Presentation/Proposal Title
Declassifying Writing Center Practices and Pedagogies
Type of Presentation/Proposal
Individual Presentation or Paper
Start Date
6-4-2019 11:15 AM
End Date
6-4-2019 12:15 PM
Keywords
Research, Perception, Best Practices
Description
Writing centers are often the subject of misunderstanding. Commonly, students and professors treat the writing center as a place to fix “broken” essays (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 3) rather than a place for mutually active work (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 9). This research which was completed through an online survey focuses on showing the difference between the expectations and perceptions of students and what the writing center actually does for its students. The study also gauges the writing center’s levels of diversity. This presentation will explore the possible applications of this study using results from both the current and previous year.
In order to complete this study, Marian University students will be contacted about their views on their writing center’s practices and pedagogies via email. The survey asks questions that are aimed at identifying dissonance between student perception and the actual work of the writing center. The information generated from the previous and the current research will be used to establish a better understanding between the writing center and the rest of the campus. The researchers believe this is necessary because theory has addressed that some students expect the writing center to act as a “fix-it” (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 3) for their assignments rather than a collaborative learning experience. In order to uncover if this “fix-it” attitude or other problematic outlooks exist on the Marian campus, an online survey will be designed and distributed to students. Questions involve perceptions and experiences of the writing center. The results will be statistically analyzed and compared to the results obtained last year. The findings and analysis will be presented in a panel to be presented at the East Central Writing Center Association (ECWCA) annual conference in 2019. This research can be used to assess students’ needs and satisfaction with the writing center as well as the expectations from professors when referring students to the writing center. These areas are important to assess because they determine the levels of collaboration between tutors and tutees (Lunsford, 1991, p. 3). The research possesses the potential to be implemented in other writing centers regionally and internationally by giving them a method for achieving a better understanding of the overall expectations from their universities.
Declassifying Writing Center Practices and Pedagogies
Alumni Boardroom
Writing centers are often the subject of misunderstanding. Commonly, students and professors treat the writing center as a place to fix “broken” essays (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 3) rather than a place for mutually active work (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 9). This research which was completed through an online survey focuses on showing the difference between the expectations and perceptions of students and what the writing center actually does for its students. The study also gauges the writing center’s levels of diversity. This presentation will explore the possible applications of this study using results from both the current and previous year.
In order to complete this study, Marian University students will be contacted about their views on their writing center’s practices and pedagogies via email. The survey asks questions that are aimed at identifying dissonance between student perception and the actual work of the writing center. The information generated from the previous and the current research will be used to establish a better understanding between the writing center and the rest of the campus. The researchers believe this is necessary because theory has addressed that some students expect the writing center to act as a “fix-it” (Murphy & Sherwood, 2011, p. 3) for their assignments rather than a collaborative learning experience. In order to uncover if this “fix-it” attitude or other problematic outlooks exist on the Marian campus, an online survey will be designed and distributed to students. Questions involve perceptions and experiences of the writing center. The results will be statistically analyzed and compared to the results obtained last year. The findings and analysis will be presented in a panel to be presented at the East Central Writing Center Association (ECWCA) annual conference in 2019. This research can be used to assess students’ needs and satisfaction with the writing center as well as the expectations from professors when referring students to the writing center. These areas are important to assess because they determine the levels of collaboration between tutors and tutees (Lunsford, 1991, p. 3). The research possesses the potential to be implemented in other writing centers regionally and internationally by giving them a method for achieving a better understanding of the overall expectations from their universities.
