Proposals due: November 4, 5:00 pm

The Southern California Writing Centers Association invites proposals for our Tutor Conference. This year’s theme is “Navigating Today’s Writing Center: Inclusion, Affect, and Impact of Tutoring Practices.” The conference will be held in-person on Saturday March 22, 2025 from 10:00am – 3:00pm at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Check-in begins at 9:00am. 

In today’s rapidly evolving, increasingly hybrid educational landscape, writing centers and tutors face new challenges and opportunities that are deeply intertwined with technological advances, emotional dynamics, and the imperative for inclusivity. We invite you to explore how these elements intersect in the work of writing centers and how they shape the experiences of tutors and students.

We encourage you to reflect on the ways writing centers are navigating the complexities of modern tutoring environments. As Karen Keaton Jackson and Amara Hand assert in a recent issue of the Writing Center Journal, “We cannot discount the affective component of writing instruction and tutoring practices, for students’ feelings about a space can either enhance or inhibit their experiences” (53). In writing centers, we focus on student writers as people, “meeting [them] where they are” with whatever writing project they share (Denny et al. 69). At this year’s conference, we aim to explore best practices for effective communication, centering accessibility and encouraging awareness of emotional responses in tutoring. It is our goal to recognize the creative and thoughtful ways tutors engage with writers to respond to writers’ concerns about their reading and writing development and practices. 

While this conference has traditionally included student tutor presentations only, we recognize that administrators and professional tutors have insightful perspectives on writing center work. To that end, this year we are excited to welcome proposals from both student tutors and non-student Writing Center professionals. Please indicate on your proposal submission whether you are a student or non-student working at your institution as well as your collaboration modality, for example, presenting individually or in a mixed panel of student tutor & non-student Writing Center professionals.

The 2025 theme invites proposals from writing tutors and professionals that delve into these topics and more, offering insights into how writing centers can continue to adapt and thrive. We encourage you to consider the following guiding questions as you prepare your proposals:

• How do we support diverse learners, including neurodiverse students, in a way that is both inclusive and empowering? 

• What role does technology play in enhancing or hindering accessibility and inclusion? 

• How are emotions—both those of tutors and students—affecting tutoring sessions, particularly in the context of remote or asynchronous interactions? How can tutors navigate these emotional landscapes effectively?

• What strategies should we use to address resistance to tutoring and students’ sensitivities around feedback?

• In what ways do writing centers “meet [students] where they are”?

• In what ways might writing centers address the evolving use of artificial intelligence (AI) in student writing, balancing its potential as a tool with the risk of it replacing authentic student thinking? 

• How might students’ motivations and ethical considerations when using AI or other technology inform tutor responses?

• How might AI factor into conversations about accessibility in writing centers?

Proposal Submission Information

Proposal Format: A title, a 50-word abstract and a 250-word description of the session

Due Date:  Proposals due by 5:00 p.m. on November 4th, 2024 (Submission Link will be available by October 18th.)

Session Formats

• 10-12 minute presentations: Ten-to-twelve minute presentations will be combined into panels with approximately three presentations total. For this format, each panelist presents their findings. For example, findings can be in the form of original research findings; claims or questions developed from an analysis and synthesis of writing center literature; answers or preliminary claims to a focused inquiry/research question. In contrast to a roundtable discussion, a 10-12 minute presentation is where the presenter(s) has predetermined assertions or “answers” to share and discuss while leaving room for an additional 3-4 minutes of Q&A. Total presentation time with Q&A is no more than 15 minutes. We encourage you to consider innovative, interactive delivery methods. (Total Panel Time: 50 minutes)

• Fifty-minute presentations: This comprehensive opportunity allows for presenters to share their findings in the form of claims or questions developed from an analysis and synthesis of writing center literature. It could also answer or propose preliminary claims to a focused inquiry/research question. In contrast to a roundtable discussion, the 50-minute presentation is where the presenters have predetermined assertions or “answers” to share and discuss. Suggested format is a 35-40-minute presentation followed by 10 to 15 minutes of Q&A. This format is encouraged for groups of three or more presenters. We encourage you to consider innovative, interactive delivery methods. (Total Time: 50 minutes)

• Roundtable discussions: This option typically includes a discussion led by groups of 3 or more presenters. The format means presenters introduce the topic and take turns facilitating an interactive discussion on a question, topic, or issue relevant to the conference theme. The goal of a roundtable discussion is to collectively generate and exchange ideas with audience members who can consider the topic as it applies to their individual tutoring practice. Typically, tutors who choose this format aim to explore a current issue or question that they are in the preliminary stages of trying to answer or address. The nature of this format allows for a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas amongst tutors across different writing centers; this format is highly interactive. (Total Discussion Time: 50 minutes) 

• Workshops: Facilitators lead participants in a hands-on activity (rather than a presentation/discussion only) to teach tangible skills related to writing center work and the conference theme. Workshops are typically more interactive, where the audience has an opportunity to practice an activity during the session time. (Total Workshop Time: 50 minutes)

• Posters: Poster sessions will take place in two formats:  (1) digital asynchronous format available through a QR code or (2) in-person physical (48inX36in) poster presentation. The poster can be an extension of a conference session or a new topic the presenter(s) want to engage the writing center community in asynchronous or in-person discussions. Asynchronous posters will require using a digital format like Prezi, Padlet, Google Slides, or Canva. Each digital poster will be shared with the conference attendees by way of a QR code to link attendees to your work. There should be a way to contact the poster presenter(s) to engage in conversation. These poster sessions will take place during the community hour at the conference.

We are committed to making this conference accessible to all participants. If you require accommodations to submit your proposal or to attend the event, please contact Debbie Goss at dgoss@soka.edu or Joseph Spencer at joseph.spencer@ucr.edu 

References:

Denny, Harry, Nordlof, John., and Salem, Lori. “‘Tell me exactly what it was that I was doing that was so bad’: Understanding the needs and expectations of working-class students in writing centers.” Writing Center Journal, vol. 37, no. 1, 2018, pp. 67–100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26537363. Accessed 23 August 2024.

Jackson, Karen Keaton and Hand, Amara. “Effectively Affective: Examining the Ethos of One HBCU Writing Center,” Writing Center Journal, vol. 41, no. 3, 2024, pp. 38-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/2832-9414.1934. Accessed 23 August 2024.