Writing Center Procedures

What will happen when you come to the Writing and Study Skills Center for writing help?

1. You will be greeted by a tutor who will work with you to discover your needs.

• A tutor will ask you questions about your writing concerns, problems you’ve had in the past, and the assignment, if you are working toward one
• You are encouraged to bring an instructor referral, previously graded work, or a current assignment so a tutor may look at these materials to help determine the kind of assistance you need
• Ask about starting a Writing Center portfolio - a collection of your previously graded work, tutorial notes, and handouts - so you can keep track of your progress.

2. A tutor will complete a prescription outlining suggested resources.
We offer one-on-one instruction, notebooks of sample essays, worksheets, practice exercises, computer tutorials, and more.

A coding session may be offered, upon request, to you once you have a prescription and are ready for a tutor to look through your paper for specific errors. During coding, a tutor will identify major errors in your paper by marking Hacker codes in the margins next to the lines where the errors occur so that you can correct these mistakes yourself.

General Guidelines

• You may use the Writing Center for tutoring assistance as much as you want, but please note the coding sessions are restricted to 25 minutes per paper.

• Bring your assignment sheet with you. We can provide more accurate instruction and guidance when we know what your instructor expects from your writing.

• Bring questions and concerns to our tutors and be an active participant in the tutoring sessions.

• Take advantage of the tutoring help available to you! Remember that coding sessions are only 25 minutes long, so make the most of that time by first getting as much help as you want from tutors who can teach you composition and proofreading skills. Helpful Hint - Bring us your best effort. Tutors are more likely to code more of your paper if it’s not crammed full of errors, so learn how to avoid many of these errors from our tutors before getting your paper coded.

• In a coding session, an instructor will make sure you have had the opportunity for tutoring. Then the tutor will read your essay as carefully as time allows and will use the Hacker codes in the margins of your paper to indicate major grammar and usage errors; however, it may not be possible to address all issues or find every error during the 25-minute session.

• Avoid scrambling to the Writing Center hours or minutes before a paper is due. Give yourself enough time to apply the skills you’ve learned.

• Some locations offer scheduled appointments 25 or 50 minutes long. If you schedule an appointment specifically for coding, make sure you have received a prescription and appropriate tutoring help so you’ll know how to fix any errors found in your writing.
  

Please note that tutors can also help you with study strategies, reading strategies, and discovering and working with your particular learning style.