The Faculty Senate Tuesday discussed the potential of the electronic writing portfolio to assess student writing, with most saying the program should not be eliminated, just changed.

The portfolio is meant to show writing progression over a student’s college career. Students are asked to submit revised selections each year from writing-centered or writing-intensive classes.

Students turn in a selection from each academic year, including one from a freshman English class and senior seminar.

Faculty concerns ranged from questions on the efficiency of submitting sample writing, the procedure and its comparison to the writing competency test.

Senate chair Anne Zahlan said the concerns and discussion were meant to bring the departments together.

Several senate members and faculty present questioned whether the number rating system for the writing portfolio was a fair evaluation of student writing, especially in areas of demonstrating improvement.

The portfolio began in fall 2000 and will undergo an assessment next year because the program will then be able to show records of students’ submitted writing over four years, said English professor Robin Murray, former director of the Writing Center.

Associate English professor Tim Shonk questioned the “rubric” between the portfolio and the system of how writing is taught in class.

“My worry is we’re getting assessment intruding into the classroom now,” he said.

The portfolio covers areas that were not covered by the writing competency test, said Daiva Markelis, chair of Writing Across the Curriculum Committee.

Writing evaluation is best seen in the grade students receive from instructors, said English professor John Allison.

“The most reliable assessment will be the grades they receive in writing classes and in other classes where they do writing,” Allison said. “Who will be the gurus to assess all these portfolios?”

Associate speech communication instructor Mary Hogg is the representative for the College of Arts and Humanities Council for the Assessment of Student Learning, a group involved with assessing the writing portfolio.

The portfolio might not be necessary for all students, especially those who have completed English general education courses, said senate member and accounting professor Matthew Monippallil.

“I would say about 25 percent of my students write extremely well,” he said. “There is another 20 to 25 percent of them whose writing makes me physically sick.”

The CASL and others discussed the possibility of future forums or meeting to discuss assessment or the portfolio.

Monippallil also introduced a resolution as chair of the senate’s subcommittee on the Council on University Planning and Budget.

The resolution deals with the council’s membership and will be voted on by the senate in about three weeks after the proposal is circulated with the senate’s minutes to the university community.