2013_WLab_report

Annual Report

Writing Lab at Purdue University

May 14, 2012 to May 12, 2013

Dr. Linda S. Bergmann, Director

Tammy Conard-Salvo, Associate Director

Tristan Abbott, Summer Assistant Director & Graduate

Teaching Assistant

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 1

Acknowledgments

The following Writing Lab staff members also contributed to this report:

Tristan Abbott, OWL Mail Coordinator

Lizzie Berkovitz, UTA Coordinator

Vicki Kennell, ESL Specialist

Dan Kenzie, Workshop and WAC Coordinator

Mary McCall, Writing Lab/ICaP Liaison

Joshua Paiz, OWL Coordinator

Laurie Pinkert, Bisland Dissertation Fellow

Caitlan Spronk, OWL Technical Coordinator and Webmaster

Ashley Watson, Business Writing Coordinator

Abstract

The Purdue Writing Lab Annual Report for May 14, 2012 to May 12, 2013 describes the

Lab’s services and users as well as staff responsibilities, research, and engagement. The

Writing Lab and its 17 graduate and 20 undergraduate tutors served the Purdue campus at

four locations (one main and three satellites). The Writing Lab was used over 6,503 times

by over 2,279 individual clients. The Writing Lab provided more than 4,469 one-to-one

tutoring consultations, and these sessions were rated as helpful by 98% of users. Users of

in-Lab consultations came from more than 30 countries. The Lab also maintained

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) website, which served 248,242,901 pages

worldwide and responded to 2,407 individual questions via our OWL Mail service.

Learning, Engagement, and Discovery initiatives and accomplishments included 10

conference presentations and invited lectures by staff and a project funded by a large

grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an interactive extension of

the OWL for high school students.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 2

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... 1

Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 1

I. The Writing Lab at a Glance ........................................................................................... 3

II. Services Provided ........................................................................................................... 4

III. Writing Lab Staff .......................................................................................................... 6

IV. The Value of the Writing Lab's Services ...................................................................... 7

V. On and Off Campus Engagement .................................................................................. 8

VI. Learning and Professional Development .................................................................... 11

VII. Appendices ................................................................................................................ 14

Appendix A: Breakdown of Usage Information ........................................................... 14

Appendix B: Evaluations and Comments ..................................................................... 16

Appendix C: List of Visitor Consultations with the Writing Lab ................................. 22

Appendix D: Writing Lab Staff Members for 2012–2013 ............................................ 23

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 3

I. The Writing Lab at a Glance

Here is a brief summary listing the numbers of consultations and other services provided

over the past year.

Heavilon Hall Writing Lab

Number of individual clients: 2,149

Number of client visits: 6,089

One-to-One Consultations: 4,300 sessions

ESL Conversation Groups: 738 users

ESL Materials Use: 29 users

In-Lab/In-Class Workshops: 41 workshops attended by 320 students

Instructor Brown Bags: 17 workshops attended by 88 instructors

Lab Tours: 120 tours for composition courses

Computer Use: 85 users

Other Uses: 813 users

Meredith Hall Satellite Writing Lab

Number of individual clients: 39 users

One-to-one consultations: 58 sessions

Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Library Lab

Number of individual clients: 84 users

One-to-one consultations: 104 sessions

Latino Cultural Center Satellite Writing Lab

Number of individual clients: 12 users

One-to-one consultations: 14 sessions

Total visits (all locations): 6,503 sessions

(Please see Appendix A for an additional breakdown of Purdue Writing Lab users for all

locations.)

The Writing Lab cannot always accommodate all potential users due to high demand for

our services and a limited number of tutors. While it is impossible to measure the exact

number of potential visitors who could not be accommodated, at least this many were

turned away during the 2012-2013 academic year:

Fall 2012: 317 users

Spring 2013: 116 users

Total turned away: 433 users

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 4

II. Services Provided

The Writing Lab provides a wide variety of services to the Purdue community, including

consultations, workshops, lectures, brown bags for instructors, and conversation groups

for non-native speakers of English. In addition to these on-campus services, the Writing

Lab is engaged with our local and state community both through direct community

outreach and via its online presence. Most famously, the Lab provides service at a

national and international scale via our Online Writing Lab (OWL), which is among the

world’s most visited writing websites. This section provides an in-depth explanation of

the services we provide.

