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How the Herbert Writing Center Can Support Your Students

Writing is key to helping students learn, clarify, organize, and articulate important concepts, ideas and information.  Students improve as writers when they are provided with instruction and guidance relevant to their assigned tasks and the opportunity to revise with feedback. We’re here to help you guide your students through their writing processes and to help your students perform well as writers.

Let your students know about our services

Students in any subject and course on campus can get writing help from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center.  If it’s writing, we can help!

  • Import our informational Canvas page into your own Canvas course site(s): Log in to Canvas and search in the Canvas Commons (see main menu on the left side of the page when you log in), and search for “Writing Help: Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center”
  • Include the following statement on your syllabus and/or on your Canvas site:

Getting feedback from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center while you’re in the process of working on a paper is a great way to improve the quality of your writing. You’re encouraged to talk with trained writing tutors about getting started on a paper, organizing your ideas, finding and citing sources, revising and polishing final drafts, grammar, and more. For instructions about how to make and attend in-person or online appointments, see the “Making and Attending Appointments” page. Updated information about JAHWC services is always available on their website home page.

If English is an additional language for you, you’re encouraged to make appointments using the ESL Writing Help schedule; the specially trained consultants who work there will provide you with the best possible assistance. You may also want to make use of the Canvas site, “Writing Resources for Multilingual Writers,” which offers a broad collection of resources and information. Self-enroll at https://utk.instructure.com/enroll/FTABWR. 

Contact writingcenter@utk.edu with any questions.

Social media: Twitter: @UTKWritingCtr; Instagram: utkwritingctr

How to refer students to the JAHWC

We’re always eager to help your students, and referrals for individual students are welcome anytime. Please contact the director at writingcenter@utk.edu with information e that will help us work with the student you refer.

Due to the volume of students we serve, we’re unable to provide effective help when an entire class is required to visit all at once. Therefore, please do not require your entire class to visit all at one time, and contact us first before creating any extra credit for writing center visits.

Please contact us at writingcenter@utk.edu before you set up either of these types of arrangements. If you want all of your students to have an opportunity to get writing help, we will recommend that you establish some guidelines for your students to follow, such as:

  • Stagger your students’ visits.  In classes with large enrollments, we will ask that you arrange students into groups and ask one group to visit for one paper, another group for another paper, etc.
  • We also will ask that you set a deadline for your students to visit at least 3 days in advance of the assignment deadline (so that they can get an appointment, which wouldn’t be possible if they all tried to visit on the day a paper is due).
  • Tell your students what to expect from a tutoring session.  Refer them to this page on How to Make the Most of a Tutoring Session, and suggest they read this article on “Why Visit your Campus Writing Center?”
  • Let us know what your assignment is. If you refer students to us, we will ask you to send a written description of the assignment your students are working on so that we can best help them. You can e-mail it to the director at writingcenter@utk.edu.

Are your students working in groups on an assignment? Contact us at writingcenter@utk.edu for details about how your students can meet with a tutor in a group appointment.

Do you need proof of attendance of your students’ visit to the JAHWC? Ask students to forward you our automated survey request email, which is sent out each evening from WCOnline (our appointment scheduling system) to each kept appointment.

Are writing centers only for “bad” writers?

Some people mistakenly think of writing centers as a “remedial” service.  However, while we certainly can and do help writers who have demonstrated some kind of writing “problem,” we work with ALL writers at all levels of ability and prior training. For example, a great many honors students seek out writing feedback because they’re committed to producing excellent written work. As all faculty know from firsthand experience, all writers benefit from the opportunity to engage in conversation and receive feedback on their writing.

Teaching Resources

  • If you teach a Vol Core Written Communication (WC) course, visit our page on Teaching a “WC” Course.
  • If you’re thinking about how AI use might impact writing and writing instruction, visit our page with resources for instructors on generative AI and writing instruction.  We also have developed a page for students with guidelines to consult before using generative AI tools. 
  • Reach out to Dr. Matt Bryant Cheney, our Assistant Director for Faculty Development and Community Engagement, to talk about ways we can help you help your students become better writers. Matt is here to talk with you about designing meaningful writing assignments that help students write effectively in your discipline; ways to offer effective feedback on student writing; demystifying academic writing for your students; navigating AI use in your class, and more. Here is a direct link to his booking page: Click Here to Schedule

If there’s something in particular you need, please contact us anytime at writingcenter@utk.edu!

The “IW” Grade

For more information assigning the Incomplete due to Writing (IW) Grade, see our page on the “IW” Grade procedure.