Writing Tutors are here to help with your assignments!
The fall term is nearly halfway over, and for many that means it’s time to start submitting assignments and term papers. For both new and returning students, this time of year can be overwhelming. But there is good news: the University of Manitoba has resources to support students in their writing!
For students looking to improve their writing skills, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) provides one-to-one and group tutoring, and Drop-in Study Sessions. Writing Tutors make suggestions on students’ work and help develop writing skills at any stage in the writing process or any level of writing. Writing tutors help build foundational skills for writing and strengthen existing skills.
Strong writing is more than proper sentence structure, grammar, or spelling. Completing an academic paper requires skills such as note-taking, research, reading, and time management. For those new to university, the writing process may be unfamiliar. “Organization is a big one [writing skill], as many students are accustomed to writing without an outline upon starting university. For shorter and less complex essays at the high school level, this can be a workable approach, but it is almost invariably a bad idea at the university level,” notes Garrett Levacque, writing tutor with the ALC.
Levacque highlights the value of meeting early with writing tutors: “Some of the appointments [that] students have implied or said were particularly helpful are appointments at these early stages where the student and I co-construct an outline and work together on developing a thesis statement.” Sometimes students may not know how to start planning their writing. By working with a writing tutor, , getting started can be easier and less intimidating.
There are writing tutors for both undergraduate and graduate students who can help students synthesize and develop their thesis statements, cite and reference, meet deadlines, and improve their editing strategies. For graduate students, writing tutors can help with source integration, reference management and organization of ideas in, complex writing tasks like theses and dissertations.
As students advance in university, writing assignments tend to become more frequent and complex. The ALC’s writing tutors can help students adjust to increased expectations in their writing courses. Levacque remarks that “More experienced university students who have not had to do a lot of writing in earlier years of their degree also frequently seek out writing tutors for assistance, with nursing students being a particularly notable cohort of this sort.” Learning to write is an ongoing process, and both new and experienced writers can benefit from meeting with a tutor.
For all students, an outside reader can provide important feedback on their writing. “As a student, I would almost always have a family member read over my papers for clarity, flow, and proofing errors that I might gloss over while revising independently,” recalls Levacque. “I know that many students don’t have that advantage, and campus-based tutoring that is free at the point of service helps to make for a more equitable academic environment where all students can have an informed second set of eyes on their paper.”
Students can make up to two appointment per week with a writing tutor through the ALC tutoring platform
Some areas in which a writing tutor may help students
- Organizing ideas for a paper;
- Understanding the assignment;
- Setting up a writing schedule;
- Planning and outlining;
- Paraphrasing and synthesizing;
- Editing and revision strategies;
- Referencing and citing.
What can students do to improve their writing skills before and after seeing a tutor
- Organization is key! Make clear, detailed outlines
- When researching, note down more than you think you may need. You never know when extra information will come in handy.
- Plan and schedule so that you have time to write. Always allow more time than you think you need.
Interested in becoming a tutor? The ALC hosts regular tutor training workshops to help prepare students to become writing tutors and help their peers. This training also counts towards Experience Record recognition.
The ALC and can be reached by phone at 204-480-1481 or by e-mail at academic_learning[at]umanitoba[dot]ca and at the Bannatyne Reception Desk, S211 Medical Services Building at the Bannatyne Campus.