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Student FAQ's

• What is the Writing Center?

  The Writing Center is a completely free on-campus service that is committed to servicing student writers of all skill levels. The Writing Center offers in-person consultations, virtual consultations, and in-class instruction as well.

• Where is the Writing Center?

  The Writing Center is located in Skinner-Jones Hall (Building 4) in Suite 2501. To find us, locate and walk up the spiral staircase in the bamboo garden. Or, take the elevator inside of Skinner-Jones Hall to the second floor, exit the front of the building, and turn right. 

  The off-site Writing Center space is located on the first floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library. To find this space, enter the library and walk straight ahead to the Purdue Study Area. The Writing Center staff will be available in the middle work station on the right-hand side.

• How can the Writing Center help me?

  The Writing Center assists students students by providing individualized help on various writing assignments such as lab reports and research papers. We can help you with all stages of the writing process, such as brainstorming, outlining, organizing, revising, and formatting/citations.

  In short, if you have a writing-related question, come see us!

• Do I need to make an appointment?

  You are not required to make an appointment to visit the Writing Center and are welcome to visit as a drop-in. But, drop-in sessions are shorter than scheduled appointments, are taken by the first staff member available, and there may be a wait time during busier periods like midterms and finals.

• How can I make an appointment?

  Making an appointment with the Writing Center can be easily done by going to your through MyWings. Once you enter the MyNest Portal, you will:

  1. Locate the left-hand menu and select "Tutoring"
  2. You will see a list of tutoring and academic support resources, and select "Writing Center Consultations." 
  3. Select the appropriate subject area in the drop-down menu that matches your needs.
  4. Choose your preferred Writing Consultant and click the "Schedule an Appointment" link. 
  5. Select the day and time of availability that aligns with your schedule and click "Continue to Registration."
  6. Complete the appointment questionnaire and submit answers. 
  7. Confirm the details of your appointment. See you soon! 
• How far in advance can I schedule an appointment?
  To ensure that there are plenty of appointments available for all ³ÉÈË´óƬstudents, we ask that you book appointments no more than two weeks in advance. Anything further out than two weeks may be subject to cancellation due to changes in staff availability.
• What should I bring to my appointment?

  You are not required to bring anything to your appointment. However, we recommend you consider bringing one of the listed items below with you to get the most out of your consultation.

  • A draft 

  • A mind map or other brainstorming map

  • The instructions for the assignment you are seeking help with

  • Previous feedback from your instructor

  • Questions to ask your consultant

• What do I need for my virtual appointment?

  To get the most out of your virtual appointment, we strongly recommend that you use a computer for your consultation. Zoom offers a variety of features in its computer-based software that are unavailable in the cell phone app. Using a computer also ensures that you can use the screen-sharing feature and make out any on-screen discussion your writing consultant might share with you.

  As a note:

  1. You are able to use the mobile app for Zoom, but it is not as feature rich, nor does it allow a smooth experience for screen sharing. Students who use their smart phones generally remark that experience is closer to a phone call and requires them to spend much of their time troubleshooting and explaining what they see.

  2. For computer users, you do not need to download the Zoom app. You can instead use the browser-based Zoom. As above, it is less resource-rich but it will allow you to see your writing consultant's screen and share yours.

  3. You are not required to use all the features of the video chat. If you do not want to use your camera or don't have one: that is 100% OK. You get to decide to what degree you engage in your consultation.

• How long will my appointment be?

  Your appointment time may vary based on several factors. However, as a rule, scheduled appointments are 30 minutes long and drop-in sessions are 20 minutes long.

• Can I just email you my paper for feedback?
  Because our staff are not editors or proofreaders, we do not permit students to drop off or email their documents for comments or corrections. Instead, our writing consultants offer learning sessions in which students use their writing to practice improving their writing skills and practices. This kind of work is collaborative and requires both the writer and the writing consultant to work in real time and offers writers the opportunity to ask questions and gain hands-on practice.
• Will my paper be edited during my appointment?

  While the Writing Center is happy to offer suggestions to improve your writing, the Writing Consultants are not professional editors or copywriters, and therefore will not line-by-line edit your paper. Instead, our Writing Consultants are focused on providing you with hands-on help and collaborative learning sessions.

• Does the Writing Center offer accommodations?

  The Writing Center is happy to meet the accommodations of any student. If you find yourself needing accommodations, you should alert your writing consultant or reach out to us at rubrics@unf.edu.

  If you would like more comprehensive guidance, please reach out to the Student Accessibility Center (SAC). They can be reached at SAC@unf.edu or in their office located in Building 57, Room 1500.

• Does the Writing Center have a late attendance/no-show policy?

