Is the Writing Center Truly Effective?
According to insidehighered.com, a recent study focused on the research papers of first-year college students at 15 different schools and found many students "simply copy chunks of text from the sources they cite without truly grasping the underlying argument, quality or context." As a service to students and faculty alike, the Writing Center's purpose is to help students improve their writing techniques and develop strategies and practices that will make them be more effective writers in any situation. But how helpful is the Center, in reality? Paula Patch, English lecturer and college writing professor, said she believes the Writing Center is beneficial for students because writers are forced to compile more than one draft after visiting with a consultant.
