Each participating institution will provide tutors who have the knowledge, skills, and ability to:
- follow WriteAway recommended best practices and standards of service
- work independently with a diverse and widely-dispersed team in an online environment
- skillfully and comfortably use standard computer and internet technology
- employ appropriate critical reading skills to effectively and efficiently identify and distinguish between higher and lower order concerns in the primary genres of academic writing assigned in North American post-secondary courses
- use proficient communication skills in both oral and written English in an online environment
- base tutoring responses in current writing centre theory and writing tutoring best practices
- productively engage with accented non-standard English writing
- productively engage with writing from basic writing skills courses
- adapt tutoring strategies and input to respond appropriately to differing learner needs
- model and demonstrate effective writing strategies
- balance the learners' expressed needs, the assignment instruction criteria, and the tutor's perceptions of the writer's learning needs
- provide tutoring input that is feasible for learners to follow
- structure tutoring to conform to time limits and tutoring priorities
- search for, select, and demonstrate appropriate resources from a broad-range of online academic writing sites
- judge when a referral is needed (when a request is beyond one's knowledge and ability framework) and effectively refer learners to appropriate resources
- employ ethical standards and practices:
- which encourage academic honesty
- which encourage learner independence/responsibility
- which adhere to the CRLA/ATP code of ethics
- maintain tutor role boundaries
- explain and apply WriteAway tutoring policies and procedures
- commit to ongoing development of online writing tutoring skills through ongoing training programs
