Writing Assistant Program
The Writing Assistant Program pairs carefully chosen student writing assistants with instructors whose courses have a significant writing requirement. Writing Assistants (WAs) provide feedback on drafts of student papers by writing questions and suggestions in the margins of the students’ papers. That is, they respond constructively to a student’s first draft so that the student can judge the effect his paper has on an interested reader.
WAs do not grade or correct papers, but help faculty by guiding students toward better development, organization, mechanics, and diction before they turn their papers in. Because WAs are trained to offer students instructive feedback, the course instructor can provide more writing help without adding more papers to the syllabus. All WAs are screened, trained, supervised, and paid by The Writing Center.
How to Request a Writing Assistant
To participate in the program, a faculty member should contact Writing Center by phone (x2266) or email (growl@mso.umt.edu) prior to the start of a new semester or within the first few weeks of classes. We make every effort to honor all requests for WAs if the size and nature of our staff allow. Requests for WAs in successive semesters are also gladly entertained.
How the Program Works
1. The instructor requests writing assistants (WAs) at the start of a semester by sending a syllabus or schedule of papers to the Writing Center director.
2. The Writing Center director discusses the request with the instructor, assigns the work to the appropriate number of WAs, and schedules the pick-up and return of the papers for each WA assignment.
3. The instructor informs his/her classes of the deadlines for the WA review. These deadlines apply to all students in the class and are not optional.
4. Prior to each WA deadline, the instructor provides The Writing Center director with a copy of all written guidelines for the paper for use by the WAs. Clear, detailed, written paper guidelines help the WAs make consistent and useful comments on papers.
5. Students turn their drafts into the instructor during class. WAs pick up the papers at a prearranged time and place and return them on time to the instructor's office or mailbox.
6. The instructor returns all papers to the students to allow them to revise their work based on the WAs' comments. The papers should not be given a letter grade by the instructor at this stage, although points may be given for meeting the WA deadline.
7. Students submit revised papers to the instructor for a grade. The instructor should request that the WA-reviewed draft be turned in with the final version of the paper.
8. Instructors may request WA support for more than one paper per class. However, we do not recommend more than three (3) WA revision cycles per class as students may submit rougher and rougher drafts in each successive revision cycle unless significant points are assigned for each draft.
Please note:
WA feedback is not a substitute for instructor feedback but adds a revision cycle and a viewpoint--that of the informed peer reader--to a course. Because too many students are satisfied with a low or mediocre standard of writing, students will make good use of the WA feedback only if the instructor encourages them to do so. The Writing Center is happy to work with all instructors to enhance their courses with this program.
