Writing Coach Submission Drop Box

• Check the date you submitted. Our turn-around time is three business days.
• If you used a non-AU email address, check your junk folder. The email is probably there from wsdropbox@athabascau.ca.
• On the fourth business day, if you still cannot find it, you can contact swatt@athabascau.ca or tundet@athabascau.ca for support.

• Check that the file name is free of non-alpha-numeric characters (e.g. % ^ * , )
• Check that the file has an extension of .doc, .docx, or .txt. The file name should end with .doc, .docx, or .txt
• The file must be under 1MB in size. Remove photos or graphics if necessary.

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If you get this message when you try to log in, the drop box is currently full, and you will need to try again later.

Review solutions to technical issues by clicking here. If you do not find a solution to the problem, contact the Write Site Coordinator at swatt@athabascau.ca for support.

Academic writing is an integral part of learning and demonstrating your knowledge at university. Thus, the goal of the Write Site is to support you to become an independent academic writer and editor of your own work.

Via the Writing Coach Submission Dropbox, you can submit a current assignment, usually an essay, to a Write Site coach and receive formative feedback in one or more of the following areas:

• idea development (e.g. thesis statement, critical thinking, logic, evidence and analysis)
• 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, capitalization, and spelling)
• style (e.g. diction and audience considerations, concision, clarity)

The above areas reflect the categories in the marking guide used by AU’s writing courses. Click here to view the marking guide.

Coaches offer feedback on patterns of error, resources for further study, and opportunities for practice. Your job is to review the feedback and resources and use them to revise your paper and identify error types as you edit.

RealTime coaching is similar to written coaching feedback, but it is done via video chat or phone. RealTime coaching is available at any stage of the writing process. You can meet with a coach even if you have not completed a draft of your assignment. However, you are recommended to get your tutor or instructor’s approval of your plan or outline after the coaching appointment before beginning your assignment draft.

Read about how to request RealTime coaching here.

Sometimes when students ask for editing or proofreading, what they mean is, “Will you please give me feedback on my writing?” While writing coaches are not editors or proofreaders, we do provide feedback on your writing.

Revising, editing, and proofreading are all parts of the writing process, and you are the writer. Even when you receive feedback from a coach, authorship of your paper remains with you. This means that you must revise, edit, and proofread your own paper.

A writing coach will give you information and strategies to apply as you revise, edit, and proofread. The feedback you receive on your paper will help you complete these stages of the writing process effectively. 

No. Writing coaches do not help with course content because writing coaches are experts in writing and not necessarily experts in the wide variety of fields that can be studied. Examples of course content include your understanding of course materials, such as literature read in English courses, and assignment details if expectations are unclear or discipline-specific. Where possible and necessary, coaches will give guidance on argumentation, evidence, logic, etc., which can overlap with course content; however, feedback will only be given based on the information provided in your paper and the coach’s role as an outside reader untrained in the course material.

If you have questions or concerns about course content, please contact your tutor or instructor.

You will receive an email with your feedback by midnight on the third business day. This excludes weekends and statutory holidays.

Therefore, do your best to plan ahead. Leave yourself enough time to revise and edit your paper once it is returned.

The coach’s feedback will usually focus on three or four areas for you to work to improve. This could amount to approximately 25 comments or five pages of feedback, depending on each unique case. The coach will set a limit on a case-by-case basis to not overwhelm you with feedback. This will give you the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned to the rest of your assignment. If you have questions about understanding or applying the feedback, we encourage you to contact your coach for support.

Note that coaches do not comment on every possible concern, issue, or area for improvement. This is just not possible; even professional writers revise and edit their writing multiple times because there is always more that can be improved. Each assignment you submit is a learning opportunity for how you can improve your writing over time. Therefore, we encourage you to use the Write Site’s services over multiple assignments to learn as much as you can and gain confidence in revising and editing your own work.

You can submit as often as you like. Note that you may receive an email stating that you have only a certain number of submissions left, but we encourage you to submit as often as you need. Therefore, if you reach your stated maximum, please contact the Write Site Assistant Coordinator at tundet@athabascau.ca, and your numbers will be reset so that you can continue submitting assignments.

If you wish to submit two assignments consecutively, note that the drop box will only accept one assignment at a time and will not accept new assignments from you for 24 hours after your previous assignment has been returned. During this time, we ask that you read your coach’s feedback and apply it to your next assignment before submitting it. This way, you will learn from each coached paper and have the opportunity to get feedback on your progress. Please manage your time to plan for this 24-hour interval.

Yes, we are now offering one resubmission per assignment. Please state that it is a resubmission in the assignment details. Expect that you may receive less feedback on your resubmission than you did on your first submission.

A second submission will allow you to:

• Ask further questions
• Get feedback on your progress
• Get additional support on areas for improvement

If you only have 1-2 quick questions as you read your coach’s feedback, you are still welcome to email your coach directly. However, if you would like feedback on a second draft, then you must submit it to the drop box.

Important: Resubmitting your paper does not mean that it will be edited or proofread for you. Instead, the focus will be on strategies to strengthen your self-editing skills. It also does not guarantee a perfect paper or grade but does provide a learning environment focused on your growth as a writer over time.

Drafts of current assignments work best for coaching. The assignment must be for a current Athabasca University course. For other types of writing, please contact the Write Site Coordinator at swatt@athabascau.ca to request recommended resources.

No. Students can self-refer by choosing to use the service.

Write Site coaches do not provide assessment or evaluation on any aspect of your writing assignment. Writing can be subjective, and professional opinion on your writing may differ occasionally. To get the most out of writing coaching, consider the writing coach’s feedback alongside any feedback from your tutor or instructor.

You would benefit if:

• your tutor or professor has identified serious writing problems in your work
• English is not your first language
• you have writing problems that consistently come up in your work
• you learn best in a one-on-one environment
• you require additional support for your writing
• you would like to have your paper read by a writing expert

We can help. Start by contacting your writing coach for clarification if you do not understand their feedback.

If you still have difficulty incorporating the coach’s feedback, you may be asked to do a RealTime coaching session to discuss general writing strategies. Contact the Write Site Coordinator for more information at writesite@athabascau.ca .

Writing coaches do not:

• Answer questions about course content. The content is what you are writing about. Please contact your tutor or instructor with questions about content.
• Revise, edit, or proofread your paper. As the writer, these tasks are your responsibility. A writing coach will, however, give you information and strategies to improve at these tasks.
• Guarantee your desired grade (including a passing grade) on a paper. Growing as a writer can take time, and we are here to support you through that process. Note that assignments are marked by tutors and instructors on course content as well as writing.
• Discuss grades, tutors, instructors or appeals.
• Provide feedback on papers that are part of a course challenge.
• Write the paper for you.

If you have a concern, please contact the Write Site Coordinator, Sarah-Jean Watt, at writesite@athabascau.ca for support.