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Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs

Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs. Shawna Shapiro & Jimi Evans University of Washington International Educational Outreach & English Language Programs (ELP). Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs. Presentation Objectives

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Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs

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  1. CriticallyAnalyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Shawna Shapiro & Jimi Evans University of Washington International Educational Outreach & English Language Programs (ELP)

  2. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Presentation Objectives • Describe our local context and project goals • Look at (and learn from) our ongoing processes, findings & local implications • Explore more global implications: • Our challenges and realizations as ‘developing researchers’ • Possible relevance of findings to other contexts. • Implications of a ‘critical’ and ‘collaborative’ approach

  3. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Our respective roles . . . • Shawna Shapiro, ELP instructor and Ph.D. candidate in English • Huckabay Fellow Investment in Critical approach (e.g. Benesch, 1996; Atkinson and Ramanathan, 1995; Also see Kubota, Pennycook, Spack, and Zamel. )

  4. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • Jimi Evans, ELP Campus Programs Coordinator • Curriculum Coordinator for Academic English Program (AEP) Investment in Collaborative / interdisciplinary approach (as discussed frequently in EAP scholarship)

  5. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs University of Washington, Seattle • 40,000 total students • 10,000 graduate students • “highly competitive” • Research-focused mission and funding • Diversity among undergraduates: • Asian American (25%) • Latino (4%) • African American (3%)

  6. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs “The UW educates a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through a challenging learning environment informed by cutting-edge scholarship. We discover timely solutions to the world’s most complex problems and enrich people’s lives throughout our community, the state of Washington, the nation and the world.”

  7. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Academic English Program • Serves matriculated students who have an English language requirement as designated by the university • non-citizens • many countries / L1s represented (majority from East Asia) • both graduate (20%) and undergraduate (80%) • generally, TOEFL scores of 540-580 • SAT Verbal scores below 490

  8. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs AEP students: • do not receive credits toward graduation for AEP classes • pay additional tuition for AEP classes • are required to take AEP classes each quarter until they have met their English language requirements • often opt to take an AEP course in addition to a full-time course load

  9. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • AEP purpose 1. Serves students by helping them “to improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and to handle the challenges of academic life.”

  10. AEP purpose 2. Serves the University faculty community by “helping students bring their English skills up to a level where they do not pose anexcessive burden to these instructors. . . . ensuring that students who graduate . . . possess adequate English language skills that maintain the university’s academic standards and reputation.” Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs

  11. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs AEP Student demographics (Autumn 2006) • Enrollment: 426 Students • 340 Undergraduates (79.8%) • 86 Graduate (20.2%) • 173 F1 visa holders (40.6%) International Ss • 253 non-F1 (59.4%) Resident / Immigrant

  12. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • AEP Student by College / School – Autumn 2006 • Arts & Sciences (287) • Engineering (46) • Business (40) • Most common majors • Pre-major (60) • Pre-engineering (34) • Political Science (25) • Pre-science (24) • Biochemistry (18) • Accounting (18) • Electrical Engineering(17) Total AEP enrollment = 426

  13. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs AEP Curriculum 1985-96 • Three reading & writing courses • 100A – sentence level to paragraph • 101A – short essay • 102A – research paper • Two speaking & listening courses • Overlapped UW English (expository writing) curriculum in teaching research paper writing • Rationale for revision • Changing demographics – more Generation 1.5 • Needs analysis as ongoing curriculum review and program development

  14. Current AEP Curriculum Model (adopted 1997)

  15. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs AEP Curriculum 1997 – present • Rationale for curriculum review project • Curriculum surveys / course debrief (quantitative) • Preliminary evidence from student and instructor feedback (qualitative) • Ten year cycle • Comparisons with other programs and relevant scholarship

  16. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • Components of Needs Analysis • AEP student focus groups (Winter 2006) • AEP student survey (Spring 2006) • UW (non-AEP) instructor survey (Summer 2006 – present) • AEP faculty survey (Winter 2007) • Student writing samples (Winter 2007) • Ongoing email discussion • Interviews and focus groups (forthcoming)

  17. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Reviewing local & disciplinary literature Relevant local studies by the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA) and Writing Council for the College of Arts and Sciences Disciplinary literature about EAP, academic literacy, WAC, etc.

