For this project, I will be comparing three avenues of tutoring that the University of Alaska Anchorage utilizes in some way, shape, or form. I will be comparing two online sites alongside face-to-face tutoring sessions, using Tutor.com through the Alaska Sled website, the MyCompLab utilized by English 111 classes, and UAA's reading and writing lab. Several students utilize these tutoring resources to aid in brainstorming, writing, and revising papers for various classes.
While I'll need to hash out the details, my initial plan is to go through a tutoring session at each site with the same paper. If more evidence is needed I can submit multiple papers or possibly go through the writing process from start to finish with an assignment. There are several factors that would need to be taken into consideration, such as the consistency of tutors at each site, and I'll have to address those in detail as I progress through this study.
This field of research is especially interesting to me since I've worked as a tutor in the reading and writing lab and find these resources to be very helpful to students who might be struggling in a composition class or any class that demands writing. What I really want to know are the benefits and disadvantages each of the sites presents and if one is particularly "better" than the other. What kind of help does each site provide? Do the sites prefer or emphasize certain types of revisions over others? What is the consistency of help provided at each site? How is tutoring different digitally than it is face-to-face? How does the digital aspect aid/hurt students when receiving hlep with their writing? What type of digital literacies are necessary for a student to use the online sites? Would I personally recommend one site over the other and why would that be? These are only some of the questions I hope to address in this project.
I love this idea! Paper-commenting is a topic that is becoming nearer and dearer to my heart every time I complete a batch of grading. Each way – in person, directly on the paper, on a separate piece of paper, at the end or the beginning of the paper – tells a completely different story to the writer, and pushes their focus to an entirely different area to revise. Tutoring is especially difficult, since you have to find a balance where you’re not doing the paper for them – instead encouraging them to see what needs to be done on their own. Looking at three different ways that this is done should be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to see a little more about the site(s) that you’re using – perhaps the ways in which they present themselves – does one seem more laid-back; how much importance does each site place on form vs. content? I look forward to seeing more about this project!