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[0] Fac Dev Plans [1] The SOA will pilot test the CTW course (AC4610) during Fall 2008. All Fall 2008 courses will be taught by the CTW ambassador, Jennifer Joe. The CTW ambassador will chair a meeting of all instructors who will be teaching AC4610 some time between the end of the Spring and Summer semesters. During the initial meeting, faculty teaching AC 4610 will discuss the syllabus, objectives, CTW assignments, and rubrics that have were used in the Fall 2008 pilot course. The faculty will also review the performance and outcome of the pilot class. They will agree on any required revisions to the content and delivery of the CTW assignments, and rubrics. After the initial implementation year of the CTW curriculum the CTW ambassador will chair annual meetings in the Summer to discuss the following topics: Development of CTW new assignments Revision of continuing CTW assignments Critical evaluation of the CTW activity Critical evaluation of the CTW learning outcomes Discuss the rubric designed for assessing the writing Review the instructions for reporting the assessment results to the Ambassador Evaluate student samples of successful critical thinking through writing Discuss feedback from previous semester assessment results [2] Fac Dev Plans [3] Jonathan Gayles, CTW ambassador for African-American Studies (AAS), will offer a presentation on the department's CTW plans during the department's pre-semester retreat (August 2008). This presentation will address all components of the department's CTW plans with particular attention given to the department's current assessment rubric. Ultimately, the AAS CTW plan and the assessment rubric will reflect the input of the faculty. In addition, Jonathan Gayles will meet individually with each instructor assigned a CTW course to review the syllabus and ensure that the structure of the course is consistent with the department's CTW profile. The aforementioned activities will occur annually to further ensure that the department's CTW efforts are current. [4] Fac Dev Plans [5] Anthropology CTW courses for the academic year 2009/2010 will be taught by the CTW ambassador and Dr. Cassandra White. A CTW meeting/training session will be held with Dr. White during Fall 2008 to begin discussing CTW plans for 2009/2010. This will be the first of a series of meetings during which Dr. White and I will develop and discuss appropriate strategies for assessing CTW progress among anthropology majors. [6] Fac Dev Plans [7] The CTW Ambassador, Stephanie Lindemann, will share the departmental CTW plans with all faculty at the fall faculty retreat or an early fall (2008) faculty meeting. She will meet individually with faculty who are teaching CTW courses before they teach these courses for the first time in order to go over the syllabus, CTW assignments, and rubrics to ensure that they are consistent with the department's plan. (After that faculty member's first time teaching the course she will request that the instructor send her the syllabus, assignments, and related rubrics, and only meet if there is a problem or if that instructor wishes to do so.) She will meet with faculty as needed during the semester and at the end of every semester they teach a CTW course to discuss what was successful and what was not, and what changes may need to be made. [8] Fac Dev Plans [10] Fac Dev Plans [11] Both AH 3000 and AH 4990 will be taught on a rotating basis by full-time faculty. The initial training of faculty will occur as needed between individuals and the CTW ambassador, preferably no earlier than one semester before the course is taught. During the training meeting, the ambassador will review the proposed CTW assignments with individual faculty members. A follow-up meeting will also take place at the end of the semester. During the follow-up meeting, the individual(s) and the ambassador will assess the value of the CTW assignments and identify �best practices.� The ambassador will record and relay this information to the next group of faculty. The Art Education courses are taught by two faculty members. An initial training session with the ambassador will take place early in fall 2009. At the end of each semester the AE faculty will meet independently to determine "best practices" and relay this information to the ambassador. [12] Fac Dev Plans [13] Prior to the beginning of each semester, required workshops will be conducted for new faculty teaching the two CTW courses for the BFA Studio Arts major: ART 1050 Introductory Studio and the 4950 Portfolio II. Once faculty complete the introductory workshop, they can teach the CTW course for which they have been trained in subsequent semester without having to attend the prerequisite workshop. When changes occur in the CTW courses, all previously approved faculty must complete the workshop for updating purposes. A workshop will be designed for each of the two CTW classes. The workshop will: 1) define and discuss the concept of critical thinking through writing 2) review the content of course component that applies to CTW 3) offer ways to approach the CTW assignments 4) discuss the rubric designed for assessing the writing 5) review the instructions for reporting the assessment results to the Ambassador 6) evaluate student samples of successful critical thinking through writing 7) discuss feedback from previous semester assessment results [14] Fac Dev Plans [15] Currently, we are planning to have a two-pronged approach. First, we will have faculty members attend a two-hour workshop where they well get information about the philosophy and approaches of the CTW program. In addition, they will learn about the specific CTW courses in biology and their formats and example assignments. Finally, the assessment methods will be discussed. The second part of the plan is to develop a detailed website with links, sample assignments, samples of student work, rubrics, and assessments. We will also develop an FAQ page and probably add other resources once we identify what will help the faculty the best. [16] Fac Dev Plans [18] Fac Dev Plans [19] Begining in the fall I will meet with all CTW faculty from the department to review the rubric that will be used in our CTW courses. The assignments used in both courses are laboratory based so I beleive the assessment of the program should focus on the how the critical thinking skills of the students have improved between Chem 4000 and Chem 4160. In between the 2 CTW courses are 2 other laboratory style courses for which we have papers from students in earlier semesters. We