Class Sizes for Regular, Basic, and Honors Writing Courses

Data collected from the Writing Program Administrators Listserve, 1998-1999, 2003-2007, 2010,
on 230+ institutions [Oct.. 2010]

Richard H. Haswell
Professor Emeritus
Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

How can a college administrator defend small class sizes in introductory writing courses? There are three main warrants: policy, research, practice.

Policy. For decades, the National Council of Teachers of English and the Conference on College Composition and Communication have recommended a cap of 20 students for regular composition ("ideally 15") and 15 for basic writing. See "Teaching composition: A position statement,"College English 46.6 (1984), 612-614; and "Statement of principles and standards for the postsecondary teaching of writing,"College Composition and Communication 40.3 (1989), 329-336, also available online. Possibly more persuasive to higher administrations is the fact that the US News & World Report now factors in smaller class size positively in their ratings of colleges and universities. In the category "Faculty Resources" "Class Size 1-19" accounts for 30% and "Class Size 1-50" for 10%. "Faculty Resources" accounts for 20% of the total rating. (These figures were last checked June 2007.)

Research. Trish Roberts-Miller, at the University of Texas, has a fine essay, "Class Size in College Writing Courses," that locates the problems and promises in defending small class size through research findings. She also provides a bibliography of 18 items, with some commentary. A recent piece by Sid Gilbert of the University of Guelph, with good references, argues that the interaction between personality of the teacher and class size is important. Alice Horning has an excellent review of the literature on class size and writing courses, "The Definitive Article on Class Size," in WPA Journal 31.1/2 (2007). The most extensive bibliography on class-size and the teaching of writing at the college level is in CompPile. Entering "class-size" into the Search Terms field (without the quotes but with the hyphen) will locate over 200 cites.

Practice may provide the most persuasive argument. The following list of self-reported enrollment caps in undergraduate writing courses was begun in 1998 by Greg Glau, at Arizona State University. The majority of items were submitted in January, 2004 through the Writing Program Administration listserv. Deany M. Cheramie provided some twenty more in March, 2004, and Emily Isaacs as many in June, 2004. Last update was October, 2010. Thanks to everybody. Send additions and corrections to me: rhaswell@grandecom.net.

A hyphen means a range; e.g., "12-15" means the cap is from 12 to 15 students.

A slash means two different courses; e.g., "16/20 2nd semester" means the cap in the first semester course is 16 students and the cap in the second semester is 20 students.

Institution

Regular/Honors/Advanced

Basic

Allentown College

22

15

Arizona State University

19

19

Atlanta Christian College

24

12

Bakersfield College [California]

25

28-30

Ball State University

25

18

Barry University [Florida]

23

17

Beloit University

16

Bergen County College [New Jersey]

22

22

Black Hills State University

20

Boston College

15

Boston University, College of General Studies

12-15

Brandeis University

17

10

Brigham Young University

20

Butler University [Indiana]

18

12

Caldwell College [New Jersey]

18-19

15

California State University Fresno

20 (for teaching assistants); 25 (for part-time instructors)

20 (for teaching assistants); 25 (for part-time instructors)

California State University Hayward

24

20 intermediate /15 basic

California State University Monterey Bay

22/26 second semester

22

California State University Northridge

?

19

California State University Sacramento

?

16

California State University San Bernardino

24

20

California State University Stanislaus

15

California University of Pennsylvania

30

Calvin College [Michigan}

22

Case Western Reserve University

20/17 first-year WAC seminar (being phased in)

12

Capital University [Columbus, Ohio]

20

15

Castleton State College [Vermont]

18/15 Intro to Academic Writing

Centenary College [Louisiana]

18

Chico State University

27/25 honors, ESL, TA-taught sections

Christopher Newport University

22

City Colleges of Chicago

25 day/29 night class

Clark University

16/20 2nd semester

College of DuPage [Glen Ellyn, Illinois]

25/15 honors

15 level I, 20 levels II and III

College of New Jersey

15

College of Southern Idaho

28

25

Collin County Community College [Texas]

