Welcome to Writing Services at Huron!
Our teaching-based centre supports student writing and communication development, as well as targeted academic course support, at Huron University College. Working in a one-to-one, low-stakes environment, our Peer Tutors, ELL Specialists, and Graduate Fellows guide students as they move through the processes of brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and polishing their communication pieces. Meanwhile, our Math Specialist and Business Tutors work with students in math, business, accounting, and economics courses. Through discussion, short lessons, and the provision of resources, students will retain control over their own writing and coursework.
Hours
July 2020 Update
Writing Services will offer a full complement of online student programming for the Fall 2020 semester, with 20 trained and experienced tutors available to guide and support you; specific details and schedules will be made available by mid-August. Starting in September, students will be able to access the following:
- Writing, communication, and ELL-specific tutoring (live via video/audio chat or asynchronous via email)
- Course content tutoring (math, business, and economics - full list of courses coming soon)
- Drop-in study halls (weekly, drop-in and informal Zoom spaces with tutors present for learning strategies, math, and business support)
- Writing Cafe (twice-weekly Zoom space to get your writing done in a supportive and collaborative atmosphere; bring your favourite warm beverage and your latest project or assignment)
Until August 14, we are also offering a limited number of writing/communication appointments with the Writing Services Coordinator, Mandy, or one of our Graduate Fellows, Lyndsay Day. Please email Mandy directly if you would like to book an appointment: ageorg8@uwo.ca.
We are committed, as a part of the Library and Learning Services team, to supporting the Huron community of students, faculty, and staff and will make every effort to ensure you have access to the valuable learning support services you have come to expect from us.Mandy Penney, Coordinator
Writing Services
Book a Writing Services Appointment
What We Do
Writing Services is a teaching service, not a proofreading one. Our goal is to equip learners with the information, strategies, and resources to become stronger and more confident communicators - to achieve this, we step into the role of educated outside readers to give student, faculty, and staff a sense of how their work might be received by their intended audience.
What we will do:
- Allow students to retain control and final decision-making authority over their own work
- Ask probing questions to help students think critically about their writing and how their audience might react to it
- Provide short lessons and/or resources to help students polish their writing on their own and learn more about the qualities of strong writing
- Use mind-mapping and outlining techniques to assist students with brainstorming
- Offer reader reactions in real time to a piece of communication
- Discuss conventions of different communication genres (essays, reflections, case studies, blogs, etc.)
What we will not do:
- Guess a grade: the design and assessment of a class assignment is the purview of the faculty member(s) who developed it. While we can discuss general expectations around post-secondary writing, the student should discuss specific concerns or questions about grading to the instructor or TA of a given course. Our role is to sit in as an educated outside reader to give you a sense of how your intended audience might perceive your ideas and style
- Proofread/copy-edit: the goal of a session is not to find and fix every error while the student sits passively. Instead, we work strategically and collaboratively to highlight areas of strength and potential concerns and provide strategies and solutions for improving written communication over time
- Work from a computer screen: writing centre sessions are most useful and productive when working from a hard copy. Unless a student requires their laptop for accessibility purposes, or because they are working on a multimedia/digital project, we need a hard copy in order to help most efficiently
For course content support, our tutors will work with students (individually or in groups) to help them understand key concepts related to their coursework. Strategies may include reviewing class materials (notes, textbook), completing practice exercises, or quizzing to help students prepare for upcoming assessments. Please note that content tutors will not complete homework for students.
Writing Services Programming
Writing Services is committed to serving Huron's students, faculty, and staff in all of their writing and multimodal communication goals and to positioning Huron as a hub of communication excellence. Our suite of programming for the 2018 - 2019 academic year is designed to meet the varied needs of our community and to reinforce the importance of collaboration and ongoing learning in the development of individual authorial voices.
Appointments and Drop-In Consultations: 25- and 50-minute appointments with one of our tutors can be made by booking online at huronuc.mywconline.com. 25-minute drop-in sessions will vary from day-to-day, depending on the number of appointments made (drop in to Writing Services on the day you would like support to see whether spaces are available).
Pre-booked appointments allow for a guaranteed time slot and the opportunity to go through more of your work. Drop-in appointments are ideal for quick questions or if you would like quick feedback on a short piece of writing.
Please note that it is nearly impossible to identify all areas for improvement in a single session; working with your tutor, you will identify the key issues for discussion and receive feedback and strategies for refining your work. If you would like in-depth support for a single assignment, it's best to plan ahead and book a number of sessions.
Writing Cafe: Join members of Huron's faculty, staff, and student community on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 - 11 in the Lucas/Benson House boardroom to work on your writing projects in a supportive, social atmosphere.
This program offers the benefits of structured, guided writing time, a variety of research and writing experiences, and the opportunity to engage in conversations around productivity, collaborative writing, and peer review.
