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

Oral Roberts UniversityBrown Bag Luncheon WorkshopSeptember 12, 2006

Barbara Wolfer and Lori Kanitz

What is the Tutoring Center?

History at ORU Current role at ORU

Who Are the Tutors?

ORU students Qualification criteria Philosophy of tutoring Tutor Training

What the Tutors Cannot Do

Edit Proofread Guarantee a good grade Take the place of clear instructions

and good assignment design

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

Tutoring Center Programs 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

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

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)

Stage 1: Prevention

Scenario? International student, non-native English

speaker Has failed the course before In a demanding major Poor study habits

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

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)

Stage 2: Intervention

Scenario? Student turns in first draft of a paper or

project, revealing significant problems writing a clear sentence

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

Stage 3: Redemption

Scenario? A student hands in a final draft of a

paper that has frequent and serious grammatical errors

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.)

Stage 3: Redemption

Scenario? A student shows promise and could be

accepted to a competitive program within his major but has poor writing skills

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

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.

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