believe that initial assessment should be comparing the quality of students' work not only during the CTW class but in classes which have similar "critical thinking" assignments in between the CTW courses. The CTW instructors plan on initially using this data to determine if the first course is effective. [20] Fac Dev Plans [21] The training of CTW faculty in the Film major is folded into the ongoing evaluation process. The faculty who are teaching CTW courses in a given semester will meet at the end of the semester to read sample papers, to evaluate how effective that semester�s CTW instruction has been in bettering our students� writing and critical thinking, and to create a set of recommendations for improving the CTW instruction in the future. Faculty who will be teaching CTW courses in the following semester will also attend this meeting, read the papers, and listen to the discussion. In addition, the current semester�s CTW faculty will discuss their �best practices,� and the CTW ambassador will update a file detailing these practices, which will over time build a program-specific set of strategies for helping students with their writing and critical thinking about film. [22] Fac Dev Plans [23] The syllabi for the CTW courses will be distributed to the full-time faculty prior to the training session. Several of the faculty have taught one or more of the courses before they became designated as CTW, but all instructors must be aware of the CTW requirements and how those may change the way the courses were taught in the past. Sample exercises will be distributed at the every training session prior to the semester the courses will be taught to demonstrate how critical thinking can be integrated into each course. A rubric for grading the exercises will also be distributed, and suggestions for revisions will be discussed. The assessment of each of the courses will also be discussed. [24] Fac Dev Plans [25] Faculty development for the speech area is focused on three major initiatives: first, making sure faculty are trained for the critical writing courses; second, being in close contact with faculty teaching the pilot courses; and third, meeting with the faculty as an area to assess assessment, make changes to CTW assignments, and engage questions about the ongoing process of the CTW curriculum and its relationship to evolving departmental goals. First, the speech area faculty has agreed to utilize the university�s training sessions for the CTW courses. I will be posting a note over e-mail about the available times and dates for CTW training as the semester draws closer. I will follow-up with the faculty to ensure they have received the appropriate training and answer any questions they might have about the training they participated in. Second, I will be in close contact with the faculty who are piloting the CTW courses and the chair of the department. I am planning to meet with faculty who will be teaching the CTW courses to review the faculty approved assignments prior to the courses being taught. Of course, these meetings are in the spirit of collegial dialogue, not under the presumption that faculty need to be monitored. I would also like to be in contact with the faculty as the course is unfolding. I am eager to hear about the reactions that both the faculty and the student have to the assignments. Of course, it is also imperative to gauge how assessment is progressing in these initial stages and changes that may need to transpire. After the semester has ended, I will again meet with the faculty to discuss possible changes to recommend to the area faculty. Finally, the speech area will discuss the CTW classes and assessment at speech area faculty meetings. These meetings will be essential to determining if the assessment is transparent for all faculty teaching the classes, troubleshooting potential problems with the assignments and the assessment, and determining if the faculty believes the CTW goals are conforming to larger goals associated with departmental development. If necessary, the faculty may be asked to graded one or two assignments as a whole to ensure we are still on the same page. Of course, I am always available for consultation and will actively seek out the feedback of the faculty. It has already been determined that goals will sometimes change and this should be viewed as a fluid process that can be adapted to best suit the pedagogical goals at the heart of the project. [26] Fac Dev Plans [27] The CTW plan for theatre involves two faculty members, CTW ambassador Frank Miller and Associate Professor Gayle Austin. The two have been in contact throughout the past year to discuss the proposed CTW assessment program and the necessary changes to syllabi. During the 2008-09 academic year, Dr. Miller will using the senior-level CTW course, THEA 4070 Western Theatre History, as a pilot course. During this time, he and Dr. Austin will meet monthly to refine the writing rubrics to be used in both CTW classes, evaluate the adaptations made in turning THEA 4070 into a CTW class and review student writing assignments and their assessment in order to a) refine the process and b) prepare Dr. Austin to bring her class, THEA 3100 Play Analysis, into the CTW program in the 2009-10 academic year. Training activities at this meeting will include reviewing student writing and Dr. Miller's use of the rubrics and having Dr. Austin apply the rubrics herself for comparison to Dr. Miller's assessments. At the end of fall semester, Dr. Miller will meet with all of the theatre faculty, including those who will not be teaching CTW courses, to review and evaluate the work in THEA 4070 and compare their responses to selected written assignments to the rubrics as applied by Drs. Miller and Austin. At present, we do not anticipate the need for writing assistants, as enrollment in both CTW classes usually does not exceed 15 students. [28] Fac Dev Plans [29] CIS 4980 is the capstone CIS course. Students in this course deploy into the spaces of businesses in the Atlanta area and conduct systems analysis projects. At the end of the semester they submit a written report to the CIS 4980 instructor, Dr. Carl Stucke. As part of this systems analysis project, the students must identify the following components of the business' information system requirements. These components map directly into our definition of critical thinking. Accordingly, each student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated critical thinking by applying the (previously-submitted) rubric scale to these components. (1) identify (information