Professionalism and credibility define this well-designed OWL. Aesthetically, the design is simple but elegant, and the navigation smooth. The index, on the left side of every screen, creates a user-friendly environment for even the most novice users. Intellectually, the site is impressive because the tutor-training program is extensive and thoroughly explained. The University of Michigan does not provide its own handouts, but links to other useful sites. They include a variety of Internet sources (grammar books, dictionaries, style guides), other OWLs, and a dozen resources connected to the University of Michigan, such as the Science Learning Center and "How to Create a Homepage," and an information superhighway writing course (unfortunately with broken links). In an attempt to extend its services to a broader audience, the University of Michigan also provides an OWL for alumni. Overall this OWL rates an impressive 4.0 and would have been a definite 5 had they offered their own, local handouts.
The layout of this page was quite good. It was very simplistic, not very flashy or exciting, but solid. Their logo graphic, used on all pages, is high quality. I like the navigation bar at the left side of every page--it provides for a consistent look throughout the site. The white background with black text, frequently found on websites, is normally rather harsh. However, in this case it gave the site a clean look.
While this was not a particularly exciting site, it did seem to deliver what it promised. Everything was easy to find and follow and the layout was coherent and consistent. My only complaint is that there was no "back" button on any of the pages.
Difficulty level: The draft form is extremely easy follow and fill out. In addition, the form is time-efficient.
Amount of feedback received: My tutor wrote a friendly cover letter praising the paper I submitted and summarizing the feedback I was given. I also received a copy of the paper with comments and suggestions inserted where errors occurred.
Quality of feedback: My tutor appeared to have taken a good deal of time reading over my work and coming up with suggestions on how to improve it. Spots throughout the paper were marked where I needed to use a semicolon instead of a comma. If my meaning was unclear to the tutor, it was noted.
Staff qualifications:Students are required to take two courses in peer tutoring in order to be a OWL tutor in addition to having composition background. Some of the students receive $8 per hour for their service.
Overall Rating: 5 Hoots!!!
When I arrived at the Michigan OWL, I clicked on the icon that read "Resources." I was then taken to a list of links which included: "Writing Help on the Internet," "Helpful Sites at U of M," "Other OWLS" and "E-mail." The "Writing Help on the Internet" button took me to a long list of resources, such as: Jack Lynch's Grammar and Style Notes, Grammar Handouts on the WWW, Online English Grammar, Webster's Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus and MLA Citations of Internet Resources. The number and variety of sites that the OWL provides are very useful. The users are able to browse the Internet and choose from many sites that may be beneficial for their particular needs.
The next button, "Helpful Sites at U of M," listed the Internet Public Library, Michigan Daily On-line, The English Composition Board, Campus Information Services, Weathernet and many other serviceable sites. This link may help the user find resources and information on a specific topic or area of concern. This attribute makes this OWL usefully diverse because it focuses on the needs of a wide variety of users.
University of Michigan does not stop with their OWL. The button titled "Other OWLs" includes Missouri's Online Writery and the National Writing Center's A-Z listing of OWLs. This is very important because it gives the user a chance to explore other OWLs. Unlike the "Writing Help on the Internet" button and the "Helpful Sites at U of M" button, this link is in paragraph form. The paragraph gives a short background on OWLs. The paragraph form is not as effective as the listings because it changes the organization of the OWL. The set-up of each page should essentially look the same in order maintain consistency within the OWL.
Overall, this OWL is organized and diverse. However, even though this OWL has a variety of links, it does not have its own handouts, choosing instead to offer interactive feedback from tutors instead. Still, for this reason it is not as well-rounded an OWL as it could be, and I give it 3 hoots on handouts.