The Writing Center’s services are not only for students. We offer specialized support and resources for faculty members including class visits and special consultations to help faculty plan written assignments for the semester.
Visit the University Writing Program's Faculty Resources page for guidance on designing writing courses, utilizing librarian partnerships and hiring student workers for writing-intensive classes.
Many students are first introduced to the Writing Center through a professor’s suggestion. But regardless of students’ writing ability, “Go to the writing center” can often sound like a punishment. When encouraging your students to visit the center, it helps to specify what the center can do to help them. For instance, try saying, “Have you thought about taking this to the Writing Center? They can work with you on [getting through a moment when you seem stuck] [helping you reorganize your paper when the structure isn’t working] [figuring out what it is you really want to argue]?” This phrasing can help students realize that the Writing Center is not detention. It is a service that can help them improve their communication.
Review our policies for details on confidentiality, group projects, finals and exam material.
We discourage faculty from requiring that all students make an appointment with the center because we cannot guarantee appointments for any particular time frame. If you decide to offer extra credit to those who take their papers to the Writing Center, our front desk office assistants can provide proof of attendance to the student after their appointment is over.
We strongly recommend adding a reflective element to such extra credit; for example, ask students to submit a paragraph about their experience in the Writing Center and how they revised their paper after the visit. This step helps ensure that students come to the appointment ready to engage in the collaborative work of having a peer discuss their paper with them. If you encourage extra credit for a class of 20 students or more please, contact our office coordinator.
We are happy to work with faculty on assignment design. Our directors are available to meet for individual consultations. Alternatively, faculty may also find it helpful to work with our consultants — graduate or undergraduate — to get feedback on how students are likely to read the assignment prompt.
To schedule an appointment with one of our directors, please email the Writing Center director or deputy director, or contact our main office. To schedule an appointment with a consultant, use our online system.
Invite a Writing Center consultant to visit your class and offer support as your students build their writing skills. We offer two models: basic introductory services and writing plan visits. We are also happy to discuss virtual class visits! Please allow up to one week response time after submitting a visit request.
Recommended for first-year undergraduate classes, these visits typically last 10–15 minutes. A writing consultant will introduce the free services offered through the Writing Center and answer student questions. If a projector is available, consultants can also demonstrate how to navigate the website and book an appointment online.
We advise scheduling a visit between two and three weeks before a writing project is due, as our consultants often fill up a week in advance.
Recommended for any classes above the first year level, writing plan visits help students prepare to think through the complete writing process. A visiting consultant will introduce Writing Center resources and lead the class in developing a writing plan and setting deadlines for each step.
These visits should be scheduled as close as possible to the initial assignment of a writing prompt to the class.
