Towards establishing a writing center. (c2009)

Abstract

For several years now, LAU professors in almost all disciplines have been trying to voice their frustration from the decadence they are witnessing among students, when it comes to writing essays, papers, and dissertations. This study aims to investigate the need for a Writing Center at LAU in order to assist professors in their endeavor to help students reach the excellence required by the university's standards. It will also investigate students' proficiency in writing and expressing themselves, and faculty members' expectations of having a Writing Center at the University. Ultimately, the purpose is to pave the way for setting up a Writing Center at the Lebanese American University i.e. to identify the characteristics of a Writing Center that shall address both students' and faculty members' needs. The sample of the study included faculty members and students from the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Business at the Beirut Campus of the Lebanese American University. Findings of the interviews conducted with faculty members, questionnaires filled by students, and documents collected from the Registrar's Office and Admissions office, revealed that there is a need for a Writing Center at the Lebanese American University. The outcome of the study was a scheme for a Center that would hopefully best meet the needs of faculty, staff, and students who resort to it, namely a Center that will function simultaneously as a research, teaching, and learning site.