Writing Center director presents at international writing centers conference

Julia Bleakney, director of the Writing Center in Elon’s Center for Writing Excellence, presented original research at the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) conference in Denver, Colorado, held Oct. 13-17.

Bleakney, with co-researcher Sarah Peterson Pittock of Stanford University, presented their research, “Tutor Talk: How Do Tutors Scaffold Students’ Motivation to Revise?,” which seeks to identify the particular types of comments and questions that writing center consultants make and ask that influence students’ motivation to revise their writing.

Bleakney, an elected at-large representative of IWCA, also led a session of new and experienced writing center directors as part of the IWCA’s Mentor Match Program, which she co-chairs with Dagmar Scharold of the University of Houston-Downtown.