Initially, I had never believed that the summary reports that writing consultants send to professors after a consultation were considered controversial. Without giving it much thought, I saw them merely as a useful tool to further help bridge the gap between professor and student. I viewed the writing consultant as a helpful intermediary that could assist in not only specifying to the professor what the writer is having trouble with, but also to possibly guide the student to what the professor is looking for in a strong paper.
That being said, Cogie's article brought up interesting counterarguments to this belief, mainly this question of confidentiality. She brings up an interesting flaw in the system when she states, "Indeed, why should writing center tutors have to report to classroom teachers? Shouldn't their dialogue with the students be valued, as secessionists argue, no as an adjunct to the composition classroom but as a central part of the developing engagement of students with writing? ("Confidentiality"). And shouldn't students be free to speak in their writing center without having to worry that their words will be reported to faculty?" (Cogie 48).
While this is an interesting viewpoint to consider, I believe that the benefits of summary reports being sent to professors negate the need for confidentiality. There certainly is no need for a record of the exact dialogue that was had between the tutor and the student, but I feel as though the specifics of where the student is struggling and how the consultant worked to aid in these issues can be highly useful to the professor. With these summary reports, professors can gain greater insight into where the specific problem areas lie within a students writing and what techniques can be employed in order to resolve these issues. Furthermore, these reports are remarkable useful for the tutor. By forcing tutors to step back after a session and evaluate its productivity and effectiveness, tutors can gain insight into what specific techniques were successful and how to become a better tutor.
Writing summary reports are just one of the examples of this type of symbiotic relationship between student and writing consultant. Though this question and possible demand for confidentiality can be seen as a negative aspect of writing summary reports, I believe that the communication between tutor and student actually allows for a more collaborative atmosphere and provides the writer with a greater ability to improve his / her writing.
I was stunned when I found out that the Dean of a local private college forbids any reporting to faculty. It's a textbook example of "seclusionism" at work, and I advised the Director to get faculty colleagues to press for summaries as routine, or at least as an "opt in" system. Without that, many faculty would have NO idea what a local Center does, or perhaps if one even exists.
ReplyDeleteOur summaries provide a great marketing tool and one that recruits Consultants to our program.