MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The WVU Law Writing Center recently became the first program affiliated with a law school to earn International Tutor Training Program Certification from the College Reading and Learning Association.
Developed by Melanie Stimeling, director of the Writing Center, the tutor training program supports the professional development of Peer Writing Consultants, who are the upper-level law students who tutor writing in the Center.
The College Reading and Learning Association reviewed WVU Law’s training program as “excellent,” citing its clear objectives, structure and outcomes for assessment. The CRLA also highlighted the Writing Center’s strong hiring process for its Peer Writing Consultants and its support of their professional development through assessment, observation, and feedback opportunities.
“This certification verifies the professional standards set in the Writing Center, and it recognizes the Center’s work and commitment to student success,” said Stimeling. “With this certification, the Writing Center can now certify Peer Writing Consultants who meet the CRLA-approved requirements. The training program emphasizes a learner-centered, collaborative approach to writing consultations and educates our Peer Writing Consultants on best practices used in tutoring writers.”
Peer Writing Consultants at WVU Law will earn the certification after completing a 10-hour training program and 25 hours working directly with students as writing consultants. Third-year law students Hannah Williams and Tony Faini are the first Peer Writing Consultants to obtain certification.
“The Writing Center has not only given me the opportunity to help 1Ls in writing legal memos, but it also provided me with help for my own writing,” said Williams. “This has been a wonderful learning experience, and I am glad I am able work with other law students in this capacity.”
When he came to WVU Law as a first-year student, Faini took advantage of the Writing Center’s resources and support. Now, he enjoys giving back to the Center by tutoring others.
“In addition to learning more about the nuances of legal writing, my overall experience in the Writing Center has been very rewarding because it has allowed me to make connections with current first-year law students and help them in the same way that my older law school peers helped me when I first began my legal education,” he said.
Housed in WVU Law’s Academic Excellence Center, the Writing Center helps students, faculty, and staff in the law school community become better legal writers and offers an encouraging environment to discuss, refine, and experiment with writing and the teaching of writing. Its tutor training program joins over 1,000 programs around the globe to hold International Tutor Training Program Certification.
The College Reading and Learning Association is an international organization of higher-education professionals focused on student success. Its purpose is to provide a forum for the interchange of ideas, methods, and information to improve student learning and to facilitate the professional growth of its members.
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CB/03/06/19
