Frequently Asked Questions From Faculty

This document is also available in Microsoft Word format.

1. How can I encourage my students to use the Writing Center?

2. Should I require my students to visit the Center?

3. When should my students plan to visit the Center?

4. How can I, as a professor, facilitate a productive tutoring session?

5. What exactly will the tutor and student do in a session?

6. How will tutors know enough about my discipline to advise my students on their assignments?

7. Why do some student papers still contain “mistakes” after a Writing Center session?

8. How can the Center help my Non-Native/Bilingual English speakers?

9. My class is online or off-campus. How can my students take advantage of your services?

10.How can the Writing Center help ensure originality and prevent plagiarism?

11. Can the Writing Center help me with my own writing and/or publishing questions?

1. How can I encourage my students to use the Writing Center?
Talk to your students on the first day of class about the Center. Include a positive statement in your syllabus (see sample statement) that encourages them to come. Verbally explain the benefits of our services and consider physically bringing students by the Center during or after your class.  Schedule a tutor for a classroom presentation at any time during the semester, or schedule to bring your class to the Center and we’ll conduct a presentation in our conference room.  (Also, don’t forget to talk to your students about your own writing experiences and express to them the value of revision and peer feedback.)

2. Should I require my students to visit the Center?

Research shows that students respond most positively to tutoring when they come of their own free will. You may, of course, want to strongly recommend that a student visit us, but please avoid language that uses the Writing Center as a threat or punishment for “horrible writers.” We see our services as a positive, collaborative effort between writers and tutors, not as “remediation” or a “cure-all for any writing disease.”  Some other ways to motivate students to seek tutoring include allowing them to make revisions to earlier submitted drafts or offering occasional bonus points.  Your view of the Writing Center will shape theirs.
 

3. When should my students plan to visit the Center?

We encourage writers to meet with a tutor as early in the process as they want; they don’t necessarily need a thesis statement or even a draft before scheduling an appointment. Tutors can help writers narrow a topic, brainstorm, and clarify points of view as well as understand the parameters and requirements of your assignment. We would much rather see a writer in the early stages than one who has waited until the last possible moment for an “editor” only to find that the paper lacks focus, development, or a clear audience.

4. How can I, as a professor, facilitate a productive tutoring session?

As the teacher, you can do quite a bit to move a session forward. First of all, provide every student with a clear written explanation outlining your requirements and expectations for an assignment. Tutors typically begin conferences by asking to see an assignment sheet. Also, it’s very helpful to include in the assignment or on the syllabus your policies on documentation and use of sources, any models you intend students to follow, and guidelines for mid-terms or take-home tests. Otherwise, both student and tutor are relying on guesswork and assumptions that may or may not be accurate for your course. You may also place any course materials or writing samples “on reserve” in a folder in the Writing Center for your students to use during business hours.

5. What exactly will the tutor and student do in a session?

That depends. Our tutors are trained to respond to writers’ requests for help while keeping in mind the policies of our Writing Center. We advertise that our sessions focus chiefly on “rhetorical” concerns, meaning we encourage writers to concentrate on issues of audience, focus, organization, development, and clarity before we spend time on grammar or mechanics. That is not to say that we will not look at grammar or punctuation; tutors are also trained to notice patterns of error and model self-editing strategies that writers can take home and apply themselves.  In a typical session, we hope that the writer will do most of the talking and all of the work while the tutor asks helpful questions and provides guidance, feedback, constructive criticism, and some explanations. Succinctly stated, we aim to produce better writers, not just better writing.

6. How will tutors know enough about my discipline to advise my students on their assignments?

Though we do hire tutors from a variety of areas (from the sciences to creative writing), we do not require our tutors to be experts in any particular discipline. The semester-long course that all tutors must complete trains them to listen well, to correctly identify writing concerns and areas for improvement, and to successfully lead students to make positive changes in their writing. These skills are useful for a session in any discipline. We also have on hand many reference books and manuals used in various subject areas (guides to APA style, books on technical writing, etc.). However, we mostly rely on the writer’s knowledge and your course materials for discipline-specific or course-specific guidelines. We do not claim to be authorities in your profession or field of study.  (If you’re interested in having a Writing Center tutor designated to work with students in a particular course that you teach, check out our Writing Advisors program.)

7. Why do some student papers still contain “mistakes” after a Writing Center session?
As explained in #5 above, tutors are trained to concentrate on the global, “big-picture” concerns in a paper before addressing “local” errors that may or may not interfere with meaning, especially when working under time constraints or fast-approaching deadlines.  Like most other writing centers, we do not provide editing services. We model strategies for self-editing and may very well point out errors and provide examples for correction, but tutors do not proofread or “go through and fix all the mistakes,” though some writers may expect this kind of help. Students are responsible for their own finished products, whether they be polished and perfect or otherwise. This Writing Center could not ethically endorse the alternative, nor can we guarantee that students will actually make the revisions we discuss in a session.

8. How can the Center help my Non-Native and Bilingual English speakers?

We offer several opportunities that aim to improve Non-Native and Bilingual English speakers’ writing skills and confidence. Our Non-Native speaker/Bilingual Specialist, Amy Smith, can meet with a student to determine areas for improvement and develop an agenda for regularly scheduled appointments, if needed. We often use a specially-designed interview form to reveal useful information on the student’s language background, literacy skills, and academic/writing history. Non-native and Bilingual speakers may also receive permission to meet up to three times a week with a designated tutor until certain goals are accomplished. We also offer WoW sessions twice a week to provide an informal setting in which students can learn more about using English for Academic purposes. We’re also in the process of building a library of resources especially for Non-Native/Bilingual speakers; these materials are available for self-study in the Center during business hours. Workshops are another direct means of support for Non-Native and Bilingual speakers. Each semester, we offer several designed specifically for their needs. (Feel free to recommend new topics!)

See also Working with Non-Native/Bilingual Speakers to find ideas for adjusting your own instructional methods and classroom dynamics to better serve non-native speakers.

9. My class is online or off-campus. How can my students take advantage of your services?

Good news! Since all students pay a fee to support the Writing Center, we work hard to ensure that all students have access to our services. The Writing Center now offers three modes of “online” tutoring (COLT) for those who find it difficult to come to campus during business hours: if students submit their written work in an email attachment, our tutors can respond via email, instant message chat, or phone chat. If you teach Web-CT or distance courses, please help us advertise these options to your students. Read Online Tutoring for COLT policies and procedures, and refer your students to this page on our site.

10. How can the Writing Center help ensure originality and prevent plagiarism?

As stated in #7 above, students are entirely responsible for their own written products. We on the Writing Center staff do all we can to ensure students have done their own research, brought their own work, used their own language, and given credit to any sources. However, we must trust the student’s word in this matter. We strictly adhere to the university’s policy on plagiarism and academic integrity, and we will not take responsibility for the dishonest behavior (or ignorance) of any writer. Neither can Writing Center tutors get involved in any official university hearings or proceedings regarding a student’s academic integrity. See our director, Dr. Chloé Diepenbrock, for any related concerns, and help us advertise our workshops on using sources and avoiding plagiarism.

11. Can the Writing Center help me with my own writing and/or publishing questions?

Yes! We make no distinction between faculty and student; all writers and all skill levels are welcome. We know you recognize the value of an objective listener’s feedback, and we have plenty of resources that may be useful to you. Please come to us with your concerns! (Note: if you are in need of a professional editor (e.g., for an article to be published), please see our director for recommendations, as the Writing Center does not provide this service for students or faculty.)