We’ve heard some disturbing hints that many Texas A&M students think the University Writing Center only helps struggling writers. We’ve also heard that some students feel they are such accomplished writers that they don’t need help.
The “remedial” view of the writing center is disturbing because it springs from a distorted view of the writing process. (Let me be clear that I include in “writing” the composing and practicing of speeches and presentations.) The distortion is that accomplished writers can do most of their work in one sitting, without the need for revision or the need for another set of eyes (or ears, in the case of speeches). The best writers and speakers, according to this logic, don’t need help. But anyone who writes knows this is untrue.
In fall, 2011, the University Writing Center surveyed students through bulk mail. Over 500 students replied to our questions. Over half of the respondents, 58.7%, reported that they had never used the writing center. Of these, 13.5% stated that they had not used it because they did not know about it; 21% said they thought the center was for “remedial/developing” writers; and 10.4% said they did not think the writing center could give adequate advice.
In spite of that 10.4%, we have reason to believe that students who do use the writing center are mostly satisfied. The 2011 survey revealed that of those who had used our services, 43.7% would recommend the center to their friends. Only 2% said they would not, while 9.1% were undecided. We also measure student satisfaction on exit surveys completed voluntarily after one-to-one consultations. In the 2011-12 academic year, 1637 students responded to these surveys, and on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being strongly agree, they rated the statement, “I would recommend the University Writing Center to a friend or classmate” as 4.63.
We also know, both from our exit survey for 2011-12 and from the fall 2011 suvey, that instructors are instumental in encourgaing students to visit the writing center. The 2011 survey shows that 57.9% of the respondents who knew about the writing center had heard about it from an instructor, while 50.2% saw promotional materials, 28.1% reported that they learned about the center from Fish Camp, and 15% said they heard about it through classroom workshops. The exit survey shows that of the students who answered the question “How did you hear about the University Writing Center?” 559 said an instructor referred them, and 474 said a friend told them about it.
Clearly, instructors have an important role in correcting distorted views of the writing process. Good writing is the product of hard work: thinking about what to say and how to address an audience, researching the topic and synthesizing sources (as needed), drafting and revising, often multiple times, getting and considering the feedback of others, and revising again, not to mention proofreading. It helps if you discuss this process with your students, if you share your own struggles as a writer, and if you build opportunities for getting feedback on the stages of composing into your syllabus. For example, provide a due date for pre-writing activites such as a preliminary review of relevant research, or a rough draft workshop. And make sure you mention the University Writing Center as a place where good writers can get the help that all writers need.
A good writer can get stuck at any stage of the process, and a good consultant can help move him or her past the block. University Writing Center consultants are good writers themselves, and they know enough to ask for help when they need it, so they won’t make your students feel awkward or stupid. Instead, as consultants, they’ll share their own struggles, make suggestions, offer ideas, and, when needed, provide a little knowledge or access to the appropriate reference.
Some students worry that writing center consultants may not know enough about their topic or their type of writing. Again, they are making assumptions based on a distorted view of the writing process, one that assumes that a good writer knows everything. They assume that to help, a consultant must have all the answers and should not have to look anything up. In truth, a good writer is always in the process of learning, testing, trying, revising. A good writer looks at a writing problem and makes decisions based on factors like audience, purpose, and document type. While it’s true that some writers may have more practice in one type of writing than another, it’s also true that good writers have the ability to adapt to the rhetoric required in any given situation. Good consultants, by the same token, are adept writers, skilled at figuring out the rhetorical demands of a writing problem, and good at asking writers questions that lead to solutions.
Tell your students that they do need the writing center, that it’s the place where good writers go to get what every writer needs: an attentive audience who can provide feedback and suggestions. I’m pretty certain they’ll listen.