SWCA-MS Tutorcon 2015
The Department of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi hosted the annual Mississippi Writing Centers Association conference held in conjunction with UM’s own fourth annual TutorCon in Oxford, MS, on January 29-30, 2015. We had over 80 attendees from writing centers and writing programs across the state. In conjunction with our statewide conference, Dr. Vershawn Young visited the University of Mississippi to speak to our conference attendees, as well as many other departments and organizations on campus.
This year’s theme, “Lines of Connection, Lines of Communication,” captured and explored the ways in which writing centers communicate and connect across communities, institutions, campuses, and digital/technological pathways. These lines of communication and connection loop, echo, and build on each other in important and complex ways. As the writing center model expands in Mississippi at the university, community college, and secondary school levels, our collaborations throughout our communities warrant consideration and celebration. Additionally, the incorporation of more and more technology into writing center practices presents both exciting opportunities and complicated challenges for our relationships with the groups we serve.
By staging TutorCon alongside MSWCA, administrators, tutors, and students were able to explore these issues together by sharing strategies and experiences, challenging norms, and drawing attention to key areas for improvement. Presentations emphasized the creation, reuse/repurposing, and expansion of past, current, and new lines of communication and connection.