  In short, yes. Because our appointments are only 30 minutes long, time is very much of the essence. Therefore, if you are more than 10 minutes late for an appointment, you will be marked as a no-show and will have to reschedule or request a drop-in session. In any given semester, if a student schedules and fails to attend 3 consecutive consultations on time without canceling beforehand, the Writing Center may ask that student to coordinate directly with their staff to schedule subsequent consultations. 

• I need proof of my visit to show my professor. How can I get this?

  Many professors/instructors require their students to document a visit the Writing Center at some point during the semester. Unfortunately, we are not able to fill out any forms or sign anything as proof of your visit. Instead, all visitors will receive proof of their session in their ³ÉÈË´óƬemail by 9am the next morning. If you are unable to locate this email, please check or spam folder or reach out to us at rubrics@unf.edu.

Faculty & Staff FAQ's

• How can the Writing Center help me?
  The Writing Center assists faculty and staff members in a variety of ways, through in-class workshops, information sessions, and other forms of instructional support.
• How can the Writing Center help my students?
  The Writing Center offers a wide variety of resources for ³ÉÈË´óƬstudents, including monthly writing workshops, in-person and virtual scheduled consultations, and in-person drop-in consultations. Faculty members can even send us their assignment descriptions/prompts at the start of the semester to ensure our staff is able to help their students with a specific assignment.
• Can I require students to come to the Writing Center for a grade?

  Yes, we do allow faculty members to make a Writing Center consultation part of their grade for a particular course/assignment. However, we ask that you coordinate with us first, as we cannot guarantee staff coverage/availability. Further, we ask that you give your students an assignment to work on during that consultation.

  If you don't have a particular piece of writing you want them to work on during a consultation, here are some other ways to incorporate the Writing Center into your course:

  • Student resources scavenger hunt: require students to go to various student support services (SASS, SMART Center, Writing Center, etc.) and take a selfie with the front desk sign (and/or a willing staff member).
  • Resume/CV consultation: require your students to bring the most recent copy of their resume for feedback and suggestions.
  • Public speaking practice: many courses/majors require that students become comfortable with public speaking. Our consultants are happy to help in that process! Require your students to practice their public speaking skills in a consultation, where they can get feedback and suggestions. 

  Have another idea for how to incorporate the Writing Center into your course? Reach out to us at rubrics@unf.edu, and we'll be happy to brainstorm with you.

• How are Writing Center consultations documented? Do I need to provide my students with a form for signature?

  Writing Center consultations are documented in MyNest, and a copy of that documentation is sent to the student by 9am the morning after their consultation. The student can then forward that information to you as proof of their visit. 

  We actually ask that faculty members not send any documentation for our staff members to fill out and/or sign. All of the information you need will be in the official notification the student receives. 

• What is your view on generative AI and other online writing aids?

  The Writing Center has a strict policy against advising students to use any online writing aids/applications other than the simple spell check software offered in Microsoft Word. We will never recommend that a student use Grammarly, ChatGPT, OpenAI, or any other form of generative AI to help them revise their writing.

  Instead, our goal is to help students develop revision, proofreading, and editing strategies of their own as part of our larger mission to help each student become a caring, considerate, confident, and competent writer. 

• What do your in-class workshops cover?

  In short, our in-class workshops can cover whatever you need them to! Depending on what course you're teaching, what assignment your students are working on, and/or even what patterns you've noticed in your students' writing so far, we can customize our workshops to whatever topic or issue you would like! 

• What is the difference between a workshop and an orientation session?

  The difference between an in-class workshop and an orientation session is this: an orientation session is a brief (usually around 15 minutes) presentation of the resources we offer in the Writing Center, how to make an appointment with us, and how to prepare for an appointment. 

  An in-class workshop, on the other hand, is a longer, more intensive session in which one of our staff members helps your students to better understand a particular writing genre, question, or issue. Workshops result in written work that students can build on, whereas orientation sessions are purely informative and require no work on the students' part. 

• How do I request a workshop or orientation session?
  Requesting a workshop and/or orientation session is simple! Just fill out the form linked on our website (which you can also find ) and one of our staff members will contact you with prospective dates, materials, and any additional questions they may have.
• Can I request both a workshop AND an orientation session?
  Certainly! We often combine our instructional support offerings to better fit a faculty member's needs. We can schedule the workshop on a different date from the orientation session or we can offer a two-in one session, in which we lead a workshop that concludes with an orientation session. We are happy to provide whatever you need!
• I have more questions and would like to speak directly with the Writing Program & Center. How do I contact you?
  That's easy! Send us an email at rubrics@unf.edu or give our front desk a call at (904) 620-5394, and we will reach out and address your questions as soon as possible.