Writing Support
Frequently Asked Writing Assistance Questions
Thank you for your interest in the Writing Center! Below, you will find answers to some of the most common questions about our services and staff. Any questions or concerns not addressed below can be submitted to writingcenter@linnbenton.edu or 541-917-4708.
Every session starts with your individual needs, questions, or concerns as a writer. Your Writing Assistant will ask to see the assignment instructions, so please be prepared to share these with us. You do not need to have anything written yet, but if you do, your Writing Assistant will likely ask you to share your draft, either printed or on a computer. We have desktop computers available, or you are welcome to bring your own device. If you prefer to have the materials printed, we recommend bringing two copies.
If we are meeting over Zoom, the Writing Assistant will ask you to share your screen or send your materials to our email address, writingcenter@linnbenton.edu. In Zoom, we have the ability to draw, take notes, and share resources and links through the chat. You may keep your camera on or off depending on your preference. We recommend working from a quiet location.
Once a focus for the session has been identified, the Writing Assistant may read the paper aloud with you, or silently if you prefer, and discuss appropriate ideas and strategies to revise the paper.
If you have submitted to the Online Writing Lab, which is a separate service run by the same people, we will provide you with written feedback that will be shared with your LBCC student email address through a Google Doc. The content of our "live" sessions and our Online Writing Lab responses is very similar; we are always working to help you improve your overall writing skills.
No matter how you work with the Writing Center, we will stay focused on your needs and questions. We hope that you leave with an idea for your next steps and a plan to keep writing. The Writing Assistant may encourage you to visit again for another session; there is no limit to the number of times you can use the Writing Center, and we are most effective when you visit multiple times.
If you have met with us over Zoom or in person, we can send your instructor an email to confirm that we met with you. Just be sure to let us know that you need us to do so.
If you have submitted your work through the Online Writing Lab (OWL), you can click a box in the submission form that will automatically send a confirmation email to your instructor. This confirmation email does not include your form responses; it is just a brief email to confirm that you have submitted a document to the OWL.
The length of a session can vary according to the complexity of the project, the stage
in the writing process, and the question or concern being addressed.
In-person drop-in sessions are typically 20-30 minutes, and we will limit our sessions
to 20 minutes if we are busy.
Zoom appointments are scheduled for 45 minutes. To learn how to make an appointment,
please visit the following page: How to Make an Appointment
To make an appointment:
- Sign in to MyLB
- Click the “TutorTrac - Learning Center” icon
- Select “Writing Center” from the drop-down menu
- Select the appropriate class and choose "online" for the location
- Click "search"
- Click on the appointment availability that works the best for you
- Click "save"
When it is time for your appointment, you will need to log in to TutorTrac: Learning Center through MyLB Single Sign On. Look for TutorTrac: Learning Center in your MyLB dashboard (bottom row), and click
on it.
You will be brought to the main TutorTrac page. Under “Upcoming Appointments,” you
should see a link to your Zoom meeting. This link will appear 15 minutes before your
scheduled appointment time. If your Writing Assistant doesn’t arrive on time, please
email writingcenter@linnbenton.edu--there may have been a technical difficulty that prevented us from getting to you.
Here is a video tutorial that will walk you through the process for attending a Zoom
appointment through TutorTrac.
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a place to submit work online and receive written feedback. Simply go to the OWL page, click on our submission form, and log in using your student email address. During this process, you will provide information about the assignment, your goals, your project's strengths, and any questions or concerns you have. Once submitted, one of our assistants will provide personalized feedback within 48-72 business hours, unless submitted over the weekend or holiday (in which case it might take slightly more time).
For Instructors
The goal of writing support services at LBCC is to help students across the curriculum develop their writing skills and confidence through one-on-one coaching. We have conversations about all aspects of writing, including organization, clarity, grammar, citation, tone, rhetorical awareness, revision strategies, and writing anxiety.
As of Fall Term 2022, writing support services will include the following modalities:
- 45-minute Zoom appointments
- 20-minute in-person sessions on a drop-in basis
- Asynchronous feedback through the Online Writing Lab
The Writing Center’s physical location is in the Albany Campus Library, on the ground floor of Willamette Hall. We are located to the left of the Library’s front entrance. Our office is WH-138B.
LBCC instructors and staff can contact the Writing Center interim coordinators by emailing trianag@linnbenton.edu.
