of our classes, for exiunple, are held in a computer lab, and images, flow-charts, dialogue and hypertextuallinks can be projected for the entire class to encounter. Much of the material for the classes is also presented on the web (www.cortiand.eduiprofwritingO, which is used as a "home base" for syllab~ classroom projects, etc. Finally, computers form a sort of nexus for the Creative,

. technical and visual learners, supporting (and, one hopes, Challenging) all three overlapping groups of students to produce and·consume discourse in a variety of media. .

7.· Describe any orientation activities designed to introduce studeritS to the program:

We invite new students to join us a retreat held in the spring semester at Raquette Lake. There, we discuss their writing history and goals. We also interviewnewcomers to the program. Minors are . also welcome to discuss their writing With tJ:ie program administrators. Entrance interviews are written at the time of advising for newcomers, and they sit fur a discussion With the director of the program.

8. Analyze attrition patterns and describe efforts to improve retention.

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Attrition is not a majOr problem in Professional Writing. We bave had approximatelY three of our . . majors dooR out,. two~erthe first semester.· They did not move to. other degree programs, as· fur

as we.know; they ian out oftinancialaid and returJJCdtominimuril-wage work. . .

9. Analyze theti11lestude7llS talre to(:omple~edegrees .

... i All majl1rsareabl~ tocompJetethe degree infuur years, thoiJghoneofour students has chosen to "'1 sPreacitheCo~ load ovet: five years. .

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''Y. SUPPORT SERVICES (All Progranis)

A. Special Student Services . .

ThO English Department,. ofteIiin conjuDction~ the College, basmade~verill provisions for . students with special needs, Faculty members roUtinely familiarize students with the reSources .

. available to them on campUs. . ....

. Nontraditional StUdents . ' .' '.. . The College bas established a nontraditional students orgariization and members of the English oCpartment are actively involved in it. This organization proVides a place fol'students lind taCuIty to meet, interact with one anotber, anddiscusssbaredissues ana 'concerns. The English ,' . Department awards an annual Marikm B. WrigbtMCIIlOrial Scholarship to a nOntraditional student with outstanding academic achievement. . . .

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In addition, the Office of MuhicultiIral Affairs provides co-eurricularprograms and services that are designed to assist students ofeokirme1fectively pursUing their ac8demic goals. ThiSoffice also serves as a liaison betweep stUdentS of color and thefuCulty as well as professional staff on ­campus. The Student Voice Office helps filcilitatethe needs of AfricanAmerlcanandother students of color by providing them the physical space and resources needed to plan and execute · multicultura1 ;:ventsond related activities. The Multicultural Resour=Team (MR1) offers inforination and support to stUdents who have been treated unfuirly or have been haraSsed on the

. basis of their race, ethnicity, age, religion,geIider, disability status, sexual orientation, or gender identification.

The Professional Writing Program regularly schedules some of its classes for late Bfternoon times in order to accommodate nontraditional students who 1IIlIY have work or childcate conflicts during. the daytime hours when most \Illdergraduate comses are held.

Internation8J Students . . There is a small but active international student organization on campus; it provides a furum fur students and interested fiIculty memberS to meet and socialize. International stwkints can request separate living arrangements in Whitaker Hall through the Residential Services Office. "

' Historically, however, the College bas Iiotattracted international students in any signifiCant '. . numbers. In the past the English Department bas offered English as a Second Language (ESL) comses at the introductory level designed fur internationalstudeuts as well as immigrairtnon­native speakers. However, those comses W((l'e discontinued because of very low enrollment. Should the number of international students increase in the. future, certainly the English ' Department will reiiJtroduce those courses. ' .

Students with Disabilities , The Student Disability Sernces Office evaluates students with disability and determines the nature and scope of their special needs, Faculty members fully cooperate by following the guidelines provided by the Student Disability Services Office . . Generally, students with disability self­identify themselves; occasionally, however, fucuhymembers may ideritifyand refer individual

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as extended time for testing, quiet room testing, note taking services, and others. The office also works to ensure equill access to buildings, programs; and activities, The Student Disability

. Services Office also provides other services to include counselliig, loan of speCial eqiripnumt, emergency evaluation plans, as well as serviIi.gas a liaison With local, state, and federal suppOrt agencies. . . ' . .

