ConsultantHandbook

Fall2015

WritingCenter•UniversityofPittsburgh

TableofContents

YourResponsibilitiesasaConsultant...........................................................................................................1

WorkshopTutorial..................................................................................................................................................7

CompositionTutorial.............................................................................................................................................8

UsingthePhysicalSpace,Equipment,andBooks...................................................................................10

ThePeerTutoringProgram................................................................................................................................11

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UnderstandingYourResponsibilitiesasaConsultantPleaseaccessourtutorpagesonthewebsiteformeetingannouncementsandresourcesforconsultants.Gotowritingcenter.pitt.eduandclickonthe“InformationforTutors”linkinthefooterofanypage.Ifyouarenewtotutoring,wecangiveyouacopyoftheBedfordGuideforWritingTutors.Thislittlebookisnotperfect,butitwillgiveyouagoodintroductiontowhatitmeanstobeaneffectiveandethicaltutor.AskSandyorJeanforacopy.WhatToDoAsPartofYourDay-to-DayConsulting.ConsultantsintheWritingCenterworkwithstudentsfortenhoursaweek.Mostofthisworkconsistsofone-on-oneconsultationswithstudentwriters;forfacultyconsultants,itusuallyincludesseveralhoursofworkwithCompositionTutorial(CT)andWorkshopTutorial(WT)students.Onoccasion,youmayneedtoprepareforappointments(readalongpaper,forexample).Logthistimeintheonlinescheduleraspreparation;itispartofyourten-hourcommitment.Inadditiontoworkingwithstudents,consultantsattendmeetings,consultwithWCandotherfaculty,andengageinprofessionaldevelopmentactivities.Bothnewandexperiencedconsultantsmaybeaskedtoparticipateinorientationsessionsatthebeginningoffallterm.Sometimesconsultantsareaskedtoundertakespecialprojectsorperformadministrativedutiesaspartoftheirwork.LimitsofHelp.Althoughyourjobis,ofcourse,tohelpstudentswiththeirwriting,therearereasonablelimitsastothekindandamountofhelpyoucanprovide.Youarenotexpected,forinstance,tobefamiliarwiththespecificrequirementsofindividualinstructors,courses,ordepartments.Suchinformation,ifpertinent,isnormallyprovidedbythestudent.Youarenotexpectedto—norshouldyou—actasaproofreader.Ifastudentseemstowantthissortofhelp,youcanrecommendthatheorshepayaneditor.Eachterm,namesandphonenumbersofthosewillingtoeditforpayarecollected,andthislistiskeptatthefrontdesk.Inaddition,wehaveasheetavailableatthefrontdeskthatexplainswhywecannoteditworkforstudents.Whilewedonotexpectyoutoeditpapers,wealsoaskthatyounotsummarilydismissstudentswhocomeinandaskforediting.Mostofthetime,whenaconsultantexplainshowwework,thestudentisveryhappytohaveasessionwithyou.

