The English Microlab Registry (EMR) was first designed as a database, or research tool, for planners of English microlabs in order to give them access to information about all aspects of microlab management. But EMR also provides descriptive data about what a microlab is and may well provide insight into whether those labs will survive. An…

Having established the "Writing Lab" at James Madison University in 1974, the author has watched the evolution and proliferation of Writing Centers in colleges and universities over the past 32 years. Common to support services at the beginning of her career as a writing specialist and in the present Writing Center are two primary areas…

Incorporating creative play in the writing lab or classroom is a unique way to pique students' interest and boost their imagination. Exercises varying from describing Hershey's Kisses®, to using tape recorders for discussing voice, to using magnetic poetry to practice grammar are all ways that stimulate learning through the lens of play. Play…

At the Writing Center of the Virginia Technical Institute and State University, several methods of publicizing the writing center and developing good public relations have been developed. Through the writing center's brochure or an article in the faculty/staff newspaper, it can be made clear that writing center staff would be willing to talk to…

Tutors are true professionals who understand that even though their own philosophical stance toward teaching may differ from an instructor's, they have an obligation to do whatever the professor requires. However, because they work more closely with them, the tutors are in a better position than the teacher to see when the students are having…

Recommends that tutoring instruction offered in writing centers be at the same level of professional standards and competence as other instruction offered at the two-year college. (AEA)

Discusses current research on behavior in organizations as it relates to building group cohesiveness in a writing lab staff and describes the operation of the writing lab at the University of Central Arkansas. (AEA)

A seven-point philosophy for operating a writing laboratory has achieved positive results, both in the form of student test scores and grades and in the form of student gratitude. The first philosophical point is a sincere, unswaying belief that "everyone" can learn to write and that only a poorly written paper is hopeless, not the…

Noting that writing laboratories at the high school level are gaining more attention as high school personnel learn to adapt successful college programs to their own needs, this paper provides information about a laboratory program that was designed to offer tenth through twelfth grade students individualized instruction both to remediate writing…

This paper discusses the development of a program of writing instruction across the curriculum at William Jewell College. It reports on a series of faculty forums that discussed what the college-wide standards for effective writing should be, investigated multidisciplinary instruction in writing, and considered a proficiency test. Descriptions of…

Discusses advantages of computer assisted instruction (CAI) in a community college writing/reading curriculum. Using word processing software, students write reports, themes, and essays on the microcomputer. Other software is used for learning vocabulary, grammar, reading rate and comprehension. Includes problems to avoid to ensure success in CAI…

Urges the use of writing models in content area instruction to demonstrate to students exactly what they are asked to produce and suggests that content area faculty join forces with English faculty in the teaching of composition. (AEA)

Focuses on how writing center directors can use the resource of peer tutors and discusses the rationale for, the selection of, and the evaluation of tutor applicants. (AEA)

Argues that, as the major point of contact with the student writer, an articulate and properly trained peer tutor can transmit valuable insights into the complex process of learning how to write well. (AEA)

The first step in an effort to expand a writing laboratory program calls for the director and the current staff to investigate the areas in which expansion is desirable and can feasibly occur. This can be done by asking students to identify disciplines in which they would use additional tutorial help, or by addressing the faculty, especially those…