November 15, 2017 | UHCL Staff
There are those who have a real dread of writing assignments, while others might simply lack the confidence, the patience, or the proper skills to write effectively. Some students might be struggling with having to write about complex topics in English when it’s not their first language. That’s where the Writing Center at University of Houston-Clear Lake can be a valuable resource to students who are working through a research paper, an essay, or even a resume.
The Writing Center’s Assistant Director, Conor Bracken, said that the Writing Center is open to writers across the UH-Clear Lake spectrum—including faculty, staff and even alumni. “We have a group of ten consultants who are undergraduates, graduates, and professional non-students,” Bracken explained. “They seem to be asked to help most with grammar problems, which is often a catch-all for a host of writing issues, including understanding academic expectations and assignment expectations,” Bracken said. “Many professors can be sticklers for correct citations, and that’s another aspect of writing that we’re able to help with.”
When a student or student group brings a project to the Writing Center, their consultant will go through the text together, either one-on-one or online. “The consultant begins every session by asking the client what they’d like to focus on,” Bracken said.
“Each consultant comes from a particular area of expertise—history, English, biology, computer science—and those specialties can work with those disciplines as practitioners. All are trained to help with anything they might encounter with assignments, though,” he said. “They’re great resources who can help students navigate through the different structures of the university. We may not always have the answers, but we can always help find them.”
With UHCL’s growing international student population, the Writing Center offers basic, one-on-one tutoring sessions to students who might be struggling with a language barrier. “It’s often part of the culture shock that international students experience,” Bracken said. “They might be excellent writers in their native language, but doing sophisticated writing in context while trying to be successful in a foreign language can be very difficult, and we’re understanding of that.”
The Writing Center offers students individual, line-by-line support, which most professors are not able to give. “With that kind of attention, paired with a focus on inspiring confidence, we see the non-English speaking students succeeding more,” Bracken said. “When you’re acquiring the skills and understanding how academic English is written, it’s can be fun and less stressful.”
Each week, the Writing Center encounters about 100 students who need assistance with a group project, an exam, a research paper, a Teacher Education Program essay, or a resume or cover letter.
“We have a partnership with Career Services and we recommend students see them as well for help with resumes and cover letters,” he said. “And there are times when we help a student with writing that is not related to their academic work at all. Some students are working on stories, screenplays, or scholarship applications and we’re here to help with those as well.”
Bracken said that he and his staff of consultants have worked hard to make the Writing Center a welcoming, helpful space for students. “We just want to assist as much as possible,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what the assignment is. Our goal is to help student become more confident and independent in their writing through synchronous, conversation-based sessions.”
For more information about the Writing Center, visit www.uhcl.edu/writing-center/
