Beating the Clock:

Collaborations to Transform the What, When, and

Why of Writing Center Sessions

TIME
Dramatically shapes:

Interactions between tutors and student writers

Conversations about writing itself

Anne Ellen Geller:

Tick-Tock, Next: Finding Epochal Time in the
Writing Center
The need for focus on epochal time

There is never enough

time to teach all that
we want to.
-Anne Ellen Geller

Gellers Concept of
Time
Fungible

Mechanical
Easily measured in units on
clocks or calendars

Example: Minutes, hours,

days, months, due dates,
etc.

Example: I am going to eat

lunch at noon.

Epochal
Event-oriented
The event defines the time
Linked to internal or external
rhythms

Example: I am going to eat

when I am hungry.

The Session
The Typical Session

Centered on fungible
time:

Students and tutors are

preoccupied with clock-watching

The goal is to tackle the

assignment in the quickest fashion
possible

The Ideal Session

Centered on epochal
time

Students and tutors collaborate with

one another in non-directive peer-topeer exchange (Bruffee; Trimbur;
Lunsford)

Goals are not so much oriented on

solving the immediate issue at hand
as understanding the nature of the
overarching problem

Time is budgeted in order to

accomplish substantial amounts of
tangible work
These strategies render immediate
improvements for a reoccurring
problem

Treat the cause, not the symptom

The time spent in sessions of this

nature are of far more value and
efficiency

Writing Center
A year in the life of the CSN Writing Center (FY14/15)

7, 720 students (out of 37,000 students across each campus)

76% visits are for Draft Revision

27, 489 visits

21% ESL (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Amharic)
57 % of visits are 20 minutes or less; 39% are 30-40 minutes; 14% over 40
minutes
47% of visits are for projects due the Same Day or Next Day

Writing Center
The Semester/Campus Analyzed (West Charleston Spring 2015
- 60% of visits come from this campus)

2, 075 students

85% visits are for Draft Revision

6, 135 visits
29% ESL (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Amharic)
61% of visits are 20 minutes or less; 26% are 30-40 minutes; 13% over 40
minutes
60% of visits are for projects due the Same Day or Next Day

Expectation Reality

60% of 6,135 visits come for help same day or day before

73% of sessions had bigger picture needs than what session

could address with time constraints, e.g. understanding
assignment requirements or essay type
Conflict between students need for
immediate improvements and tutors
desire for more holistic approach to
student as a writer.
*Shift in students perception of
WC services

Length of Sessions
The data collected
from CSNs online
scheduler
WCONLINE shows
that nearly 61% of
all appointments
lasted 20 minutes or
less.
Approximately 26%
of all appointments
last 30-40 minutes.
*30-40 minute ideal
for best practices

Thesis
Epochal time may be more likely
achieved during a Writing Center
Session if students visit

early in the writing

process

early in their academic

careers

The Programs
Since Fall 2013, implementation of 4 unique programs geared
to reach students earlier in the writing process:

Writing Center in the Library

English Placement Preparation
Curriculum-based Faculty Support
In-session Self-Referrals

Writing Center
in the
Library
Reach students in
research stage (or
other early stages)

3 Models:
WA in a study room
WA at the reference desk
WA roaming and reference desk

Refer to Writing
Center for further
help specifically w/
earlier stages

Writing Center in the Library

Usage

*Designed for initial outreach; help change

students perceptions of the Writing Center

English Placement Preparation

Reach students early in academic career

Students of varying backgrounds

Help student get into the right class

First exposure to the WC
148 visits since implementation in Summer 2014

Curriculum-based
Faculty Support

Communicate w/ faculty to bring

students earlier than rough draft

Higher order needs; more than

what one visit can address

Promoting at least one

recommended WC visit for lowstakes writing assignment

During topic selection,

brainstorming, etc.

What Prompts Visits to the

Writing Center?
The data collected
from the
WCONLINE
scheduler indicates
that teacher
recommendations
and/or
requirements
account for

61.4% of all
appointments

In-Session
Self Referrals

Redirection: Next time

Determine when next essay is due; plan w/ student to visit
within 3-7 days of due date for early writing stage

Referrals
to the

Writing Center

Nearly half of all sessions help redirect student to WC earlier.

Method of
Analysis
*Initial Study

Evaluation of
multiple values on
intake form

Based on values
that contribute or
take away from
Gellers ideal of
epochal time

Session
Report
Criteria

0
Fungible
Time
(Least Ideal)

More
Literal/ Less
Epochal
(Less Ideal)

More
Epochal/Less
Literal

Epochal
Time

(More Ideal)

(Most Ideal)

Later Today

2-7 Days

More than a
week

Assignment
Due
(0-3)

>30 mins / 1
hour

Writing
Stage
(0-3)

Draft
Revision

Draft
Revision /
Outlining

Outlining /
Prewriting

Brainstorm
Topic
Selection

Higher
Order
Items (0-3)

None/
Meeting
Assign. Req.

Thesis /
Intro &
Conclusion

Rhetorical /
Logic &
Coherency

Idea Dev. /
Thesis

Language
Topics
(0-3)

Gramm/Pun
ct./Sentenc
e/1st2nd
POV

Grammar /
Punctuation

Minor
grammar,
etc.

Minor
grammar,
etc. /
None

Duration of
Session [in
minutes]
(0-3)

0-10

10-20

20-30

60+

50-60

40-50

Resource
Referral
(0-1)

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Post
Session
Comments
(0-3)

No
Comments

Comments
Only for
Checkbox
Values

Comments
Somewhat
Outside
Checkbox

Comments
give more
insight on
session

Next Day

30-40

Total

Score

What We Found
Out of 6, 135
samples, we
analyzed:

WC in the Library
63 Reports

English Placement
Preparation
31 Reports

Self Referral
350 Reports

Faculty Support
350 Reports

Writing Center in the Library

Average Session Length: 37
Minutes

Draft Revision still prevalent

Wide-range of higher order
items discussed

Logic and coherency,

organization, idea
development, rhetorical
situation

English Placement Preparation

Average Session Length: 24 Minutes

Less focus on grammar
More focus on higher order items:

Thesis statements, organization, logic and coherency

Self-Referral

Average Session Length (return visit): 30 Minutes

Focus on grammar and punctuation with draft revision
Higher order items discussed:
Meeting assignment requirements, organization

Faculty Support
Average Session Length
(return visit): 22 Minutes

Focus on draft revision

Higher order items
discussed:

Meeting assignment
requirements

Rubric Analysis Value

Rubric designed to determine if programs brought students
in at an earlier stage in the writing process

NOT intended to remove importance of draft revision stage

Recommendations
Rubric, as currently designed, does not allow for gradients
between scores.

Self-referral least effective at bringing students back for ideal

sessions

Self-referral technique training could be modified or

improved

Writing Center in the Library most effective at targeting

students for more ideal sessions

Closing Discussion