An OWL might give a writing center greater "credibility"


An OWL might raise a center's image in the eyes of technology-happy administrators. (I heard this expectation several times during the 2nd Annual InterNational Writing Center's Conference in St. Louis, September, 1995.) A Web presence may convey an image of a writing center as an integral part of the university. (I'm not suggesting here that writing centers aren't already integral. I believe they are. But I am talking about the perceptions of faculty and staff outside of the center.)

Moreover, involvement in an OWL might help funnel much needed resources towards a writing center. The creation of an OWL might help writing centers take advantage of grants for technology, as seems to have been the case for Dakota State University's grant proposal.

An OWL might make a good marketing tool by raising a center's visibility amongst various campus groups (most importantly, students). If a significant number of a campus's students are on-line, an OWL might help increase traffic in its writing center.

On the other hand . . .



Stuart Blythe
Purdue University
blythes@mace.cc.purdue.edu