24 (regular)/20 (computer classroom)/20 (honors)/25 (online)

12 (first year)/15 (second year)

Community College of Denver

20-22

Cornell University

17

12

Dakota State University

30

DePaul University

23

23

Dickinson College [Pennsylvania]

16

Dordt College [Sioux Center, Iowa]

23

15

Drew University [New Jersey]

14/ 15 advanced comp/WAC/WiD

12

Duke University

12

East Carolina University

25

Eastern Michigan University

25 /20 honors

Eastern Oregon University

30

20

Eastern Washington University

24

20

Eckerd College [St. Petersburg, Florida]

18

Elon University

20

15

Emerson College

17-18

Eureka College

20/15 linked

Fairfield University [Connecticut]

20

Ferris State University

23

18

Fisk University

30

Flagler College [St. Augustine, Florida]

20

Framingham State College [Massachusetts]

20

18

Gannon University [Pennsylvania]

25

Georgia Court University (New Jersey)

15-18 (both semesters of FYC)

George Mason University

19

George Washington University

15

Georgia Southern University

24

Gonzaga University

20

Hamilton College [Clinton, New York]

16

Hannibal-La Grange College

20/20 2nd semester

15

Harry S. Truman College [Chicago]

25

Harvard University

15

10

Haverford College

15

Heartland Community College

20

15

Hoffstra University

18/23 2nd semester (enrollment is sometimes over these caps)

Hunter College

22

Huston-Tillotson College

20

15

Illinois State University

23

18

Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis [IUPUI]

23/22 computer classroom

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana

25/27 research writing (sophomore year)

20

Indiana University Purdue University Ft. Wayne

22

18

Indiana University South Bend

20

Indiana University Southeast

23

20

Ithaca College

22

James Madison Harrisburg

20

Johns Hopkins University

15

10

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College [Virginia]

20 state system cap/20-27 in reality

18 state system cap/18-22 in reality

Kansas State University

22

Kean University [New Jersey]

20-22

Kettering University

20

Lake Superior State University

25

20

Le Moyne University [New York]

20

12

Lipscomb University [Tennessee]

25

25

Longwood University [Virginia]

23 (regular)/15 (honors)

Loras College [Iowa]

20

Louisiana State University

19

Loyola College in Maryland

20

Lynchberg College

22

Mainland Community College [Texas]

22

Manhattan College

18

18

Marist College [New York]

17

Marymount College [California]

20

20

Merrimack College [Massachusetts]

15

Mercer County College [New Jersey]

30

25

Mesa Community College

26/20 online

20-23

Middlesex County College

22

16-18

Millsaps College [Michigan]

16

Miami University [Ohio]

22

Missouri Western State University

25 (both semesters)

22

Monmouth University [New Jersey]

20

15

Montana State University

25

Montclair State University

19

19

Montgomery College

24

Montgomery College Germantown

25

Montgomery College Rockville

20

22

Montgomery College Takoma Park

20

Moravian College

18

8

New York Univeersity

15

Newbury College

20

Niagara University

17

Nicholls State University

32

Northern Illinois University

25

15-16

Northern Kentucky University

24

20

Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale campus)

25

25

Northwestern College [Iowa]

24

Notre Dame University

15

Nova Southeastern University

15/20 advanced

15

Occindental College

15/20 2nd semester

15

Ocean County College [New Jersey]

22/24 Writing about Literature

19-20

Ohio State University

28

15

Ohio University

20

Oklahoma State University

25

15

Old Dominion University

19/19 second semester

15

Orange Coast Community College

32 [with bonus for teachers who accept 34-36]

Parkland College [Champaign, Illinois]

24/22 English 102

15/18 [intermediate basic]

Passaic County College [New Jersey]

25

22

Portland State University

25

Princeton University

12

Purdue University West Lafayette

20/25 accelerated

15 ESL

Ramapo College [New Jersey]

25

25

Raritan Valley Community College [New Jersey]

23

17

Rivier College [New Hampshire]

