Digital Times: The Writing Center Goes Online

Due to the coronavirus, PVCC has closed the main campus and moved all classes to online.  Luckily, teachers aren’t the only ones adapting to this change. Many of PVCC’s services have also adapted to be available to students while away from campus.  One of these services is the Writing Center, which is now offering tutoring sessions over Zoom to help students during the quarantine.

“We worked very hard in the past week to make it possible for students to reach us remotely, for the safety of our community,” said Jennifer Koster, the Writing Center coordinator and a professor of English at PVCC.  She has been working at PVCC since fall 2006 and was hired to start the Writing Center. She also teaches various English classes.

Starting Wednesday, March 18, tutors will be available for 50-minute sessions on Zoom from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.  These tutoring sessions are appointment only and can be scheduled on the Writing Center webpage by following this link: https://www.pvcc.edu/writing-centerpvcc. Tutoring sessions will be held over Zoom, during which students can choose to use audio and video, or just use audio.  Papers can be shared in a way that allows edits to be done directly and for both the tutor and the student to see.

“We think Zoom can work very well for this,” Koster said. “It’s nice to be able to see one another and see the paper.”

Along with one-on-one tutoring, Brainfuse is also still available for students to get feedback on their essays.  Both Brainfuse and tutors are great resources for students to continue getting professional advice on their work even during the closure.  However, students are encouraged to utilize tutors as much as possible, as Brainfuse only has a limited number of hours available which are rapidly dwindling.

“I think both are good for different reasons,” Koster said. “The tutor is nice because you are talking to someone, and that person can be particularly responsive to your needs and your questions. Brainfuse is best for asynchronous tutoring, meaning you submit an essay and get feedback the next day. This can be useful, too. Someone is giving you feedback while you sleep and do other things!”

The English Conversation Circle will also be adapting for online communication, with their next meeting taking place at noon on Wednesday, March 25.  

“The English Conversation Circle happens weekly,” Koster said. “It is an opportunity for English language learners to practice speaking. Our goal is to be a place where students can get past any timidity and learn a bit about speaking English.”

Even during the switch to solely online classes, students should feel confident that they can still get the help they need through the Writing Center’s new online program.  

For more information, contact tutoring@pvcc.edu or Jennifer Koster at jkoster@pvcc.edu.