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Will tutoring really help me earn higher grades?
Attendance at the Writing Centers does not assure improvement. In conjunction
with regular completion of coursework, however, tutoring is an effective
way to address the challenges of college-level expository writing. Students
who sign up for tutoring early in the semester also tend to improve more
than those who wait until the last minute.
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Is tutoring just for students who are failing their Writing courses?
No. While tutoring can make the difference between failing and passing
for some students, any student in any Writing Program course can benefit
from tutoring. Because you meet one-on-one with a tutor, and because the
tutor is in contact with your teacher, sessions focus on your individual
writing skills. Certainly students who are in danger of failing should
sign up for tutoring, but you might also want to register if you are generally
a B student and you want to figure out how to write papers that will earn
As. We're confident that every student who comes to a Writing Center and
takes tutoring seriously becomes a better writer.
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What should I bring with me to my tutoring sessions?
BRING ALL CLASS MATERIALS AT ALL TIMES, including the textbook, your
notes, all of your first and final drafts, and any other relevant materials.
Students who bring nothing to a tutoring session are liable to be marked
absent. You may think you have nothing left to do, but our tutors know
otherwise.
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Where are the Writing Centers located?
The Plangere Writing Center is located in Room 303 in Murray
Hall. The front desk is next door in Room 304, and can be reached at 932-1149.
The Director's office is in Room 306.
Please visit http://plangere.rutgers.edu for more details.
The Douglass/Cook Writing Center is located in Room 204 at 135 George
Street. The Director's office is in Room 204 as well.
Please visit http://dcwc.rutgers.edu/ for more details.
The Livingston Writing Center is located in Room B104A in Lucy
Stone Hall. The Director's office is in Room B104D.
Please visit http://lcwc.rutgers.edu/ for more details.
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How does tutoring work? What is minimalist tutoring?
Students receive individualized and directed assistance to develop their
reading and writing skills. The primary goal of the center is to move
students towards independence in these skills. The tutor will help you
learn to read closely, develop critical readings, revise your drafts,
and correct your errors on your own. The tutor will not do the
work for you, correct your paper, or act as a proofreader or style-checker.
Rather the tutor will work with you on your own paper to help you learn
how to revise, complicate, and develop your own readings of texts. The
tutor will also work with you to develop the skills necessary to determine
and correct your own patterns of error.
This approach to tutoring is minimalist in that it seeks to minimize
your dependence upon the Writing tutor. The tutor's job is to assist you
in identifying problem areas with your writing, to provide you with a
concrete plan for working on those areas, to allow you the time to begin
doing that work yourself, and to provide you with guidance when you get
stuck.
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When is tutoring available?
The Writing Centers are open for ten weeks each semester, from the
beginning of the fourth week to the end of the fourteenth week. The hours of operation vary according to campus. Please see the specific websites for more information:
Plangere Writing Center: http://plangere.rutgers.edu/
Livingston Writing Center: http://lcwc.rutgers.edu/
Douglass/Cook Writing Center: http://dcwc.rutgers.edu/
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When can I sign up? What do I need to sign up?
The centers will begin to accept requests for tutoring during the third
week of the semester. Students must come to the center of their choice
to sign up for tutoring; we do not accept applications over the phone
or through electronic mail. When you come to a center to sign up,
you must bring a copy of your period-by-period schedule of classes, work,
and free time, because tutors are assigned by class period. You will also
need to provide the name of your teacher, the number and section of your
class (i.e., 100:AJ, 101:DH), your home and campus addresses and phone
numbers, and your e-mail address.
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How long will tutoring last?
You will meet with your tutor once a week for an 80 minute session for
five consecutive weeks.
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Can I sign up for more than one set of five tutoring sessions?
If you have attended all of your sessions, at the end of your first five
weeks of tutoring, you will have the opportunity to sign up for additional
tutoring. Students can renew no matter how many / few weeks are left before we close.
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Do I get credit for coming to tutoring?
During the Fall and Spring semesters, you get 1.5 E credits for tutoring.
These credits are empty credits. This means they do not count towards
graduation or get factored into your GPA. They do get counted within the
number of credits you are carrying for the semester, however, and can
thus assist you in maintaining full-time status. For example, if you are
registered for 12 credits and you sign-up for the Writing Center, you
will be carrying 13.5 credits. These E credits will also appear on your
transcript (as 355:096) and will be graded pass/fail based on your attendance
at tutoring.
Part-time students do not receive E credits for the Writing
Center unless they wish to pay for them. In this case, the student must
inform the center of this wish at the time of signup.
There are no E credits during summer tutoring.
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What is the attendance policy?
You are expected to meet all of your scheduled appointments. You are
allowed to miss 1 out of 5 sessions. If you miss more than 1 session,
you will be dropped from the tutoring schedule and receive an F in the
Writing Center course (355:096) on your transcript.
If you sign up later in the semester (or renew later in the semester)
for four or fewer sessions, you are not allowed any absences. If you are
absent you will be dropped from the tutoring schedule and receive an F
in the Writing Center course (355:096) on your transcript.
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What should I do if I have to miss a scheduled tutoring session?
There are no excused absences. If you are going to be absent, however,
you should call the Writing Center as a courtesy so that your tutor can
be informed. (Tutors are not paid when appointments are missed.)
If you are going to miss a session, please contact the appropriate Writing
Center:
Plangere Writing Center: 732-932-1149
Livingston Writing Center: 732-445-4048
Douglass Writing Center: 732-932-9212
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Who are the tutors?
The tutors are a mix of advanced undergraduate students who are highly
skilled writers, graduate students who are highly skilled writers and/or
Teaching Assistants from the Writing Program, and Instructors and Part-Time
Lecturers from the Writing Program. All have received intensive training
that prepares them to implement the Writing Program's minimalist
approach to tutoring.
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Will I receive one-on-one tutoring in the Writing Centers?
Yes. Each tutor is assigned two students per session but the tutor will
alternate between students so each student gets personal attention.
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Do I meet with the same tutor every week?
Yes.
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Will my teacher know I'm coming to tutoring?
Yes. Your teacher is notified when you sign up and the tutor and your
teacher also exchange notes every 3 sessions, assessing your progress
and discussing additional areas where your writing might improve. Your
teacher will also be informed if you miss a tutoring session.
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Can I come to tutoring even if I am not in a Writing class?
Our services are primarily for students in Writing Program courses. Students
in other courses at Rutgers can attend tutoring at the discretion of the
directors of the individual Writing Centers. If you are in a non-Writing
Program course and you wish to attend Writing Program tutoring, you must
have writing to work on consistently for five weeks.
If you are not enrolled in a Writing Program course, you may get help
with your writing at the Learning Center on your campus. To find out more about the Learning Centers, please go
to their Homepage.
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Is there drop-in tutoring?
No. The Writing Centers do not provide drop-in tutoring: in order to
insure that you receive sustained assistance learning how to identify
and correct the problems with your own writing, all Writing Centers require
students to sign up for five tutoring sessions. Please see http://plangere.rutgers.edu/students/owl.html for information about the available on-line tutoring resources.
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Can I get someone in the Writing Center to proofread my work for me?
No. The Writing Centers do not provide proofreading services to students.
If you need help proofreading your work, you should ask a trusted friend
who has a strong command of written English.
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I'm an advanced undergraduate. How can I apply to be a tutor?
Applications are now
available online. Please visit the website of the Writing Center at which you'd like to work for current applications:
Plangere Writing Center: http://plangere.rutgers.edu/
Livingston Writing Center: http://lcwc.rutgers.edu/
Douglass/Cook Writing Center: http://dcwc.rutgers.edu/
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