The U notation program as described by the Ohio Wesleyan University (2008) is a program aiming to challenge students so that they become better writers. U notation works by using end of semester writing samples and responses from a student’s questionnaire. The student identifies his or her areas of weakness. The student then revises the paper employing all the available editing and writing techniques with the aid of the tutors. After a semester, the U notation can be removed if the student demonstrates that he or she as achieved a considerable level of strength in writing.
The U notation program does not affect the student’s grade but helps students realize their full academic potential. The U notation program should be adopted so that students can be helped to realize their full writing potential. Most of the time, poor writing skills compromise the students ability to articulate or express what they have leaned. The U notation program has the potential of creating a writing culture. This will ensure that students are able to write without harming their final grades. In some cases, the U program can be customized to suit the interest of a student. This makes U notation a useful tool that fosters teacher and student interaction.
Coogan, D. (1995) documents that e- mail tutoring is another form of technologically enhanced teacher student relationship created with an aim of improving the standards of writing of children. The advantages that accrue from email tutoring are the benefits of using efficient software that makes editing and proofreading easy. In addition, e-mail tutoring is economical and fast. Critics question if e-mail tutoring helps create better writers. One of their arguments is that e-mail tutoring is unacceptable since it enhances better writing but does not build writers. However, email tutoring only plays a small role compared to the work done by tutors who spent almost one hour going through 10 pages of paper with students. Adopting e-mail tutoring does not erase the benefit of real contact between tutors and students. On the contrary, it means that a new addition that enriches writing is employed. It can be beneficial for any college to accommodate the new change that will improve writing for its students.
References
Coogan, D. (2008). A New Way to Do New Work [Brochure].
Ohio Wesleyan University. (2008). OWU Faculty Guide to the Writing Center in the Sagan Academic Resource Center . Ohio Wesleyan University.
