Writing Based Inquiry Seminars
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

CAPP Program Application Instructions

Applications for the CAPP program are made to the CAPP Program Director. Prior to submitting the formal application, all prospective instructors are invited to contact the WBIS Director (Marguerite Helmers) or the Chair of the Department of English (Ron Rindo) for information on the application. 

Site visits with Department of English liaison faculty may be arranged to answer questions. CAPP courses are college-level courses, so we will use the same criteria to evaluate proposals from prospective instructors of these courses as we use to hire faculty to teach courses on the UW Oshkosh campus. 

Applications 

Applications to the Department of English must include the following six items:

1. Vita (including number of years of English teaching experience and professional activities and organizations)
   

2. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts indicating the receipt of an MA in English or English Education (or an explanation of why the graduate work is equivalent). Faculty seeking to teach WBIS must demonstrate recent experience in teaching writing or provide a transcript that indicates recent course work in contemporary composition theory and pedagogy. For literature courses, a background in current literary theory and criticism is necessary. The English Department may require additional coursework at the graduate level before approving an application. 
   

3. Letter of recommendation from the high school principal or supervisor.
   

4. A 2-3 page proposal for the WBIS course, following the proposal guidelines posted on the WBIS website, which discusses how the proposed course meets the WBIS criteria. The proposal must describe the intellectual questions that shape the course, since WBIS promotes discovery, or inquiry-based, learning. View a sample WBIS proposal here.
   

5. Sample syllabus for the proposed course. The syllabus should include a list of the text(s) to be used in the course, writing assignments, examinations, grading breakdown by percentage, and course objectives. Sample syllabi are available online at the WBIS website. 
   

6. Statement of teaching philosophy. The statement should be one to two pages, typed, and should outline the candidate's philosophy of teaching in the area being proposed (composition or literature). For the WBIS course, please discuss what opportunities for writing you offer the students in the writing classroom; what genres of writing and reading are studied in the class; and how you help students revise their work. For literature applicants, taking a look at the Goals for the English major may help shape the teaching philosophy statement.

Procedure

Upon receipt of the application in the Department of English, the Department Chair and Director of WBIS will review the application. At this time, additional material or information may be requested of the applicant. 

If the application is deemed complete, the chair will arrange for an on-campus interview with the applicant. This interview will normally be scheduled between August 27 and June 1 (the university academic year). The appropriate Department of English liaison will also be invited to attend the interview.

The CAPP office will notify the applicant of the department's decision following the interview.

Each year, the CAPP faculty member must supply the liaison with a current syllabus for the course. Any changes to the WBIS course, either in terms of theme or content, must be discussed with the WBIS Director in advance of changes.

Faculty who have previously been approved as CAPP adjuncts but who wish to offer new CAPP courses must submit a syllabus for the proposed course, as well as an updated vita and transcripts, with the application. 

If, for some reason, the approved instructor for a course is unable to teach the course, the course cannot be offered as a CAPP course by another instructor unless he or she has also been approved to teach that particular course within the CAPP program, following the procedure outlined above. 

Guidelines approved December 1998 . Posted to UW Oshkosh Department of English website April 2004.