Classroom Workshops
To ensure availability of our services to the largest possible section of the University community, the University Writing Center limits workshops to no more than two per class, per semester. We cannot guarantee the first choice of date. We need 5 business days’ notice to schedule a workshop for the Overview of Services, and ten business days’ notice to schedule other workshops.
The instructor or an assistant must be present during workshops.
Other than the Overview of Services, workshops are not available for Core Curriculum Communications Courses, specifically for those courses listed on page 15 of the Undergraduate Catalogue.
Workshop Descriptions
Overview of UWC Services (10-15 minutes) — This introduction to the University Writing Center familiarizes students with our services and explains how they can maximize their benefit when visiting us.
Editing: How to Catch Those Little Mistakes that Make a Big Difference (20-40 minutes) — This workshop teaches some basics of grammar and punctuation within the context of the writing process. It reviews the most common mistakes and discusses how students can find answers to their grammar and punctuation questions. During the workshop, students will be encouraged to check their understanding of topics discussed. They will also receive handouts for further reference.
Grammar and Punctuation for Writers (full class period) — This workshop begins with a review of the most basic punctuation and grammar issues, such as comma errors, subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement, and misplaced modifiers. Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout the workshop. We end with a quiz that will help students review and remember what they learned.
Jeopardy for Editors (20-40 minutes) — This workshop is a suggested follow-up for the Editing workshop. Your students can be on Jeopardy! Playing the game will help review some basics of grammar and punctuation. To help students who could have done better, we’ll provide information about our resources and where they can learn more. Jeopardy for Editors can be played in groups or by individuals. Let us know if you use clickers in your class, and we will incorporate them.
Avoiding Plagiarism (20-40 minutes) — Often students plagiarize because they are unfamiliar with expectations for academic writing. This workshop reviews what needs to be cited and how to quote directly, summarize, and paraphrase. We review why scholars use citation and emphasize its importance to ethical scholarship. Several useful exercises help students learn to differentiate between correct and incorrect ways of summarizing, paraphrasing, and directly citing sources.
Peer Response Workshop (20-40 minutes) — For this hands-on workshop, students must bring a draft in progress. (Those who fail to bring one will participate, but they won’t have the benefit of review.) The workshop provides a procedure for peer response and guidance in commenting meaningfully on peer work. The purpose of the workshop is (1) to stimulate revision of students’ own drafts by demonstrating the response process and (2) to hone students’ critical acumen.
Correspondence (20-40 minutes) — With electronic forms of communication on the rise, the differences between letters, memos, and email have become increasingly blurred. In this workshop students sort out some of these differences, and they learn to consider more carefully the interplay between level of formality and audience in composing. A review of basic formats is included.
Research Poster Production (20-40 minutes) — Helping students plan and compose a research poster is the focus of this workshop. We review the basic contents most posters include, with an emphasis on audience awareness. We provide sample rubrics for students to use in judging their own posters, and we cover some basic elements of design. In classes where Power Point is available, students can participate in practicing basic design skills.
Effective Presentation Slides (20-40 minutes) — Too often students create slides for oral presentations at the last minute, without putting the same care into them as they would an essay or a report. We will spend time going over tips for effective slides, covering issues like considering audience, cutting out too many words, and keeping animation or garish colors out. The presentation includes time for discussing examples of effective and ineffective slides.
Writing Abstracts (20-40 minutes) — This workshop begins by defining abstracts and their function in academic writing. We distinguish between informative and descriptive abstracts and show samples of each type. After we consider the writing process best used for writing abstracts, we conclude with a discussion of sample abstracts.
The Writing Process (20-40 minutes) — We suggest ways students might improve their academic essay writing by altering their writing process. Some attention is paid to the difference between topic and thesis, the need to read an assignment carefully, and the importance of analyzing an audience. When students have an assignment in hand, we can provide some interaction by discussing their assignment and audience.
How to Improve Your Writing through Style (20-40 minutes; instructor encouraged to send material in advance) – This presentation explores how to employ a clear and concise style of writing. It covers different strategies, including minimizing wordiness; writing clear, yet complex sentences; and how to emphasize words and phrases effectively. At the end, we revise a short sample paragraph together and offer suggested readings on the subject of style. To increase relevance to your class, we ask that you send us a sample of professional or student writing seven days in advance. We only need a page, and we’d prefer writing that needs revision.
Personal Statements (45 minutes) addresses the needs of students who are applying for a job or to graduate school. The workshop covers some of the basic tenets of writing a successful personal statement. After viewing and discussion several mock personal statements, students are asked to write a short anecdote that exemplifies a characteristic they would like to illustrate in their personal statements.