The Professional Writing Program, in consultation With ADA, reconfigured its cOmputer labs to better accommodate studen~ :with disabilities. This involved reconfiguring desks for improved access,instaI.!lD.g larger screens for the visuillly impaired, and using a Mac operating system for ease of instruction. We have also preparedplans to improve the projection system in room. G 17 Old Main to:assist th«visual!y impaired; .

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StUdents Who Need SpeCial Remedial!I'utorial Services ' The Educational Opporttinity Program (EOP) serves several students by offeringpre-fresfunan summer instructional progiam called the Summer Institute; This o~cealsoprovidespersonal academic counseling as well as tutoring and mentoring. .

The AcademicSup~()rt&td Achievement Program (ASAP) provid«S support to students. of all . ability and achievement levels through tutoring inwriting,reiuling, and study skills . . The .' . professional staff at the ASAP office offer one-on-one instruction on a no-fee basis. Faculty . members identify students who need tutorial assistance and refer .them to the ASAP staff. Faculty members also offer additional academic support to students who need remediation during their .. regular office iloufS; 'Composition instructors, for example, reqUire al! student:; 10 have at least two scheduled. individual cOnferences With them. Students who .need extra academic support are encOuraged to have more one-to-one meetings with their instructors.

Nonresidential Students . All graduate and some upper-level English courses are offered in the evenings to accommodate. nonresidential and commuting students. With the approvals of the D«partment Chair as well as the Associate Dean, students may on an occasional basis take independent study courSes With flexible meeting times With their course directors. In addition, we schedule extracurricular events related

. · to the Program for evening hours to make them more available to non-residential students . .

B. ·General Student Services

The following services are available to ail SUNY Cortland students.

. Orientation . . . . The Advisement and First Year Programs Office provides services and support to all students regarding transition to college, academic planning, and academic decision~making. The goal of the office is to assist students identify options and resources, learn the academic policies and procedures of SUNY Cortland, and make informed decisions. The office offers direct advisement to pre-majors as well as walk-in support to any student. This office also coordinates COR 101: The Cortland Experience firstcyear seminar, the general Orientation, andthe Student Action program. Orieritationprograms for new students are conducted several tlmesduringthe summer, usually in July, and iIiimediately before the start of classes in the fall and spring.

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Newstudentsin the Professional Writing Program attend an orientation atlhe College;s facilifyon ' Raquette, Lake, where faculty hold workshops, public readings, and entrance interviews. Each new major must also submit a writingsainple for- evaluation and mustbe interviewed by the Program Drrector. ' '

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Diagnostic Evaluation and Placement , ' , , The English Department's COmposition Program condJlcts a diagnostic placement exam annually. ' Students who demmistratesuperiotlanguage skills may be granted exemption from orie' or both freshman composition courses. '

, ' Computer Resources , "",', ' " Academic COmputing Services maintain eight pUblic computing labs-inchiding a twenty-foUr ' hours, seven-days-a week lab-and twenty-two special purpose computing labs. A Teclniology . Help Center with professional staff provides technical assistance in person, by phone, or via e­mail. Computer e-mail accounts are avaiiable tciall students; Two computer labs, with tWentyc ' two terminals in each, are available exclusively for uSe by teachers. of academic writing. All composition classes are required to meet in one of the labsforat least two weeks each"semester. Some members of the English Department have been active in developing online resources to supplement their classroom instruction; many require students to integrate electronic resources in, their research papers.

Health ancl COWlSclingServices . ,", . The Student Health Service provides higJi qualitY ambulatory health care to students so they may participate successfully in the academic and extracurricular programs of their choice. The Health, Service also educates students about health and wellness; promotes he31thy lifestyles, and provides medical expertise and advice to the SUNY -Cortland campus community. Medical serVices include , diagnosis and treatment of common medical illnesses; care of students with chronic medical problems, such as asthma, diabetes mellitus, and seizure disorders, physical examinations required for participation in intercollegiate sports; study abroad programs, andinterriship experiences; diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; pregnancy testing and emergency contraception; and health education.

