9/25 - Meeting w/ Prof Brodsky

Prose

KSAS first-years must take Reintroduction to Writing sometime during their first year
- ⅓ of the courses are offered during the Fall
- The rest are offered during the Spring
- This allows (?)
- Since limited faculty, limited amount of courses
Transfer students used to have to do this as well
- Starting this summer (S26), however, transfer students may get credit for having taken something similar
For non-first-years, Reintroduction to Writing is available only in the fall starting this year (FA26)
- This simplifies things
- Likely the best options for everyone
  - Once you transfer, since you have fewer years and a bunch of requirements, you may consider the advice or reasoning to "do Reintroduction to Writing a later semester"
  - This can end up having Reintroduction to Writing pushed to Senior year
  - Many kinds of transfers: other secondary institutions, Peabody, or you could have had medical leave
- Pedagogically better, as well
  - First-year students will be with first-years
  - Sophomores and above will be together
Currently, if you have received a C+ or lower on a Reintroduction to Writing course, you can retake Reintroduction to Writing for a better grade
Some people take time off from school and come back
- Some professors like teaching Reintroduction to Writing classes for this reason
  - Someone with an AA degree and someone who is new bring different perspectives/experiences
  - Faculty like this, as it ensures that Reintroduction to Writing does not feel remedial
  - First-years can also have their separate focus simultaneously
Current scheduling ensures that Sophomores and above have a Reintroduction to Writing class at every time on Wednesdays with classes starting at 9AM through 6PM
- This way, there must be a time in the Fall Semester when such students can take a class
- For this reason exactly is Reintroduction to Writing offered in the Fall only for Sophomore+
- If we instead offered it in the Spring, we have now ay of knowing if the times will work for the people who really need it
  - Imagine someone who defers Reintroduction to Writing to Spring, but times don't line up in their schedule
To get credit for Reintroduction to Writing from other institutions after transferring
- KSAS: Credit Request (goes to Brosky)
  - Reintroduction to Writing in KSAS does not count for Foundational Ability 1 (FA1)
    - Reintroduction to Writing is part of the first-year foundation
    - For each FA, a student needs 15 credits
    - This is because first-year foundation is its own thing, and we want 18 credits of experience in writing
    - It would be confusing to students if we said 18 credits specifically for FA1
      - We then also have to explain what FYS fulfills
  - Students who fill out the KSAS credit request
    - Submit the syllabus through the form (goes to Brodsky)
    - They receive a form in return, filled out by Brodsky; determines whether it gets FA1 credit, Reintroduction to Writing credit, etc.
    - Some people have taken some classes in the summer or took dual enrollment in high school, perhaps even studied abroad
  - The specifications for Reintroduction to Writing transfer credit is on the Reintroduction to Writing page for KSAS: these are learning outcomes and shared practices
    - The shared practices are more criteria compared to FA1
    - Syllabi submitted by transfers may be vague, sometimes students must ask professor for day-by-day schedule so Brodsky can make an effective decision
  - These requirements are part of the shift Hopkins is still in the process of making
    - The Committee of Undergraduate Education 2 (CUE2) is the first overhaul of Hopkins' undergraduate education in 70 years
    - Before CUE2, writing-intensive was any class with 20 pages of assigned polish prose
    - Writing classes were writing-intensive; any class with an assigned paper counted,
    - Now a professor much actually teach writing in the class, instead of just assigning writing
    - For faculty/Brodsky, this is one way to help address equity
    - Even before AI, people could buy papers; if you did not go to a particular high school or did IB, where are you supposed to start?
    - For this reason, teaching writing is an important part of professors' job in undergraduate education
  - Syllabi can have many different phrasings of what they cover
    - Talking about a book
      - Is a literature class
      - Could also be a specifically writing class
    - Anecdotally, one professor wrote a beautifully long email about how each day was structured
- WSE: Credit Request (goes to Reiser)
FAs across schools: KSAS vs WSE
- Full FAs for KSAS started 2 years ago (i.e., 2024) and for WSE 1 year ago (i.e., 2025)
  - WSE has a very simple/elegant set of FAs listed; if something is an FA for KSAS, it is also an FA for WSE
- Interesting how people have thought about switching which of their majors is primary
  - Could be a financial decision
  - Part of the interesting thing is that our campus has a pre-professional school (WSE) and an arts and sciences school (KSAS)
  - (liberal arts)
  - There are separate goals the schools have
    - WSE has to fulfill ABED
    - KSAS has corollaries
      - Strong liberal arts colleges or universities which have a school of arts and sciences
      - Even if you are in STEM (as premeds will tell you) you are in an environment to learn
        speak with others
        explain to patients vs. attending physicians
      - You of course need to know chemistry, but you are also looking for the holistic approach
      - Especially if you don't know what you will be doing with your life
        If everything in your life is set at 18, this might be a little sad.
    - Ex: Engineering is just engineering at other schools + accreditations
  - While we have a shared curriculum, the meaning of those is different based on the school
    - Many good things are happening at WSE (I copy them whenever possible)
    - They want to raise good humans
      - "citizens of the world"
    - Must also fulfill engineering requirements
    - It should be the case that WSE students have taken some philosophy
    - Note: our system is completely different from that of Europe
      - They sort of "show up" and become doctors
    - There is something about our approach which, prior to the current presidential administration, produced incredible research
    - We do good work, and we shall again
Legibility
- We know the legibility of the FAs is a real challenge
  - This is becoming less so the case every year
  - There are fewer students who remember how simple it was
- One reason for current implementation is that many liberal arts schools have this; we didn't invent this
  - One plus currently is that we require more writing than our peer institutions
Credit Approval Timeline
- I aim for 2 weeks
- This summer, I had them all done a few weeks before the time transfer students register for classes (mid-July)
- There are a few students I remember the names of and I lost track of them (I apologized to them)
- Certainly a big deal for individuals who are new transfers, as they must do it in the Fall (only time it's offered)
- For any who haven't heard back, tell them to email me
- KSAS has a transfer-specific academic advisor, Dwayne
- WSE has a completely different system… in KSAS, AP, IB, etc., are done elsewhere

