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Competencies

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