The Counseling Center provides short-term therapeutic services to facilitate students' personal, social, and educational adjustment. The Counseling Center offers developmental support services for students that include crisis intervention and support groups. It provides personal coliDselmg, vocational counseling, educational counseling, and referrals. TheCentet also provides developmentally focused programming in areas such as alcohol and drugs, stress management, " communication skills, relationships, eating disorders, and first-year adjustment. TheCounsellng Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling ServiCes and accordingly meets national certification standards. ' '

The Health Education Office emphasizes awareness of current health issueS, prevention of disease and illness, and promotion of health and wellness. Services offered include educational programming, advocacy for students, information and resources,campusicornmunity referrals, internships, independent study, and cooperative learning opportunities.

The SubstanceAbuse Preventio!l Service helps students understaIidthecoimecrlon betw~ , ' substaIice abuse and future success, identify their individual risk factors for chemical dependency, and examine the choices they have made regarding alcohol and other drug use. Services wovided include peer education, substaIice education classes, information aDd resources, and education workshops as well as training sessions for residence halls, classes,and.organizations.

Career Advisement . '.' The Career Services Office asSists students and aIumni informulatingcareer goals,organizing effective job searches, and locating graduate schools. Services provided inclilde:careet counseling; a comprehensive career resources library; an extensive workshop schedule; hosting special events such as Summer Camp and Recreation Job Fair, Teacher-RecruiqnentDays, SUNY

. Job Fair, Career Expo, and GraduateSchool day; and a credentials office to maintain professional recommendations to stipport employment searches or graduate sch60lapplications.

A sigiufic~tl\Spect ofth~English Department's Adolescence Education prdgram is g~ed towaros advismg students seeking a career in teaching. The Coordinator of Adolescence

'. Education regularly advises. students and members of the community interested in obtaining , -teaching certification. . .

Job Placement , _ The SUNY Job Fair and the TeacherRecruitment Days held each spring provide students with

. excellent opportunities to explore their ernploymentoptions. A1so,the Department Chair and the Coordinator of AdolesceIiceEOucation routinely field calls from area schools seeking-teachers and

. put them in contact with current and former students. . - ' .

C. 1. Describe student andfaculty satisfaction withsi!rvices that supporl the program . .

Students and faculty, generally speaking, are quite satisfied with the support services that are available. When department faculty memberS refer students to various ·support programs,the people staffing the programs are responsive and helpful. Occasionally some students express mild dissatisfaction with the quality of advisement. The recently instituted (CAPP) has aheady -eliniinated many of the problems by simplifying the procedures and reducing paper work.

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2. Describe the general campus environment and climate. Explain their impact upon student perfomiance. -

. ~ . . '. - The general campus enviiomnent, though not ideal, is satisfactory. The College regUlarly hosts a

varietyoflively cultUral activities that range from poetry readings to political debates, from theatrica,! productions to athletic events. Various student organizationS cater to the needsil:n<i interests of different student constituencies. The Scholars Day, an annual event held on campus in April, is always an intellectually stimulating oCcasion that provides many students with a fOnim to present their research and scholarship. During the academic year 2002-2003 alone the College hosted three major conferences and interested students. were welcome to attend. The College is committed .tocreating and sustaining a safe and nurturing environment to all students. Iilkeeping with their commitment the Multicultural ResoUrce Team (MRT) stays alert and ready to intervene whenever bias-related incidents are reported.

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J #~ " ';;" ' conimitted to creating' and sustailling a safu andllUrturing environmentto all students; In keeping

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with their commitment the Mu1ticu1tural Resource .Team (MRl) stays alert and ready to intervene whenever b~re1ated incidents are repoite<i ,

The English Department substantiiilly contributes to the intellectual climate of the ~us. For the last thirteen years it has hosted the CentralNew,York Confi:rence on Language and Literature

" (CNYCLL). Itbeganas a sma1l.nalgathering of scholars but it has now evolved into an international event that attritcts over two himdred participants from across the United States and nianyother countries. ' , ' ,

To fecognizetheoutstaIldirig academic achievement of its top stud~ the Department lias established several prizes for which the students may compete: , the Burd Prize in English, Father " EdwaniO'HeroriMemorial Award, MarionC. ThompsOn Schobirship;RobertE. Rhodes Award, TiInothyChungExcellence in American Literature Award, Del Ivan Janik Award, Alice Kaminsky

, Scholarship Award. ,: ", .. " - ..... . .

