RA Program Information
PROGRAM HISTORY
Started in 1990 by Joyce Kinkead within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)at Utah State University, the Rhetoric Associates Program is modeled after a decentralized tutoring program originated at Brown University that supports communication across the curriculum. Thirteen undergraduates, nominated by faculty, worked in the inaugural year of the program, helping nearly 400 students improve their skills in writing. The program had grown to include over 20 RAs serving the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and the College of HASS when Julie Foust Andrew started directing the program in 2002. In 2003, the program was opened to all of the undergraduate colleges within the university, and since the fall of 2004, approximately 45 RAs have been employed with the program each semester, working with six of the seven colleges.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
RAs work with students to revise their papers, similar to consultants in the Writing Center. They also focus on issues like organization, coherence, and style and comment on ways to improve the students' writing. Rather than meeting in an office with students on a walk-in or appointment basis, however, RAs are assigned to work with specific classes each semester. They meet with the professor and discuss the expectations and requirements for each of the papers. This approach directs students' focus to revision--an often neglected step in the writing process--and ensures that professors are receiving a higher quality of writing in the papers that students turn in.
Each spring, undergraduate students with outstanding communication skills--reading, writing, speaking--are selected to serve as Rhetoric Associates because of their skills and willingness to help other students. RAs are nominated by faculty, other students, or themselves. (Click here to nominate a student or to apply to become an RA.) After being interviewed, these RAs enroll in a seminar to train them to interact effectively with their peers. Concurrently, RAs are assigned to serve as initial readers for approximately 15 students in a class, following up their written comments with individual conferences.
Faculty members apply to use RAs in their classes by contacting program director Julie Foust Andrew. To qualify, courses must include at least two and no more than three writing assignments, with one assignment due before midterm and one due after. These assignments must be a required part of the course content, and students must be required to meet with RAs. (Click here for more information on applying to use the RA Program.) RAs are responsible for commenting on organization, coherence, and style while suggesting ways to improve the text; they do not grade, edit, or comment on the accuracy of the content. The papers with comments are returned to the students when they meet with their RAs to discuss their assignments. Students are not required to follow the RAs suggestions. The students revise their papers, and then both versions (final and draft with comments) are submitted to the instructor for evaluation.
BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
In addition to relieving professors of the time-consuming task of reading and marking first draft papers, the RA Program benefits both the students who meet with RAs and the RAs themselves.
Working with the RA Program helps students develop their writing skills by working with peers, who are often less-intimidating than professors. Having students meet with RAs emphasized the idea of writing as a process, since it requires the students to produce several drafts. RAs aren't subject matter experts, so they focus on global issues like organization, coherence, style, and meeting the assignment requirements rather than correctness or grammar, helping the students become better writers, more prepared for their next writing assignment.
Although the RA Program is designed to help undergraduates with their writing skills, it also benefits the RAs themselves by providing these experiences:
- Working closely with a professor
- Using personal writing skills to assist other students in becoming better writers
- Improving personal communication skills by working with students and professors
- Gaining valuable experience in one-on-one teaching
- Earning $600 per semester to stay academically focused and work on campus
- Having an opportunity to present at a conference
- Strengthening vita for graduate school with internship credit
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