FAQ
1. Why should I meet with a writing tutor?
Writing is a necessary skill: At university, your writing is the main way that you are assessed and evaluated. It communicates to your professor that you have understood the course content, and are able to think critically about course materials. It is fundamentally important that you are confident that you are meeting assignment objectives.
When in doubt, talk it out! Academic writing isn’t always a skill that comes automatically to new students. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to start your first paper, or write in a citation style you haven’t used before. Meeting with a writing tutor can help you to break down larger assignments into achievable parts, and talking with a student who has been in your shoes before can be comforting. They can help you learn great writing habits, they can provide you with the motivation to start or further an assignment, and they can point you in the direction of helpful resources to use in the future.
We are here for you- whenever and wherever! All tutoring appointments are now offered both in-person at the Writing Centre, OR online, even on evenings and weekends. For online appointments, we use audio/video chat, screensharing, and a shared, synchronous whiteboard. Your sessions are stored on your account and available for you to re-visit. It couldn’t be easier!
2. How do I book an appointment?
1. Visit stu.mywconline.com and register for your account using your @stu.ca email address.
2. Select the appropriate appointment calendar to log in (ex: Writing Centre Fall 2021).
3. Choose an appointment spot that fits your schedule. Upload any documents to your appointment at that time.
For online appointments: Shortly before your appointment time, log back into stu.mywconline.com, click on your appointment, and then select the red 'start or join online consultation' link where your tutor will be waiting for you. You and your tutor will have access to a shared, virtual whiteboard where you can revise and edit text, a live chat bar, and audio capabilities so you can talk to your tutor if you wish.
For in-person appointments: Shortly before your appointment time, come to the Writing Centre at ECH 102, and your tutor will be waiting for you.
3. How many appointments can I book per week?
Students can book up to two 50-minute appointments per week, one per day (availability permitting).
4. How do I cancel or re-schedule an appointment?
Simply log onto stu.mywconline.com to manage your appointments. Please give 24 hours’ notice when cancelling appointments.
5. What do I upload for an appointment?
- The assignment guidelines. It is helpful for you and your tutor to review the specifics of the assignment to best help you.
- Any writing you have done, even if it is only point form. You and your tutor will be able to workshop your thoughts on a shared whiteboard, and it will keep the formatting of your document the same.
6. What happens during an appointment?
During your appointment, you will meet with a tutor one-on-one in-person or online through an audio/video chat to discuss your assignment.
Your tutor will ask you about your assignment, and review the assignment guidelines.
Together you will read through your assignment and any writing, and your tutor will make suggestions on how to improve clarity, grammar, and mechanics of your writing. You may work on adhering to citation styles and formatting, or outline how to move further in your assignment.
Keep in mind: tutors do not correct your paper for you: you—the author—decide which changes to make.
7. What CAN’T a tutor do in an appointment?
We understand that it is important for your writing to reflect your own voice, abilities, and knowledge. For this reason, writing tutors are trained to edit and educate, rather than simply rewrite your work. Tutors are given clear guidelines regarding how to engage with you and the level of editorial intervention that is appropriate.
Unacceptable tutoring activities include, but are not limited to:
- influencing the ideas or opinions expressed in your assignment
- supplying alternate phrasing
- making direct changes to your electronic document
- allowing you to copy comments/corrections from a tutor’s own notes.
If a passage in a your draft is unclear, the tutor will review that section with the you, ask you open-ended questions about your intended meaning, and have the you supply alternative wording. If there is an error or inconsistency, the tutor will point it out, explain why it is incorrect or inconsistent, and discuss ways to resolve it with you. In all cases, YOU decide which changes to adopt, and how to implement those changes in your own draft.
8. I don’t have anything written for my assignment yet. Can I still come for help?
Absolutely! In fact, this is often the best time to come to the Writing Centre. We can help you go over your assignment guidelines, and get started in the right direction. You and your tutor can brainstorm an outline together. It is always helpful to talk to someone when you are unsure about how to start, and sometimes you just need a little motivation to get a project going. Let us help you!
9. My assignment is due tomorrow and I haven’t started yet. Can I still meet with a tutor?
Yes, it is always better to reach out, no matter what. You might be limited in what you can accomplish in a day, and it is always best to reach out to your professor if you are falling behind; however, your tutor can always provide support at any stage.
10. There are no appointments available. Help!
We have a convenient waitlist feature! Click on the ‘Waiting List” text that bottom of any calendar day, and you can either add yourself to the waitlist for that whole day, or for specific times on that day. If a cancellation occurs, all students on the waitlist are notified that an appointment has become available. The first student to visit the calendar and book the appointment will receive it.