Mediums

One question that was raised in our post-literacy narrative remix discussion today was, how should the Writing Center be prepared to help students with multimedia presentations and projects? My opinion is similar to what Cat mentioned--that it is our job to provide another set of eyes and ears and let the client know how effective we find their arrangement, visuals, etc. However, I feel that we should not provide walkthroughs with the different multimedia programs or "tech support."

First off, it would be difficult to do this because, as a writing center, people may not even think of us as offering multimedia help--this includes potential clients and potential consultants. People with a strong expertise in multimedia software probably wouldn't think to apply for a job in this field with the writing center. If we don't have people with strong multimedia skills, the task would fall on the writing center to provide the consultants with additional training to cover clients' questions, and between people's busy schedules, the number of satellites we have, and the fact that there are multiple major multimedia production programs, I just don't see this as being logistically possible.

However, a more important point is that I do not at all think that responsibility for this kind of knowledge lies with the writing center. Rather, it is with the professors who assign these projects. It is completely unreasonable and unfair to assign students a project that they may not be adequately prepared for in terms of technology unless the relevant skills are taught to them so that they all have an equal chance to succeed. The professor needs to provide these resources, whether it is an in-class demonstration or some kind of tutorial, and they need to provide students with any out-of-class help they may need.

At the writing center, we understand rhetoric. We understand messages. We are here to help people with clarity, focus, and direction in their work. Multimedia 101 should not be added to that repertoire.