, At SUNY Cortland, writers area minority and writing is an~malous activity. , Despite Writing across the Curriculum initiatives, writing seems to be rarely taught outside of select courses and is seldom made an integral part of course design and evaluation. ' As a result, students come to the ,. Professional Writing Program ineXperienced and insecure in approaching writing taskS and in 'understanding the role writing plays in the social, cultural, and financial economies that structure their live~ "!!thin, tlY: College and beyond. To recognize and reward superior wIitersthe Department holds an annual Writing Contest. She SaidlSheSaid. a magazine published once a year by the Department, provides students witha venue for their creative and scholarly work. The magazine' s editorial board consists of students and a faculty advisor who offers general guidance.

At the end of the full semester, the Department hosts a party to which all English majors are invited. These events help foster a sense of community and facilitate infurmal social interaction among the students as well as between the faculty and students.

There are; however, several negative factors that need to be addressed. While SUNY-Cortland has established an Intellectual Climate Committee, academic and cultural events remain poorly attended. Few students seem to be interested in taking adv8ntageof such oPPOrtunities Unless required to do so by an instructor. ' ,

-me widespread dependence on adjunct faculty members also has a negative impact. AccOrding to the Office ofInstitutional Research and Assessment, in full 2003 the College employed 267 full­time and 245 part-time faculty. Included in the number for full time are Full-Time Lecturers (FTLs), non-tenure track faculty employed on a full~time basis (or in the case of the English Department, a "super full-time basis" siIlce tenure-track faculty teach a 3/4 course load and FTLs teach a 4/4Ioad). Of the forty-seven faculty in English, only sixteen are on tenure-track lines. Ten English faculty are FTLs; two are Lecturers on a 3/4Joad; and the other nineteen are part-time faculty. These part-time faculty are dedicated t~rs of $e highest quality. Since their positions cannot be guaranteed from year to year, however, 'retaining them can be difficuh. Their low · salaries do not aid in retention, eithei:. Because they telWh'tlie lower-level required composition and General Education courses, students' earliest experiences on campus are often with part-time

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rather than full-time fuculiymembers; StUdents oceasiorulllyileeda letter of recOmmendation from a fucuitymember fur a scholarship or for aCceptance into a proSriun When these part-time fiIcu1ty leave,studeDts lire often left without aD. easily identifiable person to whom they can go for " a lecolmnendation. Thus, students can become discouraged. ' ~

While tbe Engllsh part-timeW;u1ty imd FTLs comprise alargepereentage of thOse teachiilgfifst- " ' year writingand,GEliterature courses, they also teach Courses in theAEEprogram.~ ThisSpring boththe undergraduate and grad\llite coUrses, in AdolesCent Literature are staffed by paiNinie W;u1ty. LikewiSe, in the fiill semester, one of the reqUired methods coui'sesis also 'traditionally taught bya Part-time W;u1ty member. hi addition, almost all of our college supefvisorsfur student ieachersatepart-time W;u1ty. " '~ " ,

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Some efrorishilve been made to ret3in p;m"tiDie fucu1ty and improve their conditio~ of "" employment.A few years ago, the Department was able to ~ve 1 Opart"time ~, into FI'L positions which Carry 3-year revolving contracts. Weileed to consolidate additional part-time ' poSitions into FIL positions with reasonable salaries and benefits. Until we improve the working conditions of our exploited colleagues, we will continue to short change all students taking coUrses ' m the English Department and the College,but particularly those students in the ABE program whose required coursesarere~lytaught by exploited part-time W;ulty members. '

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VL ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT (All programs)

1. Explain the effective ways in which the administration encourages program review.

The administration, specifically the Deans of the Schools and the Provost of the Cortland campus, has made it clear to the members of the campus that a SUNY -wide program review will take place, and has given the departments involved the date by which the necessary work mUst be completed and turned into the Provost. .Such work involves separate subgroups in the department that will undertake the different categories, and the visit of two external reviewers to campus to submit their findings to the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Provost. The English department has created a timetable for the current self-assessment. The Chair of the English Department sought, and received permission from the administration for, two highly-qualified reviewers for the assessment of its program. In order to fulfill the steps necessary towards review, and to satisfy requirements from the administration, all full-time members of the English faculty have completed the assigned tasks of each subgroup. .