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Pleaserefrainfromanyevaluationofastudent'sworkintermsofagrade,evenapass/failgrade.Thoughsomestudentsmightlikeyouto,youshouldalsorefrainfrommakingjudgmentsabouttheappropriatenessofassignmentsand/orteachers'remarksonpapers.Ifyoucomeacrossasituationthattroublesyou(e.g.,ahighlyproblematicassignmentorcomment),youcanalwaysreferittothedirectoroftheWritingCenter.Ourfilesareconfidential.WedonotmakewrittenreportstoteachersotherthanteachersofWTstudents.IfaCTstudentisstruggling,youmaycommunicatewiththeSCteacherinthesamewaywedowithWCteachers.Wedonotsignpapersforstudentstoprovethattheyhavevisitedus.Sandycangivethestudentasheetexplainingthis.HoursofOperation.Weworkwithstudentsbyappointmentaswellasonadrop-inbasis.Ourhoursarepublishedinourflyereachterm.Meetings.StaffmeetingswillbeheldonWednesdaysfrom9:30–11:00.Whilewedon'thaveastaffmeetingeveryweek,thosethatwedohavearemandatoryforallconsultants(includingpeerinternsandtutors).Theyareconsideredpartofyourcontractualobligation.Ifyouhaveclassat11:00,thenitisfinetoleavethemeeting10to15minutesearly.Forfaculty,wehavesofarsuccessfullyarguedtokeepthecontacthoursat10perweekbysayingthatconsultantsalsoattendmeetingsandengageinsomeprofessionaldevelopmentregularly.Peertutorsarerequiredtoattendandcanalsocountthemeetingtimetowardtheirhoursontheirtimesheets.Lockingup.ConsultantsworkingintheeveningmayberesponsibleforlockinguptheCenter.TurnoffthelightsandmakesurethattheWritingCenter’sdooristightlyclosed.Sandywillinstructyouinsettingthealarmsystem.Summerhours.DuringSummerTerm,theWritingCenteroperatesonareducedscheduleandwithasignificantlysmallernumberofconsultants,usuallythreegraduatestudentsonly.Wedon’thirepart-timefacultyinthesummer.Wedon'thavestaffmeetingsduringthesummer.Wemay,instead,askconsultantstohelpuswithspecialprojects.Hillman.DuringFallandSpringTerms,theWritingCenteralsostaffsasatellitesiteatHillmanLibrary(groundfloor:enterthelibraryandgobackandtotheleft).Afewconsultantswillbeassignedhoursattheselocations,andtheywillmeetwithstudentswhohavemadeappointments.WekeepaboxofsuppliesatthefrontdeskonthegroundfloorofHillman.LetSandyFosterknowifyouneedanythingatHillman.Ifyouneedneworadditionalbooks,signholders,orotherofficesupplies,letJeanknow.SafetyIssues.Whilewehaven’thadsignificantproblemswithsecurity,wetrytomakesurethatyouwillalwaysbeondutywithanotherconsultantorawork-studystudent.Thephonenumberforcampuspoliceispostedonthefrontdesk;don’thesitatetouseitifyoufeelunsafe.Ifaninteractionwithastudentunsettlesyouforanyreason,speaktothedirectoroftheWritingCenter

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immediately.SettingUpYourSchedule.WhenyouareassignedtoworkintheWritingCenter,youwillbeaskedtofilloutaformindicatingtwentyhoursperweekwhenyouareavailabletoworkattheCenter.Fromthese,youwillbeassignedaten-hourschedulethatcombinesone-on-oneconsultantworkandregularappointmentswithCTandWTstudents.Sandywillsetuptheonlineschedulerwithyourhours,whichwillbethesameeveryweek.YouareresponsiblefortellingSandyaboutanychangesthatneedtobemadetothescheduler,forexample,astudentwithastandingappointmentstopscomingorifyouravailabilitytostudentschangesforanyotherreason.IfyoumustleavetheWritingCenterforafewminutes,letthepersonatthefrontdeskknowwhereyouare.Weexpectyoutokeepyourhours,toshowupontime,andtofinishappointmentsontime.Alotofpeopleareinconveniencedifyoudon't.RecordKeepingandWCOnline.StudentsfilloutanonlineformeachtimetheyvisittheWritingCenter.SandywillhelpyouregisterforWCOnlineandshowyouhowtocheckyourschedulesothatyoucanseewhatstudentsexpecttoworkon.Besuretoleavetimeattheendofthetutorial(usuallyfiveminutes)forbothyouandthestudenttocompletethenecessaryforms.Thestudentwillhaveanevaluationtocompleteandyouwillcompleteabriefonlinereportforthesession.Completeyourreportonthedayyoumeetwiththestudent,preferablyimmediatelyafterward.Note:Youmustcompleteallyourformsforsessionseachweek.Sandykeepsthedatafromyourstudents’evaluationformsandcangiveyouasummaryforawholeterm(percentagesandcomments)ifyouwantitforyourteachingportfolio.Pleasegiveherseveraldays'notice.Contactinformation.Everyterm,wewillaskyoutofillouta3x5"cardwithyourcontactinformation.Ifyourcontactinformationchangesinanywayovertheterm,pleasegetyourcardfromSandyandupdateit.Ifyouareanundergraduate,makesurewehaveyourpermanentaddressaswellasyourlocaladdress.Expertise:WCOnlineallowsyoutoshareyourareasofexpertisewithstudents.Wearealwaysgratefulwhenconsultantsarewillingtomakethemselvesexpertsinareasforwhichwehavedemand.Sandycanusuallytellyouwhatkindsofexpertisestudentsarelookingfor.Wehaveagrowinglibraryofresources,andwearealwayshappytoaddtoit.JustgiveJeanatitle,andshewillorderit.TelephoneTutorials.Occasionally,studentswillbeoutofPittsburghorotherwiseunabletocometotheWritingCenter.Wecanarrangeatelephonetutorial:thestudentcanshareadocumentwithyouviaGoogleDrivesothatyoucanbothlookatthedocumentatthesametime.

