Encourage Students to Use the Writing Center

The vast majority of our students could stand to improve their writing, but it’s difficult to make that happen. Here are some suggestions for getting students to use the Writing Center.

Sign up for a tour. During the first two weeks of the semester, the Writing Center is not busy, and can accommodate your whole class. Let your students see the space and meet some tutors. 

Ask for a tutoring demonstration, either as part of the tour, or live in your classroom. Tutors can go through a mock tutoring exercise when your class visits the Writing Center. Or a tutor can visit your classroom and give a brief tutoring run-through. This might be useful if you use peer editing groups and want to introduce some ways students can work together. 

Offer an incentive, in the form of bonus points or more time, for students who use the Writing Center.

Coming in for tutoring represents a big time commitment on the part of the student. Most won’t come in just because it’s a good idea. If they know they are getting something out of it from you, your students will be more inclined to try tutoring. 

Suggest that students use the Writing Center when they are drafting a paper, or are stuck getting started, rather than right before the paper is due. 

Give students guidelines for using the Writing Center.  Fill out a referral form (available on the Writing Center web site) or send me a note for a student with particular difficulties. Make sure the student knows he or she is coming in to work on a concrete problem, rather than because the student is a “bad writer” or has “terrible English.” 

Don’t make visiting the Writing Center a punishment.  The best way students can improve their writing is if they are willing to revise. This applies to writers at all levels, not just struggling ones. If students feel singled out and stigmatized by being sentenced to visit the Writing Center, they may not get much out of our service. And other students may feel like they should avoid the Writing Center if it’s seen as only serving people in trouble.