Methodology and application in a technologically enhanced environment: The case of the writing center at the hellenic American union and the hellenic American University

Abstract

The newly established Writing Center at the Hellenic American Union and the Hellenic American University is a breakthrough in what conventional Writing Centers entail in terms of both target audience and nature. It aims to address the needs of both the Hellenic American Union and the Hellenic American University students along with the general public for the improvement of academic, professional and writing The traditional role of Writing Centers-both in the USA and in Europe- is to offer academic writing assistance to students and help them develop their writing skills, for specific purposes or across the curriculum. The Writing Center at the Hellenic American University shares the same fundamental aims but extends its mission to a wider scope of applications and audiences, addressing the needs not only of the Hellenic American University students but also of the general public. Its services go beyond the traditional face-to-face, "paper-pencil" approach since assistance is provided through innovative design, e-equipment, and original software that encourage collaboration and individualized monitoring, both on site and on line. Thus, the Writing Center at the Hellenic American University aspires to become a showcase of how collaborative writing - defined in a variety of ways - is realized in terms of the cooperation among the particular Writing Center stakeholders and the learning outcomes involved. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.