The primary purpose of this paper is to emphasize and reiterate the centrality of the faculty role in tutoring and learning centers, where peer-to-peer, discipline-specific collaborative learning is the primary objective. This paper provides a breadth of content for practitioners in the field and also assists those seeking to understand the unique…

Almost from its inception, Sheffield City Polytechnic has operated a system whereby each academic department allocates to every student a "personal tutor," who provides academic, professional, and personal assistance throughout the student's course of study. In 1988-89, in response to fiscal constraints, a number of departments made no…

Until recently, the model of student support operating at Sheffield City Polytechnic (SCP) in England involved pairing each student with a tutor, defining an entitlement of time for the student, specifying a minimum time commitment for which the tutor is required to be available, and leaving it up to the tutor and student to get together as best…

An overview is provided of the benefits and problems associated with using faculty members with classroom teaching duties as volunteers in college-sponsored writing centers outside the classroom environment. First, benefits for the school administration, the students, and the volunteer faculty tutors are outlined. These benefits include the…

Reports results of a telephone survey of students in the Open University's School of Education (Wales), set in the context of Total Quality Management, that investigated student attitudes toward tutorial support. The need for improved service in rural areas is discussed, and implications for tutors and for marketing strategies are suggested. (LRW)

The attitudes of teachers referring students to writing centers for mandatory instruction may weaken the center's ability to provide support to the students who need it most. Training tutors to provide a pleasant learning environment can increase the program's effectiveness. (MSE)