Council on Academic Affairs presented the second workshop in its learning goal series focused on writing and critical reading.

CAA writing-reading learning goals subcommittee presented the second installment Tim Taylor, associate chair of communication studies, led the presentation, introducing the revised learning goal.

According to the presentation, Eastern graduates write critically and evaluate varied sources by creating documents appropriate for specific audiences, purposes, genres, disciplines and professions, as well as crafting cogent and defensible applications, analyses, evaluations, and arguments about problems, ideas and issues.

According to the presentation, Eastern graduates also write critically by producing documents, which are well organized, focused and cohesive. The goals also focused on using appropriate vocabulary, mechanics, grammar diction, and sentence structure, as well as understanding questioning, analyzing, and synthesizing, complex textual, numeric and graphical sources.

The presentation reported 63 percent of seniors said they were asked to memorize facts and repeat information “very much” and “quite a bit.” 42 percent of faculty reported the majority of their exam questions required primarily recall or comprehension.

After years of reviewing electronic writing portfolio submissions, the papers were found to often be focused on either summarization or personal reflection.

According to data from the Collegiate Learning Assessment, which is the program Eastern has chosen as its assessment tool through the Voluntary System of Accountability Eastern seniors are 24 percent to 38 percent below where they should be on tasks related to critiquing or making an argument.

Results from the CAA’s faculty survey showed research papers and papers using multiple sources were the least common assignments. 28 percent of faculty also affirmed through the survey that they have never used a rubric or evaluation criteria when responding to student writing.

The workshop also took a look at the book “Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom,” written by John Bean, a professor of English at Seattle University.

The presentation used principles and practices illustrated in Bean’s text, evoking a high level of critical thinking, and helping students with big questions, teaching disciplinary ways of seeing, knowing and doing.

Bean’s general premise was broken down into eight steps, which starts with becoming familiar with the principles, and then designing courses with critical thinking objectives in mind. Once the objectives have been designed, tasks must also be designed for students to address.

Professors must develop a repertoire of ways to give critical thinking tasks to students and develop strategies to include exploratory writing, talking and reflection in courses, as well as develop strategies for teaching how the discipline uses evidence to support its claims.

Professors must also develop effective strategies for coaching students in critical thinking, and finally treating writing a process when assigning formal writing assignments.

The workshop focused on breaking the professors in attendance into small groups where they shared thoughts on what worked, what they want to try, and what other points or ideas have they incorporated into their own teaching. The professors then came back into a large group to further discuss different methods.

The next learning goals workshop will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 3 in the Arcola-Tuscola Room and will focus on speaking and listening.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.