Your Students Can’t Write?: The Tutoring Center Can Help

1. Your Students Can’t Write?: The Tutoring Center Can Help Oral Roberts University Brown Bag Luncheon Workshop September 12, 2006 Barbara Wolfer and Lori Kanitz

2. What is the Tutoring Center? • History at ORU • Current role at ORU

3. Who Are the Tutors? • ORU students • Qualification criteria • Philosophy of tutoring • Tutor Training

4. What the Tutors Cannot Do • Edit • Proofread • Guarantee a good grade • Take the place of clear instructions and good assignment design

5. What Resources Are Available? • Diagnostic tests • Self-guided instructional programs, written by the English Department • Supplemental resources (handbooks, dictionaries, etc.) • Computers with printers and internet access

6. Common Writing Errors Practical Writing Tips Commas I and II Punctuation Spelling I and II Vocabulary I and II Parts of Speech Sentence Structure Sentence Combining Grammar Agreement Sentence Diagramming Research Paper Documentation Library Orientation The Paragraph Tutoring Center Programs

7. How Are Appointments Made? • Call the Tutoring Center front desk at extension 7367 • Tutoring Center hours are 8:50 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. • Walk-in students welcome • Appointments are encouraged, especially in the fall semester

8. How Can the Tutoring Center Help Me? • Stage 1: When You See a Problem Coming (Prevention) • Stage 2: When You See a Problem in the Making (Intervention) • Stage 3: When You See a Problem that Requires Fixing (Redemption) • Code Red: When a Student is a Senior (Disastervention)

9. Stage 1: Prevention • Scenario? • International student, non-native English speaker • Has failed the course before • In a demanding major • Poor study habits

10. Stage 1: Prevention • Solution? • Talk with Tutoring Center director to find tutor who would be a good fit • Require bi-weekly, one-hour appointments with the tutor • Require particular Tutoring Center programs • Communicate with tutor about student’s progress

11. Stage 1: Prevention • Solution? • Write into your syllabus standards for technical proficiency in writing • Require tutoring center hours if these standards are not met (contract model)

12. Stage 2: Intervention • Scenario? • Student turns in first draft of a paper or project, revealing significant problems writing a clear sentence

13. Stage 2: Intervention • Solution? • Require remediation work with a Tutoring Center tutor • Accept revised paper only if it has been reviewed by and revised with a tutor

14. Stage 3: Redemption • Scenario? • A student hands in a final draft of a paper that has frequent and serious grammatical errors

15. Stage 3: Redemption • Solution? • Mark the errors • Require a writing conference • Require student to complete a Tutoring Center program remediating the most frequent grammatical error (contract model) • Reward the effort (extra credit, revision for points, etc.)

16. Stage 3: Redemption • Scenario? • A student shows promise and could be accepted to a competitive program within his major but has poor writing skills

17. Stage 3: Redemption • Solution? • Allow student to stay in the program conditionally • Arrange bi-weekly appointments in Tutoring Center with a tutor • Check progress regularly to re-evaluate admittance to program

18. Code Red: Disastervention • Scenario? • One of your senior paper students turns in a draft of her senior paper at midterm of her last semester; it reveals almost insurmountable writing problems.

19. Code Red: Disastervention • Solution? • Require a writing conference with you to clarify expectations and minimum standards • Require appointments with Tutoring Center tutors to review and revise the draft • Make passing senior paper contingent upon paper meeting minimum writing standards AND upon completion of hours with a tutor