The following information does not apply to Summer 2023. Please read the information below to determine which format of writing tutoring is best for you.
In-person Writing Tutoring, Room 181 Brown
How to Schedule an Appointment
Click here to go to the ASC Writing Tutoring service in EagleSUCCESS.
Log in using your Brockport netID and password.
Click “Schedule Appointment” for any available tutor or click on a specific tutor’s name to make an appointment with a specific tutor.
Select “In-Person”
Select the course and include a brief message about the writing assignment you would like to work on with your tutor.
For History writing assignments, please schedule with a History Writing Tutor.
Remote Writing Tutoring: 3 Options
Please read carefully to select the option that is appropriate for you.
Synchronous remote writing tutoring is conducted through Microsoft Teams. Please review these Teams instructions prior to your appointment. If using the web app, please make sure you are using Google Chrome as your browser.
HOW TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Click hereto go to the ASC Writing Tutoring service in EagleSUCCESS.
Log in using your Brockport netID and password.
Click “Schedule Appointment” for any available tutor or click on a specific tutor’s name to make an appointment with a specific tutor.
Select “Synchronous Remote through Teams.”
Select the course and include a brief message about the writing assignment you would like to work on with your tutor.
For History writing assignments, please schedule with a History Writing Tutor.
STAR-NY tutors are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are available Sundays through Thursdays from 7:00-11:59 p.m. Go to STAR-NY online tutoring, click “request a tutor” and login using your netID and password
3. Asynchronous Writing Tutoring
Asynchronous writing tutoring does not take place in real time. Instead, you submit notes, an outline, or a draft along with your questions to ASC Writing Tutoring, and a tutor responds through email with recommendations within 3-5 business days. Tutors typically review 3-6 pages of text in a single asynchronous session, depending on your specific needs. You may request multiple asynchronous sessions for longer pieces. You may also request a follow-up session after you’ve had a chance to revise your work.
Please Note that writing tutoring is an instructional process, not an editing service.
The purpose of the program is to help students develop the skills and habits of thinking needed to produce academic writing. To facilitate this, tutors discuss writing assignments, listen and respond to students’ drafts, introduce students to various writing and reading strategies, and help students understand the reader/writer relationship.
ASC writing tutors are a mix of professionals, graduate, and undergraduate student tutors with a variety of academic writing experiences. Student tutors are hired based on academic achievement, faculty recommendations, and interpersonal communication skills. Writing tutors participate in a training seminar where they learn about the theoretical perspectives and best practices that inform writing center work.
While every tutoring session is unique, writing tutors follow general protocols at each stage of the writing process. At the start of most tutorials, writing tutors read and discuss the assignment instructions and help students clarify goals for the session.
Pre-writing & Planning
Some students want to discuss the assignment instructions in detail and develop a plan of action. Some find it helpful to brainstorm paper topics or sketch an outline with their tutors. Others need help with reading strategies to comprehend and manage information from sources.
Revising Drafts
Many students bring in a first draft of their assignment. Tutoring works best when these students prepare a few questions in advance or identify a particular section of the piece they want to review with the tutor. Students or tutors will read the draft aloud. At the end of each paragraph or section, tutors make comments and ask questions about the thesis or hypothesis, paragraph development and organization, use of evidence, and/or the citation of sources. Students and tutors will typically focus on a few specific issues in a single tutorial.
Editing or Proofreading
Tutors help students identify syntax, punctuation, and grammar issues; they review rules and patterns, and help students explore options for making editorial choices. This process takes time and requires student engagement, which is very different from proofreading and editing for students. Tutors are neither proofreaders nor editors.
That depends on the length and quality of the paper. Tutors will typically have enough time to read and respond to approximately 3-6 pages of a draft and then ask the student to work on the remaining pages independently, applying the concepts discussed in the tutorial.
Tutors will focus on a few specific writing issues in a single tutorial and introduce students to strategies to improve these. Tutors encourage students to put new writing strategies and rules into their own words or jot them down in a writing log for future reference.
Tutors encourage students to visit with professors to gain a deeper understanding of the assignment, get additional feedback on drafts, or to discuss grades as needed.
Writing tutoring takes time because it is an educational process that involves reading papers, having conversations, and exploring resources. These activities help students develop transferable writing strategies.
Appointments are approximately 50 minutes in length. After about 45 minutes of tutoring, tutors will begin the closure process, review topics discussed, and encourage students to make a list of things that they will work on independently following the session. Tutors may refer to this list as an “action plan.” The last 5 minutes of each hour are reserved for the tutors to complete their notes and prepare for their next appointment.
Walk-in tutoring, while sometimes available, is not guaranteed. Sometimes tutors will not be available for a full, 50-minute tutoring session when a student walks in for help. A shorter visit will limit the scope and depth of discussion. It is best for students to schedule an appointment through EagleSUCCESS in advance of the assignment due date.
To schedule an appointment with a writing tutor, log into EagleSUCCESS and scroll down to the Services section until you see ASC Writing Tutoring. Click on the Schedule button and select an appointment date and time that is convenient for you. Be sure to select the course the appointment pertains to and describe what you would like us to help you with during the session. Remember to schedule appointments a few days in advance of assignment due dates.
Please Note
Students are permitted one appointment per day.
Tutoring for a single assignment, including a thesis (with multiple chapters) or a synthesis paper, may not exceed three appointments.
Exceptions are sometimes made in consultation with faculty at the discretion of staff.
Yes! Students may work with writing tutors remotely through Microsoft Teams.
Remote writing tutoring is also available to all Brockport students through STAR-NY. STAR-NY tutors work on a first-come, first-served basis, Sundays through Thursdays from 7 am-11:59 pm. Go to STAR-NY Online Tutoring, click “request a tutor,” and login using your NetID and password.
Writing tutoring is an educational process that is different from editing or proofreading.
Students get the most out of tutoring when they are actively engaged in the process through conversation, note-taking, practicing new writing strategies, or learning to use resources such as citation manuals.
The writing assistance available for graduate students working on theses or synthesis papers is the same as the assistance for undergraduate students working on any other writing assignment.
ASC Writing Tutoring follows instructional pedagogy that is consistent with current writing center best practices.
Writing tutoring does not guarantee a high grade on a written assignment.
In addition to meeting with writing tutors, students may also meet with faculty during office hours.
Students may have a maximum of 1, 55-minute appointment per day and up to 3 appointments per assignment, including a thesis or synthesis paper.