About the learning & Writing Center:
Where is the Learning & Writing Center and what are the hours?
The Learning & Writing Center is located on the 2nd floor of Hege Library. The front desk is open from 8:30am- 5pm Monday-Friday. Drop-in Tutoring takes place on the 1st floor of Hege library and operates Monday- Thursday 4pm-7pm and Sunday 4pm-7pm.
Is the Learning & Writing Center handicap accessible?
Yes. There is an elevator on the 1st floor of the library.
Who are the tutors at the Learning & Writing Center?
There are two categories of tutors in the LWC: Professional Tutors, who are instructors or professionally trained tutors in their fields of study and Student Tutors, who have been recommend by an instructor and are chosen because they excel in their particular subject.
How much does it cost to use the LEARNING & WRITING CENTER’s services?
NOTHING. Services in the LWC are free for all Guilford students, faculty, staff, and alum.
Can I get help with writing in a language other than English (for example, an essay written in Spanish for my Spanish course)?
Kind of. We do have a tutor who is fluent in writing Spanish (Melissa Daniel) but in general, we cannot guarantee a tutor that can help with wording or sentences in languages other than English; however, we can help you with organizing your essay and talk about concepts.
What is the difference between the Academic & Writing Support and Course-specific tutoring?
Academic & Writing Support (AWS) are tutors hired to assist in general writing, study, and reading skills, as well as time management and presentations. Course-specific tutoring (CST) assists in course-specific content (ex. ENG 101, BIO 210, etc). AWS appointments can be made through our scheduling system (WC Online) while CST tutoring most be scheduled with that specific tutor via email.
What if I want to be a tutor?
making an appointment:
Who can make an appointment?
Any Guilford student, faculty, staff member, or alumni is welcome to make an appointment with us.
Can I request a particular tutor?
Yes. When you make your appointment with a professional tutor, you will see the list of who is available and what their specialty areas are. You can also see the list of Drop-in Tutors and their availability.
What should I do if no appointments are available?
You have a few options: first, you can check back to see if someone cancels their appointment at which point you can make your appointment. Second, you can add your name to the Wait List on the schedule by clicking the white clock icon next to the day you want to make an appointment. Or third, you can use the Drop-in Tutoring service
What should I Do if I need to reschedule?
The first thing you would need to do is log back into the appointment schedule and cancel your appointment as soon as possible (that frees up your spot so that other students may take your appointment). Then you can schedule for a future date that works for you.
How far in advance do I need to make my Appointment?
While you (and only you) can cancel your appointment at any time, we ask that you give us at least 24 hours’ notice so that another student may have the option to take your appointment.
What happens if I don't cancel and I don't show up for my appointment?
Without notification or an official cancellation, you will be entered as a “no show” in our scheduling system for that appointment. If you fail to show up for two appointments, your future appointments will be cancelled and you will be required to have a conference with our LWC Director before being allowed to schedule future appointments.
What if I am late for my appointment?
If you anticipate being a few minutes late to your appointment, give the front desk a call at (336)316-2253 to let them know the situation. If you are more than 10 minutes late, without notification, your appointment may be cancelled and your tutor may be reassigned.
What is involved in a face-to-face visit to the LEARNING & WRITING CENTER?
Appointments in the LWC are 60-minute conversations with a tutor about your assignment. "Drop-in" tutoring serves students on a first-come, first-served basis, so a tutor may have to rotate between several clients while they work with you. The tutor will read through your paper with you, answer your questions, and work with you to strengthen your paper and your skills as a writer and student. You and the tutor may discuss any aspect of your assignment or process.
What kind of Assignment can I bring?
You can bring any sort of assignment. We get mostly academic work, but we also can provide assistance with application essays, grant proposals, or other writing. If you are working on an honors thesis, or dissertation, you should plan to schedule multiple visits and focus on parts of the longer project.
What kind of help will I receive?
Tutors will discuss your assignments with you and share strategies for approaching a topic, organizing a paper, developing your style, or correcting recurring errors. Tutors may also direct you to other resources for further assistance. Tutors will not edit or proofread a paper or write any part of your paper or assignment for you.
Will my instructor know That I have used the LEARNING & WRITING CENTER?
