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Interactions on the online writing center: students' perspectives. (2014). Interactions on the online writing center: students' perspectives.

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Title	Interactions on the online writing center: students' perspectives
Abstract	This research explores the current state of online writing centers by analyzing the contributions of scholars, tutors, and students to the pedagogical practices of online peer tutoring. The study examines three areas of online peer synchronous tutoring from students' perspectives: a) students' experiences, b) students' revision processes, and c) sound practices for online tutoring. The findings emphasize the importance of including students in conversations about online tutoring practices to improve and enhance the ways writing centers help students become better writers. This dissertation addresses new areas of research by observing interactions during online sessions and interviewing students to determine effective tutoring practices. With the lack of published empirical research devoted to online peer tutoring practices, this research provides a foundation for online tutor training scholarship with student voices. The students explained their expectations of sessions, reaffirmed practices previous writing center research has deemed important, and made suggestions instrumental to developing sound online peer tutoring practices. This dissertation argues for the inclusion of students' voices in order to fully develop sound practices for online tutoring. Additionally, the findings offer insight to the types of online peer tutor feedback that contributed to students' revisions, the decisions students made when revising, and student response to instructor's comments on their final papers. The two most influential factors that affected student revisions were: a) the ways tutors posed feedback, and b) whether or not they developed a plan to address the student's goals. This research calls for online writing center scholarship to incorporate students' experiences and perspectives. The first three chapters of this dissertation provide the rationale for conducting this research. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 present the results of the study aimed at specific journal audiences. Chapter 7 summarizes the findings and provides suggestions for future research. Writing the chapters in this format resulted in a slight overlap in the information presented. The major contribution of this dissertation is that it addresses how students' experiences and perspectives of online tutoring can provide writing center scholars broader perspectives on theory, how online peer tutoring impacts revision processes, and how tutoring practices contribute to student learning.
Date	2014

Details

Title: Interactions on the online writing center: students' perspectives
Personal Name(s): Sabatino, Lindsay Ann
Rafoth, Bennett A.
Corporate Name(s): Indiana University of Pennsylvania
English.
Note: Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rafoth, Bennett A. Committee members: Sharon Deckert; Michael Williamson.
Topical Subject(s): Language arts
Pedagogy
Rhetoric