One-to-One Consultations

During the 2012-2013 academic year, the Writing Lab provided 4,300 in-person

consultations.

These one-to-one, in-person tutorials are the primary on-campus service provided by the

Writing Lab. The Lab’s tutors are trained in accordance with advanced practices in peer

tutoring, one-to-one learning techniques, and second language learning strategies. Tutors

possess in-depth knowledge of multiple genres of academic and professional writing.

The Lab’s training process emphasizes continual growth, with a strong focus on a

multiplicity of approaches towards both tutoring and writing.

During one-to-one consultations, Purdue students, faculty, and staff engage in 30-minute,

in-person meetings with one of our graduate or undergraduate tutors. Consultations can

take place at any stage of the writing process, from the very beginning when writers are

just generating ideas, to after a draft has been completed. Consultations can focus on any

type of writing, including personal writing, reports and other class assignments, résumés,

PowerPoint presentations, and outlines for speeches.

A consultation is not merely an editing or proofreading session. Instead, tutors help

clients understand audience expectations for their documents and learn how to revise

their writing to meet them. The Lab’s tutors work with concerns specific to each client’s

particular writing style, audience, and intention. The person-to-person aspect is key to a

consultation’s effectiveness.

Online Writing Lab (OWL)

In the 2012-2013 academic year, the OWL served 248,242,901 page views.

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) received 6,293 formal requests for links during the

2012-2013 academic year. The OWL is content-rich, offering student-centered materials

addressing citation, usage, style, grammar, English as a Second Language (ESL) writing,

and discipline-specific writing concerns. The OWL additionally offers instructor-

centered materials such as PowerPoint presentations that can be used in classes to review

writing-related concepts. The OWL offers instructors content that is both specific to

Purdue and applicable to teachers and writers at other colleges, universities, and k-12

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 5

institutions across the country and around the world. The OWL offers an OWL Mail

service, through which users email quick questions about writing that are answered by the

Writing Lab’s tutoring staff.

Support for English as a Second Language (ESL) Students

Users who self-identified as ESL students accounted for 71.8% of total Writing Lab visits

this academic year.

Because the Writing Lab serves so many ESL students, we have hired an ESL Specialist,

Dr. Vicki Kennell, who is responsible for overseeing the Writing Lab’s ESL services and

for providing intense training on ESL issues to Writing Lab tutors. A full report

describing the Writing Lab’s work with ESL students is available by request from Dr.

Kennell at [email protected]. The report demonstrates the huge and growing

demand for writing-related ESL services, explains how current Lab services help to meet

these demands, and outlines plans for better meeting these needs in the future.

Conversation Groups

During the 2012-2013 academic year, in the Writing Lab’s daily ESL conversation

groups logged 738 participants.

Daily conversation groups are available for members of the Purdue community whose

native language is not English. During conversation groups, non-native speakers engage

in a friendly, round-table conversation led by a fluent English speaker, allowing the non-

native speakers to practice their English in a supportive environment. Offering these

learners a friendly and open environment helps them to gain confidence in their ability to

interact with native English speakers.

Instructor “Brown Bags”

During the 2012-2013 academic year, 17 brown bags were held, attended by 88

composition instructors.

Brown bags are bi-weekly events for instructors teaching English Composition (ENGL

106 and ENGL 108) at Purdue. Brown bags are discussion groups in which new and

veteran instructors meet to discuss teaching strategies and techniques, as well as issues

concerning research and professionalization. Topics covered include teaching with

Purdue resources, using video effectively in the composition classroom, service learning,

and teaching archival research.

Workshops

During the 2012-2013 academic year, the Writing Lab offered 16 in-Lab workshops and

25 in-class, customized workshops requested by instructors.

Workshops are hour-long presentations that address general and specific writing issues.

Some workshops offered by the Writing Lab take place in the Lab or HSSE library, and

others are held in classes by the request of instructors. Workshops help build

relationships with other disciplines across campus and include a series for the Krannert

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 6

School of Business and for College of Engineering’s SURF program. Workshops cover

topics as diverse as learning email etiquette, building research and citation skills, and

developing job search materials.

In-Lab Resources

The Writing Lab maintains a collection of resources available to all Purdue students and

faculty. These include a reference library of writing-related books, journals, and other

reference materials, including specialized resources for ESL users. The Lab also

provides a computer dedicated to English as a Second Language practice, which includes

specialized vocabulary and pronunciation software.

