Andrew post 9

I think it's vitally important for writing center staff to keep abreast of writing center scholarship. Because students who visit writing centers vary widely in their proficiency, their motivations for seeking help, and economic/identity categories, and bring in work from disparate disciplines, staff need to be adaptable to multitudinous tutoring relationships and scenarios. Requiring staff to go through practicum courses (held on maybe a biennial basis) and holding regular department forums where tutors can present research or seek counsel would help keep everyone on the same page with regard to the latest findings and debates in writing center theory and practice. However, I don't think that it's reasonable expect that each member regularly conduct their own research, since many tutors are graduate students or full time instructors whose resources are often already stretched thin on account of pressures to produce writing/research in their own field of study. Asking too much more of them could detract from their ability to fully invest what energy reserves they do have into working with their students. 

Something I'd be interested in researching is how asynchronous practices such as document review affect the kind of feedback that tutors provide students, especially in scenarios where tutors aren't provided much background information on the students they're working with. I've found that establishing a rapport with students helps me tailor feedback to their particular needs, but I wonder if that feedback is less honest or helpful for the same reason. 

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