Faculty Resources

One of the most essential ways to let students know that you want them to make use of the Writing Center is to include a supportive statement on your syllabus, on Canvas, or on individual assignments. Feel free to copy the example below and paste it into your class materials.

Writing Center Description for Syllabi:

As you work on the writing assignments in this class, consider making a tutoring appointment with the Washington College Writing Center. You can meet with a knowledgeable peer tutor and receive direct feedback on any kind of writing, at any stage in your writing process: before you begin writing, once you have started, or as you are editing a final draft. In this exchange, you will get a new perspective on your ideas and gain some strategies to help you produce your best work. 

Visit the Writing Center's website for more information and click here to schedule your appointment.  

The Writing Center is a free resource that is available to all members of the college community. 

At any point in the semester, you can contact us to have a member of the Writing Center come by your class for a brief introduction. We'll take 10-15 minutes to introduce students to our services. We'd recommend that a visit like this should occur either early in the semester or a week or two before the due date for a significant assignment.

The best way to encourage students to be responsible about their writing and to make effective use of the Writing Center is to offer them an incentive. This might take the form of a quiz grade, a few bonus points on an assignment, or some other extra credit. You can even turn the experience into an excellent opportunity for reflection. Below is a response form that Professor Alisha Knight developed for her classes. Feel free to modify this form or create something similar. However, we would ask that you please talk with us first if you plan on creating a formal incentive for your students. That way, we'll be on the same page when your students come in for tutoring sessions, and we'll be able to help them meet your expectations.

Writing Center Reflection Form:

If a student participates in a consultation session in the Writing Center and submits a brief report to me after the session, then I will drop her/his lowest quiz grade. This is a standing offer that can be redeemed multiple times this semester. In other words, submit a debriefing form after each visit to receive extra credit.

Your Name: _____________________________

Writing Center Consultant's Name: ______________________

Date of Visit:  _________________________

What was the original purpose of your visit? (E.g., to brainstorm for ideas, to develop an outline prior to drafting an essay, to discuss your thesis statement, etc.)

What did you actually discuss and how did you apply what you discussed to the completion of the assignment? 

We'd be happy to collaborate with you on an in-class workshop or activity. A member of the Writing Center can arrange to visit your class to facilitate peer review or to engage students in work on a particular writing topic or concept.

If you'd like more hands-on support, we can often provide you with a dedicated Peer Writing Consultant (or peer tutor) who can visit your class when needed throughout the semester and provide a point of connection to the Writing Center for your students. Our Peer Writing Consultants can work with you in any of the following ways:  

• Helping to facilitate in-class activities like peer review
• Developing writing resources and materials for your class
• Leading brief in-class lessons on writing concepts
• Facilitating group work with students outside of class
• Meeting with students individually to work on class writing assignments

If you'd like to request a Peer Writing Consultant for your class, or if you'd like to learn more about how we can support your teaching of writing, please contact the Writing Center,

Some of our Peer Writing Consultants have received additional training in strategies to support students who are working on oral presentation projects. These Peer Writing and Presentation Consultants are available to work individually with students or to work in the classroom with faculty on oral presentation assignments. Whether your students are designing a presentation slide or practicing their delivery, we can help! When students log in to our online schedule, they can make appointments with our Peer Writing and Presentation Consultants by selecting that option in the “Limit To” drop-down menu.

We're happy to talk with you at any time about ways of making writing more central to your own teaching. We can brainstorm with you about writing assignments, offer insight into the kinds of feedback students find most helpful, and provide resources to support the writing activities you already have in place. Feel free to contact the Writing Center, to set up a time to talk. 

• Reading: The Craft of Research: Part I (Research, Researchers, and Readers) and Part II (Asking Questions, Finding Answers).
• Miller Library Research Guide. A good resource to consult before and after your visit to the library at Washington College.
• Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab). A trusted source for guidance on conducting research and using appropriate citation style (APA, MLA, CMS, AMA).

• Reading: The Craft of Research: Part III (Making an Argument)
• HarvardWrites: The Elements of Academic Argument. Discussion includes: writing an argument, what's at stake, structure and audience, evidence and analysis.
• Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric. For those looking to Greek Out, a compendium of classical rhetorical figures and concepts from BYU.

• Reading: The Craft of Research: Part IV (Writing Your Argument)
• The Writing Center: A great place to anticipate your readers' responses with real readers. Make an appointment for any stage of the writing process, from initial ideas (and no writing) to rough draft to editing a final draft.
•  Purdue OWL: See this section on the Writing Process, including outlining and developing thesis statements.

• Reading: The Craft of Research: Part IV (Writing Your Argument)
• Purdue Owl's Guide to Grammar
• The Academic Phrasebank: a general resource for academic writers that provides examples and templates of academic phrases and sentences to help you vary your language. 
• Analyze My Writing: an online tool that lets you copy and paste segments of your text to receive a free analysis of your writing style, readability, and lexical density. It will also check for redundant words.

• Washington College Review. Our ownWCR, publishing student work from our Writing Program, includes the Critical Inquiry section that features writing from the FYS (W1 requirement). Take a look at strong writing from recent FYS courses and consider submitting to theWCRin the future.
• For help with the oral presentation of your work, The Writing Center offers additional guidance developing, designing, and delivering presentations. To make an appointment, log in to the Writing Center's online schedule.