2. Explain how the leadership helps to create an environment and a climate for academic excellence.

The intellectual environment on the Cortland campus is the topic of ongoing campus wide discussion and t.'1e focus of both faculty.and administration. The administration; ·"ith help from other campus areas, has created an atmosphere that encourages and rewards academic excellence·. Examples include

» The continuation of the annual Scholars' Day at Cortland, on which day classes are suspended and students are encouraged to attend the various presentations and discussion groups that are led by their teachers and their peers. It is a day in which students see their instructors' passion and commitment to their own scholarly endeavors. It is a way to show students just where education and learning can lead, and to encourage them to continue their education to find their own interests. Scholars' Day would not be possible without the obvious support from the administration, who provide funds and time in order to show its significance to both the campus and the surrounding community (who are invited every year to attend).

» The Office of Sponsored Programs on campus assists faculty and professional staff in preparing applications and applying for important grants to support research and professional activities. The opportunities for grants are highly publicized, so the whole campus may take part in applying, and recognition is given to the successful applicants through the Bulletin that comes out every two weeks, and through the yearly College alumni newspaper, Columns.

» The Cortland College Foundation consists of professional staff who administers various projects for academic excellence, such as the Rozanne Brooks Dedicated Teaching Award, given to a faculty member each year who shows outstanding teaching finesse within the classroom and with students outside the classroom as well. The Foundation also helps English students in their search for scholarship monies; in their assistance in

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implementing the various English awards, such as the Alice Kaminsky Award, which recognizes an outstanding graduate student in the field of academic research.

}> Alongside teaching awards that are supported by the administration, faculty are also encouraged to administer a course/teacher evaluation in each of their classes, with tile results of the evaluations being used in annual reports and in.applications for discretionary salary increases; The administration create the deadline for application for the salary . increases, and publicizes that deadline to all faculty and professional staff on campus­through e-mail messages and hard copy memoranda.

}> Office space for English faculty is, overall, satisfactory-with computers and desks and bookcases (and ample sunlight in most cases). Having ample office space leads to an environment conducive to intellectual collaboration among colleagues. lbis past year, however, there has been a problem with overcrowding the offices of a few part-time faculty, out of necessity, but with apparently no resolution forthcoming .. Three part-time faculty members have to share offices that were obviously meant for only two inhabitants. (These faculty were randomly chosen by the Chair, who promises they will not have to carry the burden oitripling by themselves; she will make sure the part-time faculty rotate the inconvenience.) The administration, specifically the Dean, does not see a way out of

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this situation at the present. The Chair will continue to seek a remedy, however, because the part-time faculty, who are .. the faculty who teach the bulk of the Composition courses, are the ones who need space most-because of the student conferences that are mandatory within the Composition courses. With more 3nu mere students being admitted into SUNY Cortland, the need fer ' Composition classes grows, and thus the faculty who teach these classes grow too. (Two new Composition instructors were out of necessity added to the faculty in the spring of 2004.) Their needs must be met by the administration in order to consistently andfolly create a climate of academic excellence. The administration recognizes the growing need for substantive graduate courses for students who will enter the teaching field. The English Department has a good selection of upper-level content courses, as well as teaching methods courses, which attract excellent graduate students. Our graduate program continues to grow, and the administration typically supports our efforts towards these students. Administrative support will continue to be a necessity because of the ever~increasing and changing mandates from the state for Teacher Education. The English Department will find every way to work successfully with the Administration. Excellence in teaching and in academics is at the center of the English Department. We need, though, more and better classrooms in which to practice such excellence. The administration, including the Registrar, does try to meet the department's needs for workable classroom space, but frequently instructors are left to cope with airless, windowless, overheated, under~lit classrooms. (At least one of these problem rooms did not even begin its existence as a classroom-it was a· storage area that was converted into a classroom, and thus offers no amenities towards teaching or learning.) Academic excellence begins with the ability to communicate; some of these rooms offer little towards that ability. Finally, there continue to occur on campus several events throughout each year that help create an environment of academic excellence. The admin.istration from all areas of campus help support, through funding and attendance and recognition through

