The
ACE Writing Center
What’s the point of a Writing Center? “Our job is to make better writers, not better writing.” (Stephen North, The Idea of A Writing Center) We will help you to: • develop new strategies for approaching your writing • learn to write more and more complex assignments • feel confident enough to take risks in your writing • use the writing process to your advantage • talk over writing questions peer-to-peer • challenge yourself as a writer
Who comes to the ACE Writing Center? • First-year students through graduate students • All majors • Students with a 4.0 GPA, struggling students, and everyone in between • Students who want to become stronger writers
When do students come in? • At all points in the writing process: from understanding the assignment to
learning proofreading/editing strategies
Why do students come to the ACE Writing Center?
Three main reasons, from the students themselves: 1. To develop clarity and flow: Be sure your reader can follow your train of thought!
Why do students come to the ACE Writing Center?
2. To double-check paraphrases and summaries (and thus prevent plagiarism) (P.S. Always bring the original source material in when you’re checking a paraphrase.)
Why do students come to the ACE Writing Center?
3. To learn proofreading and editing strategies We will teach you how to proofread. We will point out error patterns we see.
We will explain some basic grammar rules. X (But we won’t actually do the proofreading or editing: that’s your work to do.)
Other reasons why students come to the ACE Writing Center • To check the assignment description and rubric before beginning a paper. • To brainstorm ideas for finding sources, for organizing information, and for expanding ideas or analysis. • To review and practice Academic English (for non-native English speakers). • To expand ideas to make a paper longer (without “fluff”!). • To learn different formats for different types of papers (compare/contrast vs. persuasive vs. research, etc.). • To apply teacher feedback between drafts. • To write more concisely if the draft is too long.
Also, here’s a well-kept secret: You do NOT have to be working on a paper
to come into the Writing Center! (Our focus is on you anyway, whether or not you bring a paper.) ____________________________________________________________________
Come on in so you can: • See all of the awesome handouts we have. • Meet us and chat so you know what we’re like.
• Ask the peer tutors what their writing strategies are. • Talk about your past writing challenges and make plans to meet them.
• Have us explain to you all that we offer so you’re ready when the time comes.
What happens in the Writing Center? 1. The tutor or staff member will ask what you are working on, and will review the assignment description and rubric. 2. Together, you will set the goal(s) for the
session and then work toward them in whatever way works best for you. 3. At the end of the session, you will make a plan for your next steps, which may
include coming back for a follow-up session.
How do I know when a visit to the Writing Center would be helpful to me? At the Writing Center, we believe in providing the right help at the right time.
Sometimes students know exactly when the “right time” is. However, it’s not always so easy to notice when you need
help. Too many students come in, get help, and then say, “I wish I had come in earlier.”
Puppy is disappointed in himself. He knows he should have gone to the Writing Center earlier.
How do I know when a visit to the Writing Center would be helpful to me? Here’s some advice: • Pay attention to how you’re feeling as you read through an assignment or rubric. • Pay attention to how you’re feeling as you start to research or plan.
• Pay attention to how you’re feeling as you draft and revise. • Stop in when you feel confused.
• Stop in when you feel frustrated. • Stop in when you have a question or
just need a fresh perspective.
How can I meet with a writing tutor? • Peer tutors are available on a drop-in basis. The schedule changes each semester and can be found posted around campus and on the Writing Center website: https://www.mtmercy.edu/ace-schedule • This semester the Writing Center is staffed from 2 – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 – 10 p.m. Sunday. • You can also request a tutor during non-drop-in times by filling out the online form: https://www.mtmercy.edu/request-tutor Also: it’s free! Completely free. It’s like a special gift you can receive just for being a Mount Mercy student.