The Department of Writing and Rhetoric has another faculty member to have their work published. Dr. R. Mark Hall’s new book Around the Texts of Writing Center Work: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Tutor Education was published by the University Press of Colorado and Utah State University Press. Mark’s book draws on his insight as Director of the University Writing Center at UCF as well as his frequent requests to consult on other writing centers both nationally and internationally. His vast knowledge of the topic sheds light on writing center operations and how they can be scrutinized and improved. His experience goes beyond his time here at UCF, as he has also led writing centers in California and North Carolina.
The insights in this book focus primarily on how syllabi, assessment plans, and annual reports affect writing center practices. Each chapter looks at one type of document common to the work of a writing center or writing center tutor, and examines it through multiple theoretical approaches to better understand the values and beliefs embedded within these documents. Dr. Susan Lawrence, Writing Center Director at George Mason University, says of Mark’s book that it is “intellectually engaging and full of rich, useful ideas for implementing an inquiry stance in writing center administration and education.”
Mark’s book was available for purchase at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Portland, Oregon, and it is also available online.