Writing Coach Explained- We are very lucky to have this and I hope you take advantage of this as there is a LOT of writing in this course!!!!!

Writing Coach Benefits Explained

Hi everyone!

I want to take a few moments and clarify how I can help you with your writing in this class. First, I will explain what I can do, and then I will discuss what I will not be doing.

What I can do to help
• Get you started! Sometimes just getting an idea about what to write is difficult. We can talk through your assignment and discuss your options.
• Just write! And then there’s the intimidation of the first few words on the blank page or screen…again, let me help you with some composing strategies.
• Content. What should you include and what is going off on a tangent? Well, let’s compose an outline together to organize your thoughts and structure your paper.
• Research. Don’t know what information to include or how to blend it into your paper? Let’s meet to go over the techniques for integrating sources into your writing. We can also cover a few basics about APA.
• Revising. Okay, so you have a draft, now let’s get together and talk about where you think you’ve done a good job and what you’d like to improve on. I’ll also give you some input on these same things as well. Please note, this is not a paper review (please see below), but a one-on-one consult with you as an active participant.
• Editing. You don’t need an editor to fix all the little things; you can learn to pick up on things that need correction yourself, such as punctuation, grammar, and APA citation. We can talk about how to be your own editor.
• Proofreading. Well, this is the final read-through before you submit, and while I can’t do that work for you, I can show you the difference between editing and proofreading, as well as offer tips for improving your proofreading ability.


How I help you
• One-on-one consultations. We can meet on AIM (my screen name is SamuelZahran) during my office hours or by appointment.
• Class presentations. I’ll be hosting several presentations throughout the term, so look for my announcements and emails.
• Discussion thread. Have a quick question or want something general explained? Post your question in the classroom discussion thread.
• Referrals. I can also refer you to specific services and resources in our Writing Center.
• Contacting me. Drop by my office hours (Thursdays from 1 - 3 PM ET) on AIM or email me to set up an appointment to meet outside of these hours.

What I don’t do
• Paper reviews. Please do not email me your papers and ask me to review them for you. Paper review without first having a consultation is a passive way of learning how to write well. You can get some good ideas of overall things to fix, like you do with the Writing Center’s paper review service, but you may not even need to do this if you meet with me or a live tutor in the Writing Center first.
• Check your assignments. I do not access your assignments from the dropbox, and I do not “check” assignments before they are submitted. My role is to help with overall writing issues, and since I have no input whatsoever in the grading of assignments in this course, I do not “check” assignments beforehand.