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

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