III. Writing Lab Staff

The Writing Lab staff consists of the Director, Linda Bergmann, Ph.D.; the Associate

Director, Tammy Conard-Salvo; the ESL Specialist, Vicki Kennell, Ph.D.; a receptionist,

secretary, and several student front desk assistants; and three staffs of tutors.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

English department GTAs are the backbone of the Writing Lab's staff. They work in

one-to-one consultations, develop OWL materials, perform administrative duties such as

coordinating Writing Across the Curriculum projects and OWL Mail, and work on

special projects. GTAs tutor clients from any discipline, at all levels, from first-year

composition through graduate school, on a wide range of writing projects.

GTA positions are highly selective. All GTAs have taught at least one year of first-year

composition at Purdue, must pass a rigorous interview and screening process before

joining the Lab, and must complete a semester-long tutoring practicum during their first

semester of work. Tutors are highly skilled and familiar with a wide array of different

academic and professional writing genres, and they also have strong interpersonal skills

and the motivation to work with a diverse student body on a wide variety of writing

projects. These positions are funded by the English department.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs)

UTAs are peer tutors from various majors across the university. UTAs are selected from

among the best students who have completed a semester-long practicum course focusing

on tutoring. In addition to tutoring students in first-year composition, UTAs staff a booth

at the English Department’s Writing Showcase, respond to OWL mail questions, staff the

satellite locations, and participate in conferences and workshops. These positions are

funded by the English department.

Business Writing Consultants (BWCs)

BWCs are primarily students majoring in Professional Writing or Management, selected

from a practicum for tutoring business and professional writing. Students must apply for

admission to the practicum. BWCs offer feedback on workplace documents and business-

related course assignments, including résumés, cover letters, memos, reports, and

proposals. BWCs provide extra help for students preparing for job fairs through Résumé

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 7

Critiques, help staff the satellite locations, and also participate in the Writing Showcase.

These positions are funded by the English Department and the Krannert School of

Management.

OWL (Online Writing Lab) Staff

The OWL Technical Coordinator/Webmaster is responsible for programming and

maintaining OWL web resources, and the OWL Coordinator manages the content of the

site, hiring graduate students who develop instructional materials as needed. These

positions are funded by a University Reinvestment Grant.

Professional Writing Program/Writing Lab Collaboration Intern

One undergraduate major or M.A. student in Professional Writing develops a project to

support both the Writing Lab and the Professional Writing Program. This internship is

funded by the Crouse Scholarship in Professional Writing offered by the Professional

Writing Program.

IV. The Value of the Writing Lab's

Services

Writing Lab staff is currently developing new metrics to generate concrete data to

demonstrate the positive effects the Lab has on the Purdue community. Among these will

be assessment designed to measure the Writing Lab’s effect on student retention,

focusing especially on the retention of international students and on the Lab’s effect on

four-year graduation rates. The Lab currently tracks client satisfaction via surveys taken

at the end of consultations, workshops, and conversation groups, and the feedback

collected from these surveys is overwhelmingly positive. Full survey data is included in

Appendix B.

Such a wide reach does not go unnoticed. The Lab was awarded the prestigious

Conference on College Composition and Communication Writing Program Certificate of

Excellence in 2004 (the first year it was granted). The Purdue Writing Lab is considered

the “Gold Standard” for both in-person and online writing labs. The OWL has greatly

increased the national and international prominence of the Purdue English department,

particularly its Rhetoric and Composition program. Over the nearly four decades since

the Writing Lab opened, over a hundred staff and alumni have produced writing-related

research and scholarship, and alumni trained in the Lab have taken faculty positions

across the United States, bringing what they learned in the Purdue Writing Lab to their

new academic communities. Former undergraduate tutors have gone on to succeed in a

wide variety of professions, both in academe as well the private sector.

Off-Campus Visitors

The Writing Lab routinely hosts visitors from other universities and institutions. This

year, the Lab hosted several scholars from abroad who were starting university writing

labs, as well as esteemed scholars from U.S. universities who wished to gain a better

understand of how Purdue's Writing Lab works.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 8

In the 2012-2013 Academic Year, the Writing Lab hosted 10 visitors from 4 universities

and 2 government agencies. Detailed information regarding the visits is included in

Appendix C.

