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?
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ORU students
Qualification criteria
Philosophy of tutoring
Tutor Training
What the Tutors Cannot Do
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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