Building writing center assessments that matter
By: Ellen Schendel, William J. Macauley
Contributors: Macauley, William J.
Publisher: Utah State University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Logan, Utah
Language: eng
Number of pages: 207
ISBN-13: 9780874218169; 9780874218343
Subjects: Writing centers; Rhetoric; English language; Study and teaching (Higher); LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Composition & Creative Writing
Description: "No less than other divisions of the college or university, contemporary writing centers find themselves within a galaxy of  competing questions and demands that relate to assessment--questions and  demands that usually embed priorities from outside the purview of the  writing center itself. Writing centers are used to certain kinds of  assessment, both quantitative and qualitative, but are often unprepared  to address larger institutional or societal issues. In Building Writing Center Assessments that Matter, Schendel  and Macauley start from the kinds of assessment strengths already in  place in writing centers, and they build a framework that can help  writing centers satisfy local needs and put them in useful dialogue with  the larger needs of their institutions, while staying rooted in writing  assessment theory.The authors begin from the position that tutoring writers is already  an assessment activity, and that good assessment practice (rooted in the  work of Adler-Kassner, O'Neill, Moore, and Huot) already reflects the  values of writing center theory and practice. They offer examples of  assessments developed in local contexts, and of how assessment data  built within those contexts can powerfully inform decisions and shape  the futures of local writing centers. With additional contributions by  Neal Lerner, Brian Huot and Nicole Caswell, and with a strong commitment  to honoring on-site local needs, the volume does not advocate a  one-size-fits-all answer. But, like the modeling often used in a writing  consultation, examples here illustrate how important assessment  principles have been applied in a range of local contexts. Ultimately, Building Writing Assessments that Matter describes  a theory stance toward assessment for writing centers that honors the  uniqueness of the writing center context, and examples of assessment in  action that are concrete, manageable, portable, and adaptable"--

"The authors begin with the assessment strengths already in place in writing centers, and they build a framework that can help writing centers satisfy local demands, while remaining in useful dialogue with both assessment theory and the larger needs of their institutions"--