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Officialcommunicationwithteachersandothers.PleasecarefullyproofreadeverythingyousendoutaspartofyourWritingCenterwork,whetheritisane-mailmessage,ahand-writtennote,oramoreformaldocument.Wesometimeshearfromteacherswhohavereceivedcorrespondencefromconsultantswithsentence-levelerrorsinit.ItisanannoyingfactoflifethatpeoplejudgeteachersinanEnglishdepartmentmoreharshlyforallowingsucherrorstopersistintheirwritingandthatEnglishdepartmentsholdWritingCenterfacultytoanevenhigherstandard.Pleasedowhatyoucantoensurethatwedon'tgetcallsfromfacultywhosay,forexample,"I'mconcernedaboutthecommasplicesinmyCTstudents'writing,andIjustfoundtwocommasplicesinanotefromaCTconsultant."Students'privacy.Becarefulwithstudents’privateinformation.Ifyouwanttothrowawayadocumentthatincludesastudent’spersonalinformation,shredthedocument.Ifyouleaveanoteinateacher’smailboxinwhichyoudiscussastudent’sworkorgrade,useacampusenvelope.DonotdiscussstudentswithothersoutsidetheWritingCenter,anddon’tdiscussstudentswithotherstaffmembersinpublicareaswhereyoumaybeoverheard.Handlingcomplaints.Ifastudentorafacultymembercomplainstothedirectororassociatedirectoraboutaconsultant,ourfirststepisgenerallytoaskthatpersontotalkwiththeconsultantdirectlytotrytoresolvewhatevermisunderstandingsorproblemshavecomeup.Whenthishappens,pleasedealwiththeseissuesinawaythatisprofessionalandnotdefensive.Realizehowdifficultitisforastudenttoraiseaconcernwithaconsultant.Absenceandmakinguptime.Facultyconsultantsandpeerinternsmaymissupto5hoursofconsultingtimeatermwithoutmakingthattimeup.Ifareligiousholidayfallsonadaywhenaconsultantwouldnormallywork,thattimemayalsobemissedwithouthavingtomakeitup.Allothertimemustbemadeup,ascloseaspossibletothetimewhenitwasmissed.MakesurethatyourCTandWTstudentsgetthetimetheyareentitledto.Sandycanhelpyoudeterminehowmuchtimeyouhavemissedandmadeup.Yourmakeuptimeneedstobeaddedtotheonlineschedulersothatyoucanactuallygetappointmentsduringthistime.Note:Sincepeertutorsarepaidbythehourfortimetheyactuallywork,theyarenotrequiredtomakeuphours,thoughtheyarewelcometo.TheWriters’Caféandoutreacheventsareacceptablewaystomakeuptimeyouhavealreadymissed.IfyouknowthatyouaregoingtomisssomeofyourhoursattheWritingCenterinadvance(foraconference,forexample),trytotradehourswithanotherconsultant;ifthisisn’tpossible,youcanasksomeonewhohasworkedhereinthelastyeartocoveryourhours.Ifneitheroptionispossible,makesureyoucancelallyourappointmentswithSandy.Inaddition,pleaseletthedirectorknow,inwriting,assoonaspossible.Incaseofillnessorfamilyemergency,calltheWritingCenterdesk(412-624-6556)andletusknowthatyouwon’tbecomingin.IfyouhavenotmissedanytimeandyoufacilitateaWriters’Café,InternationalCafé,oroutreachevent,youmaytakeyourselfoutoftheschedulefor2hourstocompensateforthetime.Tellthe

