Writing Center Opens To Students

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Reporter

                SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Writing Center opened in the Student Success Center off the STAH lobby in early September, allowing students to get help with any writing project.

                The Writing Center, which encourages appointments, is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

“This is the first time we have offered weekend hours, giving busy students a chance to get help,” said Assistant Professor of English Jenna Caviezel, who oversees the Writing Center on all four Motlow campuses.

Assistant Professor of English Jenna Caviezel encourages students to visit The Writing Center.

                If an on-campus meeting is not possible, students can now call on the Writing Center’s tutors for live online tutoring. The sessions take place using a microphone and a webcam and can be done from home. A non-live online option called etutoring, where the student sends in the assignment online and receives a commented version back, is also available.

Inside the Writing Center, students can meet with a tutor who has been handpicked by Caviezel from a list of applicants. The center’s tutors are typically sophomores who have already taken the courses their fellow students might be struggling with. Students may bring in any type of assignment to tutors for feedback. Whether it is a paper for a class, a PowerPoint presentation, or a short story by an aspiring author, all works are accepted in the Writing Center.

“We’re here to help with any project at any stage of the writing process,” Caviezel added.

  Each session lasts 50 minutes, and students are advised to bring all the drafts they have worked on, as well as the rubric or assignment prompt if applicable. After each session, students are sent a link to an anonymous survey about their experiences at the Writing Center. These surveys are used to improve the Writing Center, most notably helping tutors adjust to the ever-changing availability of students.

Caviezel says she and her staff are very pleased with the response they are getting from Motlow students. “We had over 1,000 appointments last year, and 98 percent of students who completed the survey stated they would recommend the Writing Center.”

For instructions on how to make an appointment and to receive more detailed information about the Writing Center, visit http://www.mscc.edu/writingcenter/ or email your questions to writingcenter@mscc.edu.