Writing Lab

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