Bring your favourite coffee or tea, and take advantage of a dedicated space for moving forward in your writing projects.
For students whose first/primary language is not English, we have hired two TESOL-certified ELL Specialists (Bei and Craig) who are available to work with students requiring short-term, intensive help with writing and communication tasks. They work closely with our Peer Tutors and Graduate Fellows to ensure that students receive support in all aspects of writing, including content, structure, style, and mechanics.
Bei and Craig can be booked in advance by using our appointment website: huronuc.mywconline.com
Writing Cafe: Join members of Huron's faculty, staff, and student community on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 - 11 in the Lucas/Benson House boardroom to work on your writing projects in a supportive, social atmosphere.
This program offers the benefits of structured, guided writing time, a variety of research and writing experiences, and the opportunity to engage in conversations around productivity, collaborative writing, and peer review.
Bring your favourite coffee or tea, and take advantage of a dedicated space for moving forward in your writing projects.
Our content tutors will work with students, whether individually or in small groups, to help them refine their understanding of key course concepts in the following subject areas:
- Math
- Business
- Economics
- Accounting
- Taxation
- Finance
Our tutors have demonstrated themselves to have strong course content knowledge in their areas. Our Math Specialists include a doctoral candidate (Ali Al-Khairy) and Dr. John Drozd, who holds a doctorate in mathematics and theoretical physics and also works as a faculty member at Fanshawe College. Our peer tutors for Business, Economics, Accounting, Taxation, and Finance are upper-year Huron students with a strong record of academic achievement.
Students can pre-book these students through our website: huronuc.mywconline.com.
Writing Cafe: Join Huron faculty, staff, and students at our social writing space. Research demonstrates that regular, collaborative, and social writing will often yield higher productivity and increase confidence in writing and communication tasks.
During Writing Cafe, participants will learn the basics of the Pomodoro Method, engage in goal-oriented writing tasks, and occasionally participate in short prompted free-writing or peer review sessions. Bring coffee, tea, or water, and write with us in the Lucas/Benson House boardroom from 9 - 11 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday morning.
One-on-One Appointments: The Coordinator of Writing Services, Mandy, is available for one-on-one 50-minute consultations to discuss and offer feedback on any aspect of your research/writing project, including project management, productive writing strategies, brainstorming, drafting, and revising.
Appointments for faculty are limited, so book early - email Mandy at ageorg8@huron.uwo.ca to discuss scheduling.
In-Class Support: Writing Services offers customized, integrated course support in order to help your students meet communication outcomes. Mandy has extensive experience in classroom instruction from her time as faculty and academic support staff at other institutions.
Previous workshops she has designed include writing literature reviews, public scholarship and knowledge translation, writing English essays, designing and delivering effective presentations, and writing in non-academic genres.
If you would like to discuss opportunities for collaboration and in-class writing and communication interventions, email Mandy Penny to discuss further.
Helpful Information and Resources
In order to have the best experience possible, consider the following tips:
1. Please bring a hard copy of your work - a session conducted on paper will be more productive than one on a laptop. However, there are some exceptions: if you require a laptop or mobile device for accessibility reasons, or if you are working on a digital project, feel free to bring your device.
2. If possible, provide a copy of the assignment and rubric for the communication piece you're working on.
3. Identify your key concerns and questions in advance.
4. Come prepared to think, talk, and write! These sessions are teaching-based and collaborative and require your participation in order to be successful.
Q: How many appointments can I access a week?
A: For each kind of tutoring (writing or course-related), students can book up to two appointments a week (up to two hours). In addition to this, you can also access one 25-minute drop in a day - see the white board in Writing Services each morning for available drop-in times.
Q: Can you proofread my paper?
A: Not exactly! We will look at grammar with you if it is a concern, but our goal is to focus on the most important areas for revision in any one session. When we work with you on grammar, you will likely have to do proofreading on your own outside of the session, but you're welcome to come back for another session to see how your changes are working!
Q: Can I get feedback on my presentation?
A: Yes! Tutors will work with you at any stage of preparation, from brainstorming, to drafting, to practicing your talk, to developing your PowerPoint slides. We will work with students on any communication piece at any stage.
Q: I prefer a quiet space to work and don't want my work read aloud in public. Are there options for me?
A: Absolutely. If you email a tutor (or the Coordinator, Mandy) in advance of your session, we will do our best to book a study room so that you can have your session in private.
Q: I'm having trouble using the booking website - help!
A: If you are having trouble registering for or using the WCOnline booking website, email our Coordinator, Mandy, at ageorg8@uwo.ca. She can either help you over email or set up a time for you to come in so she can walk you through the booking process.
Do you still have other questions? Don't hesitate to reach out - we're here to help!