Direct Feedback

The Writing Lab collects evaluations from all users each time services are used.

Feedback for in-Lab services is overwhelmingly positive, with over 97% of consultation

clients claiming that their consultation was helpful or very helpful, and far less than one

percent expressing dissatisfaction with their session. When assessing their sessions,

clients often write that they consider the tutors to be well qualified, knowledgeable, and

adept consultants. They mention gaining knowledge, strategies, and confidence as writers

from the sessions, and they appreciate the student-centered approach of the Writing Lab

staff. A sample of students’ written comments and an overview of evaluations are

included in Appendix B.

User satisfaction with the OWL is manifest in the large number of link requests the page

receives, its incredibly high search engine ranking, its frequent mention in writing-related

scholarship, and in constant unsolicited thanks from users around the world. A small

sample of the OWL’s unsolicited positive feedback is included in Appendix B.

V. On and Off Campus Engagement

The Writing Lab’s pursuit of excellence and recognition of the importance of intellectual

diversity and community involvement are reflected by its frequent engagement with on-

and off-campus groups.

On Campus Engagement

Workshops

During the 2012-2013 academic year, the Writing Lab presented 25 workshops in courses

and sites outside the English department. These workshops were customized by

collaborations among Lab's tutors, directors, and Writing Across the Curriculum

Coordinator to develop dynamic, discipline-specific content.

Lab staff partnered with instructors from Purdue's Krannert School of Management to

conduct several workshops on the following topics: professional emails to international

audiences and using advanced visuals for presentations to diverse audiences.

Lab staff also worked with the College of Engineering's SURF Program in delivering a

series of summer workshops meant to help incoming engineering students make the

difficult the transition from high school to Purdue. Topics covered in these workshops

included an introduction to conducting research at the college level, avoiding plagiarism,

and an introduction to faculty expectations for college writing. The goal of the SURF

program is to begin the professional development of young engineering students, and Lab

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 9

staff were glad to help in this endeavor.

Professional Writing

The Writing Lab is a close ally with the English department's Professional Writing

Program, which focuses on preparing undergraduate students for workplace writing.

Business Writing Consultants, partially funded by the Krannert School of Management,

provide feedback on memos, reports, résumés, and cover letters.

The Mechanical Engineering Writing Enhancement Program (WEP)

The Mechanical Engineering Writing Enhancement Program (WEP) is a collaborative

effort between the Writing Lab and Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering (ME).

Since 2010, the ME WEP has helped teaching assistants in ME provide helpful feedback

about Engineering writing projects to students. WEP assessments indicate that a

minimum of 78% of ME students demonstrate a measurable improvement in writing

ability.

Purdue's Foundations of Excellence Project

The Writing Lab's director, Dr. Linda Bergmann, serves as a member of the faculty

advisory board of Purdue’s Foundations of Excellence project, which aims to increase

student success and retention in the first year and beyond by coordinating curricular and

extra-curricular programs.

Orientation Activities

The Writing Lab takes part in Boiler Gold Rush, the five-day orientation for incoming

Purdue undergraduates. Every year Lab staff help welcome incoming students by

providing information regarding the Lab's services. Similarly, Writing Lab staff

participate in the Graduate Student Orientation Fair and the New Faculty Orientation.

During the first two weeks of each semester, the Writing Lab offers tours to instructors,

who bring their students to the Lab for discussions and demonstrations of Writing Lab

services.

Committee for Tutoring Rights and Responsibilities

Partnering with tutoring centers across campus, the Lab’s associate director, Tammy

Conard-Salvo, worked with the Committee for Tutoring Rights and Responsibilities. The

Committee developed a tutoring ethics statement that will be implemented across all of

Purdue’s tutoring services, in order to ensure that Purdue students receive universally

excellent tutoring across campus.

College of Liberal Arts Professional Development Grants for ESL Work

The Lab’s ESL specialist, Dr. Vicki Kennell, received two grants to pursue ESL-related

professional development. The grant money allowed her to travel to the University of

North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus in order to observe their the work of their ESL

writing center specialist and to purchase professional ESL-related books and resources.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 10

Writing Showcase

The Writing Lab participates in the annual Writing Showcase, an event hosted by the

Introductory Composition Program at Purdue (ICaP) and the Professional Writing

Program. The Writing Showcase features some of the best writing, research, and digital

media productions from students in first year and professional writing courses, as well as

displays of innovative teaching practices from writing instructors. Students present

documentary films, digital portfolios, public service announcements, and research papers

on topics related to local and national issues, community outreach, digital writing, and

data visualization.