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directorandreceptionistwhatyouaredoing,anddoitaheadoftimesothatwedon’thavetocancelallyourappointments.ProfessionalDevelopmentandService.WedonotexpectthattheconsultantswhoworkattheWC—faculty,gradstudents,orpeertutors—willbeexpertsinissuesofusage,conventions,process,andsoonwhentheyarrive.Wedo,however,expectthattheywillbecomeexpertswhiletheyworkhere—thattheywillusetheirtimetolearnmore,sothattheycananswerquestions,identifyproblemsandstrengthsinthetextstheysee,andsoon.Professionaldevelopmentispartofthejob.Youmightidentifyacoupleofissuestoworkonforyourselfeachterm.Youmaywishtobeginwiththethingsthatyoufeeluneasyabout(howexactlyapersonidentifiespassivevoice,forexample).Ifyoudon'tknowhowtoansweraquestion,it'sbettertolookitupwithastudentthantomakeupanansweryou'renotsureabout.ServiceisimportanttotheWritingCenter.Inourevaluationsofconsultantsandpeertutors,weprivilegethosewhocontributetotheCenterbyadvancingourknowledge;contributingtothenationalconversationaboutwritingcenters;supportingtheworkofothers;ordevelopingoradvancingourprograms,practices,reputation,orconnectionswithstudentsorotherareasoftheUniversity.Itwouldbehelpfulif,attheendoftheyear,youwroteupabriefself-evaluationforthedirectorsinwhichyoudescribeyourcontributionstotheWritingCenter,theprofessionalgoalsyou’veachieved,andyourfutureplansforyourworkintheWritingCenter.Ifyoufeelyourcontributionhasbeenunrecognized,theself-evaluationisachancetorectifythisandwillalsohelpyouclarifyyourworkintheWritingCenterforfuturejobapplicationsandyourteachingportfolio.WritingCenterBlog:Thepeertutorsandinternspostinourblog.Facultyconsultantsarewelcometopost,comment,orjustread.SeeourfacultywebpagesfortheURLandaskGeetaforaccessinformation,sinceitisaprivateblog.ResourcesforWritingCenterconsultants.Inthebookcasenearthekitchenettearea,wekeepmanyresourcesforconsultants(includingESLmaterialsandstylehandbooks).Youarewelcometousethesematerials,butpleasemakesurethatyoureturnthemsothatotherscanusethemaswell.BookswithredstickersmustremainintheWritingCenter.Thosewithgreenstickersmaybecheckedoutfortwoweeks:putthedateandyournameonthecardinthepocketatthebackofthebook,thenputthecardinthecardbox.Therearetwomainperiodicalsinthefield:theWritingLabNewsletterandTheWritingCenterJournal.Wehaveissuesofbothinourlibrary.OutsideTutoringandEditingJobs.TheWritingCenterprovidesalistofeditorsandtutorstoanyonewhorequestsit.IfyouhaveastudentwhoneedsservicestheCenterdoesn’toffer(i.e.,editingadissertation)youcangivethestudentthislist.Ifastudentyou’reworkingwithintheWritingCenterasksthatyoudoadditionaleditingortutoringworkforpay,referthatstudenttothelist.Inordertoavoidanymisunderstandingsoraconflictofinterest,itisprobablybestifyoureferthatstudenttosomeoneelse(eitheronthelistorintheWritingCenter)ratherthanworkingwithhimorheryourself.