related) problems (and in some cases, opportunities) before they become critically important or demanding of immediate attention to ameliorate and address; typically these problems relate to organizational work processes and workflows that could best be addressed through computer-based solutions; (2) identify multiple, innovative, and creative (information system) solutions to these problems; typically these solutions are formulated as multiple alternative designs for computer-based solutions to the problem(s); (3) evaluate the possible (information system) solutions to these problems in such a way to rank order them, from best to worst, in terms of their relative efficacies and inherent costs in brokering the �best� solution; (4) exhibit a concern for, and appreciation of, pursuing (information system) solutions that are characterized by ethical and social responsibility; (5) propose an effective (information system)approach to implement the �best� solution. [30] Fac Dev Plans [31] The faculty development plan is to talk periodically through the semester, including meetings and by e-mail. These talks will establish assignment goals, including iteration and assessment. During the semester, the students will be given a pre- and post-evaluation survey. (These surveys will be similar to the ones in Jessica L. Ekhomu's May 6, 2008 document, "Proposal for Measuring Student Perceptions of Critical Thinking through Writing"). Also, faculty will keep representative copies of students' work. [32] Fac Dev Plans [33] The following Criminal Justice faculty members have received training on the University�s CTW requirements: a. Dean Dabney b. Mark Reed c. Volkan Topalli d. Sue-Ming Yang The CTW training took the following form: On October 19, 2007 the above faculty members convened to discuss the University�s CTW requirements and to dientify student learning outcomes and assessment measures for the Department�s two CTW designated courses. Faculty members were asked to bring copies of their syllabi and assignments for Research Methods and the Seminar in Criminal Justice. Attending faculty members were given a brief oral history of the CTW initiative and was provided copies of the following documents: a. Senate CTW motion containing the definition of critical thinking through writing b. Sample syllabi for CTW designated courses c. Sample CTW assignments Attending faculty members discussed the meaning of CTW as it applies to the criminal justice disciple; however, it was the group�s consensus that full faculty input was needed in order to develop a definition of critical thinking through writing that is specific to the major. In light of this the Senate definition of CTW was adopted by default until such time as a full faculty discussion can be held. Attending faculty members given sample copies of CTW courses and syllabi and spent considerable time discussing how the CTW requirement would apply to our designated CTW courses (Research Methods and the Criminal Justice Seminar), the types of assignments that were appropriate, and what would constitute proper assessment measures. To facilitate this process participants were then separated into two groups: Reed, Topalli, and Yang were tasked with developing an appropriate curriculum and syllabus for Research Methods containing CTW student learning outcomes, assignments, and rubrics. Dabney and Collins developed the Department�s CTW Plan and a syllabus for the Seminar in Criminal Justice containing CTW student learning outcomes, assignments, and rubrics. The groups engaged in further discussion related to their specific courses and reached consensus on appropriate learning outcomes, assignments, and measures. At the conclusion of the meeting each group followed up by submitting the necessary documents to the CTW Ambassador for use in completing the Department�s CTW plan and course proposals for submission to the GEAC committee. In Spring 2008 the Department initiated the piloting process for both CTW courses. At the conclusion of the term the CTW Ambassador met with teacing faculty to discuss their experiences, including what worked and what didn't, and to identify any modifications that were needed. As a result of these discussions CrJu 4930 was modified substantially and the new course is being piloted this summer. [34] Fac Dev Plans [35] Initially, all three CTW instructors have received WAC training, which is compatible with our CTW teaching and learning model, and have adopted all CTW assignments and rubrics. In the future, we will develop new CTW instructors through either an initial workshop conducted at the end of the preceding semester or a workshop at the start of their first CTW semester; a debriefing meeting will be held with the CTW ambassadors and instructors at the end of the semester. Interim and ongoing support will be available from the ECE CTW ambassadors, who will meet with instructors as needed to provide feedback and address concerns. [36] Fac Dev Plans [38] Fac Dev Plans [39] The CTW ambassadors for the Department of Economics, Shelby Frost and Inas Rashad, plan to have an additional assistant, who will be a graduate student in economics, for every additional 25 students in each CTW course (ECON 3900 and ECON 4999). We plan on having a meeting with ALL instructors and assistants for the two courses three times a year: in the beginning of the fall semester, spring semester, and summer semester. In these meetings we will give a thorough overview of the nature of Critical Thinking Through Writing courses, examples of types of assignments, and methods of assessment (and potential rubrics that might be used). Additionally, there will be debriefing meetings specific to each CTW course throughout each semester, where two leaders, most likely two clinical professors, Paul Kagundu (for ECON 4999) and Grace O (for ECON 3900) will meet with instructors and assistants. These meetings will take place as good communication with assistants is a key component. These meetings will highlight strengths and weaknesses of assignments and course content, and will evaluate potential changes that need to be made to the course. [40] Fac Dev Plans [42] Fac Dev Plans [43] The English Department will hold training sessions to acquaint faculty with the online writing environment at the beginning of each semester and a workshop to bring together current and new CTW instructors at the end of each semester. The workshops will review the concept of critical thinking and the rubric we have developed in English so that faculty can coordinate their assessment strategies and begin to prepare CTW courses