Writing Center
The ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Writing Center, located in Hilton M. Briggs Library 103, serves all students enrolled in the university, both graduate and undergraduate. Students can chat about an essay for a composition or history class, a research paper, abstracts for a human development or sociology paper or a job or graduate school application letter — in short, any type of writing that they have concerns about. Consultations take place during any stage of the writing process — from determining the ideas, focus and framework to citing sources and figuring out how semicolons work and polishing the style.
The Writing Center staff is comprised of English instructors and graduate students who have all taught English 101 and other writing courses and, beginning in spring 2015, undergraduate students who have been trained to tutor in the Writing Center. They are experienced in working with students of all backgrounds, including second-language learners. However, our tutors are not editors, nor will they simply proofread a student's writing. Each session is devoted to an active and engaged learning experience in which the tutor and the student work together to improve writing.
Spring tutoring hours will be updated in January, with appointment availability beginning January 19.
Our hours are based on tutors' availability. Holiday hours may vary.
Traveling Tutor
The Writing Center accepts faculty requests for traveling tutors who will visit a class to assist in engaged writing activities such as research days, citation practice, or flipped classroom days in which students are spending their class time actively writing. A traveling tutor can offer another set of hands to engage with students in the writing process to create more opportunities for students to receive immediate advice and benefit from intellectual engagement with others as part of the writing process.
To request a traveling tutor, please email Amber Jensen with your requested date, time and topic for the class session. Requests will be fulfilled as staffing and scheduling allow on a first come, first served basis.
When requesting a traveling tutor, faculty should keep in mind that:
- Tutors will not take over or teach the class but rather assist faculty by moving throughout the room to monitor work, answer questions, and make themselves available for questions by engaging students in discussion of their work.
Scheduled Write-Ins
The Writing Center will host write-ins, which will allow students to come to the writing center (or log in to a virtual write-in Zoom session) to work independently on their course-specific writing assignments with an opportunity to check in with a tutor at the beginning of the session to set goals, receive immediate advice during their work time, and check-in with a tutor at the end of the session to assess progress.
Write-in schedules will be posted here; instructors may also request a class-specific write-in by emailing Amber Jensen.
To help as many students with their writing as possible, we respectfully request that students limit their appointments to no more than two per week (including both scheduled appointments and walk-ins).
During busier times of the semester, we may request that students limit themselves to one appointment per week.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this.
Sign up for an Appointment
We use ConnectState to schedule appointments. To create an appointment using ConnectState, use the following steps.
- Go to .
- Log in using your username and password.
- Once logged in, click the blue Schedule an Appointment button in the upper right corner.
- Select Tutor from the first dropdown, and under Writing Center, select the course in which you want tutoring.
- Pick a date and click on Find Available Time.
- Under Staff, select your tutor's name or leave it blank.
- Select how you would like to meet.
- Click on your selected tutoring time.
- On the Review Appointment Details and Confirm screen, review information.
- Click the blue Schedule button at the bottom.
- You will see a confirmation that your appointment has been scheduled with links to view your appointments or schedule another appointment.