Writing Ourselves In College Update
In Fall 2022, NOVA initiated “Writing Ourselves In” (WOI), a five-year quality enhancement plan (QEP) to improve course success in ENG-111, which is required for all students in nearly all programs at NOVA. By offering faculty and staff professional learning opportunities in three evidence-based teaching practices shown to improve outcomes associated with academic success, WOI is designed to prepare students to write in college and to increase their sense of belonging, with the ultimate goal of improving course success for all ENG-111 students.
Since WOI started in August 2022, 142 teaching, professional and administrative faculty have participated in WOI professional learning. To date, WOI has held three in-person summer institutes and one asynchronous Canvas-based institute, with another starting next February. All institutes have provided compensation to participating teaching faculty. Summer institutes have featured prominent scholars, including Asao Inoue, April Baker-Bell, MaryAnn Winkelmes and Vershawn Ashanti Young. Additional support is offered in professional learning communities (PLCs) where colleagues learn and collaborate in monthly meetings.
To ensure we are working effectively to accomplish each major goal and to prepare for the final report due at the end of our project to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission, the WOI team conducts a number of assessments. Since our project began in 2021, we have collected, analyzed and reported on several different kinds of data, including 1,529 samples of students’ writing; 1,576 students’ experiences in their classes; and 221 responses from participants at WOI institutes. Assessment data are anonymized prior to analysis, and individuals’ feedback and performance are not linked to assessment reporting.
WOI is already showing promising results. We are currently on track to meet our goal of 70% overall course success for all ENG-111 students. In Fall 2023, the average success for on-campus and NOL ENG-111 was just under 67%, an increase of 6% from our baseline measurement in Fall 2021. For ENG-111 courses taught by instructors who participated in WOI professional learning, the average was even higher — 69%, an 8% increase in just two years. In recognition of our efforts to deliver on the promise of higher education for thousands of NOVA students, WOI received the New Horizons Excellence in Education for Classroom Excellence Award in 2024.
The WOI team represents NOVA’s five comprehensive campuses and NOVA Online. This semester, the team reorganized after Indigo Eriksen took on a new role at the college. Indigo continues her excellent WOI work, serving in a different capacity that better accommodates her new role.
If you would like to get involved or have any questions, please reach out to your campus’s representative or another member of the team:
- Karen Doheney (LO), Professor of English, WOI Co-coordinator
- Amy Flessert (AN), Professor of English, WOI Co-coordinator
- Cathy Gaiser (AN), Professor of English, WOI Asynchronous Institute Lead and PLC Facilitator
- Chvonne Parker (AN), Professor of English, WOI Assessment Lead and Asynchronous Institute Facilitator
- Jo Houston (WO), Assistant Professor of English, WOI PLC Lead, PLC and Asynchronous Institute Facilitator
- Scott Buswell (AL), Assistant Professor of ESL/ENG, WOI Summer Institute Lead and PLC Facilitator
- Phil Ciarniello (MA), Assistant Professor of English, WOI PLC and Asynchronous Institute Facilitator
- Holly Abbe (LO), Assistant Professor of English, WOI PLC Facilitator
- Megan Reynolds (AN), WOI Administrative Assistant and Team Meeting Facilitator
- Kim Grewe (NOL), Instructional Designer, WOI Canvas and Online ENG-111 Liaison
- Indigo Eriksen, Director of Faculty Professional Development (Interim), WOI Liaison
- Jen Daniels, AVP Academic Affairs, WOI Senior Adviser
- Eun-Woo Chang, VP Academic Affairs
Upcoming events:
- February 2025: Asynchronous winter institute
- May 2025: In-person summer institute (May 15–16 at Pender, featuring Dr. Catherine Denial)
Submitted by:
Karen S. Doheney, LO-English, KDoheney@nvcc.edu