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Write Site

Coaching

What is a Writing Coach?

1. What do Write Site coaches do for students?

Academic writing is an integral part of learning at a university. Therefore, the goal of the Write Site is to support students to become independent, academic writers and editors of their own work.

2. How does the Write Site coaching process work?

Via the Writing Coach Dropbox, students submit current assignments, usually an essay, to a Write Site coach and receive formative feedback in one or more of the following areas: organization (e.g. use of transitions, paragraph coherence, unity, and development), grammar (e.g. correct sentence structure, verb tense, and pronoun use), mechanics (e.g. correct punctuation and capitalization), style (e.g. diction and audience considerations), and/or content (e.g. critical thinking, writing process, pre-writing techniques). Feedback will NOT be given on course content. For more information on feedback guidelines, refer to the Marking Guide.

Students are permitted to submit each assignment only once. The Write Site coach will indicate patterns of errors and make suggestions for online resources and practice as needed. Students will then be asked to use that knowledge to find other, similar types of errors and edit the document. At all times, authorship remains with the student. Students who wish to receive coaching for more than one course must demonstrate an improvement in their writing over the first course, and those who are unable to incorporate coaching instruction may be referred to a writing course.

3. What won’t Write Site Coaches do for students?

Coaches will NOT

  • edit or proofread papers. Students will be given feedback, along with suggestions for resource material and exercises.
  • guarantee a passing mark on a paper. Papers are marked on content as well as writing skills, and coaches do not tutor students on course content.
  • discuss grades, instructors or appeals.
  • coach papers that are a part of a course challenge or PLAR assessment
  • generate ideas or write the paper for the student.

4. Who would benefit from using  a Writing Coach?

  • students whose first written work shows serious writing problems
  • students who need ESL support
  • students who have three or four writing problems that consistently come up in their work
  • students who learn best in a one-on-one environment
  • students who require additional support for their writing
  • students who would like to have their paper read by an “informed reader”

5. What is most important to remember about Writing Coach services?

Remember that:

  • Write Site coaching is NOT a proofreading or editing service. Authorship always remains with the student.
  • coaches offer feedback, resources for further study, and opportunities for practice.
  • students might need extra time to complete assignments, in order to follow up on the Write Site coach’s suggestions.
  • drafts of longer (up to 5 pages) current assignments work best for coaching.
  • coaches will advise students to submit coaching feedback with their final draft.
  • students can self refer to this service.

Student & Academic Services for Write Site - Last Updated October 12, 2012

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