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Abstract:
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Student writer accessibility to the tutoring service provided by the California State University, Sacramento University Writing Center (UWC) is limited by three main factors: the availability of funds for paid tutors, the number of intern tutors available, and the face-to-face nature of the service. This study addressed the third limitation by using collaboration software over the Internet to determine if online tutoring could be as effective as face-to-face tutoring and result in more students, particularly part-time and commuter students, taking advantage of UWC services. The study used online surveys to collect data from both student writers and tutors regarding whether they considered their experience with online tutoring successful and if the online service met their needs. The online tutoring offered through the project was not well used and did not return enough data to determine if online tutoring would expand the reach of the UWC. However, the project did provide data on issues that need to be addressed improve the online tutoring service in the future. These issues include practical issues in technology and scheduling as well as tutor acceptance and student experience. |