Raw

For students transferring into the Spring semester…
Let me make sure I have the transfer process right…
In transferring credits, to "meet the criteria," does this simply mean have similar objectives as FA1's as listed: https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/ksas-wse/undergraduate-policies/academic-policies/requirements-bachelors-degree/#FA1_Writing_and_Communication
Credit approval time
Orientation time
Orientatino office?

Krieger first-year must take it sometime first year, ⅓ during fall, rest during the spring; unbalanced alows foys (fall only) (faculty limit); for transfer students, used (some transfers took something similar and get reintro credit), starting this summer, new summer

reintro for sophmores and above is only in the fall (new this year); simplifies things, likely best for everyone, once you transfer, you ahve fewer years and a bunch of requirements, someone might say do reintro next time, and the n it can end up going to senior year, pedagogically better to do first-year; different sections for first-year and for sophmore above

could be transfers from other schools, peabody, medical leave, if you get a c+ or lower you can retake later for a better grade

also have people who took time off, and came back; some professors teach classes for this reasons (can imagine aa degree versus new); faculty theorize this is good for students, so they don't feel remedial, and having the first-years can be focused on while others do not feel remedial needs

Ensured Sophomore+ has a reintro at any time on wednesday from 9-6pm (starting at 6pm class)

hence in the fall there ust be a time which is free

this is why it's only in the fall for sophmore +

if we instead offer some in the spring, we have no way of knowing if the times will work for the person who really need it; imagine someone who sdefers to Spring, but the times don't line up

