TC 499 Engineering Writing Center
Course Description and Syllabus
Winter 2008
Julie Carpenter, Assistant Director, ECP
Engineering Annex, #303
julie4@u.washington.edu
Mobile: 206.251.5033 Land: 206.547.9595
Readings
The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors. (2005). 4th Ed. Ryan, L. & Zimerelli, L. Bedford/St. Martin’s:
New York.
Technical Communication. 8th Ed., Markel, 2006.
Handbook for Technical Writing. 8th Ed., Alred et al.
Assorted assigned readings to be distributed by Julie or researched and located by you.
Course Description
Introduction to the theory, methods, and materials of writing center instruction; supervised
tutoring.
Course Requirements
Keep your appointed hours and arrive ON TIME. If you will be late or know you will be
absent, please contact Julie as soon as possible (email AND phone).
Attend and participate in all weekly meetings.
Complete all readings and short writing assignments. Readings listed for each week should be
completed before the meeting.
Brief Descriptions of Assignments:
Response papers: You will have four opportunities to write short response papers about our
readings and discussions, but only three are required (see syllabus for individual due dates).
These short assignments should showcase your interpretations of readings, observations, and
personal opinions and are intended to serve as a means to explore the assigned readings, as
well as to help develop fluency through frequent writing. Each of these papers will be 250-500
words in length, essay format. More explicit guidelines on these papers will be given in our
first meetings. You will submit your paper electronically (please use Word), via CollectIt, by
6pm on the day it is due.
Tutor’s Journal: These two journal entries are to help you thoughtfully reflect on your tutoring
experience. The purpose of the journal entries are to help you focus on your new experiences,
recognize behavior patterns (yours and the clients’) and decide what works for you and what
you need to work on in tutor-tuttee exchanges. Complete them as per the schedule as they will
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help you contribute to meeting discussions. Each of the Journal entries will be approximately
500 words in length, essay format. You will submit your journal electronically (please use
Word), via CollectIt. See syllabus for due dates.
Cumulative writing assignment: Choose one of the following options for your final paper:
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A 2-3 page essay comparing/contrasting at least two readings this term.
A 2-3 page persuasive essay explaining why one of the course readings should or should
not remain a required reading in the course. Back up your assertions clearly with
information from your response papers and/or journal entries.
A 2-3 page self-evaluation memo critiquing your progress during the quarter, specifically
focusing on your role as a tutor and writer, evaluating your growth in knowledge of your
strengths and weaknesses in tutoring and growth in knowledge of your strengths and
weaknesses in writing. Back up your assertions clearly with information from your response
papers and/or journal entries.
You will submit your final writing assignment electronically (please use Word), via CollectIt.
Due: March 11, by midnight.
Grading: Content is the bulk of every journal and paper grade, but problems in punctuation
and mechanics can seriously reduce a grade. Late papers might significantly lower your overall
TC 499 grade.
Late Work
CollectIt dropboxes will be set to close at 6pm on the day assignments are due, with the
exception of the final paper (due by midnight). If you are going to miss a weekly meeting, (a)
email Julie immediately and (b) turn in your work (CollectIt) before the scheduled meeting or it
will not be graded.
Grading Criteria
20% Attendance/Participation in Meetings
20% Written Assignments/Readings
60% Tutoring Appointments
Policies/Procedures
You are expected to be at the EWC at the times listed on the schedule. Obviously, as students
will be waiting for you, it is crucial that you be on time and ready.
If you know in advance that you will not be able to make one of your tutoring sessions, you
should find a replacement and notify Julie of this change.
Sometimes you may be asked to help out with additional duties, as required.
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EWC Course Syllabus for Winter 2008
The agenda and reading and writing assignments will be given each week. In a nutshell, you
are expected to do the assigned readings (and any related research), write two Tutor’s Journal
entries about your tutoring experience, write a weekly short opinion paper (1-2 pages)
synthesizing your thoughts about the week’s readings and write a final paper (for details, see p.
2).
Week 1 (January 7-11):
This week we will introduce you to the writing center, to each other, and to the resources
available to you.
Topics for discussion
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What will tutoring be like for me? (short in-meeting reflection)
Key information: log-ins, pass codes, Web sites, telephone numbers, room keys, etc.
