Ways to Encourage
Students to Use the Writing Center
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- Recommend
the Writing Center on writing assignment sheets. Some students
do not know that you encourage writing conferences without this
assurance.
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- Integrate
the Writing Center into an assignment: "See whether your
explanation of these concepts is clear to a reader by taking
your draft to the Writing Center."
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- Suggest writing conferences in written or oral comments on early drafts: "Work
on narrowing your thesis at the Writing Center."
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- Verbally
remind the class that you recommend Writing Center visits when
you introduce an out-of-class writing assignment.
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- If you
decide to require your whole class to visit the Writing Center
for a specific assignment or to give points toward the grade
on a paper, give a deadline and purpose: "Take your first
draft of your research paper to the Writing Center to work on
organization before the next draft is due on _____." Remind
students to make an appointment early to be sure they will have
a guaranteed time.
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- Do not give students the idea that the Writing
Center is for bad writers only by comments such as "Everyone
with a C or below on their last paper should go to the Writing
Center on the next one." Talking about a writing project
with others and revising papers is part of the writing process
for most experienced writers. Talk privately to a students with
a specific writing problem to recommend or require the Writing
Center's help.
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- Send your
assignment sheets or syllabi with writing assignments to the
Writing Center for the tutors' information. We also keep guides
to writing in different disciplines and sample papers for tutors
and students to use in conferences.
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