Satellite Locations

During the fall and spring semesters, the Writing Lab offers evening tutoring at several

locations to extend the Lab’s on-campus reach.

HSSE Library (Mondays, 6-9 PM)

The Lab’s HSSE location is designed to foster collaborative tutoring, utilizing the

library’s collaborative study spaces.

Latino Cultural Center Writing Lab (Tuesdays, 6-9 PM)

The LCC satellite location began as a research project from an undergraduate

tutor. The location serves as a means of outreach of students who use the Latino

Cultural Center.

Meredith Hall Satellite Writing Lab (Wednesdays, 6-9 PM)

The Meredith Hall location is designed to provide services to Purdue students

who live on-campus and whose schedules do not permit them to make use of the

Heavilon Hall location.

College of Engineering (starting in 2013-2014)

Starting next year, the Lab will open a location within the College of Engineering.

This location is meant to reach students in engineering and strengthen the Lab’s

collaboration with the college.

Off-Campus Engagement

College Mentors for Kids

College Mentors for Kids (CMFK) is a service program that unites at-risk middle school

students with Purdue undergraduates. Undergraduate students mentor middle school

students, introducing them to different career opportunities and important skills, and

encouraging the students to take an interest in going to college. In 2013, the Lab's

Associate Director, Tammy Conard-Salvo, worked with undergraduate Lab staff to offer

CMFK students a workshop about general writing tips and how to prepare applications

for the Purdue Promise program.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 11

7Cs

The Lab’s Associate Director, Tammy Conard-Salvo, worked as a committee member of

the Conference on College Composition and Communication Committee on Computers

in Composition and Communication (7Cs). 7Cs is a national committee affiliated with

the National Council of Teachers of English that serves as a resource for computer-based

pedagogy and technology issues as they affect the teaching of composition. Ms. Conard-

Salvo’s work with 7C’s included selecting the site of the annual Computers and Writing

Conference and reviewing Computers and Writing conference proposals.

Western Governors University

Dr. Linda Bergmann, Writing Lab Director, serves on the General Education Council of

Western Governors University.

IWCA Summer Institute

Tammy Conard-Salvo, Associate Director of the Writing Lab, served as a leader for the

prestigious Summer Institute sponsored by the International Writing Centers Association.

The Institute is an intensive, week-long program of workshops about writing center

administration and research, and participants include new and veteran administrators

overseeing high school and university writing centers around the world. Ms. Conard-

Salvo led three different workshops on technology, online tutoring, and developing

research.

Alumni Outreach

The Writing Lab publishes a twice-yearly online newsletter, Alumni Annotations, which

is distributed to former Writing Lab and OWL staff. Alumni Annotations contains

messages from the Lab’s director, news about the Lab’s ongoing projects and honors

received by the Lab’s staff, and features written by Lab alumni.

Starting in the 2013-2014 academic year, the Writing Lab will begin a version of the Peer

Tutor Alumni Research Project (PTARP). Developed by writing scholars at the

University of Maine, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Wisconsin-

Madison, the PTARP is an IRB-approved research project through which databases of

writing center alumni are developed and maintained, and through which writing center

alumni are queried about the value of their experience at their respective centers. The

goal of the project is to generate data demonstrating the effects that writing center

experience has upon the professional development of tutors.

VI. Learning and Professional

Development

The Writing Lab serves as a springboard into service-based academic scholarship. Most

of the Lab’s graduate alumni have taken tenure-track positions at universities in the

United States and abroad. In addition to this, Lab training serves to professionalize

graduate and undergraduate tutors, preparing them for jobs in education, government, and

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 12

private industry.

Credit Courses

During the fall semester, the following three courses were offered to prepare candidates

for tutoring positions within the Purdue Writing Lab:

• English 502W (1 credit)

This course is an in-service practicum for graduate teaching assistants in their first

semester of tutoring.

• English 390A (2–3 credits)

This course focuses on the theory and practice of tutoring writing and is a

prerequisite for applying for UTA (Undergraduate Teaching Assistant) positions

for first year composition.

