As a writing assistant in the Writing Center, interactions with students seeking aid is an absolute must. And yet, is it possible to give that same treatment through an online resource? With how much technology has advanced in the past few years alone, it's not just possible but may become necessary depending on student demand. That's why some of what this article states is so important to remember.
I do admit that the idea of tutoring online does seem like it would add stress into tutoring sessions, due to the disconnection from traditional human interaction. We as writing assistants have mainly been trained for meeting face-to-face with the students we will be aiding during our sessions. This allows us to have a level of personal interaction makes it easier to understand each student's need in terms of the amount of help they need when it comes to their writings. Though a greater challenge, it's not impossible to do the same online.
This particular article does give some good advice on how to prepare for the possibility of online tutoring. Just like in a personal interaction, the wording is key in how the tutor gives their advice to the student. It's especially important that the tutor doesn't just make corrections themselves, even if the students ask them to. The resounding theme as a tutor is to give students the means to catch and be able to edit their own mistakes without a tutor having to tell them.
So the idea is good, just requires a little more thought with every response to the students that do come for help.
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