To begin our research, we posted a survey on the CBW listserv between October 26th, 2006 and November 10th, 2006. Our survey consisted of fourteen questions, including which institutions offer credit for basic writing courses, how students feel about this, and why the courses do or do not bear credit. Of the 26 participants who responded to our survey, the vast majority were writing instructors.
Our survey results reveal that 76.9% of the institutions of respondents do not offer credit for basic writing. Anticipating a high percentage such as this, we asked respondents to describe their students’ reactions and opinions about the credit status of basic writing within their course(s).
The following information is representative of survey answers:
- Some instructors stated that students have negative feelings about the credit status. They said that students:
- …feel that they are wasting time and money.
- …feel unhappy and unsatisfied that the class does not count toward graduation or a degree.
- …feel cheated by the institution.
- …try to get out of class.
- …feel frustrated.
- …would prefer to have credit.
- Other instructors listed neutral and positive reactions to the credit status. They said that students:
- …feel that it is realistic.
- …are thankful for the extra help.
- …recognize the need.
- …do not complain about the non-credit status of the courses.
- We then asked the participants to express their opinion and share any information they considered to be pertinent to our project. Some instructors reported negative opinions about the credit status. They submitted:
- …students do not try hard since it doesn’t count.
- … [I] think that Basic Writing Courses seem punitive.
- …[I] feel that it is high time that universities treated this course as a benefit rather than a punishment
- … [I] feel that it can certainly affect their [student] motivation.
- Other participants reported no negative feelings regarding the credit status. They wrote:
- …I think credit towards graduation would be inappropriate for developmental courses.
- …This is a difficult issue. Some students just aren’t ready for core curriculum composition (English 101 here).