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TheBedfordGuideforWritingTutorshasagoodsectionattheendonworkingwithpeopleoutsidetheWritingCenter.Payparticularattentiontothepointsaboutbillingandmeetingspace.CommonSenseintheWritingCenter.PleasetrytousecommonsensewhenworkingintheWritingCenter.Somepeoplehaveallergiestoperfumeandaftershave;avoidwearingtheseifatallpossible.It’simportanttorememberweareacollaborativeoperation;ifyou’relate,youmakethingsdifficultnotonlyforyourstudentsbutthepeopleworkingatthesameasyou.Ifyouconsistentlydisappearforacigarettebreakduringdowntime,thismeansyouareunavailablefordrop-inappointments.Rememberthatweworkinasharedspace.Thismeans,forexample,thatitisagoodideanottotalkinloudvoices,especiallyaboutstudents.Takeaminutetocleanupthecoffeearea.Finally,weexpectconsultantstoberespectfultoSandyandthework-studystudents.DonotaskSandytomanipulateyourschedulesothatyoudon’thavetoworkwithstudents.Donottellheroffbecauseyouhavetoomanyappointments.You’reexpectedtotutorstudentsduringthetimeyou’reattheWritingCenter;downtimeisagift,notaright.Otheractivities.Weneedtutorstobeinvolvedwithallouractivities:Writers’Café,InternationalCafé,outreachevents,theWritingCenternewsletter(WritingCentered),oursocialmediaefforts,andmore.PleaseletGeetaandJeanknowifyouwanttoworkononeoftheseeffortsorifyouhaveanideaforhowtheWritingCentercansupportstudentwriters.Wearehappytotalkaboutnewideas,andwearewillingtomakereasonableaccommodationinyourscheduletoallowforotherwork.IfyoufacilitateaWriters’CaféorInternationalCafésession,youmaytaketwohoursoffyourschedule(orconsidertwoabsenthoursmadeup).

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WorkshopTutorialInSpring2009,becauseofchangingstudentadmissionstandards,theCompositionprogramplannedtoeliminatethesix-creditIntensiveWorkshopinCompositioncourse(previouslyknownasBasicReadingandWriting).InordertooffersupporttothosestudentswhowouldnowtakeWorkshopinCompositionbutmaynotbecompletelypreparedforit,wedevelopedthetwo-creditcourseWorkshopTutorial.PeertutorsdonotworkwithWTorCTstudents.WTstudentsmeetwiththeirtutorsfortwohoursaweek.Theymaygeneratetextduringappointment,andtutorsmaytalktothemaboutstrategiesforbeingagoodstudentaswellaswritingissues.MeetwithYourStudentsEveryWeek.YourWTstudentsarepayingforthetwocreditstheygetfromCT,andyoushouldnomorecancelalotoftheirsessionsthanyouwouldcancelalotofclasses.Ifyouhavetomissasessionbecauseofillnessorsomeotherlegitimatereason,itisimportantthatyoumakeupthemissedtimewithyourstudents.Donotaskyourstudentsiftheywanttomakeitup;justmakeitup.Donotletstudentsleaveearlyjustbecausetheysaytheyhavenothingtoworkon:findsomethingtoworkon.FollowupwithStudentsWhoDon'tAttendWT.Whenstudentsdon'tshowupforWT,calland/ore-mailthemimmediatelytoremindthemthattheymustkeeporcancelappointments.ContacttheWCteachersandifrelevant,ourcontactatAcademicSupportServicesforStudentAthletes(ASSSA)andreportthatthestudentsaremissingsessions.CommunicatewithWorkshopinCompositionteachersandASSSA.ItisveryeasytosimplyemailacopyofyourWCOnlinereporttotheWCteacherandourcontactatASSSA.Sandycanhelpyouwiththisifyouhavequestions.SomeWCteacherswillemailwithyoualot;youwon’thearmuchfromothers.Sendthereportseitherway.Earlyevaluation.AWTstudentwhohaslearnedtoproducereasonablycorrectprosemaybeeligibleforearlyevaluationatmidterm:heorshewillpassWTandwillnolongerneedtoworkwithyou.TheWorkshopinCompositionteachermustinitiatetheprocessforearlyrelease.Ifyouthinkastudentwouldbeagoodcandidateforearlyrelease,talktotheWCteacherandtheASSSAcontact,NOTthestudent.Seepage8foratablethatcomparesWTandCT.