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" publicizlng, speakers and wdrkshops and perfonning arts events that continue to show . SUNY Cortland as a showcase forcultura1 events; for both thecampus 'and the.

communitY.

3 .. Analyze tJie fairness of the r~ard structUre of the institution and the program.

Within the Englisli Department, outstanding work is rec~gnized through tl)e discretionary ~ai:y increases,which are distributed to individuals through a process that begins with the DePartment Personnel Committee. The committee reads-and evaluates the appliCations for DSI, and then submits their list o( candidates to the Department Chair, who then submits the rankirigs and the . rationale to the Dean. Every year ~ost every person:in the English Department wlioapplies receives some monetary recognition from the administratioIHhe rankings go ~m Dean to Provost to President, who makes the ffual decision, (This is notbecanse there is an abundance of money to hand out; it is becauSe of the quality of the English facwty's work, as teachers and scholars and members of the campuS eommunity.) The administration does accept appealsaswellfroiil '

" . . '. individUaIswho believe they were unduly rejectedforDSLThe appeals are often sUccessful. (The appeal process is well publicized by the administration.) " . . '. . .." '. '. . ," : ; . . . ; " . -,"

Outstanding work is also recognized within the English Department by our recognition of our , ,: '. superior teachers and scholarS through our willingness to nominate them for SUNY -wide and campUs-wide awards. To date, we have two DistinguishedTeaching Awardwirinei:'s; three . . ChanceJlor's Award for Teacbjugwinners; one Facwty DevelopmentAwardforTea~hi"g for a Part-time Faculty Member; one ChanceJlor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities winner (a new award, institute</only lastYea{); and one Rozanne Brooks Dedicated Teaching Award winner. As a department, it is our pleasure to recognize superior work and . dedication. For the students' own academic exceJlence,the English Department gives out the Marion C. Thompson Scholarship Award, which is a monetary gift toward tuition and expenses; the Robert Rhodes Award; the Alice Kaminsky Award; and the Del Ivan Janik Shakespeare award, all monetary awards as weJl.

Within the. institution, the reward structure is :well delineated and various. Thettl are scholarships for students,such as the President's Award, which is given toseveraIoutstandingstudents each year" The Vice President for Student AffiUrs Office also issues a scholarship to a deserving student on a yearly baSis. The administration continues with the frequently allotted salary inequity pay, which helps faculty who are not atstilte f;lr national salary level to gain equity With their peers. The administration looks especially favorably on facillty members who fulfill aspects of the College's Long Railge Planning Goals in their work. The administration makes this clear, in writing; when DSI time comes. .

3. Describe the way the adminiStration empowers/acuity and students.

Through interviews, classroom presentations and social interaction (meals and transportation,for example) with candidates, the English Department faculty are empowered to hire new colleagues when an opening occurs. At no time haS the administration ever vetoed the department's choice of new hire; the Dean, Provost and Presidentall take the time to meet our candidates. When

. administrative and professional positions are being filled, the faculty are invited to participate-

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. through search committees and public interviews. Faculty are also asked for their written input following candidates' visits to the campus; English students are asked to meet the new candidates, and also have the opportunity to experience their teaching thfough classroom perfomiance, after . which the students are asked to respond to the candidates' teaching. Students inall disciplines are often asked to serve on search committees for candidates for positions that are relevant to studentS' lives. Also, students serve on committees for faculty teaching awards, and students are represented on the Faculty Senate with three voting members. . .

