Writing Center Meeting 03/28/11

Items of Business:

Attn: Next meeting is SUNDAY, April 3, 2011 in the writing center, food from Aladdin

A couple words with regards on how to wash dishes by Courtney Marti:

Cleanliness in the kitchen has been an issue

Wash your own dishes

-use soap, rinsing does not equal washing

-the rack on the side is for clean dishes only

Sign up sheet for people to serve as hosts for writing center competition

-must have 25 people signed up, all you need is a floor

Brie Swenson Arnold

-dissertation at the University of Minnesota

-new professor at Augsburg college

Interested in what happens in our writing center, day-to-day interactions, services offered

Have conversations, put the paper down and ask what the paper is about

Not always draft based, discuss requirements and brainstorm

Majority of walk in conferences are brought in the night before for quick revision, proofreading

Most of the required conferences occur in the fall with first year seminar students and ESL students

Writing and rhetoric classes most often require conferences

Required conferences are a useful training tool for staff

We never write on papers because it shows ownership

Conferences sometimes fall flat when students are required to come in

Students who come in of their own accord are often the best writers because they are willing to improve

Invite top ten percent of incoming class to work in the writing center and base competition on how well
they communicate
Some interview for work study

What can professors do to design assignments to make them easier to understand?

Correct papers with chicken scratch so that students are forced to come in and discuss paper

Make clear what ideas need to be expressed

Make corrections unspecific so that students have to think and ask questions

Make the students summarize the text/theory so that they are forced to demonstrate knowledge and
consider important points

Be very clear about what you expect from the thesis

Correcting grammar is often pointless for students; comment on content is more appreciated

Consistency within the discipline

Special guest next week Sam Van Horn in the writing center on Sunday night.

Next meeting: SUNDAY, April 3rd, 2011 in the writing center