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CompositionTutorialInAugust2003,thecourseformerlyknownasGeneralWritingIntensivewasre-namedCompositionTutorial(CT).BecauseCTisacredit-bearingcourse,peertutorsdonotworkwithCTstudents.CTisaone-creditcoursethatstudentsareplacedintoonthebasisofeithertheirsummerplacementessayortheirin-classplacementessayassignedbytheirSeminarinComposition(SC)teacher.CTistakenconcurrentlywithSeminarinCompositionandtheassignmentsthatstudentswriteforSCprovidethematerialforyourworkwiththestudentsinCT.StudentsareplacedintoCTbecausetheyneedextrasupportinsentence-andparagraph-levelissuesintheirwriting.Sometimesthoseissuesmayhavetodowithcoherenceanddevelopment,whileothertimestheymayhavetodowithunderstandingandusingconventionsinappropriateways.CTandSCaremeanttobecomplementarylearningexperiencesforthestudent.Consultantsdon'tusuallyspendalotoftimediscussingwithCTstudentsthetextsthattheyarereadingforSC,butyoumayfindthatastudentsometimesneedstohavethatkindofconversationwithyouinordertodevelopanargument.Similarly,wedonotexpectthatCTistheonlyplacewherestudentsgethelpwiththesentence-andparagraph-levelaspectsoftheirwriting:theseissuesshouldalsobetakenupintheSeminarinCompositionclassroom.Inadditiontoyouron-goingworkwithyourCTstudents,youhaveethicalandadministrativeresponsibilitiestokeepinmind.MeetwithYourStudentsEveryWeek.YourCTstudentsarepayingfortheonecredittheygetfromCT,andyoushouldnomorecancelalotoftheirsessionsthanyouwouldcancelalotofclasses.Ifyouhavetomissasessionbecauseofillnessorsomeotherlegitimatereason,itisimportantthatyoumakeupthemissedtimewithyourstudents.Donotaskyourstudentsiftheywanttomakeitup;justmakeitup.Donotsendstudentsawayafteraminuteortwoiftheyclaimtheyhavenothingtoworkoninagivenweek.FollowupwithStudentsWhoDon'tAttendCT.Whenstudentsdon'tshowupforCT,calland/ore-mailthemimmediatelytoremindthemthattheymustkeeporcancelappointmentsandthattheymustpassCTinordertopassSC.Ifyoudon'thearbackfromstudents,askSandyFostertochecktomakesuretheyarestillregisteredforCTandSC.IfastudentstopscomingtoCTanddoesn’trespondtoemail,letSandyknowsothatshecantalkthatnameofftheschedule.Ifaskedto,updateSCteachersonStudentProgress.Wemostlydon’tcommunicatewithSCteachersabouttheirstudents,butifsomeoneinsists,itisoktosendyourWCOnlinereports.

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TableComparingWTandCTWorkshopTutorial CompositionTutorial2creditsfor2hoursaweek

1creditfor30minutesaweek

Twoconsultantsmayshareastudent,thoughwetrytoschedulebothhourswithoneconsultant.

OneconsultantworkswitheachCTstudent.

Inadditiontohelpingstudentsworkonunderstandingassignments,understandingtexts,editing,andproofreading,consultantmayinvitestudentstogeneratetextortalkwithstudentsabout“studenting”skills.

Consultantsaremorelikelytoworkwithstudentsonaddressingtheassignmentandsentence-andparagraph-levelissues.

ConsultantsreporttoWCteachers(andASSSA,ifrelevant)weeklybyusingtheemailfunctionbuiltintotheWCOnlinereports.

SCteachersarenotifiedthattheirstudentsaretakingCT,butwedonottypicallyreportbeyondthatmemo.

AftercheckingwiththeWCteacher,theconsultantmayreleasetheWTstudentfromonehouraweekatoraftermidterm.

SinceCTisanelective,thestudentmustattendthewholeterm.

Itisuptotheconsultanttorequestandreviewaportfolioattheendoftheterm,iftheconsultantfeelslikeitwouldbehelpfulorusefulforthestudent.

ConsultantsneedtobeabletosaywithconfidencethattheirCTstudenthasorhasnotmettherequirementsforthecourse.Ifcollectingaportfolioisnecessaryforyoutobeabletodothis,askyourstudenttogiveyouonebytheFridayofthelastweekofclasses.YoumayaskCTstudentstosubmitportfoliostoyouelectronicallyifyouwish.Ifyouwanttogetasecondandthirdopiniononanyfolderattheend-of-termmeeting,youcanprintoutahardcopy.Oneexception:ifyouarefailingastudentbecauseheorsheisstillhavingsignificantproblemswithsentence-andparagraph-levelissues,itwouldbeusefulforustohaveawritingsampleonfile,justincaseofagradeappeal.

