A Writing Intensive Course inStatistics & Operations Research

Jill R. Hardin

&

W. Scott Street, IV

Statistical Sciences and Operations Research

Virginia Commonwealth University

Motivation

Why Develop a Writing Course?

• College writing intensive requirement

• Students requested help with improving their writing styles and techniques

• Faculty were disappointed with the quality of work being submitted in upper-level classes

• Industry contacts desire graduates with communications skills

Why Focus on Writing?

Student surveys revealed– Many claim no professional writing skills– Those who do are largely self-taught– Students want help with

• Style and voice• Audience awareness• Research papers• Citing references• Conclusions• Constructing solid arguments

Why Focus on Writing?

Faculty Surveys suggested inclusion of– Social context– Technical reports– Revision– Literature review– Audience analysis

Why Focus on Writing?

Conversation with Tom York, Capital OneGroup Manager suggested problems with

– Brevity and conciseness– Structure and organization– Identifying key points– Adequate summaries– Audience analysis– E-mail form and etiquette

Why Focus on Writing: “E-mail-isms”

• Shift-phobia i have lefted a message on your answering machine

wanting to know if you wanted to get together tomorrow morring and go over the project.

• Caps-addictDR. STREET,I DIDN'T MAKE IT TO CLASS TODAY BECAUSE I APPARENTLY HAVE CAUGHT THE FLU. ATTATCHED IS QUIZ 2.

• Inappropriate/Nonprofessional E-mail Addressmsdiscobutt@-----.comlookin4alady@-----.comkillPikachu@-----.comfindmytatoo@-----.com

From the Literature

• “Situated Learning” (Tyre & von Hippel)– Students must practice writing in the major to

become good at it

• “Discourse Communities” (Swales, Lemke)– “Learning to ‘talk’ science means acting as a

part of the scientific community”– Students must learn specifically what is

expected of them in the statistics and operations research communities

Structure

What Should be the Focus?

• Statistics and operations research, with special emphasis on writing

or

• Writing, with special emphasis on writing in statistics and operations research

• We chose the latter!

Our Approach

Based on student and faculty input, we aim to focus on four general areas:– Career Writing – writing to pursue a career in statistics

and operations research– Academic Writing – writing in the academic world of

statistics and operations research– Popular Writing – writing about statistics and

operations research for the lay person– Professional Writing – writing about statistics and

operations research in business and industry

Career Writing

• Topics– Résumé

– Curriculum Vitæ

– Cover Letter

– Thank-you Letter

• Activities– Career Center staff

presentation– Peer reviews of

résumés with group discussion

• Sample Assignments:– Evaluate your strengths and

weaknesses. What specific skills do you possess?

– Given a job posting,• Tailor your résumé to fit

the job announcement.• Write a cover letter

specific to the announcement.

• Write a thank you letter giving thanks for the “interview.”

Academic Writing

• Topics– Literature Review– Journal Article– Analysis for other

fields

• Activities– Presentation by a

research librarian– Discussion with a

faculty member who reviews journal submissions

• Sample Assignments:– Literature review

• Brainstorm topics

• Locate sources for a chosen topic

• Write a summary of findings

• Present results to the class

– Outline and analyze a journal article.

Popular Writing

• Topics– Newspaper Article, Press

Release, etc.

– Community Writing

• Activities– Guest speakers to discuss

“real-life” interactions with the local/regional press

– Write a press release or newspaper article on the results of a research study

– Write for the local community

• Sample Assignment:– Given a newspaper

article which draws incorrect conclusions from a statistical study, write a letter to the editor that tactfully points out these errors. You should also clearly explain why such conclusions are incorrect.

Professional Writing

• Topics– Technical Report– Executive Summary– Memo– E-mail Etiquette

• Activities– Hear from local

executives about the importance of good communication skills.

– Converse via e-mail throughout the semester.

• Sample Assignments:– Complete a case study

that requires communicating results to someone with no technical expertise.

– Write an executive summary of a given technical report.

Implementation

VCU Writing Intensive Guidelines

• Regular Writing– Throughout entire semester– Short-term and long-term assignments

• Feedback

• Revision

• Quantity– Substantial amount of writing– Major revisions count towards quantity

• Variety

How will we meet guidelines?

• Peer feedback• Instructor feedback• Substantial revision

– Students will be allowed to revise each assignment at least once

– Some assignments will be allowed unlimited revisions before a grade is assigned (within semester time limits)

• Quantity, variety, and regularity are inherent in the course structure.

Prerequisites and Other Details

• Prerequisite is one junior-level course in either statistics or operations research and sophomore-level English composition.

• Course will be designed so that students can focus on their own interests – either in statistics or in operations research.

• Course will be team-taught by statisticians and operations researchers.

In Short…..

Our aim is to help students integrate

specific academic skills into broader

professional skills.

Course Implementation

• Communications in Statistics & Operations Research (STAT 490 / OPER 490)

• First offered in Spring 2003

• Taught by Drs. Hardin & Street

• 2 credit hours (upper-level)

Student Evaluations & Comments

• Students seemed to like the course– 75% rated the course “Very Good” or “Outstanding”

– 87.5% found the team-taught aspect beneficial

– Only 1 student rated the level of learning as “Adequate” or below.

• Comments– “This course was a lot of work, but I did learn a lot.”

– “I liked the team-taught aspect because we received two separate opinions (sometimes differing) on our work.”

– “Too much out of class work!!!”

Final Thoughts

Questions and/or Suggestions?

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the SSOR writing intensive course, please feel free to contact us.

Dr. Jill R. HardinP.O. Box 843083

828-1301, ext. 156JRHardin@VCU.edu

Dr. W. Scott Street, IVP.O. Box 843083

828-1301, ext. 138WSStreet@VCU.edu

This presentation is based on research that was funded in part by a Small Teaching

Grant that was awarded to Drs. Hardin and Street by the Center for Teaching

Excellence at Virginia Commonwealth University.

http://www.vcu.edu/cte/

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