A Forest of Forests: Constructing a centre-usage profile as a source of outcomes assessment

Abstract

Most writing-centre administrators collect centre-usage information because it can generate one of the most basic forms of assessment. Such assessment can and often does determine resources in the institutional-funding process. In addition to responding to the call since the 1980s for rigorous scientific assessment issued from researchers and professionals in the field of writing centre research, assessment-based activities have also become necessary for accreditation, budget, and educational-accountability purposes at both institutional and programmatic levels. This paper reports on a usage-profile analysis of an outcomes-assessment project in the context of a newly established language-support unit. The centre-usage profile analysis focused on the 2,932 tutoring sessions conducted during the academic year, which involved 1,100 different users. In addition to the findings’ implications for writing-centre research and practice, the information about the approach used in implementing this component may be useful to administrators, researchers, and practitioners in academic language-support units across institutions of higher education.