• English 390B (2–3 credits)

This course focuses on the theory and practice of tutoring business and

professional writing students and is a prerequisite for applying for undergraduate

BWC (Business Writing Consultant) positions.

Dissertations and Theses

During the 2012-2013 academic year, graduate students completed the following

dissertations and theses based on research in the Writing Lab:

Elder, Cristyn. “Dear OWL Mail”: Reshaping Our Stories about Writers and

Writers’ Concerns. IRB approved. Linda Bergmann, Ph.D. committee member.

Kenzie, Daniel. Transfer and the Writing Center: A Qualitative Study of Tutoring

Transitions. IRB Approved. Linda Bergmann, MA committee chair.

Morris, Margaret. Unmasking Collaboration: A Qualitative Study. IRB approved.

Linda Bergmann, Ph.D. committee co-chair with Shirley Rose, Arizona State

University.

The following students began or continued work on theses or dissertations related to the

Writing Lab:

Allen, Matthew. An Examination of Reader-Based Response in Writing Center

Conferences. Prospectus Defended. IRB Approved. Linda Bergmann, Ph.D.

committee member.

Atilgan, Aylin. The Journey of Chinese and Korean Students from English

Mainstream Composition Courses to the Writing Lab: A Needs Assessment of

Purdue University East Asian Students. Prospectus Defended. IRB Approved.

Linda Bergmann, Ph.D. committee member.

Dorn, Christopher. An Ecological Approach to Writing Center Studies. Linda

Bergmann, MA committee chair.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 13

Koppelman, Zachery. Understanding the Rhetorical Engineer. Prospectus Defended.

IRB Approved. Linda Bergmann, Ph.D. committee member.

Publications

Conard-Salvo, Tammy and John M. Spartz. "Listening to Revise: What a Study about

Text-to-Speech Software Taught Us about Students' Expectations for Technology Use in

the Writing Center.' The Writing Center Journal 32.2 (2012): 40-59.

Presentations

Abbott, Tristan & Stacy Nall. “Common Values at a Corporate University.” East Central

Writing Centers Association Conference. Clarion University: Clarion, PA.

Bergmann, Linda. “Responding to a Changing Population of Multilingual Writers at

Purdue,” Convention of the International Writing Centers Association, October 25-27,

2012.

Bergmann, Linda. “The Roles of Writing Centers in Graduate Education: Exploring the

Possibilities,” Special Interest Group presentation, Convention of the International

Writing Centers Association, October 25-27, 2012.

Bergmann, Linda “Where Have We Been and Where Should We Go?” [in writing center

assessment], Conference on College Composition and Communication, March 13-16,

2013.

Bergmann, Linda. Plenary talk: “American Writing Centers: What They Teach Clients

and What They Teach Tutors.” FLOW (Foreign Language Opportunities in Writing)

Conference, Lodz, Poland. June 9-11, 2013.

Conard-Salvo, Tammy (with Michael Salvo and Adam Stranz). “Creating Mobile

Technologies for Global Research Spaces” (distance presentation). Computers and

Writing Conference, Raleigh, NC.

Conard-Salvo, Tammy (with Clint Gardner and Jennifer Wells). “Playing with Mobile

Technologies: Options for Creativity and Innovation in the Writing Center” (distance

presentation). International Writing Centers Association Conference, San Diego, CA

Dorn, Christopher. “"Embodied Kairos in the Writing Gymnasium." East Central Writing

Centers Association Conference. Clarion University: Clarion, PA.

Kenzie, Dan. “Cross Curricular Workshops: Engaging Theory, Refining Practice.” East

Central Writing Centers Association Conference. Clarion University: Clarion, PA.

McCall, Mary. "A Rhetorical Analysis of the Writing Center Report Genre." East

Central Writing Centers Association Conference. Clarion University: Clarion, PA.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 14

VII. Appendices

Appendix A: Breakdown of Usage Information

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Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 15

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Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 16

Appendix B: Evaluations and Comments

Student evaluations of Individual Consultations, ESL Conversation Groups, In-Lab and

In-Class Workshops, and Instructor Brown Bags.

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Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 17

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Selected Comments from Student Evaluations of Consultations

At the end of each consultation, ESL conversation group, and workshop, students have

the opportunity to fill out anonymously a feedback form that evaluates their experience in

the Writing Lab. The following selections (transcribed exactly as users wrote them)

constitute a small sample of the comments that students have offered when asked the

question, “What did you learn to help you with future writing projects?”

