| The Writing Center provides
writers at Northern Arizona University with an opportunity for close contact
with a supportive yet critical audience. We believe the only way to write
well is by writing and rewriting. Writing is a complex process involving
a wide range of thinking skills. and so the Writing Center's goal is
to engage students in a constructive dialogue before, during, and after
the composing process.
Writing Center tutors hold over 1700
individual conferences with students at all levels and from all disciplines
during each academic year. Tutoring services are available either by appointment
or on a walk-in basis, and conferences usually last between 30 and 60 minutes.
Tutors will work with writers on any part of the writing process from
pre-writing to revising to working on theses and dissertations.
At the Writing Center, the
writer does the work. Tutors provide immediate, constructive responses
and suggest strategies for improvement but do not rewrite or "correct"
writing. Though this process is at times arduous and time-consuming, it
is the approach that allows students to most actively improve their writing.
For similar reasons, tutors deal with "higher order" concerns like thesis,
development, organization, and voice before "lower order" concerns like
punctuation and spelling. When dealing with "lower order" concerns, tutors
will not proofread because the Writing Center functions (and is funded
by the University) as a teaching unit.
We accept small successes and
recognize that each individual's writing process has developed over many
years. We cannot solve all problems in a single conference and do not attempt
to do so. The central goal is for writers to leave each conference with
clear ideas on possible ways to improve their writing.
Click
here for the NAU University Writing Program goals and mission. |