KSAS: Credit Request

WSE credit request goes to Reiser, not Brodsky

for Krieger, look for fa1 or rewriting

in krieger writing does dnot count for fa1, can explain:

reintro is partr of the first-year foundation; then, for all fas, you need 15 credits; 15 credits of fa1, 15 of fa2, etc
this isb ecause first-year foundation is it's wn thing, and we want 18 credits of experience in writing
it would be confusing ifw e said 18 specifically for fa1
we also have to explain what fys fulfills
when people are transferring from another school, they fill this out
submit the syllabus to be considered
they get this form (showing me) back; does it get fa1 credit? does it get reintro credit?
some people they took class in the summer or dual enrollment in high school, or study abroad
reintro specification is on the rintro page: learning outcomes and shared practices
- the shared practices make it slightly different to fa1 (more criteria)
- the criteria are indeed learning objectives (and shared practice)
- syllabus can be vague, sometimes ask pstudent to ask professor of day-by-day schedule so brodsky can see; one shift the university is still making (before our time) up until CUE2 (comittee undergraduate education 2); overhaul of undergraduate education in 70 years
- before cue2 came to pass, what counted as a writingintensive class was 20 pages of polished prose; writing classes that counted as writing-intensive; hence any class with an assigned paper counted; now you must teach writing in the class, not just assign it (easy to imagine why this is important)
- for people, such as myself, this is a big equity issue: we already had papers you could buy, now we have AI, but also if you have a particular high-school or did IB, but if not, where are you supposed to start?
- hence teaching is important to our jobs in undergrad
- coming back to the syllabus, if it just says
- just talking about a book is a literature class, but could also be a specifically writing class
- one professor wrote a beautifully long email about how each day was structured
full fas for ksas started 2 years ago, wse 1 year ago
wse is elegant; if it's for ksas, it's also fa for whiting

ksas vs. whiting: interesting how people have thought about switchign which of their majors is primary (could be financial); and part of it which is interesting about our campus is we have a pre-professional schoool and arts & sciences (i.e., liberal arts); the goals of those two different schools, wse has to fulfill abed; krieger has corollaries (for example engineering is just engiiering at other schoolsa nd accrediations) but for krieger these are strong liberal arts colleges or a university which a school of arts and sciences; even if you are in stem, (as premeds will tell you) you are in an environment to learn hot ot speak with others, explain to patients versus attending physician; yes you need chemistry, but you are looking for the holistic approach; especially if you don't know what you will what be doing with your life. if everythign in you life is set at 18, you would feel a little sad. those different purposes, we have a shared curriculum, though the meaning of those is different based on the school, so many good things happening at whiting, i copy them whenever they can; they also ant to raise good humans ("citizens of the world") but they must also fulfill that engineering; it should be the case that wse students have taken some philosophy… thiotally different from europe; they show up and become doctors.. something about our approach which (prior to our current presidential administration) producsed incredible research; beingcoming physicial,s research sciences, we do goood work, and we shall again

we know the legibility of the FFAs is a real challenge; though this is less of a challenge each year, as there are less students who remember how simple it was; but a reason is that many liberal arts have this, we didn't invent this, we are adding this; one thing which is good now is we require more writing than our preers
many of our factulty are still learning to teach it (i think)

Credit approval:

I am for 2 weeks, and it's possible that during the summer (well not this summer, i had them all done a few weeks before the time when they register for classes, mid july)
there are a few students for which I remember the name and have lost track (i apologized to them)
certainly a big deal for individuals who are new transfers since they must do it in fall (only offered then)
for any who haven't heard back, tell them to email me
krieger has transfer-specific academic advisor (dwayne)
obviously for whiting this form will go to reiser
*reading wse* this is totally different; ah because it's all methods
in krieger, ap, etc, done elsewhere
- example: english major at previous institution
  - Hopkins: says they grant credit (3 credits, perhaps)
  - then the classes go to the English department
  - the department of undergraduate studies is supposed to look at these syllabi and determine how these line up with our major
  - DUS change often every 3 years, so once you figure out how to do this, your term is over
  - it's easier now since I've been doing it for longer (since 2021), you dread it since you know stakes are high but you don't know what they are; you can't see entire studen tportfolio, you want to do right by the student, have them graduate on time, but i don't know how likely or unlikely that is, but i owe it to them to give thema hopkins major