Writing Center Information For Course Instructors

Our professional staff can support your teaching and help you help your students in the following ways:

  • Recommend us to your students
  • Invite us to give an in-class orientation
  • Invite us to customize and present a writing workshop for your class
  • Work with us to review and improve your assignment design
  • Learn strategies to effectively respond to student writing
 

Recommend Us to Your Students

Encourage your students to use the Writing and Public Speaking Center early and often as they work through their writing assignment. Stress the value of revising in response to reader feedback. Include information about the Writing and Public Speaking Center in your syllabus and on your assignment sheet.

For example:

The Writing and Public Speaking Center offers all University of Montana students one-on-one consultations. We provide a collaborative learning environment where you can engage in supportive conversations about your work and receive feedback at any point. To make an appointment and learn more about The Writing and Public Speaking Center, visit www.umt.edu/writingcenter.

This short orientation video explains how students can best take advantage of our services. Consider showing the video to your class or embedding it in your Moodle shell.

In-Class Orientations

Most students who visit the Writing and Public Speaking Center learn about our services from a faculty member or from an in-class orientation. A brief class visit early in the semester allows us to introduce ourselves and our services to your students. To schedule such a visit, contact Writing Center Director Shareen Grogan.

Customized In-Class Workshops

Writing and Public Speaking Center staff can work with you to insert assignment- and discipline-specific writing and public speaking workshops into your course at key points during the semester. Tailored to particular assignments and to student needs, these workshops support your class goals and help students recognize and develop effective communication behaviors.

Assignment and Curriculum Design

Writing and Public Speaking Center staff can provide feedback and input as you design your assignments. We have a wealth of experience observing students (mis)interpret writing assignments from across the disciplines, and can help you identify and communicate the key variables students will need to account for in order to produce the kind of work you expect. Additionally, we can help you find ways to incorporate opportunities for writing into your curriculum that support student learning without adding to your reading and grading load. Our Teaching Resources page provides additional ideas, guidance, and resources.

Responding to Student Writing

Writing and Public Speaking Center staff can offer tips for providing effective and efficient feedback on student work. In addition, Writing Center staff can look at a set of student papers with you to determine what kinds of interventions and supplemental workshops might be helpful. Our Teaching Resources page also provides additional ideas, guidance, and resources.