Tutoring Appointments

Beginning the third week of the Fall Semester, Instructional Associates will be available for 45-minute appointments for students interested in longer sessions. These appointments will be offered at specified times and are staggered among the different staff tutors in order to accommodate a variety of schedules.  Students may sign up for one appointment per week in person at the front desk in the WRLC up to two weeks in advance.  Please note that we will still offer drop-in tutoring as always; however students may only have one tutoring session per day, whether on an appointment or drop-in basis (for a total of five sessions per week).

For classes that have portfolio assessments:

Peer Review Portfolio Workshops

We will be offering Peer Review Portfolio Workshops during weeks 14 and 15 (December 1-13 in Fall 08) of each semester in lieu of individual tutoring for all portfolio-assessed EN and EL classes (EN001, EN002, EN 101, EN101A, and EL104). 

We will not be offering tutoring for students in these classes during portfolio and final assessments, as was decided in the June meeting between Department course coordinators, Marcia Bronstein, and the WRLC staff.

Please do not recommend individual tutoring sessions to students enrolled in these courses during these weeks; rather, encourage them to take advantage of the peer review workshops.

For classes that have in class writing exams (EN001, EN002, EN101a, EN101, EL 101, EL102, EL103 and EL104):

“How to Ace the In-Class Essay” Workshops

We will be offering workshops entitled “How to Ace the In-Class Essay,” during weeks 14 and 15 (December 1-13 in Fall 08) of each semester in lieu of individual tutoring for all EN and EL classes that have in-class writing exams (EN001, EN002, EN101a, EN101, EL 101, EL102, EL103 and EL104).  This workshop will cover strategies for pacing the writing process, from pre-writing to proofreading, and give tips to alleviate test anxiety. 

Tutoring will not be offered during weeks 14 and 15 (December 1-13 in Fall 08) ; however, students will be allowed to ask “quick questions” about specific skills or grammatical structures they may be working on.

No Tutoring of In-class Final Writing Assignments

We will not look at final exam writing assignments that have not yet been graded under any circumstances.  We had a problem in the summer with a number of students bringing their essays out of their final exams and into the WRLC for comment.  In order to “let the portfolio process run its course,” as Joe Couch wrote recently in an email, we have decided to set up this policy.

Students Should Bring Assignments for Writing Tutoring

Students are strongly encouraged to have written instruction, either in the form of a handout or specific notes, from their instructors, when they come for tutoring on written assignments.  Please communicate this policy clearly to students if suggesting that they see a tutor.  We are better able to assist students if we know what the professor was looking for when the assignment was first given.

No Mandatory Tutoring

As always, mandatory tutoring requirements are not allowed. The WRLC supports the autonomy and privacy of students seeking tutorial services and has found that these conditions contribute to productive sessions.  Instructors may recommend tutoring and workshops to their students, but the Center cannot accommodate sessions that have been required by the instructor.   This includes initialing/signing off on exercises and drafts.

You are welcome to mandate workshops, however, and—as always—you may continue to require lab requirements for instructional software.

We look forward to working with all of your students this semester and wish everyone success!  If you have any questions, please contact James Murray, Assistant Director.

WRLC Staff