Empowering students through writing
Kathy Block's dedication to student writing in the Academic Learning Centre
The dedication to assisting students with their writing has been a long-standing commitment for Kathy Block, a St John’s College fellow.
From 2008 to 2024, Kathy coordinated the Academic Learning Centre’s (ALC) Writing Tutor Program. In this role, she mentored peer writing tutors who assisted students, helping them enhance their writing skills and build confidence through one-to-one support with assignments.
The efforts of the peer writing tutors have culminated in Kathy’s current research project, which focuses on the Course-Based Writing Tutor Program. Through this program, tutors are integrated into specific undergraduate classes, scaffolding the writing process for students.
In her current project, Kathy seeks to understand undergraduate students’ perspectives on academic writing and their perception of the ALC writing tutors as part of their development.
Kathy’s research goal is to gather student feedback for the Writing Tutor Program, thereby improving services for students campus-wide.
As Kathy reflects on her experiences at the ALC through her research project, she is eager to hear from students. Students interested in this research project can contact Kathy at WTPresearch@umanitoba.ca.
Students looking to work with a peer tutor can find more information on the ALC website. Faculty, instructors, and students can also contact the ALC at academic_learning@umanitoba.ca.