for the following semester. The workshop will also provide faculty with the opportunity to discuss specific assignments, compare assessment procedures, review our rubric, and propose new approaches to teaching CTW courses. Over time, we plan to establish a core group of CTW faculty with expertise in teaching the designated courses, but we also want to involve as many new faculty as possible in the process. The regular workshop will allow us to share our collective experience and keep invigorating our CTW instruction. [44] Fac Dev Plans [46] Fac Dev Plans [47] Before courses are taught, I will organize several meetings with CTW professors in my department to answer questions about the CTW course component. Subsequently, before a professor teaches a CTW course, I will check in with the professor to review assignments and appropriate rubrics and assessment. I will again touch base with the CTW professor at the conclusion of the course and gather the collected data on critical thinking. I will also interview the professor to gather information about the effectivenss of the CTW assignments. We will discuss possible modifications to assignments and/or rubrics. At the conclusion of the academic year, I will gather the data and interview the professors to review the successes and shortcomings of the CTW plan. [48] Fac Dev Plans [49] I am preparing a brochure that will be distributed to the faculty this summer describing the CTW initiative and how it will affect the Department. The brochure has received preliminary approval from the Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and it will be finalized and distributed in the coming weeks. The changes to the course titles have been approved by the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and await approval by the Department as a whole at our next faculty meeting. Upon approval they will be transmitted to the A&S Curriculum Committee (in advance of the August '08 deadline). CTW will be piloted on a volunteer basis during the Fall 2008 � Summer 2009 year. I will encourage those faculty teaching these courses during that time to participate in the pilot program by beginning modifying syllabi and assignments in appropriate ways. The Undergraduate Studies Committee will also be hosting -- and I will facilitate -- in the Fall and the Spring a series of brown-bag meetings to discuss CTW, assignments, and assessment procedures with pilots and anyone else interested. The �pilots� then can share observations, sample assignments and work, and criticisms with each other and with faculty teaching these courses in the 2009 � 2010 academic year. I will begin to �certify� the pilots as well as any other instructors of 3000 and 4990 who will be teaching these classes in the Fall of 2009 formally in the Spring of 2009. I also will expect the pilots (during the '08-'09 year), and anyone teaching 3000 or 4990 thereafter, to make sure that: � Their syllabus indicates that this is a CTW course (the course titles have been officially changed to History 3000: Introduction to Historical Studies CTW and History 4990: Historical Research CTW). � Their syllabus includes the departmental definition of critical thinking. � Their assignments indicate how (if appropriate) critical thinking is promoted and then crystallized in written form. � They save sample assignments and student work, and transmit them to the Undergraduate Studies Committee (in order to prepare the assessment report) [50] Fac Dev Plans [51] The ambassador for hospitality administration is also the instructor for the CTW course for hospitality. The other course, as is the case for the Robinson College of Business, is BUSA 3000. The ambassador has attended the CTW workshop and follow-up meetings. In wanting to get complete faculty understanding of the CTW process, material has been covered in hospitality faculty meetings and will be included on the agenda for the faculty retreat held prior to fall semester '08. The faculty will have a chance to review the syllabus for the CTW course, HADM 4800, how data is collected to asses the learning objectives and how this information fits into the departmental assessment process and plan. [52] Fac Dev Plans [54] Fac Dev Plans [56] Fac Dev Plans [57] Training plan for Kinesiology and Health I will meet with all of the primary course instructors to discuss the elements of critical thinking that they have identified for their courses. KH 3700 will be my pilot course as it is taught during the summer semester. KH 3650 and KH 4350 will be taught using the critical thinking analysis for the first time during the Fall 2008 semester. For all courses, I plan to meet with the primary instructors (1 for KH 3700, 2 for KH 3650, and 2 for KH 4350) individually along with their graduate assistant. We will discuss critical thinking and how it applies to the class. I have reviewed the rubrics already and will make any changes suggested by the GSU reviewers. Throughout the course, I plan on talking with instructors monthly to troubleshoot any potential problems. After the conclusion of the course, I will meet with the instructor(s) for each course and review the assignments and rubrics for possible revisions. Then I will ask them to select 1 or 2 papers that are exemplars for the different levels of their rubrics. I also will get a copy of their students� critical thinking scores for the semester and develop a recording system for the department. During the Spring semester, these sample papers will be available for training any additional Graduate Assistants that are needed to assist with the courses. Monthly meetings will be used to troubleshoot any problems. We will meet at the end of the semester to discuss any issues or potential revisions for assignments and rubrics and upload any changes on the CTW website. I will again collect the critical thinking scores for the assignments and any additional exemplars that can be used for training. At the conclusion of the spring 09 semester, I will write a summary report and present this to the faculty for discussion at a meeting. The reviewed data will be the basis for the report filed for CTW. [58] Fac Dev Plans [59] Currently there is only one instructor that teaches each of the four courses that make up the alternative concentrations from which a major in Managerial Sciences can choose. In each case the number of students class is relatively small in size and it is not anticipated that more than one instructor will be needed in the foreseeable future for each of the classes. Because the four alternatives are really quite different the criteria, rubrics