EWC wiki: http://eiwc.pbwiki.com/
Forms needed for each session: record of appointment (for student and tutor), evaluation
form, referral form (may not use)
Daily procedures (opening/closing room, turning computer on/off, making sure keys are in
door pocket, checking appointments and voice messages, filing the days forms)
What does a tutor do/not do?
What does an appointment look like?
What should you do when a student walks in and you are already helping a student?
The Letter Report and the Resume/Cover Letter
Journals: what are they and what do you need to write in them?
Intro to CollectIt
Reading assignment for next week (January 14-18)
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TC 231 and TC 333 syllabi
Bedford Guide, “Introduction for tutors” (pp. ix-x); Ch.1 “Writing center as workplace” (pp.
1-6)
Writing assignment for next week (Due January 14)
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Write a short (2-3 sentences) bio of yourself for the website (please email to Julie by January
14).
No response paper due next week.
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Week 2: January 14-18
Have you been tutored? If so, what specific things did your tutor do that set the tone of your
session? As a tutor, what steps can you take to set a respectful, professional, low-stress tone in
your tutoring sessions?
Topics for discussion
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Questions/comments from last session
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Student “statement of purpose” for majors: Due Feb. 1
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“Writing center as workplace” (Ch. 1)
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Setting the tone in sessions
Reading assignment for next week (January 21-25)
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Bedford Guide, Ch. 2 “The writing process” (pp. 7-12)
Video assignment for next week (January 21-25)
 Watch Dartmouth Tutor Training Video (see wiki “Resources for tutors”).
Writing assignment for next week; Response Paper #1 (Due: January 23)
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Your first response paper is due on January 23, 6pm, via CollectIt. Choose an exercise from
“Reflecting upon your writing process” on p. 15. Using our course guidelines for response
papers (250-500 words), use the exercise questions to direct your writing. In the beginning of
your response, clearly explain which set of questions you are responding to: 2Ea, 2Eb, 2F, or
2G.
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Week 3: January 21-25
January 21 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Classes are not in session – EWC is closed.
This week, I’d like you to arrange to observe an experienced tutor in-session. If an EWC tutor
session is not convenient for you, contact the English Department Writing Center (B-12
Padelford Hall, 206-685-2876, wcenter@u.washington.edu) or Odegaard Writing and Research
Center (Odegaard Undergraduate Library, Room 326, owrc@u.washington.edu) and arrange a
time to observe an experienced tutor.
We will also talk about how things have gone so far, the writing center, and the tutoring
process. We will discuss some logistics about tutoring and the writing center. We will also
discuss some differences between tutoring and editing and begin a brief review of grammar
resources available to you.
Topics for discussion
 The actual appointments: How have they gone so far? What are the first successes and
challenges you’ve had? Now that you’ve done it, what are your concerns?
 Logistics
o No shows and late shows: How we will handle them.
o Reading the appointment description in preparation for the session.
 Grammar resources
o Purdue University Online Writing Lab, OWL @ Purdue,
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
o EWC Wiki, http://eiwc.pbwiki.com/
o Strunk’s Elements of Style, http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html
o Handbook for Technical Writing. 8th Ed., Alred et al
 TC 231 and 333 assignments
 Writing process: Individual experiences
Reading assignment for next week (January 28-February 1)
 Bedford Guide, Ch. 3, “Inside the tutoring session,” (pp. 18-39)
Writing assignment for next week Response Paper #2 (Due: January 30)
 If you have begun tutoring in the EWC, how have you handled the issues described in Ch. 3?
(If you have not had a chance to tutor yet, draw on your session observation and consider
how you plan to handle sessions yourself – don’t criticize the session you watched, but
describe what you think will be most useful to you from this experience.) Do you set an
informal agenda, and if so, how? As a tutor, do you think you are an effective listener and/or
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facilitator (or not)? Give a specific example of an instance where you helped a student
organize their ideas, or, conversely, describe a miscommunication you had with a tutee. Did
you resolve your miscommunication? How would you handle the situation differently next
time?
Week 4: January 28-February 1
This week's focus will be your tutoring observations so far, including the session you observed.
