Project Proposal

Executive Summary
Clemson University is taking steps to become a top research university. That goal includes making the Writing Center reflect and aid the research nature of the University. The Writing Center recently obtained a grant to update and improve the center. Previously the Writing Center had only four tutors and was aimed at helping freshmen English students. The Writing Center is currently in the expansion phase—adding more tutors and more space. The Writing Center is also broadening its base to include more than just freshman English students. As the Writing Center expands, informational materials will be crucial for tutors and students in order to create the Writing Center the University desires and needs.

Introduction
The Writing Center needs aids and promotional materials that will inform tutors of their duties and the students of the availability of the service. The Writing Center does not currently have aids and promotional materials. I will remedy this situation by creating aids to equip the tutors and promotional materials to inform the students. The Writing Center is a place that fosters learning. Up until this year the center has had a limited staff. This year begins the expansion process in the Writing Center. The staff has been increased, the space has been expanded and the space will be refined this coming summer. The materials I will provide will help the tutors as they receive students of all levels and disciplines. In anticipation of the bigger and better Writing Center, I will be providing materials that will help students of all levels know about the service and hopefully they will use this tool.

Current Situation
The Writing Center was operating with as few people and as little resources as possible in the past few years. As Clemson University increases the level of academia there is an apparent need for more tools for the students. The Writing Center has been focused on being a resource for the freshman English classes in the past. With the recent reformatting of the freshman classes, a stronger Writing Center is needed. A grant has been given to the center and attention has been turned to expanding the facility. The Writing Center has hired more tutors this year to accommodate the expansion plan. With the additional staff the lack of materials and structure is apparent. Without structure and a consistent message the goal cannot be obtained. Although the Writing Center has been in existence for many years, there are no guides for the tutors to follow in tutoring sessions.

In addition to the lack of material for the tutors, the students are unaware of the services that the Writing Center can provide. Many do not know that the Writing Center exists. Others believe that it is a remedial service or just for freshmen English students. The Writing Center is for all students no matter the level or the discipline. Part of the misconception is the lack of any web information. Just about everything on campus has a website or information on a webpage. The Writing Center has an outdated, single-paragraph little blurb on the library’s webpage. This does not provide the necessary information to the students.

Project Plan
The plan of this project includes a guidebook, website and flyer. The success of the Writing Center is dependent upon the tutors and the students. The tutors must know their duties in order to provide excellent tutoring sessions. The plan for revamping the Writing Center starts with creating an introductory guidebook for tutors.

i. The first aspect of this guidebook is to establish the standards of academic integrity.
ii. This guide will need to provide introductory material for new graduate students who get an assistantship in the Writing Center. They will need to be informed of the required hours, the undergraduate class set-up and other basic introductory information and rules.
iii. One of the duties of that the tutors have is to go to classes and talk about what the Writing Center is and what services it provides. A section will detail out all necessary information for the tutors to ensure a consistent message is portrayed in each class.
iv. The next goal of the guide is to introduce a plan the tutor can follow for any tutoring session. For those who have not tutored before, this will be a crucial aspect of the guidebook.
v. A duty that the Writing Center tutors have recently been given is the Speak Tests. Tutors will be responsible for assessing these tests and will be given extensive training and this will be an important part of the guidebook.

The next part of implementing the University’s research goal is to create several website pages that help expand the sphere of the knowledge of the Writing Center. The Writing Center cannot be successful without the students knowing of the services.

i. The website must include all basic information: location, hours, phone number
ii. The content that is given out in classes by the tutors will also be repeated on the website as part of the effort to create a unified message.
iii. The Writing Center wants the students to create relationships with the tutors so there will be a ‘meet the tutors’ section.

The final aspect of the plan includes a promotional flyer to help inform the students of the Writing Center.

i. This flyer will also repeat the basic information of the Writing Center. It is intended to be a quick reference more than a marketing tool.

Qualifications
Both the job of tutoring and the University are new experiences for me. As a new student to Clemson there are certain aspects about the university that would be helpful to know when tutoring the students. Many undergraduate students look to the graduate student tutors for guidance and help, but many of the graduate students do not know the basics of the University. Tutors would like to be able to help the students who come in as much as possible. Personally, I have been faced with certain situations and it would be helpful to know the correct protocol. What does the University and Writing Center expect? This question is what motivated me to take a look at the need and remedy it. My plan will fill the void of knowledge and allow the tutors to be more effective.

I also have experience in writing materials, especially manuals. Although this will be less formal than a manual, it follows the same idea— inform a new audience. My experience in business has also included maintaining a website. I am familiar with the basic concepts and skills that go along with designing and maintaining a website.

Cost and Benefit/Project Schedule
My plan for this project includes several deliverables. My goal is to start formatting them in the next week. I have met with the Writing Center Director and Assistant Director to get a feel for what they are looking for in this project. I plan on meeting with the director again to get more information about the Speak Tests. A major aspect of this for the client is the website and I hope to get started on that as soon as possible. The draft is due October 14th but I would like to have it completed by October 1st so I can have Barbara Ramirez review it for consistency in purpose and accomplishment of their goals.

Conclusion
My plan will aid in creating a Writing Center that adequately reflects the research nature of the university. It will increase the effectiveness of the tutors and allow for a smoother tutoring session. It will also foster relationships with students of all levels and disciplines and not just freshmen in English classes. The introductory materials for the tutors will equip them with tools that will allow them to effectively tutor all students. My plan will also aid in expanding the sphere of influence that the Writing Center has. The website will allow students everywhere to see the availability of the Writing Center hours and tutors. My plan should foster relationships between the student and tutor and increase the level of learning that is obtained.