How We Work with Classes

 *You can share this video link with your students. 

 *This card provides a concise explanation of how we work with faculty. 

 

Our consultants can work one-on-one with your students for any writing assignment, and we have found that faculty recommendation of our services is the primary motivator for student attendance in the Writing Center.

Ways to Encourage Your Students to Attend the Writing Center

1) Include this blurb in your syllabus:

The MSU Writing Center offers writing feedback and support to all students on any writing assignment. Consultants are available to assist you at any stage of the writing process: from understanding writing prompts and brainstorming ideas to revising drafts and reviewing instructor feedback. For more information about this semester’s hours of operation, visit the Writing Center website: writingcenter.msstate.edu.

2) Add Our Module to Your Canvas Course:

Instructions for adding the Canvas Module to your class.

1. In Canvas, click on the “Commons” menu on the left side maroon banner.
   *If it is your first time using the canvas commons, you’ll have to click the “authorize” button in the pop-up to allow canvas commons the ability to add modules to your course.
2. In the search box type, “Writing Center Connect Module.”
3. Click on the “Writing Center Connect Module.”
4. On the right-side under the module’s logo, click on the “Import/Download" button.
5. Select the course you’d like to add the module too and click on the “Import into Course” button after selecting the course.

Give Canvas a few minutes to import the module, and then go to your course and arrange it as you see fit. It should load at the bottom of your modules.

3) Invite the Writing Center to Present to Your class:

We’ve found that having a representative speak with your students not only increases the likelihood of a visit, but it also makes our sessions more effective because students are more informed about what to expect. Unless otherwise noted, presentations are approximately 30 minutes long with time for Q&A at the end.

Available Presentation Topics and Videos:

• Overview of Writing Center Services (20 minutes)
• General Tips for Writing Success (best for first-year students)
• Editing & Proofreading Strategies
• Style & Citation Basics (MLA or APA)                APA Style Presentation (Rev 2025)
• Tips for Technical Writing
• Navigating the Literature Review
• Writing at the Graduate Level (45 minutes)
• Engaging Source Material & Research

Custom presentation topics are available upon request and require detailed expectations from the requester.

To Schedule a Presentation, email writingcenter@msstate.edu with the following information: 

1. Contact person(s) for the presentation
2. Preferred date of the presentation along with a couple of backup options
3. Time of the presentation along with a couple of backup options
4. Location of the presentation
5. How long you would like the presentation to be
   *Note that our presentations are typically 20-45 minutes. Longer presentations will require a collaborative preparatory meeting between the requester and the presenter. 
6. An explanation of what you would like the presenter to cover during the presentation *Please provide a few sentences; the more information you can provide, the more prepared our presenter can be. 

For more information, contact the administrative team at writingcenter@msstate.edu.

FAQ

• What will Writing Center consultants do during sessions?
  • Meet writers where they are without judgment
  • Collaborate with writers to help them make reasonable progress on their work at their pace
  • Provide support at any stage of the writing process
  • Ask probing questions to help writers develop content for their assignments
  • Provide helpful resources that writers can use during and after their sessions
• What will Writing Center consultants not do during sessions?
  • Tell students what grade they will make on an assignment
  • Tell writers what to write
  • Edit writing
• Why do Writing Center consultants not edit writers' work?
  • As part of our mission, the Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers learn. Becoming an effective writer is a long (often lifetime) process, and we engage writers in their individual learning and writing processes. For this reason, we do not edit papers. However, we can work with writers to identify errors they are likely to make in their own writing and provide them with strategies for correcting these errors, a process we call “self-editing.” We can also work with writers to help them develop effective proofreading strategies.
• I am planning to require my students to visit the Writing Center or to offer extra credit for attending a session. What should I do before sending my students to the Writing Center? 
  • The most effective sessions are ones where students voluntarily attend. Like with most other things in life, the people who get the most from an experience are the ones most open to it. However, we do understand that some professors prefer to offer extra credit or, at times, even require students to attend a Writing Center session. In these cases, there are a few things you can do to make sure your class gets the most out of our services:
    • Communicate with our administrative team at writingcenter@msstate.edu. Before you expect your students to begin scheduling sessions, let us know what you're planning. The more information you can provide us (assignment sheets, rubrics, course syllabus, etc.) the better we can prepare to work with your students.
    • Communicate expectations to your students. Make time for the Writing Center to visit your classroom to explain who we are, what we do, and what is required of them to receive credit for making and attending an appointment.
    • If you have a large class (over 30 students), contact our administrative team at writingcenter@msstate.edu to discuss full-class workshop and/or writing group options and possibilities.