Below is the beginning of a transcript from my first session at Tutor.com, the online tutoring service provided by the State of Alaska.
Joshua S (Tutor)
[00:00:13] Welcome to Tutor.com ! How can I help you today?
Stacie (Customer)
[00:00:40] I just finished a paper and would like it proofread, checking for any typos/errors, and to make sure it's clear and focused
Joshua S
[00:00:55] ok, and what is the assignment exactly?
Stacie
[00:01:16] its a response paper to an article we had to read in class
[00:01:32] "Finding Your Own Voice" by Donald Murray
Joshua S
[00:01:49] ok, in order to help you better, I am going to ask if there is anything in this assignment that you want me to look for in particular besides thatwhich you already mentioned.
Stacie
[00:02:49] um, I think the organization could be better but I'm not exactly sure how
Joshua S
[00:03:01] ok, have you removed all personal info?
Stacie
[00:04:14] I think so, I start by addressing the article directly, kind of summarizing it and what he is arguing, then I try to take a more critical stance towardthe middle and end
System Message
[00:04:34] *** Downloading file from Joshua S ... ***
Joshua S
[00:05:01] I'm sorry, but I can't accept this personal information from you, for everyone's safety. Please be sure not to provide any additional personalinformation.
Stacie
[00:05:18] ooooh okay I understand what youre saying now, sorry!
The beginning of the conversation set an awkward tone for the rest of the session. Confusion between the tutor and myself was a result of ineffective communication. Joshua’s use of formal language and failure to clarify that he was not yet talking about the essay resulted in the confusion. When Joshua asked me if I had removed all personal information, I thought he was talking about the content of my essay, not if my name and class were anywhere on the document. In face-to-face tutoring sessions, it is vital that students (especially those first coming to an RWC) feel comfortable and welcomed by their tutor, creating a better atmosphere for review and various revisions. In this digital space, lack of eye dialect and other metadiscursive markers made it difficult to relate to Joshua as a tutor, and I never felt he was engaged with me as a writer in the revision process.
In fact, the only IM features Joshua uses are punctuation (an ellipses to indicate he was working on something and dropping end punctuation). His language remains formal throughout the session. He also does not make valuable use of the instant messaging function within the tutoring space. After the introduction, he asks for a few minutes while he reviews my paper, makes a few comments on the document, and once he is finished refers me to his comments on the page:
Joshua S (Tutor)
[00:08:03] ok, please give me a few minutes to look over
your paper
[Paper and tutor comments available here]
Joshua S (Tutor) [00:20:54] ok, I am ready to discuss your paper when you are
Stacie (Customer)
[00:21:00] ok
Joshua S
[00:22:04] ok, do you see the first comment?
Stacie
[00:23:34] yeah...I guess the significance is that that type of environment in a composition classroom was very different at that time
Joshua S
[00:23:45] ok, make sure to mention that
Stacie
[00:23:56] k
Joshua S
[00:25:11] ok, comment 2 and 3 are related
Stacie
[00:25:54] right those are good catches, thanks
[00:26:50]is there anything that seems out of place or doesn't really make sense?
Joshua S
[00:27:53] not particularly. there are a couple other grammatical errors I beleive
Stacie
[00:28:08] yeah I saw those
Joshua S
[00:28:18] and then comment 5
[00:29:22] ok, I hope this session was helpful for you
Joshua’s failure to engage the student using the instant messaging function made this review session nothing more than an editing session. Although Joshua's approach is very task oriented, his approach to tutoring does nothing to engage a student in the writing process and does not help lead a student to become a more autonomous writer. Tutoring is more than just proofreading, and tutors are nearly always trained to help students make both global and local revisions. Since Joshua instructs me to wait while he reviews my paper, I found myself diverting my attention to other digital spaces, checking social networking sites and working on another assignment. Even after prompting more feedback by asking about organization (26:50), Joshua only makes another comment on grammar. While Joshua caught a few proofreading matters, this session did little to engage the student in the revision process and I would categorize a session like this as unsuccessful.
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