Supporting Students at SCU 

So in the face of these challenges with writing instruction, how do students find the necessary support in their campus communities? This was one of the major questions that arose in my process of interviewing students–although I did not initially set out to investigate this. I was surprised to learn about a myriad of strategies that students turned to when the standardized, offered support from SCU professors and departments wasn't enough. I identified two major areas of support: 

Self-invention of writing strategies

Social support

Please keep reading to learn more about these tactics that students use...

When students are feeling frustrated with seemingly unfair grading and perceptions of their language skills on accents or stereotypes, it can be difficult to feel confident with the tactics offered by courses. In these cases, students find their own way. 

I was fascinated by students adopting new strategies in their writing processes to adapt to the rigorous demands of a varied course load, and multiple writing assignments. Since SCU demands consistent transition from writing genres (e.g. CTW English courses, to Engineering work, to Religious Studies) many students expressed their adaption to these genres in their writing processes.

But one of the biggest takeaways from this project was noticing the tight-knit communities of multilingual and international learners on the SCU campus. International students were likely to refer to the experiences of other international students anecdotally, as though these stories were shared amongst friends. Socially, students seemed to bond over shared experiences (differing language backgrounds, sometimes being away from home, challenging experiences at SCU, etc.). In these cases, students often spoke about the need to avoid certain professors and take other professors (and their courses) who were more sympathetic to their language needs. 

Although SCU would like to promote strong relationships between students and professors, students (in light of experiences of shame, frustration, or discomfort) don't always feel comfortable meeting with professors intimately. And for students with different cultural backgrounds, office hours, 1-on-1 meetings, or conferences with professors might not be accessible or common in their educational background. 

Instead, English language learning students opt to use the HUB for peer-to-peer feedback. One student (student 4) expressed how using the HUB allowed them to feel more comfortable starting their essays and writing assignments– that the hardest step for them in writing was beginning. But students did seem to use the HUB at all stages of their writing and often the HUB is utilized by multilingual students (undergraduate and graduate).