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The rhetoric of online conferencing.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Despite the ubiquitous concern for improving student online communication and learning, many writing center scholars are unsure whether or not to foray into this often confusing world of pedagogical pros and cons. Some feel that issues of power and authority could get out of hand. But others feel that we have come a long way in cyber-talk, including the metacognitive aspects, and we can't pretend that online communication doesn't exist and is not important for our students and our better academic communication.

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Just a year ago, if you had asked me what I (Corbett, the main researcher, is the "I" referred to throughout this essay) thought about online tutoring or OWL(s) (Online Writing and Learning, or Online Writing Labs) as it is commonly called, you would have received a curt, scoffing reply that may have sounded something like this: "I don't think they're such a good idea because I just don't see how you can mimic all the aspects of a face-to-face (f2f) conference without actually being f2f." And if this sounds like a slightly technophobic reply from a six year veteran of writing center theory and practice, including coaching tutors, and directing, you probably wouldn't be surprised to hear that in our supposedly techno-savvy 21st century, other writing center professionals share the same online conferencing (OC) apprehensions. So we decided to investigate the ample research and ongoing rhetoric on whether to try and fly an owl or not. The first place we turned to was the WCENTER Mailing List Digest, a list-serve for writing center personnel. Luckily, Caroline Mann, the Director of the Writing Center at Morgan State University, had just posted a question on Feb. 11, 2003. Mann, who recently established an online tutoring program, asked whether online tutoring is just another form of "drop-off" service that is anathema to most writing center philosophy. Answers poured in from fellow directors. These responses ranged from concise reasons for not tutoring online--we don't do it because too much is lost or answers would be too abstract, to just as concise reasons why we should (or could)--online conferencing (OC) works well if you use follow-ups via email, or we don't use it but if there is some sort of dialogue taking place then I guess it would be ok.

Thus, scholars continue to probe the sticky problems associated with f2f versus screen-to-screen conferences, especially lack of non-verbal cues, issues of power and authority, and issues of time/space in OC. One area of contention has been the question of whether or not we can make up for the lack of f2f non-verbal cues in OC. Scholars like Harris and Pemberton, Wallace, Carino, and Blythe agree that the subtle body cues...

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