Advertising the Writing Center

By
Here at Salt Lake Community College Student Writing Center, we created a series of new video commercials for display both online and on our campus information screens.  Creating the videos was a fun process and involved many different people in the Student Writing Center.   The commercials are based on a common theme ("Don't hate.  Collaborate!") and end up telling a story.

In any case, rather than sharing those, I'd rather share some rather creative and succinct commercials I just found from our friends at Brigham Young University.  Take a gander:









Ok,ok, if you really want to see the SLCC SWC videos, go here.

Comments

  1. Anonymous1:08 PM

    Fun videos! However, the idea of a paper sneaking up on one now seems highly disturbing...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ashley Lunsford6:01 PM

    I really like the idea of incorporating humor with the writing center. By doing this, it effectively promotes the center as a fun and inviting place. Most people cringe over the idea of having an essay looked over by a student tutor. I think that students feel that the tutor is not there to help the writer, he or she is only there to edit the paper. When the tutee’s think of going to a tutor for help with their paper, they get the “red marker anxiety.” They believe that they are going to get a bundle of notes and negative commentary, yet their experience turns out to be the exact opposite. By connecting humor and fun video advertisements, perhaps that fear towards writing centers will dissipate.
    The Fullerton College newspaper, The Hornet, recently published an article about our Writing Center. Although I think this was a decent attempt to advertise the purpose of the center, I don’t feel that it helped bring more students in. A majority of people don’t really read newspapers anymore. Everything seems to revolve around electronics now-a-days. People get a majority of their information off the television or the internet. In order to address this, one of the faculty members created an online video explaining the location and purpose of the center. However, in my opinion, the video wasn’t very entertaining, and it was a little drawn out. When I ask people around school if they know where and what the writing center is, a majority of them don’t know what I’m talking about. I feel that they BYU advertisements are effective due to the humor, and it is short and to the point.
    Every writing center should find some way to spread the word about their purpose. The more amusing and “catchy” the advertisement is, the more likely it is that the students will pay attention and not view the center in a negative way. It is important for students to be aware of their resources in order to better their education and their confidence.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IWCA Forum: Peer Tutor => What do we call ourselves: the poll!

By
I have posted a poll in the IWCA forums: IWCA Forum: Peer Tutor => What do we call ourselves: the poll! It is a part of an earlier discussion that kind of petered out about the titles used for writing center workers. Please take a moment and vote! If you don't have an account on the forum, you can register for one by clicking on the "Register" link (next to the rocket icon in the top-right of the page.) Don't forget to state your institutional affiliation when you request and account. (That's how the IWCA Forum keeps out spam accounts.)
Read more

Are we aiding and abetting fraud?

By digigraf
So, I was driving to school today and as always was listening to NPR (that's my self-promoting conversational piece informing you on how intelligent and connected I am) really, I just like the coverage on the campaign and "This American Life." Okay, I am already getting off topic and I haven't even gotten on topic yet. Anyhow, the story I was listening to was about a woman who used to be a part of the admissions committee at Dartmouth and is now working as an independent consultant helping students with the admissions process for schools. For a cool $40,000, she will work with you from 9th grade to graduation to help prepare you for your college admissions process. And for the budget price of $14,000, she will help you write and revise your college application essay. So, how in the world does this correlate to our world? Well, her work with college applications includes helping students decide on effective topics (staying away from "teen angst, or th
Read more

The Importance of Being Both A Tutor And A Learner

By
As a frightened freshman, I wandered deep in the bowels of the library basement. My eyes darted from room number to room number, looking for the aid my professor promised I could find. At the end of the hall, a golden light shone from an open doorway. My approach was slow and I lingered on the threshold. All uncertainty vanished when I was greeted with a smile and welcomed into the new world of the Tutoring Center. At the time, I did not know I would spend most of my weekdays in that room as a senior or how mundane this new world would become. How could I? I didn’t even know how much insight I would receive from my tutor that day! Being a learner in the writing center is a wholly different experience than being a tutor, yet I know many of my colleagues have not had the same learning experiences that I have. I think this is unfortunate because there is much that a tutor can gain from being a learner. It was my freshman year of college and everything was new. For me, that meant that fear
Read more