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Introduction for Students
Introduction for Faculty
Schedule
Current Tutors
Frequently Asked
Questions
Resources for
Faculty and Tutors
Honor Code and the
Writing Center
How It Works
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When and how often can I use the Writing Center?
Come in when you have a paper topic, a draft, an idea, or even
simply want to chat about your topics or paper-writing anxieties.
You may come in at any stage of the writing process—as often as you
like. We only ask that you reserve enough time before your
essay is due to make a writing conference useful.
What should I expect when I come in for a writing conference?
- Expect your tutor to support you in your writing project. The
tutor will begin by asking you to fill in a conference session
report with your basic class information. The tutor will then ask
you how you would like to focus the session and what kind of help
you would like. If appropriate, he or she will ask to see the
assignment. It may also be helpful to hear about or read any
comments you have received on the assignment or your writing from
your professor(s) in order to address previously identified issues
in your writing.
- Usually the tutor will spend 5-15 minutes reading (or ask you
to read) the parts of the draft that you have both agreed to focus
on. Typically, a tutor can focus on no more than 5 pages a
session; for longer papers, tutors may suggest a follow-up
conference.
- The tutor will then discuss your writing with you, which may
involve identifying problems with grammar, style, organization or
clarity but which will frequently involve asking you more
questions about your ideas and getting you to talk through
problems or discoveries arising in the draft. If you haven't yet
written anything, the tutor will help you brainstorm ideas by
asking questions and then help you to organize your best ones. The
two of you will typically spend the last part of the session
developing a plan for further writing and revision.
Can the Writing Center help me with grammar and clarity issues
on a take-home exam?
We will assume that we cannot help with exams, unless the
instructor has notified us directly. If you plan to consult a
Writing Center tutor about a take-home exam, you must gain written
permission from your instructor and bring it to the conference. The
tutors cannot help you with the content of your exam. If an
instructor has explicitly forbidden the use of the Writing Center on
an assignment, the tutors are obligated to comply with that request.
Do you offer help with challenging reading assignments?
Tutors can offer some guidance for reading strategies. They can
work through a difficult passage with you and give you some
suggestions for note-taking and responding actively to the text as
you read. They can also help you clarify your response to readings.
Can you help with questions regarding citation format, proper
uses of citation, identifying and avoiding unauthorized help or
plagiarism?
Yes. Tutors can help identify passages in need of citation and
provide some guidelines for using APA and MLA citation formats.
Do you offer tutoring in math, foreign languages, or the
sciences?
No, but free Mathematics tutoring is available through the
Math/CS Division:
- Applied Calculus, Calculus, College Algebra with Modeling
Hearst 103 M 3-5:30 p.m.
W 7-9:30 p.m.
- Applied Calculus, Calculus, College Algebra with Modeling,
Great Ideas of Modern Math, Statistics, University College
Statistics
24 Hour Room T Th 7-8
Weltner Library Sun 2-5
Your science faculty are your best resources for questions
regarding your science classes, but tutors can help you with any of
your written assignments, including lab reports, research papers, or
critiques.
Can you match me with a tutor who knows about my topic?
Rather than offer the discipline-based help you can and should
get from your professors or advisers, Writing Center tutors help you
learn to articulate your ideas to a non-specialist reader. In
general, the Writing Center does not match you with a tutor
according to your paper topic; no matter what the subject matter,
our tutors serve as sounding boards, careful readers, and helpful
critics.
Can the tutor read my paper before the appointment?
The Writing Center cannot accept papers in advance of
appointments. The sessions depend on a lively, interactive exchange
between peers. The Tutor can only help if you collaborate and help
guide him or her through your writing process, articulating your
concerns and responding to questions as they arise. Learning to
write well for an audience—your professor, your peers, your
public—requires some practice interacting with one.
Can I just drop off a paper for proofreading?
No. The Writing Center is not a grading, proofreading, or
editing service; rather, the tutors will work collaboratively with
writers to help identify and diagnose grammar or organizational
errors and to suggest ways to resolve them. The goal of each
tutoring session is to develop writing strategies that will empower
writers to become sensitive to the various academic and professional
standards and audiences of their writing.
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