Keywords
asynchronous, informational technology, scheduling autonomy, online conferencing, supervision, decentralization, panopticism, work place ethos
Abstract
Online conferencing, including both synchronous and asynchronous exchanges, started in the composition classroom and moved to the writing center. Writing centers, no longer limited to face-to-face encounters, have begun exploring the potential of electronic conferencing. So far, most discussions of online conferencing have focused on how conference dynamics are affected by the computer. This article explores other implications of online writing centers, specifically the effects of electronically decentralizing the center and how such a move might affect tutors and writing center directors. For directors, asynchronous conferencing promises to simplify scheduling but complicate supervision, while its potential effects on work-place ethos are more difficult to predict. The potential for information technology to preserve conference talk is explored, as are some of its darker implications, such as threats of Big Brother and panopticism. The author concludes that a writing center’s autonomy within the institution is potentially both enhanced and threatened by introducing online conferencing.
Citation Information
Type of Source: Journal Article
Author: Dave Healy
Year of Publication: 1995
Title: “From Place to Space: Perceptual and Administrative Issues in the Online Writing Center”
Publication: Computers & Composition, Volume 12
Page Range: 183-193