and the like are independent of each other. It is for that reason that each of the four courses has a separate entry here. For each of the four courses the current instructor is committed to teaching this class for the next several years. Materials are being prepared with the Department Chair so that if, due to unanticipated events, a new instructor would have to be trained for any of the course there would be a clear set of materials and standards that could be employed in training the replacement. [60] Fac Dev Plans [62] Fac Dev Plans [64] Fac Dev Plans [65] The CTW Ambassador will meet with instructor(s) designated to teach the MK4900 Marketing Problems course and train them starting fall semester 2008. Only two instructors have historically been assigned to teach the MK4900 course. The ambassador has typically taught two of the three sections offered and another instructor has taught one section. However, the other instructor that taught one of the three sections offered each semester will retire at the end of summer term necessitating the training of someone new. That new MK4900 instructor has not yet been named. The case method is the dominant pedagogy used in the MK4900. It is therefore the focus of the CTW writing assignments. Any instructor teaching the course is expected to use the case method. The philosophy of CTW, the assignments, and the rubrics will be the focus of the faculty development plan training. Several meetings will take place during the fall semester 2008 between the ambassador and the yet to be identified instructor to discuss the CTW writing assignments and rubrics and to revise them as necessary. Piloting the course for CTW purposes will take place during spring semester 2009. The Marketing Department's Undergraduate Curriculum Committee which is charged with assessment will be involved in evaluating the CTW assignments. The entire Marketing Department faculty will be updated annually regarding the CTW efforts and outcomes. [66] Fac Dev Plans [67] Every semester the Dept of Math & Stat offers two sessions of CTW courses, one Math 3000 and one Math 4991. The size of these two classes are usually small so that no assistant is needed. Before these two courses are assigned to faculty members, the ambassador will provide general information, including requirements and CTW assessments to faculty members who are interested in teaching these two courses. After the courses are assigned and before the semester starts, the ambassador will meet instructors to discuss assignments and rubics. After the semester starts, the ambassador will meet instructors regularly to learn their feedbacks, including the effectiveness of assignments. At the end of the semester, the instructors will provide the assessment data to the ambassador. [68] Fac Dev Plans [69] The Department of Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology prepares educators and other professionals in career and technical education, English education, English as a second language education, learning technologies, library media technology, mathematics education, middle childhood education, reading education, science education, and social studies education. The department offers 34 programs across seven degrees (B.S.E., M.A.T., M.Ed., M.L.M., M.S., Ed.S. and Ph.D.); three certification-only programs; and three endorsement programs. The newest program in our department is the B.S.E. major in Middle Childhood Education, which will start in the spring of 2010. The coordinator of this program is Dr. Gladys Yarbrough, who will also serve as the CTW Ambassador for the department. The two courses in the program that have been designed to meet the CTW requirements are EDRD 4600 � Reading and Writing in the Content Areas, and EDCI 4640 � Critical Issues in Middle Grades Education. These two courses will first be offered in the fall of 2010 and the spring of 2011, respectively. Since future student entry into the B.S.E. MCE program is designed to occur in either the fall or the spring, both of this courses will subsequently be taught every semester after their initial introduction date. The initial training of faculty will occur as needed between individuals and the CTW ambassador, preferably no earlier than one semester before the courses are taught. During the training meeting, the ambassador will review the proposed CTW assignments with individual faculty members. A follow-up meeting will also take place at the end of the semester. During the follow-up meeting, the designated faculty and the ambassador will assess the value of the CTW assignments to see if any additional enhancements will be needed. [70] Fac Dev Plans [71] As for the French major there are only three professors (apart from me) teaching at the 3000 and 4000 levels, it will be very easy to prepare them for the assessment plan, which will be done in a meeting before the implementation of CTW courses in fall 2009. In the beginning, we plan to do group readings of selected drafts and rewritings (for culture and literature courses) and text commentaties (for literature courses only), so that we develop a mutual understanding of critical thinking and how to assess it with consistency. As the ambassador for the French major I will be in charge of the annual report. After the final assessments will have been compiled and discussed by the French faculty before the final report is completed, the administrative assistant in MCL will post the data on line. [72] Fac Dev Plans [73] The German section is very small, with only 3 full time faculty, one of whom has just been hired and will arrive in August. I can therefore easily do a workshop in the fall to prepare them for the assessment criteria. We plan to do group readings of the selected essays in the beginning to develop a mutual understanding of critical thinking and how to assess it with some consistency. The rubric may be slightly fine tuned after the initial assessments if there is too much statistical divergence. As ambassador I will be in charge of the annual report and the administrative assistant in MCL will compile the data on line, although final assessments will be discussed by German faculty before the final report [74] Fac Dev Plans [75] SPAN 3307 will always be the initial CTW course in our section; as for the remaining CTW courses, the members of the section will meet once in the fall to determine which CTW courses will be offered in the following academic year. I will meet (in a group meeting), approximately halfway through the preceding semester, with all the faculty who will be teaching CTW courses (and have not