College of Arts & Sciences Research

The purpose of this research is to develop and implement a fully functioning writing center for the Embry-Riddle Worldwide student body. The program will consist of a tutoring service to aid students with grammatically correct writing, forming coherent arguments, and properly addressing the specific objectives of the paper.

While writing tutor programs are routine at residential campuses, they are not for online programs, such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide Campus. In the fall of 2013, the English department and the Rothwell Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) distributed a needs assessment survey to the Embry-RIddle Aeronautical University- Worldwide faculty for the potential need of an online writing center. The results from the needs assessment showed 80 percent of respondents indicated that they thought ERAU needed a writing center, and another 15 percent answered that maybe there was a need. 

In January 2014, a pilot project was initiated that matched live tutors with students in three different online courses. Data collected from students, tutors, and instructors illuminated program successes, as well as ways to improve pilot implementations scheduled in future terms. The pilot included three courses taught in different modalities, from different colleges, and targeting different levels of students. Students submitted drafts of assignments via email, and tutors responded with feedback and comments within 48 hours. Types of feedback focused on organization, meeting assignment parameters, APA documentation and formatting, plagiarism avoidance, and language use and punctuation.

This is an on-going investigation until the determination is made about the need to create a Writing Center and what will be needed to support it in terms of staffing and services. Original findings were disseminated at the 2014 Lilly Conference held in Oxford, Ohio, hosted by Miami University and are planned to continue until the establishment of a center takes place or another mechanism is selected.