Faculty Guide

DCTC's Writing Center offers a number of services, including professional and peer tutors to help writers improve their work themselves through the use of self-guided writing exercises, and a web site with links to online references and e-mail tutoring. Tutors will discuss topics with students, offer feedback on growing drafts of papers, suggest writing strategies, diagnose writing problems, and most importantly, listen to writers and help them gain a perspective on their writing. You can utilize the Writing Center most effectively by doing the following:

REQUEST A CLASS VISIT

The Writing Center staff will gladly conduct brief class visits to distribute brochures, describe our services, and answer your students' questions. To request a class visit, please contact Carrie Sonejivia e-mail at; carrie.soneji@dctc.edu

SEND US COPIES OF YOUR COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Even if you are not working directly with the Writing Center, students from your class may want to seek our assistance. You can help them and us by sending copies of your syllabi and assignments. We'll review them and keep them on file to help us clarify your expectations for student writing.

ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO USE THE WRITING CENTER

Students are frequently unsure whether or not you approve of their working with others on their writing. You can clarify this issue by encouraging them to take advantage of the Writing Center's FREE assistance. If students are offered an authorized source of assistance, they may be less inclined to seek unauthorized sources that might result in plagiarism. Here are a few ways you can remind students that they can, and should, use the Writing Center. None will take more than a few minutes of your time.

• Refer students to the Writing Center early in the writing process (not as a punishment for poor papers).
• Note our services on your syllabus, assignment sheets and handouts.
• Insert a hyperlink to the Writing Center Web page.
• Remind students orally of the Writing Center each time you mention a writing assignment.

REMEMBER THE WRITING CENTER IS NOT A "FIX-IT" SHOP

Students may try to drop off their papers and say, "I'll pick it up in an hour." This is counter-productive. The Writing Center tutors will not edit or proofread papers. Instead, tutors will point out common errors in usage so that the student begins to recognize patters in their mistakes, which they can then begin to correct on their own.