taught it previously), and will orient them as to the nature and goals of CTW; eventually I would like to invite at least one student who has experience taking a CTW course to be present at this meeting and to field questions with regard to his/her perspective as a student. I will also share representative CTW syllabi, and ask that they provide drafts of their syllabi as their semester of CTW teaching approaches. During their semester of teaching, I will meet individually with all current CTW instructors, including those who have already taught a CTW course. During the spring 2009 semester, I met individually with all the members of the Spanish department who will have CTW responsibilities. Through these meetings I was able to carry forth my task of educating my departmental colleagues with regard to the mission and workings of CTW. Besides myself, there will be one other faculty member teaching a CTW course in the fall of 2009, and she and I have met on several occasions in preparation for our respective courses. I will remain in email contact with this faculty member during the summer, and will meet with her in person just before the fall semester begins. [76] Fac Dev Plans [77] School of Music Critical Thinking through Writing Faculty Development Plan The CTW Courses in Music The School of Music has selected MUS 4810: Music from 1750 and MUS 4820: World Music as its two CTW courses because these courses are required of all music majors of all concentrations. The School of Music will use professors who have been trained by CTW Ambassadors to teach these courses. The assignment through which critical thinking through writing will be assessed in both courses is a three-part research assignment that involves the submission of (1) a paper topic and a 250 to 300 word proposal for the research paper on that topic, an outline for the paper, and an annotated bibliography, (2) a 7 to 10 page draft of the research paper, and (3) the revised draft of the research paper. Critical thinking cognitive elements implied or required of students in this three-part research project include the following: analysis, application, comparison and contrast, evaluation, extension, extrapolation, inference, interpretation, organization, prioritizing, representation, and synthesis. Implementation and Assessment Plan The following sequence of events will assure that all aspects of implementation and assessment are agreed upon and understood. � The CTW Ambassador will meet with the CTW instructor(s) to review the three-part assignment, rubrics, and assessment strategy during the month preceding the semester in which the CTW course will be offered. � CTW instructors will review the assignment, rubrics and assessment strategy with any assistant that may help the instructor with the course or assignment. � A brief pre-course evaluation will be administered to students to learn their impressions and knowledge of critical thinking through writing, how it relates to the study, interpretation, and performance of music, and how it might be of service to them in music. � Feedback from CTW-trained instructors will be given to students for part one and part two of the assignment and will include evaluations of the form or structure of the submitted work, the level of critical thinking exhibited, the quality of writing, and the application of the rubric(s) created specifically for the assignment(s). � CTW instructors in the department will meet following the submission of final revised paper to compare student work to determine if there is mutual agreement in grading. Final revised researched papers will be evaluated and graded using a rubric created specifically this assignment in two designated CTW music courses. � Each CTW Instructors will maintain examples of research papers exhibiting effective, less effective, and ineffective critical thinking for students to view. To encourage uniformity in grading, the papers selected by the CTW instructor in each course will be evaluate by the instructor in other CTW course. � The CTW instructors will be encouraged to place select student writings on the ULearn website for the course�or to have them accessible to students in another medium�so that they might be used the following semester as samples of students� work. Of course the anonymity of students� work will always be maintained. During the second semester in which the course is offered the instructor can review these samples with the students to discuss the quality of work. These examples can be studied in comparison to how they meet the requirements of the assignment. � An assessment rubric or chart will be designed by the departmental CTW ambassador to show the numerical results of students work in each of the two CTW courses. � The CTW ambassador to the School of Music will aggregate the scores of the rubrics for the three-part research assignment and submit them electronically to the University CTW Assessment Coordinator. The electronic submission will also include the professor�s qualitative assessment of the student�s work. The coordinators and ambassadors will meet annually with the professors who will teach the courses to discuss the assignments, the rubrics, the professor�s experiences in general, and to make recommendations for refining the assignments and the rubrics. The report, with recommendations for the next academic year will be forwarded to the General Education Sub-committee for review. � A committee will be formed of two to three students from each of the two music CTW courses to discuss the effectiveness of the three-part assignment and the assessment rubric. Their findings will be shared with the CTW instructors to aid in the process of revising the assignment. � CTW instructors will examine and revise rubrics annually to assure that rubrics can be clearly understood by the students and that the rubrics provide a basis for assessment that can measure the quality of critical thinking through writing from one course to another. [78] Fac Dev Plans [79] For this Fall 2008, I plan to have a training session that will involve the faculty and the proposed 5 CTW consultants. For NURS 2080, I am piloting new CTW Assignments. For these assignments students will be writing 6 clinical narratives. For these narratives, a new Rubric has been constructed and is in it's final prep stages. In addition, the previous semester's paper assignment will still be required but in a condensed form and with a newly constructed grading sheet. To train the consultants and additional faculty, sample clinical narratives will be produced that will reflect "poor" critical