University Writing CenterAlthough some instructors require that all of the students in a class bring papers to the UWC, most students actually come in voluntarily. For example, in Winter 2001 more than 924 students used the University Writing Center. About 350 of these students were required to come once a week by their English 095, 096, 098, or 099 instructor. Another 165 came in on their own for help with the Graduation Writing Test, and the rest came in for help with writing assignments from other courses.
However, some students need a push. Who should instructors send to the Writing Center? How can an instructor motivate a student to make an appointment?
International students, recent immigrants, and long-term residents who speak a language other than English at home are good candidates for a Writing Center visit. You may find a paper that fulfills the requirements of your assignment in every way, but is marred by grammatical and idiomatic errors that distract and confuse the reader.
A Writing Center tutor can help the student discover and correct the errors in the paper, and facilitate increased acquisition of English in the process. The tutoring work will also help the student prepare for the Graduation Writing Test.
The writer who uses sources, but does not document them appropriately, is another candidate. The paper may exhibit shifting styles because material has been pasted together from different sources without quotation marks or other acknowledgment. The problems may be due to lack of familiarity with academic standards for documentation, or there may be some attempt to plagiarize or misrepresent the material, but in either case, a writing tutor can help the student understand the problem and revise the paper in an acceptable way. The UWC maintains a library of reference works and handbooks that cover almost any popular documentation style.
Some students are afflicted with writer’s block, and have trouble getting started on a writing assignment or generating something to say. Some are great with math, but uncomfortable with writing. Some are non-traditional students who have forgotten how to organize essays. Writing Center tutors have an arsenal of pre-writing and idea generating techniques that they can teach. In some cases, simply talking about the assignment can get the writer started.
Students working on a collaborative group writing project may also want to make a Writing Center appointment. Such groups often divide up the work so that different writers write different sections, often with very inconsistent results. Since problems in one section may affect the grade of all individuals in the group, it is to everyone’s benefit to improve the product. However, students often have difficulty criticizing the writing of one group member. In this situation, the tutor can help the group dynamics by serving as an impartial critic. In these cases it is best if the entire group attends the session. If this is not possible, the representative of the group should state at the beginning of the session that the paper is a group project.
In fact, almost any writer can benefit from Writing Center services. Of course, the trick is motivating students to come in. One strategy is to give the problematic paper a poor grade, or a failing grade, with the option to visit the Writing Center, revise the paper, and resubmit it for a better grade. The tutor will help the student interpret the instructor’s comments and design a plan for revision. The Writing Center has a stamp with a place for the tutor to sign and date the paper. The UWC stamp shows that the student has followed instructions and discussed the paper with a tutor.
Another strategy is to recommend (or require) a writing center visit as a part of the process of doing the assignment. Whatever strategy you take, the University Writing Center is here to help your students write better responses to your assignments.
