A New Wave of Writing Tutors: Redefining Roles in the Digital

Age

Bloomsburg University

Emily ArcuriJordan Flaherty

Mariah Mott

Technology in the Writing Center

Common examples• Multimodal assignments• Online synchronous tutoring• Online workshops• ePortfolios• Online conferences• Online scheduling

Technology in the Writing Center

"Writing is linked with technology, plain and simple. Technologies exist which can aid your students in improving their writing, whether you’re concerned with content or with commas."

-Texas A&M University Writing Center

Writing Centers and the Community

Community involvement Common goal of most writing centers

“Given the collaborative and reciprocal

nature of our core pedagogies…many writing centers are taking on the responsibility to develop community, either directly or in collaboration with other departments/programs on campus.”

-Salt Lake Community College

Technology and the Community

The BUWC values:• Incorporating technology into our tutoring

practices and writing center purpose• Building a strong presence in our university

community

Technology is a way to foster relationships between students, faculty, and consultants.

Technology and the Community

STUDENTS

TUTORSFACULTY

Methodology

To study how technology has redefined our center’s role, we:

• Analyzed our initial writing center structure • Integrated workshops into our center• Incorporated online synchronous tutoring • Facilitated new university ePortfolio requirement• Examined implications of the technological shift

on student, faculty, and tutor roles

Our Methodology

Developed resources to aid students, faculty, and tutors with their role shifts• Handouts• Tutorials• Workshops

Increased communication between students, faculty, and tutors

Methodology

Created surveys to collect feedback on:• Writing center’s aid in the process of shifting roles• Writing center’s resources• Communication between students, faculty, and

writing center

Examined our current role in university community

Considered future improvements

Digitally Behind BUWC was paper-based:

• Physical appointment book• No online tutoring available• Technology-related sessions were rare• Limited workshops• Lack of presence on campus• Poor communication with faculty and

students

Digitally Behind Most consultants were comfortable

with BUWC’s former practices

Technological demands led to apprehension, frustration, and confusion

Challenge: connecting every part of BUWC community

Digitally Behind

Orientations• Visited classrooms • Informed students about BUWC’s services• No implementation of technology• Passed out paper bookmarks

Initial Step Orientations lacked technological

information, so we revived our webpage• Basic videos about services• Basic podcast • Reference links• Limited amount of information

This marked the beginning, but we progressed further

Progression With the Use of Workshops

Fosters the learning process

Allows access to a wider range of students

Aids in gaining greater awareness of the writing center

Writing with Sources Workshop Initial workshop implemented by

BUWC• Little use of technology

Provides specialized sessions where students can target specific skills and work toward improving them

Focuses on prevention, rather than fixing

Issues with Initial WWS Workshops

Lack of student engagement

Content of message was overwhelming for some

Complex presentation• Limited trained and capable presenters

Little feedback

Modified Writing with Sources Workshops

Incorporated technology into workshops• Use of clickers• Anonymous participation

Increase in amount of capable presenters

Helped professors by covering information to students in a more valuable way

Modified Writing with Sources Workshops

Greater student engagement• Discussion of academic integrity

Interactive learning experience

Current generation can better relate to material conveyed through use of technology

Modified Writing with Sources Workshops

“The using of ‘clicker technology’ has been extremely beneficial because it allows the students to see where they fit among their classmates in responding to the ‘scary topic’ of citation, but they can do it anonymously." – BU Faculty Member

The replacing of synonyms and changing of words [patch writing] similar to the previous slides basically represents what I previously understood to be paraphrase. (multiple choice)• 1. Strongly Agree• 2. Agree• 3. Disagree• 4. Strongly Disagree

11.2%

36.6%38.1%

14.2%

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Results from 134 Surveyed Students

Modified Writing with Sources Workshops

Importance of data collected by “clicker technology”• At what stage in the learning process are we

reaching students?• Results of polling triggers in-class discussion

Online Tutoring Tutors had to shift roles again, disrupting

comfort they had in their current roles

Semester training for Wimba• An “academic Skype” used primarily for online

classrooms in BOLT, our course management system

Reached out to students who would find it ideal

Another effort to increase student engagement with the writing center

Online Tutoring Writer and tutor apprehension

  Created resources for tutors

Created resources for writers

Resources served as a communication tool between tutors and students

Wimba’s strengths/weaknesses

Apprehension Writers

• Conversations about how Wimba would be "dumb" • Confusion with program • Little utility

Tutors • Confusion with program • Little utility • Fear of using it incorrectly or ineffectively• Editing sessions• Communication problems with program • Resistance

   

 

 

Resources

Resources for Tutors:• Wimba Tutor Manual • Email templates • 39 tutors

Resources for Writers:• Wimba Student Handout • Wimba Writer Tutorial PowerPoint presentation• 10,000 potential students

“Wimba Hut”

“Wimba Hut”

Wimba’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: • Online medium for tutoring available is a big step• Non-traditional, disability, and distance-learning

students can access our services easily • Potential for more sessions (many in this past

summer’s sessions)

Weaknesses: • Impersonal nature to this technology • Internet complications • Tutors and writers still resistant

Survey Results Concerns Initially:

• "We would lose ‘business’ in the WC, people would try to use it as a way to 'get out' of a face to face session"

• "...There will be technological errors..."

