UH-Victoria

Writing Center

The Academic Center has staff available to review student papers, faculty publications, university documents, and other written work.

During sessions with the tutors, individuals may discuss a paper that is in progress. Tutors will offer a critical response to a draft, ask questions about your intentions and purposes for the paper, and make suggestions for revision. The tutors will help you look at your paper critically and give you feedback and constructive suggestions. You will then be able to analyze your writing and make appropriate choices.

Writing tutoring is available via three methods. Click on the links below to learn more about each method:

The Academic Center has also created course-specific students guides for courses that have tutoring as an embedded component:

Frequently Asked Questions about the Center's Writing Tutoring Services

How do I become a writing tutor?
Students interested in becoming writing tutors should follow the application directions listed on the Employment page. Applications are welcome!

Who are the tutors?
Academic Center tutors are your peers who

  • have successfully completed the courses they are tutoring in with an A or B, or have demonstrated exceptional writing ability, or have earned a bachelor’s degree;
  • maintain a high GPA;
  • possess good written and oral communication skills; and
  • have been recommended by instructors.

Tutors receive training and must attend continuing meetings/training sessions during the semester. The Academic Center Manager and Tutoring Coordinator review their work.

How can the tutors help me?
Tutors help writers at all levels to improve writing skills. Their primary task is to provide you with an objective reader who will help you look at your writing more critically and carefully. They may also make suggestions about alternate choices you can make in writing your text.

Will the tutors know exactly what my instructor wants?
You are the only one who can really know what your instructor wants because you are enrolled in the class and have the opportunity to ask your instructor questions. So, the tutors will expect you to give them an idea of what your instructor is looking for. The tutors do have access to many reference manuals and style guides, and they will offer suggestions on the paper. You, however, make the final decisions regarding changes to the paper.

Will every tutor provide the same advice?
Different tutors will provide different feedback for several reasons. First, there is not just one effective way to write a document. Many different approaches could work. Second, they are giving you alternate perspectives on your work. Your task is to listen to what they say, ask questions of them, and evaluate their comments to determine what changes you want to make in your paper, if any.

Can I request a particular tutor?
We recommend that if you want to request a particular tutor, you schedule a face-to-face session. Because the tutors tutoring online may work on Tuesday and then not work again until Thursday, if you requested a particular tutor, you would have to wait quite some time for a response. To request a tutor in a face-to-face session, just look at the appointment schedule available at http://uhv.mywconline.com/. All tutors' hours for that day are listed. Make sure the tutor you are requesting is working and sign up for an appointment during that tutor's available time.

How do I prepare for my tutorial?
You can prepare for your tutoring session in several ways: 1) make sure you have an appointment, 2) make sure you thoroughly understand your assignment, 3) bring a typed rough draft for easier readability, and 4) make a list of questions you have for the tutor.

What do I do with the tutor's suggestions?
Once you have left a face-to-face tutorial or received comments via email, consider the tutoring sessions and the concerns you discussed and determine what, if any, changes you think you should make. You may take any or all of the tutor's suggestions, or you may take none. If you are unsure of a suggestion, you might take your paper to another tutor for a different perspective, take it to your instructor, or decide on your own what you want to do.

Will my paper be ready for me to submit to my instructor after a tutoring session?
In face-to-face or online tutoring sessions, you assume sole responsibility for the final product. Also, formatting changes might occur during the email process and can change the paper's layout. After you've made your revisions, review your paper before you submit the final copy to your instructor.