ࡱ > bjbjVV 3 < < f f 8 Q Q Q $ J ^ Q Q Q Q Q 4 Q X Q F m 0 @ Q Q Q / Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q f o : TO: University Undergraduate Programs Committee FROM: Jeffrey R. Galin, Director, WAC DATE: 4-11-12 RE: Class Caps for WAC Courses During these difficult financial times, it is no surprise that FAU is facing challenges that are resulting in increased class sizes. The WAC committee is concerned about pressures on colleges and chairs that have led to violations of the Faculty Senate mandate for class caps in WAC courses this coming summer, particularly for first year writing. Central to these mandates is the recognition that class size has considerable impact on students success as writers. While class caps across the country for these classes vary (16-27) the vast majority of such class caps are set at 20-23 students. The National Council of Teachers of English sets that number lower: their Statement of Principles and Standards for the Postsecondary Teaching of Writing states that No more than 20 students should be permitted in any writing class. Ideally, classes should be limited to 15. Larger classes will result in less attention to student writing and more students falling through the cracks. In response to recommendations by the WAC Committee and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and additional careful consideration, the Faculty Senate at FAU set caps for 1000 level WAC courses at 22 and 2000-4000 level WAC courses at 27 (including breakout sections for large WAC courses such as Philosophy and History). Any proposed changes to these numbers should move through the same faculty governance channels. Raising caps on College Writing ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 and courses designed to substitute for ENC 1102 to 26 would add four students per class, an increase of 15%. For a graduate teaching assistant in the English Department this would mean 8 more students a term (across two classes) and 16 more students a year. In effect, we would be asking already overburdened graduate students to assume 60% of a fifth course for the year. The impact on Instructors is even greater. Faculty teaching a 4-4 load could be in an even worse situation depending on the courses they are teaching. They could be asked to shoulder up to 32 additional students a year, nearly a class and a half additional students with no additional compensation. Considering these classes require writing assignments every week, the increased workload is unduly burdensome. The only response that the English Department could conscientiously recommend to its GTAs and Instructors would be to cut back on the number of writing assignments. Since writing improves only with repeated practice, we would be cutting back on our expectations as to outcomes, in a time when potential employers throughout the economy are urging us to do just the opposite. These practical considerations are in addition to the general principle that the caps in place are the result of faculty governance procedures based on pedagogical considerations that can only be undone by an equivalent procedure of repeal. The Committee understands how complex the issues are that are leading to temporary increases in course caps for the summer of 2012. Nonetheless, it is our charge to maintain standards for the WAC program on behalf of the students across the university in order to insure the quality and integrity of teaching writing at FAU. Therefore, the WAC Committee recommends the following: Any raises in course caps for Writing Across the Curriculum courses must be submitted for consideration through the faculty governance process: WAC Committee, UUPC, Steering Committee, and Faculty Senate. After summer 2012, the Faculty Senate will not support class sizes above approved numbers unless it has had the opportunity to make determinations of the likely impact on the quality of teaching and learning and then votes to support changes to current limits. 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431 tel: 561.297.1221 fax: 561.297.1017 jgalin@fau.edu www.fau.edu/UCEW 0 1 X e j 9 X b ? + J e p . L 9 0 1 5 9 X _ a ععرئ hLL h+ CJ aJ j hLL h+ CJ UaJ hLL h[m CJ aJ h6$ CJ aJ h6$ h&