Group items tagged

This site is designed to help new attendees at the Computers and Writing Conference feel welcome. You will find materials for first-time attendees and for mentors. It has Facebook groups and pages, plus mail  discussion lists.

Chris LeCluyse - University of Texas at Austin "How can we balance training in writing center theory and practice without leaving our values at the door? Empowerment. Collaboration. Equality. More than many academic departments and services, writing centers are driven by their values. As writing center practitioners, we judge ourselves according to how we apply those values in working with writers."

M. Blake Reichenbach is a writing consultant at Bellarmine University's Writing Center. He delivers a witty monologue about the connections between working at a trendy Mexican restaurant and consulting a fellow student during a tutoring session.

M. Blake Reichenbach - "Making Tacos, Saving Grades" is a short monologue that was published in the Fall 2014 issue of the student journal Tutors.

An extensive, detailed, widely viewed YouTube video on writing a literature review, by the Assoc. Director of the Writing Center at Texas A&M University

Basic Writing e-Journal (BWe) is a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal. BWe publishes scholarship on teaching and learning in various basic writing contexts. Since basic writing programs often enroll economically disadvantaged students from diverse backgrounds, these students, their teachers, and the policies that influence their access to higher education are often the focus of this journal. Other key topics of concern to BWe readers include curriculum, instructional practice, teacher preparation, program evaluation, and student learning. Additionally, reviews of current scholarly books and textbooks appear regularly in BWe. Currently based at the City College of New York, BWe was founded in 1999 by the Council on Basic Writing (CBW) and continues to be sponsored by CBW.

conference announcements; "Building a Comprehensive English Learning Center at Del Mar College" (discusses materials, function, teacher education, advertising/promotion); "Where Does the Writing Center Fit In?" (WCs supporting WAC); mailing list

"Birthing a Writing Lab" (advice for new directors starting brand new labs); "The Writing Laboratory at William Carey College: A Tutorial Approach"; mailing list

"Unnecessary Hangups" (in praise of using machine-based self-instruction or guided self-study tools when budgets don't allow for large tutoring staffs); report from a new WC; "Three Sources for Writing Lab Tutors" (on using funding from Veteran Affairs to provide services for veterans on the G.I. Bill); "Usage Study at BYU" (on identifying effective instructional materials); mailing list

video of  Ozark Technical College tutors doing a sort of flash mob dance. 

This video promotes the Writing Center at the University of New Hampshire by describing its purpose and resources, the function of its assistants, and the process of making an appointment.

This article presents three case studies that closely examine various types of inter-actions taking place in writing center tutorials involving newly arrived pre-ma-triculated ESL writers. By learning what strategies tutors commonly use and how successfully the ESL writers negotiate their goals for the visit and the form and meaning of their text through this sample, this study aims to help identify what characterizes successful tutorials and what unique challenges English language learners might face when interacting with tutors. Results from these case studies show that it is not how many corrections tutors make or suggest for the students' papers, but how much the tutors engage their tutees in a meaningful dialogue that brings satisfaction to the ESL students. Findings also suggest that deliber-ate efforts should be made to equip ESL writers with necessary metalanguage to communicate their goals for their visit.

Looks at collaborative learning and collaborative pedagogy in the writing center and how to overcome the challenges of both.

From abstract: "This dissertation theorizes the writing center as bridge-as an institutional resource that supports second language graduate writers as they journey from outside the academy to the inside-including its strengths and limitations, both locally (for these writers at this writing center) and for the field more broadly. I offer the metaphor of the writing center as bridge, both as an alternate writing center identity and therefore as an alternate approach to tutoring, and as an approach that privileges the multiple subject positions that students hold as they use the writing center.  [...] Based on the literature, the experiences of these participants, and my own experiences as a tutor-turned-coordinator, I ultimately argue that nondirective tutoring is rooted in practice with native-English-speaking undergraduates and that this practice so dominates many writing centers' identities that it has left little room for other subject positions, including those of second language graduate writers."

"More and more ESL students are seeking writing help at U.S. college and university writing centers. This trend emphasizes the complementary role of the writing center and ESL writing instruction in improving ESL writing skills. Writing center and ESL writing pedagogy share the process and collaborative approaches, which emphasize the writing process using revision and reader feedback. Often difficult to implement in a classroom setting, these approaches can be used successfully with ESL students in the writing center. However, many writing center instructors, unfamiliar with the needs of ESL students, are often ill-equipped to work successfully with this special population. This has caused writing center faculties to turn to the ESL profession for help in establishing suitable strategies. The growing need for ESL expertise in the writing center has created a variety of capacities to which ESL instructors can contribute."

This commercial was made to promote Cedarville University's Writing Center during an event at the university called "Late Night with the Student Government Association." The commercial parodies ways in which the Writing Center can assist students with writing.

An overview of one learning commons, at Lyndon State College, and how the writing center fits in

In this video, writing center consultants at Indiana University Southeast explain how the Writing Center operates and how it can benefit all students.

This video gives a general overview of the Writing Center at Frankfurt International School mission what assignments the tutors work with, how to make an appointment with the Writing Center, and what resources the Writing Center offers.

This video is a general informational video about the Writing Center at Walden University where various members of the Writing Center talk about the online tutorial process from start to finish, including sends papers to tutors and providing feedback on papers.

This is a valiant attempt at a comprehensive listing of resources and tools that take advantage of corpora. Includes tools for teaching - many useful for English as an Additional Language students - and others that can help students with challenges such as concordances.