Hi everyone,
I attach a document I once got from Lotte Rienecker, founder of the
Academic Writing Center of the Copenhagen University and one of the
funding members of EATAW. It is a summary about some things to consider
when setting up a writing center.
From my experiences with our 3-years-old writing center I would
recommend to network with as many people at university as possible. Try
to build a round table/ a staring group and involve different people
from different faculties, otherwise there is a risk that you won't be
taken serious outside the language center.
Proofreading: I would not offer this. In my opinion, a writing center is
much more than a service center for "good" writing. It is very hard to
provide another image than that of a fix-it-shop to faculty members. I
think a writing center is a center for learning and thinking - because
writing is a tool for learning and thinking. Furthermore, conversation
about writing is a normal part of every writing process and therefore
nothing that only poor writers need. Offering proof reading could
support the image of a fix-it-shop, I guess.
I work with student peer tutors, my writing center wouldn't be possible
without them. If you want to work with peer tutors - which is very
rewarding - remember to train them careful on the one hand and on the
other hand trust them and give them responsibilty not only for tutoring
but also to push on the writing center.
With best regards
Katrin Girgensohn
--
Dr. Katrin Girgensohn
Writing Center Director
European University Viadrina
Postbox 1786, 15207 Frankfurt(Oder)
Germany
phone +49 (0)335 5534 3730
Chair: European Writing Centers Association (EWCA)
Former Executive Board Member: European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing (EATAW)
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