Hellenic American Union – Hellenic American UniversityThe Writing Center
Methodology and Application in a Technologically Enhanced Environment
Vassiliki KourbaniYiannis Petropoulos
Center for Applied Linguistics and Language StudiesHellenic American Union
The Writing Center at the Hellenic American Union and the Hellenic American University
• Established 2004• Extension of a traditional Writing Center regarding audience and nature
– Hellenic American Union/Hellenic American University students– General public
• Improvement of academic, professional and writing skills• English and Modern Greek• Experienced personal tutoring on site/on-line• Innovative design• Hi-tech software • Continuous updated database of material on site/on-line
Design and Rationale
• The Isles of Collaborative Learning– Sharing– Accessing– Participating– Motivating– Visualizing
• The Environment [Physical and Virtual]– Patented furniture
• Embedded screens• Octagonal shaped• Ample work surface
– Cutting-edge technology• Interactive electronic whiteboard• Collaborative software
– Conducive to learning• Group work• Individual work
Resources
• 19 work stations– Windows XP
• Fast Internet Connection– 100 Mbps
• LAN [Local Network]– Independence
• Criterion– Web-based automated scoring application
• NetOp School– Virtual classroom application
• Mimio– Interactive whiteboard
• NetMeeting– Communication tool
Learning at the Writing Center
WRC
General PublicServices
Tutoring Environment
Classroom Environment
WebCTPlatform
DistanceTutoring
OnsiteTutoring
Distance tutoring
• Instructors– complete a Referral Form and upload it to the WebCT online WRC
home page– log back in to review feedback sent by the WRC tutors
• Students– submit their work through WebCT
• Tutors – re-submit the reviewed document to students– re-submit the Referral Form to instructors confirming the virtual visit– collect data concerning frequency of visits and overall writing
performance
Onsite tutoring
• Instructors– upload the Referral Form through the WebCT platform– provide a copy to the students to be brought to the WRC– receive feedback after the completion of the onsite session through
WebCT• Students
– make an appointment through an e-mail to the WRC mailbox• Tutors
– send an e-mail to confirm the appointment
The Writing Center and WAC
• All students registered for Gen Ed courses are required to make a set number of visits/on line submissions to the WRC
• Methodology:– Instructors complete an Instructor Notification Form and upload it to the
WebCT Online WRC Home Page– Students submit work through WebCT and make an appointment in
case of an onsite visit– The WRC notifies instructors on students’ visits on assignment due date– The WRC provides feedback to instructors in connection to all student
visits at the end of the semester
The Writing Center as a classroom environment
• Monitoring– Tutor can demonstrate – monitor – interact – Individual attention– Group Collaboration
• Interaction– Multiple active communication– Text and media transfer– Immediate feedback
• Collaboration – Visualization– Sharing tutor notes and suggestions real-time– Subgroups of cooperation– Independent student cooperation
• Transfer– Knowledge effectively and quickly streamlined– Multiple inputs– Difference learning styles are met– Multiple transferring of data
Monitoring
• NetOp School© software helps instructors monitor students real-time– Instructor selects computer screen to monitor without interrupting student’s flow
of work– Instructor sends note messages with advice and tips
• Monitoring can be done– on a whole-class-basis– to selected groups– to individual students
• Note messages– are usually brief– include a tip– pinpoint errors– provide web links to external sources
Interaction
• NetOp and NetMeeting© software allow interaction between instructor and students in various forms
– Written text– Sound files– images
• Each student is able– to access immediate feedback on the progress of his work– to share his/her work with other students– to form active subgroups within the same class
• Instructors may use the Chat Feature of NetOp– to communicate with one or more students– to provide the option to students to initiate a real-time discussion with their
classmates
Collaboration-Visualization
• Mimio© software– Remains active from the beginning of each session– Allows instructor to have the complete attention of the class
• All teacher notes are projected to the central screen• All teacher notes are saved and transmitted electronically onto the students’ computers
• NetOp© software– Facilitates immediate visualization and sharing of work
• Instructor selects members in work groups and have them share texts or assignments• Instructor and students work on a document at the same time
Transfer
• Quick and effective transfer of knowledge within the environment– Instructor to students
• Texts or media files– Students to students
• Shared assignments and feedback
• Transfer of knowledge is achieved trough the combined use of– Interactive board– Power point presentation– Screen monitoring– Real-time communication– Selected dispatching of information– Publicizing students’ work as example or sample for the rest of the class
For more information
http://www.hau.edu.gr/pages/facilities_03.htm
For this presentation
http://www.hau.gr/hau/en/edu_research_publ0.html