Jenna Kahn, a third-year MFA student in Creative Writing and Writing Center tutor, works at her online tutoring station. Photo provided.
When George Mason University announced it was switching to online instruction due to COVID-19, the leadership at the Writing Center could have transitioned by having tutors provide feedback to writers solely over email. But they knew the center was more than a resource hub, so they went for a challenge.
“We were really concerned with preserving the sense of community that the Writing Center has in the in-person space,” said Courtney Massie, the center’s assistant director. “Not just between members of the staff, but also between tutors and writers.”
Students looking for writing help now have the option to video chat with a tutor while editing drafts together in real-time (synchronous tutoring) or submitting a draft electronically and waiting for email feedback (asynchronous tutoring).
“We’re trying to do exactly what we did in the physical space, which would have been talk over the text and give suggestions for how they might improve it,” said Kevin Binder, a first-year creative writing master’s student who has tutored at the center for a year.
The Writing Center’s online tutoring interface allows tutors and writers to video chat while editing drafts together in real-time. Photo provided.
On March 23, the first day the center went fully online, more than 85% of tutoring sessions filled up, and nearly half of the students selected the video tutoring option, said Writing Center Director Susan Lawrence.
“Students want feedback on their writing, but also, they want to talk to somebody about their writing,” Lawrence said. “Writers want connection.”
“Going into this as a tutor, there were many changes in terms of a) what we were doing and b) what’s going on with our [writers] in terms of how they’re learning,” Binder said.
Binder said he focused on doing his best despite the new software and online territory, and the strategy seems effective.
“Thank you for giving me this chance of real-time [tutoring],” an anonymous student wrote in their feedback to the center. “It was new for me, but wonderful, especially when I opened my camera; it looks the same as in face-to-face tutoring.”
“Seeing that, yes, this is helpful, this is still really impactful and students are getting value out of it is really rewarding,” Binder said.
The 41 graduate and undergraduate tutors also stay connected with one another over Slack, where they share successes, life updates and tutoring tips, Binder said.
“[Connecting with colleagues] has been the biggest helping hand for me in these times,” he said. “It’s been a huge emotional lift and serves a great practical purpose of communicating with other tutors and the staff.”
Whether its seeking help with a paper, being part of one of the center’s graduate writing groups, or joining a write-in session, Mason students still have access to everything the Writing Center has to offer.
“We’ll be here to support [Mason students],” Massie said. “We’re another way to create that community.”