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MAXIMIZ

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UDGETS F

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TUTO

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FACETS OF INSTITUTIONAL RECONFIGURATION (EDE & LUNSFORD, 2000)1) Institutional space

Physical Space

Online Space

2) Concepts of knowledge production and intellectual property

Knowledge of various citation formats in each department

Availability of sources on these format

3) Research paradigms and rewards

Contests for handouts/research-bases helps

Recognition within writing center staff

4) Budget allocations

Student Outreach

Tutor allocation in a variety of spaces and services, based on strengths

Maximizing Physical Spaces

Bulletin Boards

Bookshelves

Dictionary drive (geared toward special dictionaries for non-native speakers)

White board tables

Tutor placement

Collaborative computer arrangement

INSTITUTIONAL SPACE

“The tutors utilize all of the space in the Writing Center. Though the space ostensibly belongs to the students we serve, the tutors are the ones who spend the most time in the space” (Mageebon, 2008).

Maximizing online spaces Tutor-created online sources

(model essays, tutorials, virtual tours)

Virtual tutor (Susie Queue)

Creation of and links to grammar games & worksheets

Utilization of affordable online tutoring and communication tools (email, IM, collaboration tools)

- Showdocument

- Twiddla

- Mindmeister & Spinscape

- WCOnline online

consultation

module

- Google Wave

INSTITUTIONAL SPACE

Online re

source

s linke

d to

face-to

-face

sess

ions

significa

ntly re

lated to overall

perform

ance outco

mes (Pe

rera

& Richardso

n, 2010).

Knowledge and availability of citation formats

In-house peer workshops on various citation styles (during staff meetings/practicums)

Communication with departments & faculty regarding preferred citation styles

Comprehensive list of citation styles for each department and links to tutorials/examples online

CONCEPTS OF KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Contests for research-based helps

Encourages individual research

Tutor-donated rewards

Voluntary basis

Contests for:

- Most handouts

- Most online resources

- Most comprehensive resources

- Most in-depth research-based contribution (handouts, online resource, methodology, in-house workshopping, etc)

Recognition within Writing Center staff

Increases morale and, therefore, motivation

Voting for “Tutor of the…”

Displays of comments (both from students and from other tutors)

Designation of specific tutors for help on various topics (recognizes their contribution and special set of skills)

RESEARCH PARADIGMS AND REWARDS

Student Outreach Communication with IT about links through Blackboard and

main website

Presence at all orientations and fairs

Brochures for non-native speakers

Student writing contests & publications

Display of student artwork

BUDGET ALLOCATIONS

Time is money.

Preferences for time management and the relationship of workers with the concept of multitasking has a direct effect on their job performance (Kantrowitz, Grelle, & Beaty, 2012).

Therefore, the best way to maximize our own potential and, therefore, gain more “bang for our buck,” is to identify our own attitudes toward time management and multitasking, and volunteer to use our work hours in a way that we are comfortable with and, therefore, will perform to the best of our abilities.

Tutor Allocation in a variety of spaces

Volunteer to work in various areas and spaces

Based on personal preferences and strengths

Workshops, extended hours, handouts, online resources, faculty communication, website upkeep and design, student contests & publications etc. (the options are varied and wide!)

BUDGET ALLOCATIONS

REFERENCES

Ede, L. & Lunsford, A. (2000). Some millennial thoughts about the future of writing centers. The Writing Center Journal, 20(2), 32-38. Retrieved from http://casebuilder.rhet.ualr.edu/wcrp/publications/wcj/wcj20.2/wcj20.2_ede.pdf

Kantrowitz, T. M., Grelle, D. M., Beaty, J. C., & Wolf, M. B. (2012). Time is money: Polychronicity as a predictor of performance across job levels. Human Performance, 25(2), 114-137. doi:10.1080/08959285.2012.658926

Kugler, L. (2010). Online collaboration on the cheap: 20 free and low-cost tools. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177575/Online_collaboration_on_the_cheap_20_free_and_low_cost_tools?taxonomyId=169&pageNumber=5

Mageebon, A. (2008, December). Whose space is it anyway? A new writing center’s reflection on negotiating space. The Writing Lab Newsletter, 33(4), 9-12. Retrieved from https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v33/33.4.pdf

Perera, L. & Richardson, P. (2010). Students' use of online academic resources within a course web site and its relationship with their course performance: An exploratory study. Accounting Education, 19(6), 587-600.

doi:10.1080/09639284.2010.529639Plans (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.showdocument.com/plans.jsfUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake (2011). WC annual report 2010-2011.

Retrieved from  http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/SSO/Files/WCAnnualReport_2010-2011.doc

University of North Texas (n.d.) Linguistic and technical communications: labs. Retrieved from http://ltc.unt.edu/node/362

University of Texas at Austin (n.d.) Undergraduate writing center.Retrieved from http://uwc.utexas.edu/