The Writing Center
WE ARE OPEN FOR FALL 2020
SUNDAY-FRIDAY
Appointment Information
When making an appointment during Fall 2020, please select online appointments as often as possible. Limited in-person appointments will take place during designated hours at the Writing Center, Alderson 133. Please see our page on Covid-19 procedures in the Writing Center.
Online appointments take place remotely with a live consultant. You have the option to use text chat, audio and/or video chat during your session. After you make an appointment, log on 5 minutes before it starts, and click “start or join online session.” Watch our video below for more information about what to expect in an online appointment.
How to Make an Appointment
To visit the Writing Center, please go to our online scheduler at mines.mywconline.com. Log in or register for an account with your Mines email address. You will then be able to see the entire schedule and make, change, or cancel appointments. Appointments are 50 minutes in length. Although 30 minute appointments are available, we recommend you only use these for brainstorming sessions, outlining, or assignments under 300 words.
If you need to cancel, you must do so at least 25 minutes before your appointment time or the system will mark you as a no-show. After three no-shows, you will be locked out of the system.
What to Expect During Your Appointment
During your appointment, you and your consultant will discuss your goals and establish an agenda to help you reach them. You can expect sessions to last 50 minutes and to leave with anything from an outline to a rough draft to a final draft, depending on your stage of the writing process. With repeat appointments, you can expect to become a more competent, confident communicator.
If you have questions, please contact the Writing Center Director, Allyce Horan, at ahoran@mines.edu
Make an Appointment
Fall 2020 Hours:
August 31 – December 18
Writing Center Appointments: The Writing Center is open for appointments:
-
- Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm
- Sunday-Thursday: 6pm-9pm
There are several online appointment options throughout the day and evening. Limited in-person hours are available Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Thesis Formatting Hours: We offer thesis formatting help two to three weeks before an upload deadline. During the Fall 2020 semester, Thesis Formatting Reviews will be offered online. Students should prepare an electronic copy of their thesis for a preliminary format review. Students can receive help with formatting issues such as margins, visual aids, page numbers, white space, and front matter. All formatting sessions will take place online with the consultant titled “thesis formatting.” Appointments are available on the following days/times:
- October: 14, 21, 28
- November: 3, 4, 10, 11
- December: 2, 9
Honors Writing Fellows, Undergraduate Peer Writing Tutoring (Online): Our peer tutors are undergraduate students who have already completed NHV and have been trained by Writing Center faculty. They can help with any undergraduate assignment, particularly NHV, Global Studies, and Chem 1 & 2. Appointments with peer tutors have been moved online on the following days/times:
- Sunday – Thursday evenings
Announcement:
We’re Hiring Graduate Students!
The Writing Center is seeking graduate students to create resources for The Online Technical Communication Center (OTCC). This website is part of a grant received from the Colorado Department of Higher Education to create Open Educational Resources (OER). The OTCC will provide interactive activities designed to help both faculty and students develop their written and oral communication skills for STEM fields. Please visit https://otcc.mines.edu to review current OERs.
Applicants should have strong oral and written communication skills, an interest in pedagogy, and familiarity with writing conventions in their discipline. For example, what do people in your discipline need to know about writing? They should also be able to participate in regular meetings with writing center faculty. Graduate students can expect up to $750 per contract depending on the number of OERs created. If you are interested in this position, complete the application by December 7.
Please feel free to contact Ryan Lambert, the writing consultant coordinating graduate students on this project, at ryandeanlambert@mines.edu, or the Writing Center Director, Allyce Horan, at ahoran@mines.edu, with questions.
Resources & Initiatives
The Writing Center provides free academic support to all members of the campus community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We assist with any form of communication including papers, scholarship essays, and presentations at any stage of the process. The Writing Center’s goal is to support the entire Mines community, from students to faculty to alumni.
Online Technical Communication Center
The Online Technical Communication Center (OTCC) connects students and faculty with resources to develop their oral and written communication skills in STEM. All resources are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC). Our resources are designed to be shared and modified by the public to meet your individual communication needs.The OTCC is funded by the Colorado Department of Higher Education Open Education Resources grant and the Colorado School of Mines Writing Center.
Workshops
Our workshops are designed to address communication and writing issues commonly encountered in STEM. We tailor each workshop for our unique student body and faculty alike.
Faculty Resources
As a resource for faculty, we provide in-class writing and communication workshops, assistance with writing assessment, and help teaching writing successfully across the curriculum.
Click here to learn more about our faculty resources and to request an in-class workshop.
Graduate Student Resources
The Writing Center’s goal is to support the entire Mines community, from students to faculty to alumni. As a resource for graduate students, we work with thesis writing, journal articles, and we work with GSG to provide thesis formatting reviews. We also hold graduate writing hours separate from our standard hours to cater to graduate student needs.
Click here to learn more about our graduate student resources.
The Writing Center hosts a signature event each year known as the Thesis Writers Retreat. Exclusive to graduate students, this retreat is a chance to write with your peers, learn from breakout sessions on a variety of topics, and work with professional writing consultants to best portray your research.
Writing Across the Curriculum Research
From 1998 until 2011, Mines engaged in an initiative to develop best practices for writing across the curriculum. Please click here to read through our results and best practices.
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