Re: "Productivity Models" and Writing Center work

[anne mullin <mullanne@isu.edu>]

Clinton R. Gardner wrote:
> 
>> 
> What I am writing to ask, is what kind of "productivity" model
> should a writing center be accountable to....or, for that matter, how
> do we measure "productivity" in our centers? and what the heck
> can I do to bring up tutor morale in the face of this menacing issue?
> +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Clint -- math labs and writing centers should not be using the same
"productivity model"  -- here at ISU our math lab folks are right next
door, and they do a drop-in service with, usually, 2 or 3 tutors on per
shift and probably 10 - 12 students on average. The tutors hop around
the tables,get someone started on one problem, go to the next person,
etc., they check on the steps and each step takes only a few minutes. 
My math lab counterpart fully understands that this is not what the
writing tutors do -- we have always been able to explain our different
kinds of tutoring and training AND COUNTING/NUMBERS SERVED when we do
our different reports. The Writing Lab keeps individual files on the
students we see, almost all by appointment, and the files have our
report sheets which say what was worked on/how in the session.  That
shows the "productivity" and the individual attention given.  The math
lab does not do appointments, keeps no records except the sign-in sheet.
Our Academic Skills Center Director and the Dean of Student Services are
fully aware that we are using different strokes -- if need be, of
course, one could draw on writing pedagogy, studies on revision (Perl's
shows the kind of intensive time students spend on just a few
sentences), studies on peer response and the time that takes, e tc. Can
you and your math/science counterpart join forces to promote your two
very different services and their different kinds of productivity?