The English faculty do not f~1 particul3rly empowered when it comes to the treatmenlof pait~time adjuncts. Their status as part-time does not enable them to teach enough courseS at CoitIand to .earn a living wage, so they musi travel from campus to campus, likethe-itinerary workers, to ,·

. !iurviveeconomicallY.,', They are therefore, and with good reason, less committed to the college and 'the dep~ent than they would like to be. Such eDiployment hardship does not allow them to feel empowered, despite thefact thatpart-tiniefaculty make up the majority,ofthe English Department, and neither does it go far towards ensuring academic_ excellence; .'

The E~glish faculty did, however, feel empowered two years ago, after a long fightfor eq;Uty for part-tinie faculty paid off in the promotion of 10 of the part-time faculty to the status of full-tinie lecturer, which enables them to teach four courses a semester rather than two, and brings with the title a more equitable salary. The depar)Inent will continue to fight for more of our part~tIme facUlty to be allowed the same equity, beginning this year (2004). Many of our part-time colleagues bavebeen here longer than thefullprofessori; of the department and deserve to be' treated with the respect that is shown ilircuihan equitable salary. · '. .

English faculty innovations come with empowerment. One of our full"tinie leciurers initiated the concept and practice of the Service LearningCompositioncourses,:whichmake avenues,and bonds between campus and community and bring the work of learning out of the Classroom. • Another of our part-time faculty has students involved in Loaves and Fishes charitable work on a yearly basis, and especiallynearthe holiday season, so students can learn about communities and social responsibility. A full-time facUlty member plays a major role in NeoVox, the cyberspace student~ run magazine that connects Cortland to the world at large. · Anotherful\-time faculty member founded the new major, Professional Writing, on his 3rrlval atCortiand, which has blossomed into an important and popular avenue for students and their writing. ,'. .

· Empowerment is obviously definedto a large extent by salary; Cortland factllty continue to be at · the lower end of the niltionalrate, .especially the faculty ·of the School of ArtS and Sciences. While this. is no surprise to anyone; it is something that demands attention. Our students needio

· recognize that teaching is a career that is essential to the survival of a culture; we are able to show them this when weare able to show ·them that teachers earn salaries colninensurate with their importance.

5, Explain how budget decisions reflect the concern for quality programs and support academic robustness.

This item is what we tend to call a "no-brainer." · That is, when the budget is good, so are the

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· quality programs and the "academic robustness," the other part of the question. Because ofi1on~ . ,

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competitive salaries, we often lOse highly qualified people--in every area on campus, not jUst teaching. As a department, we are very concerned·about the economic side of our responsibilities, .

- especially in the current budget atmosphere. The department relies on part-time People to . . supervise some of our student teachers-retir¢ high school teachers, retired profeSsors, etc. In tJi best of times, theI:e is very little money involved in the hiring of outside people. In these times, however, it is often difficult to find someone who will do it fur the compensation we offer~

In a specific case, ~wever, we Diust give kudos to the ~vost. She giarited the moneytOhlrea . retired proftissorto read some of the MAT aDdMSEd theses, a job that ~ beCoining more t:hlIil onerous to the faculty involved, since the number of MAT students had risen dramatiCally, while .. the number of faculty Clipable of evaluating their theses had not. She.also recognized the need to fuctor the supervision of fieldwork experiences into faculty members' teaching loads ...

Academic robustness depends on all of the above factors, aDd entries, that have been discussed. We cannot,have a great University without the funds to make it so;

6. Provide an organizational chart that shows the relationship of the program· to the rest of the institution. "

See the Figure 2: Organizational Chart on follOwing page. ,

7. ' Explain how the progcatr. is represerded in theinstitution'sgovernancebocJb, a~planning ' processes.

