States that one liberating feature of modern writing centers is the way they oblige individuals to (re)examine conventional definitions. Argues that writing centers contribute to developments in writing pedagogy. Describes the WCCD (Writing Center Conference Diagnostic) test and how it is used in writing centers. Discusses success and failure in…

The idea-centered freshman composition program at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, functions not only to meet the immediate needs of freshmen writers, but also to promote the aims of liberal education. The program has three interrelated goals: (1) to engage freshmen writers in "college thinking," defined as giving…

A teacher may assume he or she has power in the classroom and utilize what he or she considers to be thoughtful dramatic pauses to frame and enhance certain points during the lecture. A student, seated in the back row, may regard these pauses not as the rhetorical flourishes intended but as indicative of the teacher's hesitancy or confusion and…

A survey investigated the use of Electronic Networks for Interaction (ENFI) in composition programs, an approach using group real-time conferencing on computer networks. Real-time conferencing means that a group (from 2 to 20 participants) meets via computer synchronously and communicates in writing as a group (in one large group or in smaller…

In 1990, Moraine Valley Community College conducted a study of writing centers at community colleges belonging to the League for Innovation in the Community College. The survey was designed to gather information on the staffing, facilities, services, operations, budget, and evaluation of writing centers. Questionnaires were sent to and returned by…

Surveys freshman English directors in order to help define the role of the writing center director. Discusses how writing center directors are viewed within English departments. Appends the questionnaire used. (MS)

Several years ago, the English faculty at the Schuylkill Campus of Pennsylvania State University entered into a cooperative venture with the campus learning center to use computer-assisted instruction in the basic rules of grammar as part of the remedial English course. The software used for the lab is the Houghton Mifflin English Microlab…

In an attempt to improve its students' writing abilities, as well as their critical thinking skills, Lord Fairfax Community College, in Virginia, developed a program called "Thinking through Writing." The project designers believed that concept formation, classification, memory enhancement, and other learning/thinking skills could be…

A survey of faculty at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Kansas was conducted to determine the current effectiveness and future needs of the JCCC Writing Center. Surveys were delivered to all full- and part-time instructors. The response rate was 18%, with approximately 31% of full-time faculty and 12% of part-time faculty returning…

The comprehensive Des Moines Plan (DMP) for Des Moines, Iowa elementary through high school students throughout the district who require academic support was evaluated, as implemented during 1987-88. The plan represents an expansion and reorganization of all district remedial programs, and receives federal, state, and local funding. The DMP…

The Writing Center at Troy State University (Troy, Alabama), is described in this report. Currently in its seventh year of operation, the Center functions under the philosophy that any student can be successful given the appropriate method of instruction and sufficient time. It provides a multiplicity of services including one-to-one tutorials,…