What UWC staffers want you to know

UWC consultants view writing at Texas A&M from a unique vantage point. They’re not instructors, of course—they don’t make assignments or give grades. But, like instructors, they see firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of student writing. They feel the frustration of working with students who lack motivation, and they know the satisfaction of helping a student improve.

Consultants can also appreciate the students’ point of view. They are students themselves, after all, and every day they watch their peers grapple with the hard work of learning to write in an academic environment.

Consultants may have a broader perspective, though, than others students because they study how people learn to write. All UWC consultants—whether undergraduates, graduate students, or staff members—receive extensive training. Specifically, our consultants

• complete coursework in consulting;
• attend and/or lead weekly staff meetings;
• participate in annual group training;
• read about writing and tutoring;
• observe veteran consultants in action; and
• are themselves observed when working with clients.

Consultants spend as much as twenty hours a week sitting beside students as they think and write and revise. They offer encouragement to clients feeling uncertain, and they listen as students confide things about their writing that they’d probably never tell an instructor.

We asked our consultants recently to share some of what they’ve learned through their work. A few common themes emerged from their responses.

Writing assignments matter.

Consultants report that failing to understand a writing assignment is a common problem for our clients. Sometimes the student isn’t reading carefully, but many times the assignment itself is the problem.

“An unclear or jargon-filled assignment can seriously affect how students write their papers. I’ve had several students make appointments with the writing center just to have a consultant dissect their assignment! It can be completely maddening to the point where the students just become apathetic."
– Flo Davies, junior, Creative Writing

“Students tend to have difficulty with assignments at the extreme ends of the spectrum: very narrow with a list of specific points that need to be addressed or completely open without any parameters. Students need a basic structure, but freedom to work within the structure."
– Amanda Moehnke, senior, History

Students need to own their writing.

Instructors are often surprised to learn about something we don’t do at the writing center: we don’t write on clients’ papers, in part because we believe students need to take charge of their own work. Consultants may make suggestions, but clients make the decisions. It takes a while for consultants to get the hang of this non-directive tutoring: the desire to grab a pencil and"fix things” is hard to resist. But consultants say resisting that impulse pays off for our clients.

“Not all papers have to be written the way I would write them. I have to concern myself more with whether the way that writer has chosen to work with the information is effective according to the assignment."
– Allison Barrineau, senior, English

“I try to identify the pattern of mistakes students make, but I don’t correct all of the errors. Rather, I explain the rules, so that students can identify the mistakes themselves next time. During consultations, it’s amazing to see students finding and correcting their mistakes on their own."
– Charu Aggarwal, graduate student,

Construction Management"Unless poor word choice interferes with clarity, it should be left to the writer. I hate to see a student bring in a page marked on by a grader who changes words to ones he or she likes better. If it was understandable before, then the changes aren’t helping: they’re actually limiting the students’ ability to develop their own style."
– Lindsey Sydow, junior, Environmental Geoscience

Simple things can make a difference.

Consultants say that one of the most powerful techniques we use at the writing center is also one of the simplest: we ask students to read their papers aloud. It’s a surprisingly effective way for students to experience their words from another point of view, an important first step in developing a writer’s critical eye.

"Reading the paper out loud helps so much. You not only catch silly typos, but you can actually hear how the paper sounds to others. It’s always interesting to have students give us a funny look when we ask them to read their own papers to us, but by the end of the session, they see why it’s helpful. I have even started doing this for my own papers!"
– Kristi Thomas, junior, English

Grammar and punctuation are only part of the story.

Consultants say that students and instructors both need to learn to look beyond surfacelevel concerns to see the big picture. Yes, correct verb tenses matter. But if a writer doesn’t have something to say or can’t draw logical conclusions, all the punctuation marks in the world aren’t going to help. Focus on the message, though, and the details fall into place.

"I talk to students about how writing is just another form of communication. When we talk to someone, we have facial expressions, tone of voice, volume, body language, and gestures. When we write, we have words, punctuation, and organization—and that’s it. So we have to use those things to our best advantage to communicate effectively."
– Pat DiCuffa, UWC staff member

"Critical thinking is far more important than the formulaic methodology often placed on writing. It’s not about a specific number of grammatical mistakes; the emphasis should be on the logic of the thought processes."
– Lauren Klaffke, junior, Biochemistry

"Focusing on grammar and mechanics causes students to worry about the wrong things. They get caught up in surface details and forget what they’re trying to communicate. On the other hand, focusing on content improves grammar almost automatically. "
– Charlotte Slack, UWC staff member

When you look at a piece of writing, try not to lose sight of the writer.

Our consultants tend to be confident writers themselves, but they understand that writing is a source of great anxiety for many and that we all need encouragement sometimes.

"So many students come in saying, ‘I’m just a terrible writer, and my professor always hates my papers,’ or ‘I have never been able to write.’ These defeated students all have stories about having papers returned after being massacred by a red pen."
– Kristi Thomas, junior, English

"I have found that finding at least one positive aspect about a paper improves the writer’s confidence which, in turn, improves writing ability. This is especially true for international students who are often insecure about writing in a new language. If I were trying to write in Greek or Chinese, it would mean so much to me to have someone praise my writing."
– Katie Greiner, graduate student, Curriculum and Instruction

"Never assume you know how much work a student put into his or her paper."
– Christi Morton, senior, Recreation, Park, and Tourism Science

"I think faculty might be surprised to know how many students think, figuratively speaking, that the ability to write requires membership in an inscrutable private club into which they are allowed to peek, but never fully enter. My number one objective is to expose this myth and help students understand that good writing is accessible to them."
– Debbie Pipes, UWC staff member