Beforeourend-of-termmeeting,consultantscompleteformsthatgototheWCteachersandofferyourreportonhowthestudentdidinWT.WCteacherorEnd-of-TermReviewdetermineswhetherthestudentgetsaSatisfactoryorNoCreditgradeinWT.

ConsultantdecideswhethertheCTstudenthasearnedaSatisfactoryorNoCreditgradeonthebasisofwrittenworkandattendance.ConsultantscompleteaCTgraderosterbeforeourend-of-termmeetingandturnitintoSandyatthattime.

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UsingthePhysicalSpace,Equipment,andBooksFacilitiesKitchen,water,coffee,etc.Wehavearefrigeratorwhereyoucanstoreyourlunchifyouneedto.WehaveacoffeemakerandcoffeeintheWritingCenter.Feelfreetomakecoffee,butputaquarterinthecoffeecanforeachcupyoudrinksothatwecanbuymorecoffee.Themachineprovidesbothchilledandhotwater.Weencourageyoutobringinamugortravelcupforyouruse.Pleaseusesuppliesrespectfullyandkeeptheareatidy.Copierandprinters.Thecopierandprintersmustbeusedgentlysincewedependonthemandwillhaveahardtimereplacingthemiftheydie.WeunderstandthatsometimesyoumaywishtoprepareforclasswhileyouhavedowntimeattheCenter,butpleaserefrainfromprintingouttonsofmaterialthatisnotdirectlyrelatedtoyourworkattheCenterorinyourPittclassroom.Thereareself-serveprintersonthesecondfloor.Computers.Thecomputersaremeanttobeusedbyconsultantswhoareworkingwithstudents,bystudentswhoarecomingtotheCenterforhelp,and,ifcomputersareavailable,byconsultantswhohavedowntimeandwanttochecke-mailordootherwork.Pleasedon'tmonopolizecomputersifstudentsneedtousethecomputers.Andpleasemakesurethatstudentsdon'tusethecomputersasiftheyareinacomputerlab—weweregivenfundingforthecomputersfortutorials,preparationfortutorials,andsomepost-tutorialwork.Whenyouareusingourcomputers,don'topenattachmentsunlessyouaresurethattheattachmentissafe.Andpleasedon'tleaveimportantfilesonharddrivesandexpecttofindthemlater:weregularlycleanoffallthedocuments.Ifthereisaproblemwithacomputerorifitneedsanupdateorsoftwarepackage,pleaseletSandyortheassociatedirectorknowsothatwecanaddressthatneedassoonaspossible.Mailbox.Youhaveamailboxbythecopymachine.Pleasecheckitregularly.E-mail.Wegenerallycommunicateviae-mail,sopleasecheckyoure-mailatleastonceadayduringtheweekandtellusifyoure-mailaddresschanges.

