NSU's Quality Enhancement Plan April 2017

10 | Topic Identification and Development of NSU QEP Strategies and Outcomes College Department Date Contact H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Business 4/14 Sharon Greenberg College of Nursing Nursing 4/28 Barbara Barrett College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Family Therapy 5/11 Dustin Berna Development of Student Learning Outcomes The QEP Proposal Writing Team worked with faculty members from the Department of Writing and Communication to develop and finalize the QEP’s Student Learning Outcomes. QEP Student Learning Outcomes were created based on feedback from faculty and students, as well as recommendations from the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition, which were approved by the CWPA on July 17, 2014. As will be demonstrated in the literature review and by other QEPs, the CWPA’s outcomes can be used for various levels of writing, not just for first-year composition. The CWPA recommends that writing programs create learning outcomes for the following four categories: 1. Rhetorical Knowledge; 2. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing; 3. Processes; and 4. Knowledge of Conventions (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2014). NSU’s QEP Student Learning Outcomes include a fifth category, Reflection, which is critical to the learning process. Table 6 Definitions for Council of Writing Program Administrators Learning Outcomes (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2014) CWPA Learning Outcome CWPA Definition Rhetorical Knowledge The ability to analyze contexts and audiences and then to act on that analysis in comprehending and creating texts. Rhetorical knowledge is the basis of composing. Writers develop rhetorical knowledge by negotiating purpose, audience, context, and conventions as they compose a variety of texts for different situations. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing The ability to analyze, synthesize, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, situations, and texts. When writers think critically about the materials they use—whether print texts, photographs, data sets, videos, or other materials—they separate assertion from evidence, evaluate sources and evidence, recognize and evaluate underlying assumptions, read across texts for connections and patterns, identify and evaluate chains of reasoning, and compose appropriately qualified and developed claims and generalizations. These practices are foundational for advanced academic writing. Processes Writers use multiple strategies, or composing processes, to conceptualize, develop, and finalize projects. Composing processes are seldom linear: a writer may research a topic before drafting, then conduct additional research while revising or after consulting a colleague. Composing processes are also flexible: successful writers can adapt their composing processes to different contexts and occasions. Knowledge of Conventions The formal rules and informal guidelines that define genres, and in so doing, shape readers’ and writers’ perceptions of correctness or appropriateness. Most obviously, conventions govern such things as mechanics, usage, spelling, and citation practices. But they also influence content, style, organization, graphics, and document design.