  18. Survey development Developing & piloting the new survey (Brown, 2001) Clarity of previous records Cyclical approach Choice of medium Survey distribution 129 respondents (56% response rate) Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs

  19. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • FINDINGS What our students say they need most in their AEP coursework(choices: grammar, listening, reading, speaking, vocabulary, writing) Undergrads: Grads: 1. Writing 1. Writing 2. Vocabulary 2. Speaking 3. Grammar 3. Grammar

  20. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • FINDINGS What do you need help with most in your non-AEP classes? (choose up to 4)(129 respondents) • Writing: grammar, sentence structure and punctuation (82) 64% • Vocabulary: oral and written (59) 46% • Reading speed and comprehension (53) 41% • Writing: developing ideas and arguments (50) 39%

  21. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • FINDINGS What types of writing do you most need to practice for your other classes? (choose up to 3) • Research papers (73) 57% • Project proposals (53) 41% • Interpreting / analyzing texts (49) 38% • Persuasive writing (44) 34%

  22. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • FINDINGS What parts of your AEP courses have been most helpful? • Comments related to grammar (39) • “Grammar to write something in a formal way.” • “In 100A grammars, mostly verbs were helpful for me.” • “The AEP courses improved my grammar sentence structure.” • “The grammar is the most helpful.” • “Grammar part and verb tense part were most helpful.” • blank (23) • Comments related to writing (17) • “No” / “None” / “Nothing” (15)

  23. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • FINDINGS What parts of your AEP courses have not been as helpful? • blank (51) • “No” / “none” / “nothing” (17) • Comments related to speaking (8) • Comments related to grammar (7) • The grammar was more or less repetition for me. • Often times, I feel I know more grammar than a native speaker. • Basic grammar.

  24. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Student comments – some common themes • Repetition of course material • “100A, B, and C have same kind of material.” • Desire for more choice • “Class time should be available more often than just 8:30 and 12:30.” • If you already taken English courses before, we shouldn’t have to take these courses again. • University / program policies perceived as unfair • “Please assign an English course for all non-native speakers . . .” • “School needs to give the credit for AEP courses too.” • “Too expensive.” • “Stop stealing students money!” • Testing / grading policies perceived to ensure failure • “80% on final = pass, below 80% = fail, don’t like this system!”

  25. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • Stepping Back: Opportunities • Collaboration across disciplines – Writing Centers, English Department, CIDR, WAC project; credit-bearing ‘stretch model’ course for NNS(Atkinson and Ramanathan, Benesch) • More open, honest, focused dialogue- Needs analysis as bridge-building effort (Zamel and Spack) • Re-evaluation of relationships –two-way dialogue and resources

  26. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • Stepping Back: Obstacles • How to interpret student remarks? • Definitions of ‘grammar,’ ‘writing,’ ‘vocabulary’ (Response: More qualitative data) • Dealing with disagreement in student vs. faculty responses • e.g. Role of ‘reading’ and ‘critical thinking’? • General lack of awareness campus-wide • Divergent AEP faculty attitudes toward curriculum revision

  27. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs • Reflections of a Critical Approach: Curriculum is inseparable from Politics? • Program and/or Institutional policies: • courses are non-credit, must be paid for out-of-pocket, and are therefore often added to full course loads. • Students placement procedures (citizenship and test scores), lack of support for int’l students campus-wide, lack of transparency • Parsing out WHO makes these policies and WHY • Legislative policies: • No funding for “remedial” courses

  28. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Our questions for you • How does our experience compare to your own as a teacher or administrator? • Can curricular change happen before changes in policies, institutional relationships, etc.? (the ‘hole in the dam’ approach?) • How do we best choose our “battles”?

  29. Critically Analyzing Student Needs in Academic Programs Our contact info Shawna Shapiro- shapis@u.washington.edu Jimi Evans- jcody@u.washington.edu To view this PowerPoint and/or download copies of our research documents, please visit http://staff.washington.edu/shapis/ The online event cast of this presentation will be available within 2 months at www.tesol.org/convention/eventcasts

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