Faculty Resources from The Writing Center
Faculty Resources
The Writing Center offers many resources to support faculty teaching writing to students across the curriculum.
If you're teaching a Writing in the Major course, click here for a list of teaching resources organized by Course Learning Objective.
If you're teaching a section of English 110 Critical Reading and Writing, click here for a list of teaching resources organized by Course Learning Objective.
Below you will find a list of best practices faculty can use to help their students get the most out of an appointment at the Writing Center.
If you have any questions about how the Writing Center can support you and your students or if there are additional resources you'd like to see included in this LibGuide, please contact Ryan Rickrode, Director of the Writing Center, at rrickrode@messiah.edu.
Encourage Students to Come to the Writing Center
Best Practices for Sending Students to the Writing Center
Writing Center appointments can be helpful to students at any stage of the writing process. If you're considering requiring or encouraging your students to come to the Writing Center, see below for some suggestions on how to help your students get the most out of their appointment.
Please note that Writing Center tutors are not equipped to help students with citations, resumes, or cover letters. For help with citations, please direct students to meet with the librarians at Murray Library. For assistance with resumes and cover letters, please direct them to the Career and Professional Development Center.
1. Ask Students to Schedule Early
Our appointment slots tend to fill up quickly, especially around midterms and finals. If you are going to require your students to come to the Writing Center, we ask that you notify them as early as possible and encourage them to make their appointments in advance. Setting aside time in class for students to schedule appointments may be beneficial.
2. Send Us Your Prompt
If you are requiring your students to come to the Writing Center for a specific paper, reviewing the prompt in advance would be helpful to our tutors. Please send a copy of your prompt to writingcenter@messiah.edu so we can familiarize ourselves with the requirements.
3. Encourage Students to Come with Goals
When your students come to the Writing Center, encourage them to come with goals for their sessions. Such goals could include but are not limited to creating an outline, writing a thesis, or improving clarity.
4. Get Notified About Appointments
We let students decide whether or not they want their professors to be informed of visits to the Writing Center. If requested, your students' tutors will notify you via email to confirm students’ appointments. Such emails will contain faculty dialogue forms in which tutors will comment on any topics covered and progress made during appointments.
5. Show the Writing Center Video in Class
To help students learn more about the Writing Center, consider showing our informative 4-minute video in class. Click here to view our video on YouTube. The video covers how to schedule an appointment, what an appointment looks like, how students can prepare for their appointments, and more.
6. Help Students Schedule Appointments
If students are having trouble when scheduling appointments, offer assistance or direct them to the Writing Center to help make the process smoother. Sometimes, setting aside time in class for students to schedule can be helpful. Click here for instructions that will help you assist students scheduling appointments.
