The UCCS First-Year Rhetoric and Writing Program has won a 2022–2023 CCCC Writing Program Certificate of Excellence. The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) is a constituent organization within the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). UCCS is one of eight programs to receive this award for 2022–2023.
Established in 2004, this award honors up to 20 writing programs a year. To be eligible for this award, programs must be able to demonstrate that the program imaginatively addresses the needs and opportunities of its students, instructors, institution and locale; offer exemplary ongoing professional development for faculty of all ranks, including adjunct/contingent faculty; treat contingent faculty respectfully, humanely, and professionally; use the best current practices in the field; show that the program administrator (chair, director, coordinator, etc.) has academic credentials in writing; use effective, ongoing assessment; use effective placement procedures; create appropriate class sizes; and model diversity and/or serve diverse communities.
This year’s selection committee said, “The UCCS First-Year Rhetoric and Writing program is recognized for excellence in curriculum and assessment, its respectful, humane, and professional treatment of faculty, in its professional development opportunities for all faculty. Curriculum includes multiple options for students, including a six-credit course stretched over two semesters, a four-credit course with supplemental instruction, and a traditional three-credit course, as well as themed courses to fit students’ interests. This curriculum is also deeply informed by disciplinary knowledge and best practices in composition studies.”
“Ongoing assessment indicates positive outcomes for studies and faculty, and the program has recently implemented a Directed Self-Placement model. The First-Year Rhetoric and Writing program hires full-time faculty exclusively, maintains equitable working and learning conditions through courses capped at 19 students and 4/4 teaching loads, and compensates faculty for participation in assessment. Additional professional development include group professional development workshops, faculty-led workshops, alliances with other campus units.”
UCCS’s program will be announced as a recipient of the CCCC Writing Program Certificate of Excellence during the 2023 CCCC Awards Presentation on Friday, February 17, 2023.
For more information about the CCCC Writing Program Certificate of Excellence, including past winners, visit their website.