QU Writing Lab Policies and Procedures
Operation Hours
The QUWL runs from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM Sunday through Thursday on both
campuses.
We also offer sessions from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the men’s dorm.
Peer tutor Recruitment
Those interested in working as a peer tutor should have a GPA of at least 3.0
and a minimum grade of B+ for the specific subject they want to tutor. They
can then print and fill in the application form (Appendix A) from our website
and drop it by the Writing Lab office.
After submitting their application, applicants will be invited to an interview
followed by writing an argumentative essay of 200-300 words. All new
candidates are required to attend a 2 day training by an NTA certified trainer
and a 2 hour Writing Lab specific training by the Head of the Writing Lab.
Subsequent to their attendance at the training sessions/ workshops and the
result of their interview and essay, candidates will then be notified if your
application has been accepted.
At this point, those applicants who were offered the job will start attending
the tutoring sessions offered by the other tutors while keeping an
“Observation Log”. In the Observation Log, they should note down the
problems that might rise during the writing conference and how those
problems are tackled. They should also add a reflection section to this by
writing how they would solve the problem based on their previous training
and experience.
Appointments
Our online appointment making system is accessible both on and off campus
for convenience of the tutees and faculty who want to schedule class visits
by our tutors.
Students will find a link in their QU mailbox under “My Academics” tab. They
will then log in with their University username and ID, choose the campus,
day and time, and fill in the required information. Upon submitting their
request, they will receive a confirmation email.
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Our policy asks for making appointments prior to a writing
conference, but walk-ins are also welcome if peer tutors are
available.
It is important that the students choose the right section while
making an appointment. Our appointment sections are divided
into Foundation, Post Foundation, Undergraduate, and Honors.
Sessions will run for half an hour and students cannot have more
than one session in a day.
Writing conferences are limited to one person per peer tutor.
Any tutee who shows up 10 minutes late for the appointment
may have to reschedule.
Any cancellation or change of the appointment need to be made
24 hours prior to the session by sending an email to
writinglab@qu.edu.qa.
Record Keeping
Tutees record are collected and saved in three different ways to cater
towards different data analysis purposes.
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After making an appointment online, tutees’ information is saved
online and kept for data analysis at the end of each month.
Furthermore, upon entering the WL, tutors are requested to sign
in their tutees’ information in the “Tutees’ Visit Log” placed on
the reception desk.
At the end of each session, every peer tutor fills in the “Session
Log” (Appendix?) template on the reception desktop in which
tutee’s information as well as the summary of each session are
recorded. If we have a returning tutee, search him/her by
entering the first name and the mobile number. After you pull
out the information, fill in all the required slots. If the tutee is
new, you will then need to make a session log for her/him and
saving the file under the tutee’s first name and mobile number.
Assessment and Evaluation
All tutors will be observed while tutoring by the Head of the Writing Lab/ one
of the Writing Specialists/ or other peer tutors. They will then be invited to a
one on one meeting with the Head to discuss the observation notes and
comments. If both parties agree on the points and comments mentioned in
the observation form, they will sign the document and a copy of it will go on
the tutor’s record. In case of any disagreement, the peer tutor can ask for a
second observation to be carried out while tutoring. The main purpose of
these observations/ assessments is to make our peer tutors stronger and
increase the quality of service to the students in our Writing Lab. Each tutee
is requested to evaluate his/her peer tutor upon logging out of Tutortrac at
the end of each session. These notes will also show on each tutor’s record
for further evaluation and assessment.
Class Visits
Our peer tutors are often asked to go to different classes on either campuses
for a 10 minute class visit, during which they talk about our services by
showing the “Orientation PowerPoint” made for this purpose. They will also
demonstrate for the students how to make appointments online and what
they need to do before and after a writing conference. These class visit
requests are entered on our “On-line Appointment Making System” by
faculty. Faculty is asked to submit their request at least 48 hours before so
we can arrange for an available peer tutor.
Using Resources
As part of our corporate responsibility, we are committed to save paper and
in doing so we have been digitalizing all our resources and have made them
accessible on line through our website. All QU students can now download
audio and video tutorials to their iPhones, IPads, and IPods and use them on
the go. We have also provided students with some of the best links to
improve their writing skills at any level.
Guidelines for tutors and Writing Specialists
Appearance
Staff, tutors, and writing specialists are all required to observe the dress
code stated in the QU handbook and appear professional with modest
clothing at all times while in the writing lab.
General Policies
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Be on time for your sessions. Try to be at your desk at least 5
minutes before your session starts. This way you will have time
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to prepare any material for your tutee. If you are not at your
desk when the session is supposed to start, your session will be
given to another peer tutor and you will be marked absent for
that time slot.
You are not at all advised to give any suggestion, criticism, or
recommendation regarding the way a tutee’s paper has been
marked, the qualification of the instructor, or tutee’s grades.
Any information you receive from the tutee, must be extremely
confidential and you should not discuss it with your other peers.
You can discuss the critical or emergency matters with the Head
of the Writing Lab, Anita J. Ghajar-Selim.
Do not discuss your or each other’s problems/ complaints in
front of the tutees. Wait until you are alone in the lab and then
talk about such matters.
If you want to criticize each other or give advice on certain
issues, wait until all the tutees have left the premises and then
do so.
You are not allowed to listen to loud music, watch movies, or
voice chat with your friends while you are in the Writing Lab
even though you may not have a session.
You should only be present in the Writing Lab for your scheduled
shifts and not hang out here while you are off duty.
In the absence of the Head of the WL, the writing specialists will
be in command and you will need to collaborate with them in
what needs to be done around the WL.
In case of an emergency, you need to find a substitute to cover
for your session before your session starts.
You can only miss two hours in emergency situations without
substitution. You will still need to notify the Head or Writing
Specialists prior to your session.
If you miss more than two hours in one semester without finding
a substitute, you will not be rehired for the following semester.
You need to sign in and out of the WL every single time you
leave the Lab-even if your absence lasts a few minutes.
Do not try to diagnose the students with learning disabilities
yourselves. If you think a student might have a learning
disability, talk to the Head of the Lab for referring the student to
the Special Needs Section on campus.
You are in charge of keeping your working area tidy and
preparing all the necessary stationary (scrap paper, blue or black
pen, pencil, eraser, etc.) If you need extra stationary, ask our
admin assistant to provide you with some.