For online tutoring, students can send papers to the Online Writing Lab (WPOWL@missouristate.edu) and get feedback in their email in-boxes within 24 hours.
Here is a brief tutorial about using Online Tutoring at the Writing Lab. Students can also use the Tutor Talk feature to chat online in real time with a tutor.
Advantages of Online Tutoring using the OWL
- Students can send papers any time of the day and from anywhere.
- It is a relatively anonymous setting without the distractions of the physical presence of a tutor or other students.
- Tutors have more time to think over their response.
- Students can print the tutor’s remarks and study them as often as needed.
- Students can learn from the tutor’s remarks in a setting of their choice.
- Students get experience reading comments about their writing in writing.
Disadvantages of Online Tutoring using the OWL
- The immediacy of face-to-face tutoring is gone.
- Tutors may not have the ability to give effective feedback if students don’t clearly explain the assignment and what kind of feedback they’d like from the tutor.
- Students might have problems applying the tutor’s suggestions when they revise.
- Some errors might be difficult for tutors and students to handle in an online session.
- On the whole, online tutoring is better for global issues, such as essay structure and essay development, while one-to-one tutoring might still be better for teaching grammar.
Advantages of using Tutor Talk
- Students can ask questions in an anonymous setting
- Students do not have to be on campus to contact a tutor
- Tutor Talk allows for real time interactions between students and tutors
- Students can print the transcript and consult it as often as necessary
- Students can upload their whole paper and discuss it with the tutor
Disadvantages of using Tutor Talk
- Tutor Talk is open only during lab hours
- Students must have internet access to contact tutors
- Students may not be used to reading comments about writing in writing
- Tutors may not have a long time to think about their replies