Conferences between student writers and their writing teachers are a time-honored staple of process-oriented writing instruction. Online classes, while they may incorporate many of the other elements of the writing process model, frequently omit writing conferences since the face-to-face, real-time format that is typical of conventional writing conferences is inconsistent with the asynchronous mode of communication typical of distance learning. As learning management systems become more robust, however, and as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased reliance of distance learning, it is worthwhile to think about how an online learning environment can support constructive student-teacher writing conferences.
