QEP is an opportunity to inspire change and to advance the educational experience of GWU鈥檚 students.
QEP stands for Quality Enhancement Plan 鈥� every ten years, SACSCOC, GWU鈥檚 regional accrediting agency, asks institutions to develop a plan to improve student learning. A QEP is not just an accrediting requirement, though. .
GWU鈥檚 QEP is 鈥淭he Writing Connection,鈥� a multi-year project to implement a Writing-Intensive curriculum for Traditional Undergraduate Students. Students entering GWU in Fall 2018 and after will be required to take five Writing-Intensive courses before graduating, two of which will be in their majors. The goal is to improve student writing continuously from first semester to graduation by creating a Writing Connection between Freshman Composition, the General Education core, and the majors. This focus on writing should prepare students for their post-graduate lives, for careers, graduate study, and being productive members of their communities.
Tier One: English 101 and 102
Tier Two: One course from the General Education core, taken post-English 102. This course must be coded as Writing-Intensive.
Tier Three: Two courses in the student鈥檚 major. These must be coded as Writing-Intensive.
The following steps should be followed to submit a course for Writing-Intensive approval.
The Information Literacy/Writing-Intensive Designated Course Committee receives submissions.
A Writing Fellow is a peer tutor embedded in a Writing-Intensive course. A Fellow works with students on their writing, from brainstorming and drafting to revision. Unlike tutors at the Writing Center, a Writing Fellow is assigned to one class and one instructor, creating a more specialized focus. A Fellow also works closely with the instructor of the class, providing opportunities for mentoring and professional development. A Writing Fellows program promotes partnership between Fellows and faculty and collaboration between peers.
Writing Fellows should expect to develop advanced skills in written and oral communication, leadership, and the ability to work with diverse groups. These skills will make Fellows more desirable job candidates and applicants to graduate school.
Writing Fellows will be expected to attend training prior to the start of each semester and twice a month during the semester.
Applicants should possess strong writing and communication skills as well as strong organizational skills.
Compensation: $8.25/hour, estimated 60 hours each semester. Fellows should be aware that unlike other workplaces, the hours per week will vary, depending upon the timing and nature of the writing assignments in the course they are assigned to. Fellows should anticipate working more hours some weeks, fewer other weeks. Fellows should have strong organizational and planning skills to accommodate this type of flexible work schedule.
Please contact Dr. Cheryl Duffus, QEP Director, [email protected] for application materials.
The Writing Connection QEP will offer on-going Professional Development workshops for faculty so that they can be prepared to teach the Writing-Intensive curriculum. Before applying to have their courses approved as Writing-Intensive, faculty must attend Professional Development workshops.
Writing Intensive means that writing for the course must be guided and taught by the instructor, and that students will be expected to transfer learning and skills from one Writing Intensive course to another. In WI courses, writing and writing assignments will be taught using the QEP SLOs at the end of this document.
Writing Intensive does not mean that more writing is required or that instructors should add more writing to their courses 鈥� rather, it means that any writing assigned needs to be guided and taught by the instructor and should fulfill the SLOs at the end of this document.
Writing Intensive does not mean that instructors will all teach writing in the same way or assign the same types of writing assignments. Instructors will continue to teach writing as appropriate for their disciplines and assign writing appropriate for their disciplines.
Five Writing-Intensive courses from Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three.
These courses will vary from semester to semester. A list of WI2 courses is provided to advisors before the advising times each semester.
Two courses in the major. Ideally, the first course should be taken at the beginning of the major and the second course at the end. The second course should build on learning in the first one and should have a higher level of expectations.
QED DirectorProfessor of English
[email protected](704) 406-4409
