Welcome to the UM Writing Tutor Program homepage. You can use the links below to read on a topic of interest, or scroll down the page to learn more about the program.

• Description of Services
• Writing Tutor Hours
• Location
• How to Get the Most from Your Session
• Benefits
• Tutor Qualifications & Requirements
• Feedback From Students
• Applying to be a Writing Tutor
  

Description of Services

The Writing Tutor Program is an excellent free resource for students. The program is run by volunteer and paid tutors who are all students themselves. Tutors are available to meet with students one-to-one for help with papers and essays. The sessions usually last about 20-30 minutes, and tutors can assist students with a paper's organization, focus, thesis statement, coherence, and clarity, among other concerns.

Students are welcome to meet with tutors at any point of the writing process. Rather than proofreading or editing papers, tutors offer feedback to help students improve their writing skills. A student should not expect the whole paper to be looked at and "corrected" as the emphasis of the program is on helping students become better writers. Towards this end, tutors assist writers in finding areas which require improvement and then learning the ways to make those improvements.

The Writing Tutor Program now offers appointments. You can make an appointment by logging in to our online schedule. If you'd like more information on how to register, visit our info page on booking appointments. You can also stop by the writing tutors' desk and see if a tutor is available to schedule and appointment with you. If a tutor is in session with another student, please do not interrupt the session. See "Booking Appointments - Undergraduate Students" for more information on how to use the online scheduling system. If you are more than five minutes late for a scheduled appointment, the tutor may give your session to someone else.

Online assistance with writing is also available to UM students using their UM email accounts. (top)

Writing Tutor Hours

During the Fall and Winter terms tutors are available Monday to Friday with appointments available on Sunday during busy weeks. Please see our online schedule or call 204-480 1481.

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Location

Writing tutors are located in the reference area on the first floor of Elizabeth Dafoe Library.  Turn left through the door beside the reference and information desk into the reference area. Turn right after the tables and walk towards the tables closest to the next door. (top)

How to Get the Most from Your Session

You have written the draft of a paper but are unsure of the direction of your thoughts.		You might ask the tutor to assist you with the organization of your ideas. Ask: “Are my ideas organized enough? Do they follow a logical order? How can I improve how I’ve put my thoughts together?”
You have been given an assignment in which you are required to come up with your own definition of a concept. You are to base it on the work of others, but you don’t understand how and where to find sources, which ones to use, and how to use that information to start writing something.		You might ask your tutor “How do I get started? What steps do I need to take to complete this assignment?” Remember, research often takes more time than students anticipate it will, and writing is a process that also requires time, so see the tutor well ahead of the due date. You could also see our handouts on , and a sample research paper outline.
You have read your completed paper over twice and think it’s pretty good. But you know you have had problems with grammar and sentence structure in the past.		You might ask the tutor “Can you check over the grammar?” Be aware, however, that the tutor will not proofread your paper for you. Writing tutors will read the paper with you to see where common patterns of error occur and will try to help you to learn to recognize and fix those patterns. This may involve referring you to a grammar resource. Or, the tutor might correct the error for you out loud, explain the rules, but then expect you to start seeing the errors. Alternatively, the tutor may simply circle the problem spots, explain one example, and then expect you to fix the rest yourself. The idea is not for the writing tutor to correct all your grammar mistakes but to help you become a better writer by offering you at least one thing you can take away from a session to help you to improve.

Benefits

The program benefits students as well as writing tutors. Students have the obvious advantage of a second eye or ear to see or hear the flow of language, development and structure of ideas, or glaring grammatical difficulties. Or students may come away from a session with more clarity about what is expected for various types of assignments and how to analyze a task.

Tutors improve their knowledge of the writing process, grammar, and general writing skills while helping students improve on them as well. Moreover, they can develop communication skills such as active listening, paraphrasing, asking questions, and problem solving. In addition, tutors gain rewarding experience, much of it directly useful in other job situations. (top)

Tutor Qualifications & Requirements

All writing tutors are required to have at least 48 credit hours of undergraduate experience with a minimum 3.0 GPA as well as a strong background in essay writing.

Writing tutors are expected to commit to tutoring at least two hours per week from mid September to the end of November, and mid January to the end of April.

In addition, tutors must participate in six hours of training through the UM tutor training program, and then attend at least six writing tutor meetings (one per month) for ongoing training.  Tutors will be responsible for maintaining contact with the program coordinator.  (top)

Feedback From Students

Much of the feedback that the program receives is positive, indicating that students appreciate the program.  Many students commented on the need for more tutors.  Other comments include:

"I received a lot of great ideas & I feel like I can enhance in my writing assigment."

"I have learned to revise my own problem such as grammar mistakes in sentences."

"I got a clear idea of how the structure should be organized after the session."

"The way she helped me [was useful]: she didn’t just say do this; she really explained why."

"She clearly went over problem areas in my paper. Very friendly & helpful."

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Applying to be a Writing Tutor

Volunteers can apply online (see links below) or pick up an application form from the Academic Learning Centre at 201 Tier Building. 

Volunteer Writing Tutor Application Form (PDF)

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