thinking skills and one that will reflect "excellent" critical thinking skills. After orientation to the rubric, then faculty and consultants will compare how they applied or how they rated both narratives. The purpose of this is to get everyone to use the rubric and interpret the narratives using the same quality or thoroughness of each rater. In addition, student's papers from a previous semester (one of high quality and one of low quality) will also be used in the same way to train new consultants by having them each rate a paper using a rubric. [80] Fac Dev Plans [82] Fac Dev Plans [83] All regular philosophy faculty are likely to teach one or both CTW classes in the future. We will thus provide CTW faculty development at departmental meetings. Because most philosophy classes already involve significant amounts of critical thinking and written work, we expect all faculty to contribute immediately. We thus anticipate the faculty development sessions being open forums with the CTW ambassador moderating the discussion, with those who are teaching (or have taught) the CTW classes (in pilot) discussing what they will do (or are doing or have done), and with all members of the Department contributing to the discussion. The goal is to bring our considerable knowledge and experience to play in order to determine the best format for the CTW classes in order to encourage the most student learning. [84] Fac Dev Plans [85] The CTW courses in Physics & Astronomy will be taught for the first time in Fall 2009 (PHYS3300) and Spring 2010 (PHYS4900). Both courses will be taught or co-taught by the ambassador, so no additional training is needed in the first year. Over the course of the first year, a second instructor will be prepared in CTW assessment to allow greater flexibility in the future. [86] Fac Dev Plans [87] The CTW plan for the Department of Political Science has already been circulated and discussed by the faculty as it was being developed. On the whole plan was well received by the faculty and feedback was incorporated into the plan as it was being developed. The future plan of action with regard to faculty training will be carried out in several stages. First, the final version of the plan will be discussed at the annual departmental retreat in the fall of 2008. All faculty members eligible to teach the CTW courses will be present and involved in the discussions on implementation. During the spring semester 2009, faculty assigned to teach the CTW courses in the fall semester of 2009 will attend a half day workshop. This workshop will be timed to coincide with preparation of syllabi for the Fall 2009 semester. The topics to be covered will include a. The goals and purposes of the CTW initiative and the GSU QEP initiative b. The departmental CTW plan and courses c. Incorporating CTW goals into syllabi and assignment d. Developing buy-in by students e. CTW assessment and reporting f. Use of rubrics and other tools for assessment and reporting g. Role of the faculty in further development and modification of the department�s CTW plan At the end of the semester, there will be a brief meeting of faculty teaching CTW courses to provide feedback on changes to be made to the courses or the CTW plan for the department. The training will be carried out by the department�s CTW coordinator. As faculty in subsequent semesters teach CTW courses for the first time, they will attend a similar workshop. [88] Fac Dev Plans [90] Fac Dev Plans [91] The departmental CTW plan has been shared with faculty members in a fall 2008 faculty meeting. The CTW Ambassador will meet with the instructors of the CTW courses prior to the class start date to review CTW principles, syllabi, CTW assignments and rubrics. At the end of the semester the CTW Ambassador will meet with the instructors of the CTW courses to discuss any changes that need to be made to the CTW elements in the course. [92] Fac Dev Plans [93] Each faculty member assigned to teach RE4700 will be required to attend any CTW training provided by the university to learn about the concepts. Each CTW assistant will be required to attend any CTW training provided by the University. Prior to the first semester a new instructor will teach RE4700 or a new CTW assistant is assigned, the Ambassador will meet with them to discuss CTW, the assignments, and the assessment. Instructors will be given any CTW materials obtained by the Ambassador to assist them in preparing and delivering the course. The sample syllabus, exercises, and rubric will be provided. The Ambassador will be available during the semester to discuss any questions, problems, or concerns. After the end of each semester, the Ambassador will collect the assessment data as described in the plan, analyze it in conjunction with the Department Assessment Coordinator, and then review the results with the faculty teaching RE4700 to look for ways to change and improve the CTW assignments, assessment, and training. Faculty assigned to RE4700 will be encouraged to attend any related continuing education workshops provided by the university. [94] Fac Dev Plans [95] The Department of Religious Studies will offer its first CTW classes during the 2009-2010 academic year. During the 2008-2009 academic year, all fulltime Religious Studies faculty members will take part in two 90-minute training sessions on CTW, led by the departmental CTW ambassador. We will discuss effective CTW assignments for assessing how well students can think critically, the approved CTW template for Religious Studies courses and its implementation, and procedures for the collection of CTW data, among other issues. At least during this coming year, all fulltime faculty members will be included in the two training sessions both to afford the greatest amount of flexibility in assigning courses in 2009-2010 and to promote a departmental-wide understanding of the CTW initiative. Because there is such a strong affinity between the goals of CTW and those of the department in general, the hope and expectation is that some of the lessons and models emerging from our CTW efforts will be integrated into non-CTW courses in the department on a voluntary basis. [96] Fac Dev Plans [97] Each faculty member will be trained in conjunction with the CTW ambassador and CTW liaison from the college of health and humans sciences. If possible the same faculty will teach the CTW course for a minimum of 3 years to assess reliability of course teaching and grading. The professors for CTW courses will send the RT CTW Ambassador the total score for both clinical simulations and case studies for