Student writing tutors attend Mid-Atlantic Writing Center Association Conference

DUNMORE, Pa. — This spring, a group of student peer writing tutors from the campus’ Writing Center attended the annual Mid-Atlantic Writing Center Association (MAWCA) Conference at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland. This year’s theme for the conference was “Cities that Write: Place, Space and Writing Center Geography.”

Penn State Scranton peer writing tutors who attended, accompanied by Writing Center Coordinator Jaime Mosher, were Rowan Mulligan, Lila Rusin and Kennesha Busby, who were joined by Associate Teaching Professor of English Jody Griffith for the Saturday conference sessions.

“The purpose of this conference is professional development,” Mosher said. “To learn from colleagues at other centers and to discuss current issues that affect writing centers.”

The peer tutors and Mosher attended a workshop called “Baltimore Cubed: Extending and Nurturing Writing Center Work Across Centers, Institutions and Communities,” led by staff members of Baltimore City College’s writing center. Baltimore City College is the third oldest high school in the United States and is a citywide college preparatory institution with selective admissions and an emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences.

After attending the conference’s keynote address, “Where Are You From? Place Space and Writing Center Futures,” presented by Professor Rachel Azima from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the attendees were able to attend the sessions that sounded most interesting to them.

Busby attended a variety of breakout sessions but said the one topic that stood out for her was how to make writing centers more approachable and comfortable for those that need their services.

“I want students to feel that they are not failures and to see me as someone who helps them grow, rather than someone who criticizes or diminishes their work.”

Busby also attended a session focused on using social media platforms to increase student engagement, and a roundtable discussion that focused on culturally responsive approaches to writing instruction which addressed the challenges faced by "English as an Additional Language" learners. Different writing styles across cultures were also examined and compared.

“This is the third year we’ve taken students to the MAWCA Conference and each year after we return, we meet to discuss the content of the sessions and talk about what we could implement in our center,” Mosher said. “Once students have had this experience, it’s easier to take them to the next level. So instead of focusing only on what they do in a tutoring session, they are ready to move beyond that, to think in terms of strategic goals for our writing center and the steps needed to reach those goals.”

Costs for the students to attend the conference were offset by Student Activity Fee funds.

Penn State Scranton’s Writing Center provides writing and tutoring assistance for all students. Types of assistance offered include brainstorming, outlining and prewriting; citing sources; integrating quotations into papers; editing drafts of assignments; grammar and punctuation concerns; presentations; and scholarship or graduate school applications and essays. The center also offers both in-person and online tutoring.