Writing Center
Mission Statement
The Writing Center exists to provide peer tutoring in writing from trained writing tutors who work with student writers of all skill levels. Tutors engage with student writers in one-on-one writing discussions, ranging from generating ideas to negotiating editing difficulties. Although we discuss writing, we focus on writers. Conversing over writing engages the writer in a powerful learning experience, builds up writing skills, improves writing processes, and clarifies the writer's ideas. Our ultimate goal is to help students become confident and reflective writers. Additionally, tutors provide English language support for non-native speakers, including writing tutoring and assistance with other English language issues.
Director's Vision
My vision for the Writing Center is to serve all student writers at all levels all across the curriculum. This means the Writing Center provides high quality writing support that is tailored to individual student needs, effectively helping the weakest/least prepared writers and providing appropriate and helpful feedback to the more experienced writers. I am committed to strengthening all our student writers. I consider the Writing Center both as a physical space where student writers gather for writing work and as a concept that views writing as essential to students' ownership of their learning and to students' ability to communicate effectively in an information society.
Writing Center Sessions
Tutorials
In regular Writing Center tutorials, tutors work with students on their writing at any or all composing stages. When a student begins a session, the student will fill out a form that helps the tutor tailor the session to meet the student's writing need for that session. Then the student might read his or her paper aloud, with the tutor giving feedback on any aspect of writing. Or the tutor might read over the paper and discuss it with the student.
These are just some of the areas students can get help with:
- Figuring out what to write
- Making points stronger
- Writing an introduction
- Adding length to the paper
- Crafting a thesis statement
- Organizing my main points
- Improving the flow of the paper
- Improving sentence structures
- Quoting, paraphrasing and citing
Specialized Tutoring
In specialized tutoring sessions students can focus on improving specific writing-related skills (these sessions do not require a paper):
- Dealing with writer's block
- Finding out how learning style affects writing styles
- Conquering commas
- Improving your writing process
One-on-Ones
Long-term "one-on-ones" provide goal-oriented tutoring by experienced tutors. The one-on-one student meets with the same tutor weekly for one semester. The sessions begin with the tutor helping the student develop writing goals, and then the sessions proceed according to those goals. Students may work on decreasing writer's block, improving essay exam skills, increasing confidence as a writer, utilizing learning styles for writing, or honing sentence and grammar skills. Additionally, one-on-one tutors work with one-one-one students on all the semester's writing assignments.
Hours
Monday through Thursday:
- 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.