each student (RT 3027), writing scores (RT 4085). These scores will be held in a database to further assess the student at a later date. The data from RT 3027, a junior level course and data for the senior CTW course (RT 4085)will be compared with: 1. National Certification Exam given by the National Board for Respiratory Care in spring semester of senior year. 2. Exit exam, National Registry Exam given by National Board for Respiratory Care All data can be reported to CTW program. [98] Fac Dev Plans [100] Fac Dev Plans [101] Georgia State University School of Social Work Critical Thinking Through Writing Faculty Development Plan The School of Social Work has three courses identified as Critical Thinking Through Writing (CTW): Human Behavior Through Social Environment I (SW3330), Human Behavior Through Social Environment II (SW3340), and Social Policy (SW3930). The courses are taught by three different faculty, one who is the CTW Ambassador for the unit. The faculty development plan consists of three sessions: Orientation Session, Mid-semester Monitoring, and the End Semester Reporting. All components of the faculty development plan are facilitated by the CTW Ambassador. The general focus of the plan is to provide ongoing guidance to instructors of designated courses as they develop and implement writing assignments, conduct assessments, and evaluate final course outcomes that promote the demonstration of critical thinking skills. To prepare faculty and graduate assistants to meet their responsibilities for teaching CTW courses, the following faculty development plan is being instituted. The CHHS CTW Coordinator will be invited to participate in the three sessions to gain a perspective on the unit�s progress in executing CTW courses, the needed resources, and the techniques used to execute successful outcomes. The Orientation session will occur during Maymester/Summer semester. This will allow faculty who will teach courses in the upcoming Fall and Spring semesters, giving them enough time to prepare their courses with appropriate CTW content. Orientation Session Relevance of Critical Thinking Through Writing in Social Work Practice Overview of Writing Assignments in Designated Courses SW3330 Journal Article Critiques Peer Review Critiques SW3340 Final Term Paper Submission of paper outline Preliminary review of subject analysis Final submission of paper SW3930 Political Activity Logs Weekly submission of activities during the state legislative session Legislative Brief Part I: Background of social problem Part II: Legislative Process Writing Supports for Students Course Assessments Grading Procedures Grading Grading Rubric for Social Work Writing Assignments CTW Reporting Requirements Due to the timing of the initial session, graduate assistants may not be assigned to the course by Maymester/Summer session. An abbreviated session will be held in August and/or January to orient graduate assistants on their responsibilities. Mid-semester Monitoring Session During the midpoint of each semester, a meeting will be scheduled with CTW instructors and graduate assistants to discuss problems/successes with course writing assignments, progress students are making toward the final writing assignment, and any possible course assignment revisions. Faculty will also be able to communicate by email or individual meetings when necessary. End Semester Session CTW faculty will be required to submit an end of semester report to the CTW Ambassador. The final report will list the CTW courses, learning objectives, assignment descriptions, rubric scores, grades for individual assignments as well as final courses, other learning outcome measures, or other qualitative information that informs how the CTW objectives have been met. During the end semester session, faculty and graduate assistants will provide discussion on the problem/successes of writing assignments, usefulness of writing supports provided to students, overall teaching factors that facilitate student success in the course, as well as discussion of the final report outcomes. Any elements of the course that should be changed or sustained will be discussed for subsequent integration into the course. 5/27/2008 [102] Fac Dev Plans [103] Before the semester in which we begin offering CTW courses (and before the start of each subsequent semester in which we offer these courses), I will schedule a meeting with all faculty teaching them. In the meeting, participants will discuss various strategies for integrating CTW elements into the course; different ways in which opportunities for revision of writing can be accomplished; and I will distribute the rubric used for assessment to ensure that everyone is familiar with it before they begin teaching their courses. Since these courses are not significantly different from the courses as taught previous to the implementation of the CTW program, I don't think this change will require additional meetings during each semester, but if faculty desire to meet midsemester as well, I will schedule and facilitate any additional meetings we have. During the first year, I will either meet with participating faculty after each semester's end to discuss whether any modifications are necessary to our program, or solicit feedback from them by email (to determine whether a full meeting is necessary). [104] Fac Dev Plans [105] There are two aspects to our faculty development plans. Because we are a small department, we have the same two people teach all the CTW courses, at least for now, and I am one of them. In order to ensure cooperation, I am planning to meet with Dr. Megan Sinnott throughout the summer in oder to collaboratively develop assessment procedures. We will then present these procedures to the core faculty, since they will also participate in the revisions called for through the assessment process. [89] 
Prior to the onset of the academic year, faculty and graduate students who are involved in the instruction of CTW courses will meet to discuss the American Psychological Association's (APA) learning outcome goals for undergraduates regarding critical thinking and writing, as well as the department plans to achieve these goals through our CTW courses. This will include discussion of the structure and use of our CTW assessment rubric and sample assignments for gathering baseline and progress data. We will have follow up discussions of how the CTW implementation is going during regular faculty meetings at the end of each semester; GTAs and CTW assistants will be included in these discussions.
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