Encouraging Writing Center Use

Introduce Your Students to the Writing Center

Even students well into their degree programs may be unaware of the resources available to help improve their writing. By taking a few minutes each semester, faculty can increase students' awareness and understanding of how the Writing Center will help them become better communicators. 

Please make the following steps part of your courses each semester:

1. Include the official Writing Center statement in your course syllabi.
   
   • Statement:

     KSU Writing Center

     Visiting the KSU Writing Center makes writing for any class easier and more effective. A friendly peer writing assistant will work with you in person or online to help you develop a topic, organize your research, revise and edit drafts, document your sources, and much more. The Writing Center offers specialized support for graduate students and includes the English Language Program (ELP), which provides tutoring in writing, speaking, and reading for individuals whose primary language is not English.

     In addition to 1:1 support, the Writing Center offers weekly workshops; free online writing resources; and book, writing, and D&D clubs. Go to writingcenter.kennesaw.edu to learn more and to schedule an appointment, or visit us in English 242 (K) or Johnson 101 (M).

2. Post a link to our webpage, writingcenter.kennesaw.edu, in your D2L courses.
3. Invite our peer Writing Assistats to introduce the Center's services and resources to your class. (If you are teaching asynchronous online courses, email writingcenter@kennesaw.edu for our video introduction.)

Incentevize Student Use

Offer incentives for students who work with a writing assistant in the Writing Center.  Some examples of incentives include:

• • allowing extra time for completing an assignment
  • raising a grade for an effective revision of a graded assignment
  • adding an extra point or two to an essay grade for students who work with a Writing Assistant.  
  • assigning a reflection of  their Writing Center session.

Faculty may wish to require students to visit the Writing Center for specific assignments. For course-wide Writing Center requirements, please allow adequate time for our schedule and staff to accommodate your entire class.

Note that required visits are effective only when students are prepared to be active participants in our highly collaborative sessions, and we therefore ask that faculty do the following:

• Help students understand what to expect in a Writing Center session by directing them to that information on our website.
• Require that students who are coming for mandatory visits have a draft ready to discuss.
• Emphasize that students should have specific goals, topics, or questions for their Writing Assistant.
• Provide students with feedback that enables them focus on areas in which you see room for improvement.    

Communication 

Following a Writing Center session, the Writing Assistant sends an email to the instructor. Writing Assistants make every effort to send reports to the correct faculty member. Please note, however, that Writing Assistants see many writers in quick succession and do not have access to Banner; they rely on students to provide accurate instructor and course information.

Faculty seeking feedback on writing assignments or student writing processes are welcome to contact KSU Writing Center Director Dr. Mary Lou Odom (modom3@kennesaw.edu).