Why Use the Writing Center?
Student Benefits
- Positive one-on-one interaction with a USU peer. Our tutors are USU undergraduate and graduate students who feel passionate about writing and helping others.
- Connections to other USU support services. We frequently connect students with subject librarians, career coaches, academic advisors, and other student support services.
- Appointment variety and schedule flexibility. We offer five appointment types, locations, and lengths to meet students' unique schedules and writing needs.
- Higher likelihood of academic persistence. A 2020 study conducted by USU's Academic & Instructional Services showed that USU students who utilized the Writing Center were significantly more likely to persist at USU than their peers who did not.
Instructor Benefits
- Stronger student writing. Collaboration with a peer mentor during any stage of the writing process typically produces more thoughtful, polished writing.
- Individualized feedback for students. The Writing Center can aid instructors in providing students with individualized writing feedback. During appointments, students receive 30–60 minutes of undivided attention from a knowledgeable peer mentor.
- Detailed monthly reports. We email instructors monthly reports of their students' appointment details, including brief summaries of what was discussed. Instructors may request additional reports at any time.
- Fulfillment of Communication Intensive (CI) objectives. We work closely with the General Education committee to ensure our tutoring sessions fulfill USU's CI learning objectives.
Communication Intensive (CI) Goals and the Writing Center
96% of Appointments
Develop and write with purpose and consideration of various audiences in accordance with genre and disciplinary conventions.
100% of Appointments
Engage in the iterative process of improving communication based on feedback from an informed audience.
97% of Appointments
Develop an ability to intentionally craft language for one’s purposes.
75% of Appointments
Engage with credible and relevant texts and sources appropriate to audience and purpose.
Why it Works: Our Tutoring Philosophy
Our tutors are accomplished peer reviewers. They do not edit. Instead, they provide feedback that builds on writers' strengths, interests, and needs. During our one-with-one tutoring sessions, we ask questions, explore ideas, research solutions, practice writing concepts, and build connections. Students can expect to disucss the following in their Writing Center appointments:
- Specific Praise. We explore what works well in a student's writing and work with them to build on their strengths.
- Top Concerns. We prioritize students' top concerns.
- Questions. We ask questions to help students explore new ways to analyze, organize, and articulate their ideas.
- Pointed Suggestions. We limit our feedback to a few key areas. Targeted feedback leads to stronger long-term education and reduced overhwhelm.
- Assignment Requirements. We anchor our suggestions to assignment requirements and descriptions.
- Error Patterns. We let students know if we notice repeating grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. We work as a team to address these skills with trusted resources.
- Trusted Resources. We share credible grammar, citation, composition, and research resources to provide ongoing education.
Busting Common Writing Center Myths
- The Writing Center is only for struggling writers. All writers benefit from disucssing their ideas, arguments, writing processes, etc. Hearing how a reader interprets a text is invaluable to all levels of writers. Many of our frequent fliers are accomplished student writers who understand the value of collaboration.
- Students need a completed draft to benefit from the Writing Center. Much of our work at the Writing Center involves clarifying and organizing ideas and arguments. We have amazing brainstorming and outlining tools that make writing easier. We encourage students to use the Writing Center early in the writing process!
- The Writing Center is only for English courses. In 2021-2022, we worked with students from over 300 courses, many of these in the sciences. Writing happens in every field, and we're here to help!
- Peer feedback is low quality. Writing Center tutor applicants are vetted through a competitive application and interview process. Once hired, our tutors complete a practicum course and participate in ongoing observations and staff trainings. Our satisfaction survey regularly shows that students and instructors are impressed with feedback quality at the Writing Center.
- Only English majors work at the Writing Center. Our tutoring crew consists of 50–70 undergraduate and graduate students who come from all corners of campus. They collectively study 47+ unique majors, minors, and emphases. All of our tutors are passionate about supporting writers and creating an inclusive, welcoming environment. You can meet our employees in our tutor directory.
Student Feedback
"I really liked how [the tutor] took the time to answer my questions and make sure I understood. He helped me think about how I could improve my writing, instead of just giving me answers. He also showed me a link to help me better cite my sources."
"[The tutor] was incredibly helpful and made the most of my time. She came to the session prepared with ideas to help my writing and walked me through some really helpful reviewing methods. She also helped me figure out what worked in my writing and what didn't, and how I could reorganize a few paragraphs for clarity."
“I really liked how supportive [my tutor] was. They really gave me a lot of confidence in my writing and made me excited to finish the assignment. I feel like I have all the tools now that I need."
99.5% of Students
Found their session worthwhile
99.6% of Students
Felt their tutor listened to and addressed their questions and concerns
99.6% of Students
Felt their tutor discussed their writing rather than just correcting their mistakes
89.8% of Students
Said they would book another appointment at the Writing Center in the future
Hours and Locations
We host in-person appointments in the following locations: Ray B. West 104, Merrill-Cazier Library 162, and Eccles Science Learning Center 044A. Our in-person centers are typically open between 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday thorugh Friday.
We also offer online videoconferencing and written feedback appointments. These appointments are available between 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM, seven days a week, but appointment availability changes weekly.
Our tutoring services are free for all USU students, and students can schedule up to two appointments per day. We encourage students to schedule appointments in advance but same-day and drop-in appointments are available at most locations.
Writing Center Hours and Locations
What's Next?
(This is the best way to contact us!)
Phone: If you would like to talk with a director, contact Susan Andersen at 435-797-2726