8/7/2019 Faculty Guide to Student Writing Center Consultations

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FACULTY GUIDE TO

STUDENT WRITING CENTER

CONSULTATIONS

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF STUDENT WRITING CENTER CONSULTATIONS?

Writing consultations are collaborative learning experiences that help writers to develop their abilities through

conversation. Writers develop through two well-known educational principles:

Writers learn more about their writing in one-to-one situations than classrooms.

Receiving response from others is essential to developing writing and developing as a writer.

The Student Writing Center helps students learn to become more effective writers by cultivating essential writing

abilities such as analyzing the rhetorical demands of the writing task; understanding the material to be written;

planning, organizing, and revising; overcoming writer's block; and developing critical thinking skills learn to become

more effective writers.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE A CONSULTATION?

Standard consultations last 20 to 30 minutes (small group appointments are also available). We encourage writers

to come in at any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming to final draft. We want to give those who come

in the most effective learning experience possible; to do that, writers should bring an assignment sheet and anydrafts or notes. Both writer and consultant take part in a discourse of higher-level issues: purpose, thesis,

organization, content, etc. Writing Advisors do not address grammatical issues until higher-level concerns are dealt

with.

WHAT ABOUT GRAMMAR?

While proper grammar is important for effective communication, it is not the only problem students have with

writing. In the Student Writing Center we focus on higher-level concerns first because they have a much bigger

impact on the assignment. It really only makes sense to work on grammar last, in order to avoid correcting errors

that are going to be caught during revision. When grammar is addressed in a writing consultation, we strive to

teach writers proper usage rather than fixing errors for them. Fixing errors does not help someone learn:discussing errors and why the writer makes them does.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO HAVE A WRITING CONSULTATION?

All students, staff, and faculty at SLCC are welcome to bring their work to the Student Writing Center. Writing

Advisors welcome writing from all disciplines, as well as out-of-class writing such as scholarship application essays,

memos, reports, letters, brochures, resumes, etc.

8/7/2019 Faculty Guide to Student Writing Center Consultations

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WHO ARE THE WRITING ADVISORS?

SLCC students and faculty make up the group of Writing

Advisors at the Student Writing Center. Peer Writing Advisors

are students enrolled in various programs at the college. They

receive in-depth training in responding to writers. Writers can

feel safe in knowing that a peer writing advisor is

knowledgeable about how to best serve them, as Peer

Writing Advisors are knowledgeable about various types of 

writing that goes on at SLCC such as rhetorical analyses, topic

research, collaborative writing projects, and interdisciplinary

writing.

Faculty Writing Advisors teach various college writing

courses: Developmental Writing, English, and Business Communications.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY STUDENTS USE THE STUDENT WRITING CENTER?

A fairly detailed account of the consultation is filled out by a consultant after every session. These reports are used

by the Student Writing Center staff to track the progress and improvements of any given Writing Advisor and

writer. Also, Writing Advisors gain a record of the writers they tutor, allowing them to see what has been worked

on, what needs to be worked on, and how often the writer is coming in for help. If needed, the Student Writing

Center Coordinator can verify attendance in the Student Writing Center.

HOW CAN I ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO USE THE STUDENT WRITING CENTER?

 DO add Student Writing Center details to your syllabus; see slcc.edu/swc for the details. DO mention it occasionally in class or written comments: "Next time, consider taking your draft to the

Student Writing Center to work on these areas."

 DO announce it to the entire class and distribute Student Writing Center bookmarks.

 DO invite a Writing Advisor to tell your class about the Student Writing Center.

 DO encourage students to use the Online Student Writing Center if they don't have time to work in one

of our in-person locations.

 DO NOT imply that the Student Writing Center is only for struggling writers.

 DO NOT voice statements such as “Everyone with a 'C' or less should go to the Student Writing Center.”

 DO NOT portray the Student Writing Center as remedial.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENT WRITING CENTER?

For more information about the Student Writing Center, or sessions with a specific student or consultant, contact

Clint Gardner, Student Writing Center Coordinator, at Clint.Gardner@slcc.edu or 801-957-4842. The Student

Writing Center website is located at http://www.slcc.edu/swc.