61^st Annual Convention of College Composition and Communication Conference, March 18, 2010, Louisville, Kentucky

Session: Bringing WAC Back, From Suspended Animation to Revitalization

Presenter’s Title: Remix: Commingling Online Tutoring with a Writing Associates Program 

Judy Arzt, Ph.D., Saint Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117, jarzt@sjc.edu; 860.231.5353

Abstract

Writing center tutors’ knowledge and communication tools have changed since the 1980s when the writing fellows’ model was implemented at Brown University. In 2006, that model was revisited in What the Writing Tutor Needs to Know (Soven). Additionally, technology’s role in reshaping WAC/WID initiatives is changing, as evidenced in a January 2009 special issue of Across the Disciplines, which indicated a growing interest in blending online tutoring and writing associate programs.* This speaker highlights results from approximately 1200 surveys, administered to faculty, students, and associates, that reveal connecting the associates program with online tutoring bolstered WAC/WID. At the presenter’s institution, the mix increased tutorial usage triple-fold. In the model, associates attend classes, read course texts, confer with faculty, present workshops, and prepare instructional resources. The associates’ knowledge of content and expectations informs their tutorials. Furthermore, online tutorials enable students to receive timely feedback to successive drafts, accelerating their progress as writers. Through Web 2.0 tools, communication between associates and instructors is fostered. As a result of varied initiatives, faculty interest in writing center workshops and resources has expanded. Overall, the powerful collaborative partnerships forged between faculty and associates have contributed significantly to the expansion of WAC initiatives.

* Information Available Online:

Arzt, Judy, Barnett, Kristine E., & Scoppetta, Jessyka. (2009, January 19). Online tutoring: A symbiotic relationship with writing across the curriculum initiatives. [Special issue on Writing Technologies and Writing Across the Curriculum] Across the Disciplines, 6. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://wac.colostate.edu/atd/technologies/arztetal.cfm

Center for Academic Excellence’s Website:

http://www.sjc.edu/academics/center_for_academic_excellence/

Writing Associate Program: http://www.sjc.edu/academics/center_for_academic_excellence/writing.html

Writing Portfolio Program: http://www.sjc.edu/academics/center_for_academic_excellence/portfolio.html

Draft of CCCC Paper: www.sjc.edu/jarzt_2010_4C.html

Prominent Characteristics of the Programs

• Associates provide about 100 hours of assistance per course over a 15-week semester.
• Associates attend classes, read class texts, and assist professors with syllabi design.
• Associates confer with faculty throughout the semester, and instructors enroll associates in course Blackboard sites as teaching assistants.
• Associates conduct in- and out-of-class workshops, prepare resources, enter into a Blackboard site a variety of resources, and contribute to the department’s website.
• Students have access to tutorials beyond associates’ office hours.
• Students receive timely feedback to successive drafts.
• The in-class presence of associates transfers to the online environment.
• Associates have flexibility to work where and when they want, increasing commitment to the program, and veteran associates who relocate remain on staff.
• Students have written transcripts of sessions and an archive of tutorials to refer to build their writing skills.
• Asynchronous sessions afford associates time to frame responses, and the reading process gains authenticity by eliminating the interruptive, conversational discourse characteristic of in-person sessions.
• A triple-fold increase in tutorials for courses and departments has occurred, with two-thirds of tutorials now conducted online.

Summary of Survey Responses

Student Response to WA Program (N=476)

• 98% recommended expansion of the program
• 96% found the associate assigned to their class to be helpful
• 96% benefited from the variety of resources offered

Faculty Response to WA Program (N=12)

• 100% rated program as successful
• 100% wanted an associate in subsequent semesters
• 100% would recommend the program to a colleague and recommended expansion of the program

Associate Response to WA Program (N=14)

• 100% rated the program as successful
• Voiced concerns about resources to expand program

Student Response to Online Tutoring (N=650)

• Most (74%) learned of program through faculty recommendation
• 98% reported high or moderate satisfaction with the program
• 94% planned to use again (note: remaining 6% reported graduating or computer glitches)