Bowling Green State University's OWL is easy to navigate and has excellent instructions for submitting papers. Clearly written handouts are available to quick answers to grammar questions. The feedback on our submitted paper was slow. Overall, Bowling Green's OWL rates 4 hoots.
This site loaded quickly. I didn't have to wait long to see how it looked. Everything was very easy to read: The background did not interfere with the text. The graphics were very nice and loaded quickly. I liked the fact that the bottom of each page has a menu linked to different pages within the site. The layout simplified navigation, making it very easy to get back to previous pages. The designers used a consistent format throughout the site; for instance, the same background and graphics appear on every page. There were only a few minor glitches that I saw, but they did not detract from the overall effectiveness of the site.
It was confusing to encounter a play and a poem, a creative attempt to explain the nature of writing processes and the role of cybertutors. The poem, "The Joy of Writing," begins: "Where is a written deer runnning through / a written / forest?" The large photos of a deer and tree to the right of the poem fail to clarify the metaphor. The play, Welcome to the Writing Lab, borrows from Greek theatre, with "Chorus All" mouthing words like "revision" and "brainstorming." However, the spoken fragments really don't clarify these stages of writing to the uninitiated. It was an apparent attempt to add an artistic flair to their site; however, the space would be better utilized on handouts, tutorials, etc.
Format for submission: BGSU has an email address link, but you have to use a computer with Netscape. The OWL also provides detailed instructions on submitting a paper via regular email, which is much easier.
Difficulty level: Very difficult email link, much easier to send through regular email account.
Amount of feedback received: I waited for two weeks after I submitted the paper the first time and then I resubmitted it. When I got a response back from the second submission, I was told the writing center had not received the first message about the paper. Furthermore, the OWL did not have sufficient staff to tutor writers unaffiliated with BGSU.
Quality of feedback: None given
Staff Qualifications: Student tutors with faculty advisors.
Additional features: On-site appointments for tutoring.
Overall Rating: 1 Hoot
In addition, the handouts themselves are clearly and carefully written. They are easy to understand and use, and they are free of technical jargon often used in English departments. The user is provided many different examples that are not confusing. Most of the examples in the handouts show the wrong way first followed by the "revised" version. This makes the mistakes obvious, but also makes students feel that they are not being corrected or penalized. Using the word "revised" indicates that writing is a process, and editing is the step through which writing is perfected. The Bowling Green Writing Lab also offers links to useful reference materials and other writing labs on the Internet. Since they offer many quality handouts and links to other Internet writing resources, I rate this OWL 5 Hoots.