• "Thought I'd feel awkward on a video face to face setting"

Survey Results

• "...It took away from the personal aspect of tutoring"

• "...I didn't know if enough writers would use Wimba..."

• "...I would do an insufficient job as a tutor"

Initial Feelings

Very Confident Confident Neutral Apprehensive Very Apprehensive 0

2

4

6

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10

12

0

1

4

12

6

Survey Results Total of 23 tutors participated

18 out of 23 felt "Apprehensive" or "Very Apprehensive" initially

18 of 23 also used the Wimba Tutor Manual and successfully used all of the functions in the program in tutoring sessions

15 of 23 feel "Confident" or "Neutral" currently• This is a step forward

Current Feelings

Very Confident Confident Neutral Apprehensive Very Apprehensive 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0

5

10

6

2

ePortfolio Requirement ePortfolio is a program within BOLT, our

course management system

Requirement affected university as a whole • Faculty

30 English 101 instructors• Students English 101 course requirement 43 course sections 1,000 students

• Writing Center

ePortfolio Requirement "Though the English department agreed as

a department to implement an ePortfolio requirement, only about five of thirty faculty gained even passing experience with the software prior to this semester.  Even those who are generally comfortable with technology would have foundered trying to implement the new requirement on top of their current load.“--BUWC director

Faculty Apprehension

Faculty had to adjust their roles to add this requirement to class structure• Required skills they may be unfamiliar with

Anonymously surveyed a selection of faculty

Survey Results Apprehensive about their ability to teach

the requirement effectively

My greatest concern was: • "mastering it myself, so I could teach it

competently“

• "being able to explain how to create [the ePortfolio]"

Survey Results Apprehensive about technical aspects

My greatest concern was:• “that it would be cumbersome and

technically challenging”

• “being able to use the technology“

• “getting BOLT (the platform) to work correctly-the original tutorials were awful"

Survey Results Apprehensive about how the requirement would

affect the class/students’ progress

My greatest concern was:• "devoting extra class and personal time to

mindless button-clicking“

• "it may be a little cumbersome as we sacrifice time for other important things to make room for it“

• "concern about students' ability to represent their own progress as writers"

Students’ Feelings All faculty surveyed believed their

students felt “Confident” or “Neutral” about the requirement

Students seemed to accept the ePortfolio as a class requirement• More easily than faculty• Still had to be taught how to complete it

Students’ Feelings If students have trouble:

• “I have mixed feelings still. Several students have had problems setting up the ePortfolio. And I do not know enough about it to help them, which means I have little control over a major aspect of my class.“ –a BU faculty member

Faculty need to be knowledgeable so students can complete requirement

Writing Center Involvement

Technology is new component to BU English classes• Becomes a new assignment BUWC can help with

Familiarized tutors with how to adjust their roles• Semester training on ePortfolio• Created individual ePortfolios for practice• Created internship position for assisting with tutor

training and faculty apprehension

Attempted to aid students and faculty with their role shifts

Writing Center Involvement

Increased communication between faculty, students, and tutors • Individual help to faculty • Individual help to students• Interdependence

“My impression... is that it's working well and has increased communication among faculty about what we do.” –BU faculty member

Writing Center Involvement

" Without the fine and important work of BUWC consultants, at the very least the department would have had to push back or eliminate the requirement because it would not have been feasible to implement... I think that Jordan’s  video tutorials, the workshops you’ve delivered from them, the individual help ENGLISH 101 students have been able to receive in the BUWC, and the support you have been able to offer faculty, have been essential to...a very important transformation for BU students and faculty.“

--BUWC director

Creating Resources Resources were created to help tutors

gain confidence with this new form of tutoring:• Handouts• Video tutorials

Making sure tutors were comfortable was the first step in reaching out to community

Creating Resources Resources/assistance from writing

center continued to advance so we could help faculty:• Handouts• Video tutorials• Creation of ePortfolio workshop, so faculty

would not have all of the responsibility to teach the students

Creating Resources We wanted faculty to become more

confident about their new roles

We wanted this requirement to seem less burdensome to certain faculty members

By working and communicating with them, we could provide the best services to their students

ePortfolio Workshops Help students with the new role this

requirement instilled

Assist faculty

Build BUWC presence and increase communication with students

Train tutors on these workshops before presenting

ePortfolio Workshops Results of workshops

• 50 workshops this semester• Success rate of ePortfolio submissions• Success of students using ePortfolio independently

Encouraged students in workshops to make appointments at BUWC with any questions

Presence became more than “pen & paper”

Out of all the faculty surveyed, most believed their students found workshops useful

Almost all faculty scheduled workshops, and half plan to schedule more next semester

Our Current Role Current situation:

• Increased awareness of BUWC Variety of disciplines, assignments, students

• Increased communication and support from faculty

• Lessened apprehension about technological advances

• Established comfort in new roles

Our Current Role

TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

TUTORS

FACULTY

Future

Room for Improvement• Tutor Trac and other scheduling programs

• Alternative online tutoring programs other than Wimba

• More specialized workshops with students in specific settings

Conclusion Used one of our weaknesses (being

digitally-behind) to foster community and communication

Used technology to increase communication and assist in the changing of roles

Remain confident that invention of resources can strengthen apprehension with technology

Works Cited

https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v29/29.8.pdf

http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/for-faculty/teaching-writing/course-design/technology-based-writing-instruction/