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PeerTutoringProgram

Ourpeertutoringprogrambeganitspresentincarnationin2000(MargaretMarshalltaughtonegroupofpeertutorswhenshewashere;aftersheleft,theclasswasnotofferedagainimmediately).Theprogramisanimportantpartofoureducationalmissionasauniversity-basedWritingCenter.Thepeertutoringprogramoffersustheopportunitytoworkcloselyoverthelongtermwithundergradswhoaredeeplyinterestedinwritingandteaching.Thementoring,support,andteachingthatwedowiththepeertutors—aswithgradstudentconsultants—ispartoftheworkoftheWritingCenter.Whilesomeconsultantsmaybeaskedtoworkcloselywiththepeertutors(observingandbeingobserved,beinginterviewed,workingonconferencepapers),everyconsultantintheWritingCenterisresponsibleforsupportingthepeertutors'workbytreatingthepeertutorswithcollegiality.OurpeertutorshavecontributedinsignificantwaystothecultureandeffectivenessoftheWritingCenter.Theyhaveauniqueperspectiveontheworkwedohereandtheirexperiencetendstobeintenseandshort(theygraduate,afterall).PleasedowhatyoucantoensurethateachpeertutorhasarewardingexperienceintheWritingCenterandisinvitedtogrowintellectuallyasaresultofthetimetheyofferus.Wehavecreatedapeerinternhandbook(availableasapdfbyclickingalinkonourMeetingsandAnnouncementspage)thatspellsoutdetailsforinternsandtheirmentors.Belowarethebasics.Becomingapeertutor.StudentswhowanttobecomepeertutorsarerequiredtotakeTutoringforPeerWriters,EngCmp1210.Hereistheshortdescriptionofthecourse:"Thiscoursepreparesstudentstobeeffectivetutorsforpeerwritersbyintroducingthemtoissuesandscholarshipinteaching,writing,andworkingasatutor.Thecourseisappropriateforstudentsfromanydisciplinewhoareinterestedincareersinteachingorwhorecognizetheimportanceanddifficultyofrespondingwelltodraftswrittenbyothers.ThecourseisaprerequisiteforthosestudentswhowishtointernorworkaspeertutorsintheWritingCenter."AfterstudentstakeEngCmp1210,studentsmayapplytobecomepeerinterns.Internsgetthreecredits,andtheytutorfourhoursaweek,meetwithmentorsforanhouraweek,attendregularmeetings,readfurtherscholarshiponwritingcentertheory,andeithersubstantiallyrevisetheirresearchpaperfromthecourseordraftanewresearchpaper.Aftertheinternship,peertutorsmayapplytoworkintheWritingCenterforuptoelevenhoursaweek(tenhoursoftutoring,onehourmeeting)atanhourlyratethatexceedsminimumwage.Guidelinesformentoringapeertutor.Inthefallterm,thestudentsinthepeertutoringclasswillvisittheCentertobetutoredastheyworkontheirownpapers.Wealsoasktutorstoallowthestudentsinthepeertutoringclasstointerviewthem,observethem,andaskquestionsofthem.

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Thisisanimportantpartoftheirlearningprocess.Attheendofthefallterm,someofthestudentswillfeelpreparedtostartco-tutoringorworkingwithastudentinyourpresencewithyoursupport.Eachspringterm,weinvitesomeexperiencedfacultytutorstomentorthenewgroupofpeerinterns.Wematchpeerinternsandmentorswhoareworkingatthesametimessothatitiseasyforyoutoconferencewitheachother.Peerinternswillbemoreindependentintheirtutoring,buttheywillstillneedyourhelptocreatearichlearningenvironmentthatsupportstheintellectualworktheyaredoingasnewtutors.Theywillalsobeworkingonresearchpapersthattheywillpresenttothestaff,andtheywillhavestandingappointmentswithyoutogethelpwiththesepapers.Pleasetakethesesessionsseriously.Studentsmaygiveyouthedrafttoreadaheadoftime,inwhichcaseyoumaymarktimeinthebooktoreadandrespondtothedrafts.Feelfreetoblockoutaslotonthetwoscheduleswhenyouwanttoconferwiththeinternyouareworkingwith.Theinternshouldfeelfreetodothesamewhenheorshewantstoconfer.Ifyouareamentor,itwillbeyourresponsibilityto:•meetwiththepeerinternregularlytodevelopandworkonaresearchpaperdueattheendofterm.•observetutorials.•allowtheinterntositinontutorialswithyou,especiallyatthebeginningofthesemester,whenwearenotverybusy.Guidelinesforpeerinterns.Asapeerintern,youwillwork5hoursaweekonsiteandattendmeetings.Hereareyourresponsibilities:•unlessspecificallyexemptedfromaparticularmeeting,attendstaffmeetings.•engagewithyourmentors.•workonaresearchproject.•keepupwithblog.•makeuptimeyoumiss.Guidelinesforpeertutors.Whenyouareapeertutor,weexpectyoutocontinueparticipatinginthelifeandcultureoftheWritingCenterandtoengageinprofessionaldevelopmentasaconsultant.YoumustattendweeklystaffmeetingsandcontinuecontributingtotheWritingCenterblog.Ifforsomeunavoidablereasonyoucan'tcometostaffmeetings,youmusttalktothedirectororassociatedirectortomakeaplantomakeupthetimethroughaproject,interviews,orsomeotheractivity.Peertutorsareaskedtosignacontractagreeingtoabidebyourpolicies.Sandyhasthiscontract.