Most OWLs aim to use online resources to supplement a conventional writing program.
The creators of these OWLs see the lab as a new medium for teaching writing. The creators of other OWLs present the hypertext environment as not only a new medium for teaching writing but a new mode of writing as well. In this paper, I explore both of these functions of OWLs and discuss benefits and concerns related to each of them. TO OWLS OWLs, the acronym for online writing labs, build and expand on a college's physical writing center by placing a variety of services on the Internet. The OWLs placed on the Internet by various college writing centers differ in both purpose and function.