Keywords
Synchronous, Computer-based tutoring, Tutor training, MS Word
Abstract
Writing centers have developed best practices in order to help student writers, most popularly, nondirective tutoring pedagogies, based on the use of paper drafts. These same tutoring protocols have been extended to computer-based face-to-face sessions under the assumption that they will have similar outcomes, which subscribes to the myth of technology as a transparent tool that does not affect the writing that emerges from it. A lack of attention to computers in the writing center extends to the use of word processing programs like MS Word. This article discusses these issues in the context of a case study of one tutor in computer-based tutoring sessions in a writing center. Throughout these sessions, situations arose involving the use of the MS Word interface that affected the nature of the session itself. This case study suggests that computers, and particularly the MS Word program, need to be examined critically to consider how their use corresponds with the mission of the writing center itself. There are a number of strategies that can also help tutors use MS Word in ways that will best serve students’ individual needs.
Citation Information
Type of Source: Journal article
Author: Amber Buck
Year of Publication: 2008
Title: “The Invisible Interface: MS Word in the Writing Center”
Publication: Computers and Composition, Volume 25, Issue 4
Page Range: 396-415