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 18

• [The tutor] helped me organize my thoughts. We worked together to reconstruct

my PowerPoint and information that will go in my research poster.

• [My tutor] gave me some helpful tips concerning the format of a clear and

organized resume. He also helped me develop content in my personal statement.

• Talking through my ideas helps to figure out my argument and what I want

readers to “take away” from my work.

• [The tutor] explained how to address a general audience for technical writing

(don’t use ‘you’ or ‘I’ pronouns)

• I learned that I can start with a working thesis, write down the evidence, and then

go back and make the thesis more detailed and stronger, I also learned alternate

ways to structure my thoughts.

• My sentences tend to be long and full of pronouns/other references outside of

them.

• Connect the ending of a paragraph with the beginning of he next to the point

where if you only read these two things you can paint a picture of the entire paper.

• Specific writing tools for writing personal statements. For example backing up a

statement with a personal experience relating to that statement.

• Introductions can’t jump from idea to idea without introducing each topic with

smooth transitions in between ideas. Introductions are the first impression, don’t

mess it up.

• Watching common and cliché phrases in my writing.

• We discussed document-formatting and making sure to keep ideas narrow and

focused when there is a page limit. Juan made the parameters of prelim

documents very clear. The tutorial eased my mind a lot!

• I learned more about the chronological order of my essays. So, for instance, if I

wish to talk about the future, that needs to follow me discussing the present.

Backtracking (talking about the present, then future, then present) will only

confuse my audience.

• [My tutor] did a great job helping me with the wordiness, and how to cut down on

extra words and phrases. She also helped me address my concerns of making the

tone of my writing more positive.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 19

Students also made the following comments when asked, “Do you have any additional

comments or feedback?”

• The tutor was very respectful and had a genuine interest in my work and subject

matter.

• I would love to see my tutor again!! He was very helpful and nice!! During the

session, I felt like he knew what I needed to do.

• Writing Center is great!! Although sometimes it’s frustrating to recognize that I

am still very far away from “flawless” writing skills, learning new things during

the revision process is very enjoyable.

• This was an awesome experience that I’m sure will be a catalyst for growth.

• I greatly appreciated [my tutor’s] input. He seemed to take a genuine interest in

my thoughts and concerns, and it was obvious to me that he cares about the

success of those who seek his advice.

• Great first experience in the Writing Lab! ☺

• This was really helpful! I feel a lot more confident with my paper now.

• [My tutor] did a very good job with helping me formulate strong arguments to

incorporate in my essay.

• I am really glad I came in and I feel way more confident in my writing abilities

now.

• I have learned many things during the 30 minute session and it has been very

helpful

• The time is too limited. In 30 mins, I usually cannot go over the whole paper.

• I appreciated the ability to work through some of my dissertation to clarify my

ideas.

• This tutoring experience has inspired me to make better examples

• It’s fun and very helpful. [My tutor] helped me a lot. Thank you so much for

being so nice and understanding.

• Mary was extremely helpful in providing feedback. She was detailed and gave

constructive advice and concrete examples of ways to improve my writing.

• She was very thorough and made sure to cater to my individual needs – she asked

what I wanted to focus on, how I wanted to read through it, etc.

• I was very worried before, but after meeting with [my tutor] and talking the paper

through with her made me more confident in my writing abilities.

• [My tutor] was phenomenally helpful! She gave me great recommendations

regarding personal statements and resumes.

• [My tutor] is a terrific evaluator. She is detailed and clearly explains how to

improve the paper & justifies the purpose of the changes that need to be made.

• [My tutor] did a very good job at making me think and coming up w/ideas instead

of him just telling me what to do.

• It is my first time to get here, and I think it is a good experience for an

international student. The woman who worked with me is kind and she explained

ideas to me specifically.

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 20

Selected Comments from OWL Users

The following selections (transcribed exactly as users wrote them) constitute a small

sample of the unsolicited comments we receive about the OWL. OWL users include

students and instructors at Purdue and around the world, k-12 teachers, and parents.