18

Rockford College [Illinois]

20 [for both courses in the sequence]

Rowan University [New Jersey]

22

18-20

Sacred Heart University

20

Saint Edward's University [Texas]

22

20

Salem County College

20-25

20

Salt Lake Community College

25

San Juan College

20

15

Seton Hall

15-18

15

Shawnee State University

20

20

Skidmore College

15

South Texas College

24 (both semesters)

Southern Connecticut State University

20

12

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

21fall/20 spring

Spelman University

20

St. Cloud State University

25

St. Louis Community College at Meramec

25

18 basic/22 intermediate basic

Stanford University

15

State University of New York Binghamton

16/25 other composition courses

State University of New York Morrisville

35

State University of New York Stony Brook

25

15

Suffolk University [Boston]

25

Syracuse University

20

Tarleton State University

25

Taylor University [Indiana]

24

18

Tennessee Tech University

25

15

Tennessee A&M University College Station

25

Texas A&M University Commerce

25

22

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

25

18

Texas A&M University West Texas

17-22

15

Texas Christian University

20

Texas State University San Marcos

21/22 second semester

Texas Tech University

40 with online response readers

Texas Wesleyan University

20

Tuskeegee University [Alabama]

30

30

Truman College in Chicago

25

University of Alabama

24

15

University of Alberta

40 (literature and writing)/32 for new TAs

University of Arizona

25

University of British Columbia

35 (regular)/35 (technical writing and advanced composition)

University of California Berkeley

17 (14 for intensive 6-hour-a-week course)

University of California Davis

25

University of California Irvine

23

23/15 ESL

University of California Los Angeles

20

20

University of California Riverside

23

21/16 ESL

University of California San Diego, Muir College

15

University of California San Diego, Warren College

14

University of California Santa Barbara

25

18 EOP

University of California Santa Cruz

25

22

University of Central Florida, Orlando

27/20 honors

University of Cincinnati, Center for Access and Transition

15

University of Colorado at Boulder

18

University of Colorado at Denver

24/24 Comp II

University of Connecticut

20

10

University of Dayton

25

University of Delaware

22

University of Georgia

22/15 honors

15 ESL/15 online ESL

University of Hawaii

20

University of Houston--Clear Lake

25

University of Idaho

25

University of Illinois

22

16

University of Kansas

22

University of Louisville

26

University of Louisiana-Lafayette

27 (Katrina factor)

25

University of Maine-Farmington

16

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

25/15 honors

University of Massachusetts (Amherst)

24

20

University of Miami [Florida]

23/20 honors

20 tutorial/ 12 pre-FYC

University of Michigan Flint

24

16

University of Minnesota

22/26

18

University of Mississippi

23

University of Missouri

20

University of Montana Western

17 (stretch classes)

University of Nebraska at Omaha

18 comp I / 20 comp II

University of Nevada

22

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

19

19

University of Oklahoma

19/17-20 technical writing

15

University of Rhode Island

22

University of Rio Grande

22

University of Rio Grande

22

University of San Francisco

20/15 honors seminar

18

University of Southern Indiana

25/25 honors

25

University of Toledo

23

18

University of Virginia

18

15

University of Washington

22

18

University of Wisconsin--River Falls

25

17

University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point

23

University of Wisconsin--Superior

21 (both semesters)

18

Utah State University

23

15

Ventura Community College [California]

27

27

Wayne State University

24

22

Walsh University (Ohio)

20 (regular and Honors)

15 (10 with peer tutoring for high at-risk students)

Washington State University

26

20 (15 in ESL classes)

Webster University

15

Wellesley College

15

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

25

20/15

West Virginia University

22

12

Western Illinois University

22

Western State College

24

Whatcom Community College [Washington state]

25/24 computer classroom

25

Wheaton College [Norton, Massachusetts]

16

Whitworth College

20

Valencia Community College [Orlando, FL]

25

Xavier University of Louisiana

25

Yale University

16

Yeshiva University

17

Youngstown State University

25

February 2004/Last updated October 2010