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

1. A New Wave of Writing Tutors: Redefining Roles in the Digital Age Bloomsburg University Emily ArcuriJordan FlahertyMariah Mott

2. Technology in the Writing Center • Common examples • Multimodal assignments • Online synchronous tutoring • Online workshops • ePortfolios • Online conferences • Online scheduling

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Technology and the Community

7. 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

8. Our Methodology • Developed resources to aid students, faculty, and tutors with their role shifts • Handouts • Tutorials • Workshops • Increased communication between students, faculty, and tutors

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

27. 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

28. “Wimba Hut”

29. “Wimba Hut”

30. 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

31. 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"

32. 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"

33. Initial Feelings

34. 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

35. Current Feelings

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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]"

40. 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"

41. 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"

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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

46. 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

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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