We offer individualized help with writing. Peer tutors are available to meet with students to discuss their writing and assist with matters ranging from: grammar, spelling, diction, and punctuation; to broader concerns such as: focus, development, organization, style, and documentation.

Check back for upcoming workshops and events. 

Click here to access Thank You Letter template. Click here to review Zoom session etiquette.

What do you do?

We provide individualized help with writing. Peer tutors are available to assist students with their writing. We work with students at any point of the writing process from brainstorming through revising.  Common appointment topics range from grammar, spelling, diction, and punctuation, to broader concerns such as focus, development, organization, style, and documentation.  Common assignments include: paragraph and essay writing, scholarship application and thank-you letters, research papers, personal statements, book reports, creative writing, presentation review, and more.  You don’t have to wait for an assigned writing to utilize our services.

How can you help me?

We assist students in identifying writing problems, discussing methods for improving their writing, and encouraging students to use their own thought process as they write, in order to foster stronger and more confident writers. We offer one-on-one tutorial conferences and we have drop-in assistance for quick questions.  To help students in the best way possible, we ask that they secure an appointment at least one day before an assignment is due. Appointments are not mandatory, but they are encouraged.

What do I need to bring for my appointment?

Our focus is to provide quality assistance to as many students as possible; however, we need our students to assist. Please be mindful of the following guidelines about your appointment:

• Be on time. If you are more than ten minutes late without notifying us, then your appointment may be given away. If you are a no-show to an appointment more than two times, then you will not be allowed to secure an appointment for the remainder of the semester.
• Bring a neat copy of your assignment, any instructions or directions, and any other related materials (textbooks, notebooks, articles, poems, website links, writing utensils, paper, etc.).

Will you edit my work?

Writing Center staff will provide students with recommendations for strengthening their writing and their assignment. We will not rewrite or edit work for a student.

What other services do you offer?

The Writing Center hosts several workshops to assist students in other writing areas. They include, but are not limited to the following:

• APA/MLA Workshops: students learn how to format an APA or MLA paper, properly document sources, and use the library database to find scholarly research articles.
• English Proficiency Exam Workshop: students learn how to write a well-developed essay and receive study tips for test preparation.  This exam is a graduation requirement for students who did not take English Composition I at UAPB.  Students are encouraged to also complete a practice test in preparation for the exam.  We do not work with students on the day of the exam.  Contact the Office of Student Counseling, Assessment, and Development for information about the test.

Other workshops can be arranged by request.

Explore the online resources below to help you become a confident writer.

Purdue Online Writing Lab | Comprehensive resource for your writing needs
John B. Watson Memorial Library | Access to scholarly materials in traditional and digital forms
Turnitin | Resource for plagiarism detection and grammar assistance (students need a course ID from their instructor to utilize this resource)
Plagiarism | Resource for various citation styles of essay formatting sponsored by Turnitin.com

• Introduction to Turnitin.com Video Tutorial: click here
• Official Turnitin Tutorial: click here
• Professor-led Turnitin Tutorial: click here

Course-based Resources

English Classes

ENGL 1310 Basic English

MySkillsLab | Companion site to accompany the In Harmony text
Towson University Online Writing Support | Online grammar exercises
Guide to Grammar and Writing | An online handbook for writers

ENGL 1311 English Composition I and ENGL 1321 English Composition II

A Totally Overboard Guide to Essay and Paper Writing
ProCon.org | Resource for arguments on both sides of major issues
Purdue OWL’s Sample MLA Paper | includes the 2016 updates
Purdue OWL’s Sample APA Paper
MLA Style Center | MLA Style Center’s latest resource on writing, research, and documentation

ENGL 2310 English Literature I and ENGL 2320 English Literature II

English Courses from Education Portal

ENGL 2360 and ENGL 2361 World Literature

Norton’s World Literature | Resource site
Norton’s Western Literature | Resource site

ENGL 3310 Advanced Composition

Writing Handouts | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
American Rhetoric | Text and Audio of Great Speeches

ENGL 3319 and ENGL 3321 Survey of African American Literature
Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture

ENGL 3320 American Literature I

English Courses from Education Portal

American Literature I | Sites for the Heath Guide to American Literature Vol I.

ENGL 3330 American Literature II

American Literature II | Sites for the Heath Guide to American Literature Vol II.

ENGL 3333 Adolescent Literature

The ALAN Review
PBS Teachersource
Vandergrift’s | Young Adult Literature page
YALSA | The Young Adult Library Services Association (ALA)

ENGL 3360 Introduction to Shakespeare

The Oxford Shakespeare | Complete Plays and Poems

ENGL 3370 Creative Writing

Poets and Writers
Poetry Daily
Poets Against War
Writer’s Digest Magazine

Writing Across the Curriculum Suggested Readings and Links

Bean, John. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.

White, Edward and Cassie A. Wright. Assigning, Responding, Evaluating: A Writing Teacher’s Guide. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.

Zawacki, Terry Myers and Paul Rogers. Writing Across the Curriculum: A Critical Sourcebook. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012.

Turnitin Academy Video Tutorials:

• Introduction to Turnitin.com Video: click here
• Turnitin Self- Help Video Playlist: click here

For more information on Turnitin.com contact:
Mr. Kevin Sanders, Turnitin Administrator
Interim Chair, Department of English, Humanities, and Foreign Languages
sandersk@uapb.edu 

WAC Clearinghouse
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) WAC
The UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center
Resource for High School Teachers
Michigan Department of Education WAC
WAC Information Booklet

Mr. Kevin Sanders,
Interim Chair of the Department of English, Humanities, and Foreign  Languages
& Interim Director of the Viralene J. Coleman Writing Center
sanderk@uapb.edu
870-575-8617

Peer Tutors

Are you interested in becoming a peer tutor? Visit the Student Success Center located in Caldwell Hall, Room 209 for details.