First-Year Writing (FYW) touches the lives of nearly every student who attends UWL. Because FYW focuses on high-impact practices and has a lower faculty-to-student ratio than other general education courses at UWL, it is a powerful space where the Habits of Mind from the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (metacognition, curiosity, creativity, responsibility, flexibility, engagement, persistence, and openness) converge. Not surprisingly then, studies show that a student’s performance in FYW, “even when compared to other courses in the major and other general education courses, is a particularly strong predictor of whether students persist in their education” (Garrett, Bridgewater, Feinstein). The Framework, created by the Council of Writing Program Administrators, The National Council of the Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project, is intended for instructors and administrators—but what about the voices of students? How do students' own perception of or resistance to the Framework measures signal their readiness for writing in the university? Professor Sara Heaser will share the results of a two-year, mixed-methods study of institutional and student-led data; Habits of Mind, Movements in Writing: First-Year Writers as Learners is tailored for anyone who considers or works alongside first-year students at UWL.
For disability accomodations, contact Stephanie Speer at SSpeer(at)uwlax.edu or 785-8577