Melissa Ianetta, interim chair of LMC and executive director of the Writing and Communication Program, is teaching the special topics class — LMC 4813: Communication Theory, Pedagogy, and Practice — in its inaugural semester.

“Having led writing and communication centers before, I know that well-prepared peer tutors make enormous differences in campus writing culture and often serve as agents of pedagogical change,” Ianetta said.

Students begin by learning the theory of communication and applying it to their own writing before diving into educational theory and tutoring. In doing so, they become models of best practices for writing and tutoring, supporting Georgia Tech’s efforts to lead by example.

“Peer tutoring complements what students learn in the classroom but is independent from it and is a completely different learning experience for the student and the tutor,” Ianetta said. “It’s transformational for the learners, who come to get assistance with their writing and communication at the CommLab, but it is equally as transformative for the students who are working there, because nothing will teach you mastery of something like teaching it, or in this case, tutoring.”

A major assignment for the students will be to develop and execute an original empirical research project analyzing writing at either Georgia Tech or the CommLab and applying the theories they have learned throughout the semester.

Most of the students enrolled in the class are LMC majors who intend to apply for a peer consultant position in the CommLab. But others, such as biomedical engineering graduate student Caroline Greiner, hope to use the skills they learn in the class to better themselves.

“When I got to Georgia Tech, I decided to get better at communication,” Greiner said. “I had heard about the CommLab and found this class, so I decided to take it to learn not only how to analyze and help other people with their writing and communication, but also to improve myself.”

The small class size allows students to engage in meaningful discussion and focus on topics they are interested in more than they would in traditional writing classes, said Eli Hibberts, a first-year LMC major.

“For so long, I’ve been in writing and rhetoric classes where it’s just these huge lecture halls, and you are being taught at, not taught to,” Hibberts said. “In this class, I’m able to sit with a small group of people and just understand rhetoric and writing. It’s an experience I’ve never had before, and I’m learning so much.”

Ianetta and the CommLab faculty members hope this class becomes a permanent offering in the School so they can continue training peer consultants and offering high-quality support to students across campus in the CommLab.

The CommLab is a part of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The CommLab aids students from the Georgia Tech community with communication skills and projects related to their classes, careers, and civic and community lives.