• I am nearing the end of a long slow trip through graduate school towards getting

my MSLIS and I want to express my deep gratitude for the countless times I have

referenced the OWL's pages on Research and citation, specifically APA. From my

very first graduate school paper to my final papers in the next few weeks, I have

consulted the OWL every single term. I can't imagine how many students across

the country and around the world have been helped by the extensive, clearly

written, and detailed examples and explanations provided in the OWL's pages. As

I work on one of my final papers, I can't help but contact you to thank you from

the bottom of my stressed out graduate student's heart. (USA)

• Thank you so much for the excellent site on the English grammar. I was looking

for the answers for many years. Your presenting style and contents well exceeded

my expectations. I would definitely recommend your site to everyone, who wants

to improve English. Big thanks again! (Lithuania)

• The site keeps evolving and getting better and better! My students are using it and

identified it as one of their top resources for adult returning students. I also put the

OWL Purdue website information in the course syllabus under writing resources.

These are adult women completing a BA after many years and carrying a lot of "I

can't" with them. the cohort format helps -- OWL helps and is a super resource.

thanks M.Reiff (USA)

• This is an excellent tool for my students. We are in Louisiana and students are

required to learn MLA formatting. I work in a Title One school; 98% of my

students are on free/reduced lunch and can not afford to purchase the style guide.

I had been modeling how to navigate through the web-site in class, but would like

to add it to my web page for my students next year. Thanks so much. (USA)

• I think this is a fantastic resource for students preparing for international English

exams like TOEFL and IELTS and I refer my students and other teachers to the

site frequently. (Italy)

• I love, love, love your site and always tell students and other writers about it.

Your explanations are so concise and clear; it's much easier to send people to your

site than to try and explain certain grammar points myself! I just posted a blog

piece today with a couple links to your site; hope that's OK. Thanks, Jody Kihara

(author, editor, and sometimes grammar instructor). (Canada)

• I have been recommending the OWL to my students for years. It is one of the

very best online writing resources I have seen. It is user-friendly, easy to navigate,

complete and reliable. Our students are IB students and they use the OWL for

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 21

several courses, but most importantly for the 4,000 word Extended Essay. They

go off to universities all over the world with a superb resource in their education.

(Spain)

• I truly appreciate OWL's resources! No one has ever taught me how to

properly cite ANYTHING in APA format. I would have failed many

assignments if OWL was not accessible due to massive citation errors! OWL

is especially wonderful for those of us that have not been in school for a long

period of time and/or have been in a technical career that does not deal with

computers. The latter would apply to myself as I am a hairdresser of 20 years

and would not know where to start when adhering to academically correct

guidelines and expectations. Thank you. (USA)

• Your site is absolutely the MOST important tool I use to direct students to for

help - I could not ever explain and show examples as your site does - it is

comprehensive and easy to use. I teach students who are older and going back

to school and it is so hard to get back in the groove - this site is so helpful for

them!!! (USA)

• The Purdue University Online Writing Lab is great! It provides me immediate

help in academic papers that I make. Information from the site are clearly

presented and are organized well. Thank you so much! (Philippines)

Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 22

Appendix C: List of Visitor Consultations with the Writing Lab

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Writing Lab Annual Report 2012-2013, Page 23

Appendix D: Writing Lab Staff Members for 2012–2013

Director

Linda S. Bergmann, Ph.D., Professor of English

Associate Director

Tammy Conard-Salvo, M.A., Administrative/Professional

ESL Specialist

Vicki Kennell, Ph.D, Administrative/Professional

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Tristan Abbott

Chris Dorn

Marybeth Harris

Gina Hurley

Dan Kenzie

Helen Knight

Mary McCall

Juan Meneses

Rebekah Mitsein

Sean Mitsein

Hwanhee Park

Dana Roders

Slaney Ross

Scott Partridge

Ashley Watson

Heather Wicks

Online Writing Lab (OWL) Staff

OWL Coordinator: Joshua Paiz

OWL Technical Coordinator/Webmaster: Caitlan Spronk

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs)

Alissa Berger

Lizzie Berkovitz

John Bomkamp

Ariel Callahan

Raysha Duncan

Megan Grassl

Matt Hollars

Xin Hou

Shannon Israelsen

Kenneth Kim

Haley Sands

Rebekah Thomas

Business Writing Consultants (BWCs)

Anna Chen

Corrine Feight

Alexandra Hoff

Elizabeth Hudson

Christy Hunter

Will Precup

Katelyn Roberts

Hannah Wilkerson

Professional Writing Program/Writing Lab Collaboration Intern

Adam Strantz