Here are some ways instructors have used our services:
- Offering extra credit for a Writing Center visit
- Referring students to us who may need extra help
- Bringing their own writing (such as assignment prompts or syllabi) to us for feedback
- Inviting us into their classroom (on Zoom or in person)
- Mentioning us as a resource on assignment prompts, syllabi, and course shells
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Ask for the assignment prompt before we start each session
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Discuss global and higher-order concerns first
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Treat writing as a process in addition to a product
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Listen closely to the student’s concerns
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Let the student guide each session
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Help the student learn grammar rules and, when appropriate, identify patterns of error
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Write the essay for your student
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Edit your student’s work into a perfect paper
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Suggest a grade
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Make comments about an instructor, unless they are positive
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Guarantee a student uses our feedback (whether or not a student changes their work after a session is up to them)
Instructor FAQ
We love visiting with your students to tell them about our resources. Please email
us at wccoordinator@linnbenton.edu to schedule a class visit or tour of our services,
in-person our online.
If your course is housed in Moodle, please link students to our Moodle page.The most straightforward way to share the page in your Moodle course is with a URL Resource. You can contact Paul Tannahill (tannahp@linnbenton.edu) if you have any questions about this process.
If your course is asynchronous and not housed in Moodle, please link students to our web page directly. It is best to use a link to the website rather than copy/pasting our information, as we occasionally need to make changes to our availability.
Here are the confirmation methods we recommend:
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For Zoom sessions (appointment or drop-in): Students can request that their Writing Assistant email you directly through the writingcenter@linnbenton.edu email account to confirm their session.
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For Online Writing Lab responses: Students can check a box in our submission form and enter your email address to send an automatic confirmation email to you.
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For any type of session: Some instructors assign a Writing Center reflection, which is typically a short essay asking the student to describe their experience, what they took away from the session, and what changes they chose to make to their work afterward. This can help students stay present, think critically, and process what we tell them.
If a student forgets to ask for proof of their visit, we may be able to retroactively confirm their session. To see if this is possible, you can email the student's name and ID number to trianag@linnbenton.edu.
First of all, thank you for supporting our service and helping us reach your students! Here are some tips for helping us manage a potentially large influx of students from a particular class:
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Email the Writing Center interim coordinators at trianag@linnbenton.edu with the timeline of your assignment, so that we can make sure we have adequate staffing.
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Encourage your students to make appointments rather than dropping in.
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Send us a copy of your assignment guidelines, so that we know what to expect.
That being said, we are always prepared to support your students with whatever projects they bring to us.
Yes. We do not keep assignment prompts on file for students because keeping track of the guidelines is an important part of the writing process that we want to reinforce. However, we love to "read ahead" whenever we can, so that we are prepared before your students come in. This gives us the chance to discuss the assignment amongst the staff and come to you with any questions we might have.
If you are working on a new or unusual assignment idea, it is especially helpful for us to have a copy of the assignment ahead of time. You can email these to trianag@linnbenton.edu. You can also set up an appointment to chat with staff in the Writing Center about your assignment.
Our Writing Center is run on a peer mentor model, which means that our Writing Assistants start out as LBCC students who have been recommended by a faculty member. Each Writing Assistant receives substantial training in writing center pedagogy, in addition to CRLA tutoring certification at Level 1 and Level 2.
Please contact our interim Writing Center coordinators at trianag@linnbenton.edu.
Becoming a Writing Assistant
Writing Center schedules change every quarter to accommodate the classes and availability of the student writing assistants; hours typically range from 3 – 12 hours per week. Writing assistants work with students on writing assignments from any class and at any stage of the writing process. Most writing assistants not only work with students through our drop-in service and appointment system, but also respond with written feedback to students who use our Online Writing Lab (OWL). Consideration for a writing assistant position is based on a variety of factors:
- Because writing assistants often keep their positions for 2-4 years, openings are infrequent; hiring does not happen every year. When hiring occurs, it will be before the start of the fall quarter to allow for intensive training.
- Students must be recommended by a faculty member; though this is often provided by an English instructor, other faculty may also recommend students.
- Students must have a “B” or better in Writing 121.
- Students must submit a sample of their writing to the Writing Center Coordinator.
- Students must have excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Students participate in ongoing training and team meetings. Writing Assistants have
been certified through the College Reading & Learning Association - International
Tutor Training Program. What does this mean? Once writing assistants have reached
Level I status, they have completed 25 hours of tutoring, 10 hours of training, and
favorable evaluations by students and their supervisor; Level I training is mandatory
for all staff, but most Writing Center staff have achieved Level II status which entails
50 hours of tutoring, 20 hours of training, and favorable evaluations.
Benefits of Being a Writing Assistant
The skills you develop as a Writing Assistant will be personally enriching and transfer to any future career. Writing Assistants develop and practice excellent interpersonal communication, develop valuable critical thinking skills, increase their self-confidence, and improve their own academic performance by guiding other students through the learning process. To inquire about Writing Assistant positions, please stop by the Writing Center and talk to the Writing Center Coordinator. The Writing Center is located in the Library on the ground floor of Willamette Hall.