The EnglishDepartmeDt faculty are one of the most active on campus-as teachers, scholars,and members of College committees. 'Currently we have faculty members (both full-time tenure track and full-time lecturers) serving On various campus committees, including the Arts aDd ScienCes Divisional Personnel Committee; Faculty Senate; Study Abroad; All-College Writing Committee; , Teachers' Education Committee; Secondary Education Teachers Council; UUP Newsletter; Phi ' Kappa Phi Honor SOciety; Peer GrOup Committee; General Education Assessment Review , Committee; Writing Across the Curriculum Committee; Faculty DevelOpment; Women's Studies; MuhiCultural aDd Gender Studies Co\lllCil '

We also havehad, fur the past 13 years, theaimual eentIa.t New Yo~k Languages and i.iteraturC Conference, a major national and international conferenCe that was initiated by the English , Department. The conference is not only intellectually sound,· but also brings in money to the Cortland community, because almost all of the participants cOme from outside the area. . The conference, as innoyative as it is, is in danger of being eliminated, however, becimse the English Department has not been able, as of yet, to Secure adequate compensation (in the form of release , time) for the conference director. Because the confereD.ce participation has grown so muCh since its inception, the director needs more time to spend on its organization. ' '

The Director of the College Honors Program is a member of the English faculty (emeritus); the Coordinator of the College Women's Studies program is a part-time faculty meinber of the department; the President of Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society is a full-time English professor; the

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founder of the Service Learning Composition courses is a member of the Provost's TaskForce on Service Learning. ' ,

Professional Writii1g faculty make mu.ch use of the facilities at Raquette Lake, asatellitemeetii1g placefor SUNY Cortland facUlty, ,adminiStration and students in the Adiiondacks. Atleastoncea year Professional Writii1g students and fac\l.ltyhave Writing weekends at Raquette Lake, which the Administration supports financially and phil()sophically. ' ",

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, The innovati~that contii1ue to emerge from, the English Dep~entare alwaysapait of the planning proCesses of the campus. We are a department tbatexemplifieiiUniversityserVice and " scholarship, arid we work towards the fu, ture ,(withoutforgetting the past) ,in everything we do.

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Works Cited . .

Primary alid Secondary Texts: Cognitive-Constructivism . Anderson, Richard C. The Architectureo/Cognition. Cambridge, MA: HarVardUP,

. 1983. '. .,.. . , . . ....•.

DeBeaugIWlde; Robert. Text; Discourse a",lProcess: Toward a MuIii-Disciplinary Science o/Texts. NJ: Ab1ex, 1980. " ... ' .' .. , . ...• .. '-.

floWer, Linda. The ConstruCtion o/Negotiated Meaning: A SoCial Cognitive Theory 0/ Meaning. ~ndale: Southern Illinois UP, 1994, . •.. . '. '.

Kucei, Stephen. "The MakingofMe8ning: Re8dingand Writing' asP8raneIProeesses." WrittenCoinmunication 2 (1985): 317-36. . . .' ..'

Piaget, )ean.The Coristruction 0/ Reality in the Child. NeW York: Ba1himine, 1954.

Primary and Secondary Texts: Socio-Construciivism Bakhtin, M M. The Dialogic Imagination.Tm,ns. Caryl Emers6nand Michael HoloqUist.

Ed.Michale Holoquist. Austin: U of Texas P, 1981. Bruffee, Kenneth A. "Collaborative Leamingand the 'Conversation of Mankind'"

College English 46 (1984): 635-52. Fish, Stanley," Anti-Foundationalism, Theory, Hope, and the Teaching of Composition."

In Doing What Comes Naturally: Change, Rhetoric, and the Practiceo/Theory in Literary and Legal Studies. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1989,342-55. .

Lakofl: GeOrge, and Mark Jolnlson.)vfetoplwrs We Live By. Chicago: U of Chicago P.1980. .

Vygotsky, Lev. Mind in Society: The Development 0/ Higher Psychological Processes. Ed. Michael Cole. Cambridge, MA: HarVard UP, 1978. .

Primary .and Secondary Texts: Constructivist Methods of Teaching English Language Arts . Atwell, NlItlCie. In the Middle. Upper Montclair, NJ: BoYnton/Cook, 1998.

Berth6fl: Ann. Forming, thinking, Writing. 2ad ed. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, . 1988. ' .

. Burke, fun. The English Teacher's Companion. Portsmouth,NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. . ..

Calkins, Lucy. The Art o/Teaching. 2ad ed. Portsmouth, NH:Heineman, 1994.

z.emelman,Steven, and Harvey DilIlieJs, A Community 0/ Writers. Portsmo~th, NH: Heinemann, 1988. .

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