Drop-In Tutoring and Time Management

The readings this week provide a spectrum of perspective on the management and attitude towards time. In the Geller piece, time becomes a restraint that the author encourages us to free ourselves from, insisting that a hypersensitivity of time limits will restrict us in our tutoring sessions and detract from what we can provide those we tutor. In the Murray piece, however, he argues that "the brevity of conferences gives them a productive intensity," and he advises against the sense of colloquialism and comfort we have been discussing thusfar throughout the semester.

Do you agree with Geller, that time restraints are extremely limiting, or do you agree with Murray, that the shorter sessions allow for direct focus on the writing, and that casual conversation detracts from the productivity of a session?

All this talk about time management is pertinent to the elephant in the room--drop-in tutoring. Drop-in tutoring may well be one of the most difficult tasks we are to take on in the Writing Center. In Beat (Not) the (Poor) Clock, Geller writes, "By the clock, there may not be enough time for everything we want to do. Conferences are too short to finish all the work we’d like to complete with student writers." How do you think this applies to drop-in sessions? For those of you who have taken drop-in appointments in the writing center, what techniques do you use to stay focussed and productive in the span of fifteen minutes? How do you keep track of time throughout your sessions, both drop-in and appointment? Do you think fifteen minutes is too brief a time period to truly be productive in a tutoring session? Do you think thirty minutes is adequate enough?

Academic Integrity

The U of A Principle Code of Academic Integrity contains the statement that "Students engaging in academic dishonesty diminish their education and bring discredit to the academic community" (italics mine). However, many students do not see plagiarism as such a serious offense, or as an offense at all. How can we as tutors demonstrate to students the academic and moral importance of avoiding plagiarism, and how can we help them implement proper documentation in their writing?

Suppose a writer has an appointment and comes in with a paper that doesn't seem completely original to you. Pointers mentioned in the Culwin and Lancaster article, such as dramatic changes in writing level ability, unusual references, and analogies with non-local or non-current events are all present. The writer seems unfamiliar with several terms and syntaxes within the work while reading it aloud. What should you do in this situation?

Now, suppose another writer who is an NNS (or ESL) student comes in and reads you his/her paper. Several statements and figures which do not seem like "common knowledge" are not cited. What would you say to help this student understand the concept of intellectual property in American culture and the possible consequences of not citing certain information?

Culwin and Lancaster write that “The Web is a valuable source for anti-plagiarism advice which can teach both students and tutors what plagiarism is, how to recognize it and how to avoid it.” The University of Arizona has used the online anti-plagiarism service Turnitin.com (at least until this academic year). What are your thoughts on this service? Is it useful? Unnecessary? Intrusive? Lastly, do you think the writing center should use some kind of technology to prevent plagiarism?

As Adam said last week, feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you want.