Online Writing Center Pedagogy and Practice

How We Teach Writing Tutors. January 15, 2019. Edited by Karen Gabrielle Johnson and Ted Roggenbuck, WLN's first DEC compiles 18 chapters related to the education of tutors from writing center scholars and professionals. Authors represent many universities and models of writing centers including online centers, undergraduate peer centers, multiliteracy centers, speaking and writing centers, and more. Chapters present theoretical frameworks, praxis, and empirical studies related to the important work of preparing writing tutors.

When the writing lab [of the author] began providing online tutorials in spring 2010, staff chose to use a software product called ShowDocument.com that allows students to upload their drafts and then share an interactive white board with the tutor to annotate the paper being discussed while synchronously chatting. The program does not have an audio or video function, so participants type their messages. ...We learned that we could not assume that all of our students who use the online service have access to equipment that enables them to use Skype or similar programs.

This essay examines embodied listening behaviors—gestural listening—in the context of online video tutoring in university writing centers.