Topics for discussion
 Logistics
 TC 231 and 333 assignments
Reading assignment for next week (February 4-8)
 Bedford Guide, Ch.4, “Helping writers through the writing process,” (pp. 40-53)
Writing assignment for next week; Tutor’s Journal #1 (Due: Feb. 6)
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No response paper this week. Your first Tutor’s Journal submission is due on February 6.
Week 5: February 4-8
The focus this week will be on a common tutoring situation: anxious students.
Topics for discussion
 What is anxiety? How can you tell if a student is anxious? What is the difference between
anxiety and fear? Does it matter?
 TC 231 and 333 assignments
o The recommendation report—organizational frameworks
o What goes where?
Reading assignment for next week (February 11-15)
 Bedford Guide, Ch.5, “The writers you tutor,” (pp. 55-65)
 Suggested reading (on wiki, Winter 2008 Readings page): Harris, M. Collaboration Is Not
Collaboration Is Not Collaboration: Writing Center Tutorials vs. Peer-Response Groups.
College Composition and Communication, Vol. 43, No. 3. (Oct., 1992), pp. 369-383.
Video assignment for next week (February 11-15)
 Training for Tough Tutorials, ESL Help
Writing assignment for next week; Response Paper #3 (Due: February 13)
 Choose one exercise from the end of Ch. 5, p. 65, and use the questions as a guide for your
response paper. Clearly state early in your paper which set of questions you are using: 5A, B,
C or D.
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Week 6: February 11-15
The focus this week will be on two special tutoring situations: non-native speakers/writers and
writers with disabilities.
Topics for discussion
 Have you experienced working with non-native speakers? In what setting? What
communication challenges came up, and how did you overcome them?
 What special concerns do students with disabilities have? What can you do to help these
students learn?
 TC 231 and 333 assignments
Reading assignment for next week (February 18-22)
 UW Definitions of Plagiarism and Academic Honesty
 APA citations: how and when
 Visit plagiarism.org and review “Tips on how to avoid Internet -based and conventional
plagiarism”: http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/educational_tips.html
 Bedford Guide, Ch. 7, “Helping writers across the curriculum,” (pp. 81-91: focus on Research
Papers, Scientific Papers and Lab Reports, Argument or Position Papers, Resumes, Cover
Letters, Essays of Application)
Writing assignment for next week; Response Paper #4 (Due: February 20)
 What tutor-tutee communication challenge have you handled so far this quarter? What did
you learn? Would you handle the situation differently next time?
Week 7: February 18-22
February 18 is Presidents Day: No classes in session – EWC closed.
Topics for discussion
 Plagiarism: understanding what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it through
knowledge of documenting sources. How do we teach students the importance of
documenting sources, not just so they don’t fail, but as a matter of ethics?
Reading assignment for next week (February 25-29)
 Bedford Guide, Ch. 8, “Coping with different tutoring situations,” (pp. 92-101)
Writing assignment for next week; Tutor’s Journal #2 (February 27)
 No response paper this week. Your second (final) Tutor’s Journal entry is due February 27.
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Week 8: February 25-29
Final examination week is March 17-21. Do you need to adapt your EWC hours? It is your responsibility
to (a) get a substitute and (b) inform Julie about any hours “trading” immediately.
This week we will begin to sum up by thinking about how to we have developed our own
tutoring philosophy.
Topics for discussion
 Reflect on tutoring experiences. What can we take away?
 TC 231 assignments
o Definition and Description final presentation ______________ (peer review on
__________)
o Documenting sources
 TC 333 assignments
o Proposals are due _____________ (peer review on ________________)
o Oral presentations
Reading assignment for next week (March 3-7)
 None
Writing assignment (March 3-7)
 Have a final draft of your final paper ready for peer review during next week’s meeting.
Week 9: March 3-7
Note that although our weekly meetings are winding down, the Writing Center is open through
March 14.
Topics for discussion
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Time to peer review final papers.
Reading assignment for next week (March 10-14)
 None
Writing assignment; Final paper (March 11)
 Please focus on your final paper, due March 11 at midnight.
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Week 10: March 10-14
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No weekly meeting. The EWC is still open!
Your final paper is due March 11, via CollectIt; no late papers or hard copies accepted.
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