Writing is key to helping students learn, clarify, organize, and articulate important concepts, ideas, and information. Students improve as writers when they’re provided with guidance relevant to their assigned tasks and the opportunity to revise with feedback.
We’re here to help your students gain confidence and perform well as writers.
To help your students improve as writers:
Inform your students about the Herbert Writing Center
Copy and paste a blurb into your syllabus and/or Canvas site:
Writing Support from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center
The Herbert Writing Center offers one-to-one consultations, workshops, and online resources to support your academic success and career readiness. Getting feedback improves the quality of your writing and increases your confidence as a writer. Talk with friendly, trained writing consultants about getting started on a project, organizing your ideas, finding and citing sources, revising and polishing drafts, grammar, and more–as well as about creative writing or materials you’re preparing for internship, job, or graduate/professional school applications. Make in-person or online appointments at https://UTK.MyWCOnline.com. See the Writing Support web page for more information about services and resources.
Contact writingcenter@utk.edu with any questions.
Social media: Instagram: utkwritingctr; LinkedIn: Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center
Import our Canvas Commons page into your own Canvas course site(s):
Log in to Canvas and open the Canvas Commons (bottom left of the menu section); search for Writing Help: Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center, click “Import/Download” and select the destination course. You’ll find the imported page in “All Pages” and may move it/link to it as desired.
Request a short in-class presentation about our services
Request a short presentation
We can come to your class and talk about the Herbert Writing Center’s services. To do so, complete this form: https://tiny.utk.edu/JAHWCclassvisit. We will try to accommodate as many requests as possible!
Note: We have more presentation times available in the first 2 weeks of the semester.
Share our Writing Support resources with your students
Share our resources with your students
Let students know about our Writing Support page, which details these and other resources:
- Writing Guides refer students to reputable resources for writing in specific subjects.
- Assignment Planners help students manage writing projects according to their due date. Each planner breaks down the details of working on a particular type of writing project into manageable steps.
- Our AI Tools and Writing: Information for Students page provides guidelines for ethical AI use.
- The Research-Based Writing workshop series is for undergraduates who want practical, low-stress strategies for making research-based writing clearer, stronger, and more original. Students will learn how to shape a project that matters to them, find and use high-quality sources, and build their own academic voice as they engage with scholarship in any field.
Require students to meet with a writing consultant (and give extra credit if desired)
Follow these guidelines to ensure this arrangement works effectively:
- Complete this form well in advance of your assignment date to let us know your students are coming: tiny.utk.edu/JAHWCrequiredvisit
- Require students to complete their JAHWC appointment at least 3 days in advance of your assignment due date. This is so that students can get an appointment, which is not possible if they all try to visit on the day an assignment is due. (Do not include Saturdays or Sundays as part of the 3 days in advance.)
Recommended: Arrange for students to complete their required visit during the early parts of the writing process–since that’s when writing help can be most effective. Students can get help brainstorming, finding sources, making an outline, or checking whether their main point is on track. Conversations early on can lead to greater student learning and writing improvement than waiting to get feedback until shortly before submitting a final draft.
Provide the following information to your students with your assignment:
- Complete your appointment at least 3 days in advance of the assignment deadline. (Saturday and Sunday are not counted in the “3 days in advance.”)
- Make your appointment at https://UTK.MyWCOnline.com. See these instructions for making and attending appointments.
- Be prepared for an interactive conversation; don’t say you’re showing up just to “get the credit.” See How to Make the Most of a Writing Consultation, and this article on “Why Visit your Campus Writing Center?”
- Proof of attendance: After your appointment, you’ll receive an automated email from the WCOnline appointment system requesting that you fill out a satisfaction survey. That survey request email is your proof of attendance. (The JAHWC genuinely wants your feedback, so please complete their anonymous survey, too!)
Questions?
Contact writingcenter@utk.edu with any questions about these arrangements.
For Vol Core “WC” courses: Encourage students to enroll in INPG 203
NEW! To ensure your students’ strongest work on the writing assignments for your WC course, encourage them to take INPG 203, Interdisciplinary Writing Studio, at the same time to get guided support without adding extra work. Refer them to the INPG 203 page.
Access our resources for instructors.
If you teach a Vol Core Written Communication (WC) course, visit our page on Teaching a “WC” Course.
Take a look at our pages on designing formal writing assignments and informal writing assignments, on responding to student writing, and on resources for working with multilingual writers.
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 for them to consult before using generative AI tools.
Reach out to talk about ways we can help you help your students become better writers. We’re 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.
- Contact us at writingcenter@utk.edu to set up a conversation.
The “IW” Grade: For more information about assigning an “Incomplete due to Writing” (IW) grade, see our page on the “IW” Grade procedure.
Contact Us
Email us at writingcenter@utk.edu to arrange a conversation about how we can support you!