Only if you request to have a brief summary of your session emailed to them or fill-out an Appointment Verification Form that can be picked-up at the front desk.
IS it okay for me to bring take-home exams?
For take-home exams, some instructors specify whether you may or may not bring your work to the Learning & Writing Center. If this issue is not explicitly addressed in the exam prompt, we require written permission from the instructor in order to help with any take-home exams. "Written permission" includes direct email from the instructor or a handwritten note with their signature. If you have any questions about whether it is appropriate to get feedback from the Learning & Writing Center on take-home exams, ask your instructor before you bring in your draft.
What is involved in an online visit to the LWC?
Online appointments are made through our WC Online scheduling app. They can be identified by locating "Online Only" under the tutor's name in the schedule. Once selected, you'll simply return to the same appointment box when it is time to meet with your tutor and select the red link, "Start or join online consultation." Online appointments are 60 minutes each.
Faculty FAQs:
How can I encourage students to use the learning & writing center (lwc)?
- Add a description of Learning & Writing Center services and your view of them to your syllabus. Feel free to copy the following paragraph:
"The Learning & Writing Center offers free, one-on-one assistance with all aspects of writing at any stage in the writing process. The Learning & Writing Center is located on the second floor of the library. Professional tutors devote time to help you work on your drafts as well as to deal with specific writing problems. The LWC is a place that even honors-thesis students go to for extra coaching and learning and I guarantee that your writing will improve with consistent visits there. To make the best use of your time, please bring a copy of your assignment with you. The Learning & Writing Center will not proofread papers or talk with you about grades. Many students find visits to the Learning & Writing Center well worth their time. For the LWC schedule or for more information, visit: guilford.edu/academics/learning_commons" - Bring your class on a tour of the Learning & Writing Center at the beginning or end of your class, or invite one of our staff to visit your class. We can give a 5-10 minute overview of our services and answer questions. Use the "Request Our Services" link in the Workshops page to request a visit.
- Make an appointment for yourself to experience our services firsthand.
- Remind students that they can request that you receive session summaries via email or fill-out an Appointment Verification Form each time they visit the LWC.
- Help students make their first appointment with us or walk them over to the Learning & Writing Center as a "field trip.".
- Describe your own writing process, including when and why you seek feedback from others.
- Distribute the LWC Semester-at-a-Glance Calendar to your students on the first day of class. This calendar maps the whole semester out on one page and is a valuable planning tool for major assignments and general academic life.
Can the lwc help me revise or develop writing assignments for my course?
Yes. You are welcome to request a consultation with one of our staff via the "Request Our Services" link under "Resources."
I'd like for all of my students to visit the LWC. Can I require my whole class to use the Services?
No. While we support your efforts to encourage students to examine and improve their writing skills, we cannot support required visits to the LWC. This policy derives from both practical and pedagogical reasons that are related to the demand of our services exceeding the supply of appointments, as well as past experience teaching us that students who aren't genuinely invested in their work, don't learn well. A student only making the appointment to "get the credit" isn't using the services to gain knowledge about ways to be a better writer but instead, only to get points on the assignment.
Are there alternatives to requiring students' use of the LWC?
- Request a Learning & Writing Center visit
- Promote LWC services to the whole class.
- Talk with our staff about your writing assignments and ways to improve students' responses to them.
Can students bring in non-course related work such as creative writing or personal statements for applications?
Yes. Many students do.
My students are working on a group project. Can the whole group come in for an appointment?
Yes. Students may make a group appointment if they are working on a group assignment.
Does the LWC help students with take-home essay exams?
Yes; however, for take-home exams we require written permission from you, their instructor, (either an email or brief note) so that students can receive feedback from a LWC tutor.
My students can't seem to proofread. will you proofread papers before they turn them in to me?
No. We do not provide editing or proofreading services, and students may not drop off a paper and pick it up later with corrections. We can, however, teach students to edit and proofread their own work more effectively. Don’t expect them to turn in a flawless paper after a visit here; our goal is to help them increase their skills and knowledge, so there’s a limit to the number of different concerns we can discuss in a single session.
Do students need to have a full draft before they make an appointment?
No. Students do not need to have a completed draft before they make or attend an appointment. They do not even need to have started writing. Encourage students to make and keep appointments regardless of how far along they are in the assignment.