The writing center is ineffective in assisting students in the brainstorming aspect that they promise.
“I went to the writing center for help starting my essay and they didn’t know where to start,” LBCC student Andres Aguayo said.
The big complaint among students who visit the writing center for help is that it is harder to brainstorm ideas with a tutor than on their own.
A point that was brought up was the tutor not knowing much about the topic the essays were going to be about, making it harder to come up with ideas.
“Students leave with more ideas and with something on their paper” writing center front desk worker Torche Johnson said.
Alfred Milars, a student at LBCC, contested that statement.
“For the hour I spent in there I left with no ideas and a blank paper,” Milars said.
Both students, Aguayo and Milars, were unhappy with the results they got and felt misled about what they were promised.
A way they can fix this problem is by providing a section where students can put what their essay is about during the appointment process, to help the tutor study and come in with a plan instead of making a plan there and wasting time.
Doing this will also help them assign a tutor who knows about the topic, leading to more work getting done, and having students feel like they used their one hour effectively.
Students don’t like to waste the little time they have not getting anything done, so adding a note section when making an appointment will be a huge help.
More students can leave with work on their paper and feel like they used their time wisely which will lead to more students using the writing center.