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Classroom Instructors

Services for Classroom Instructors

The Writing Center supports writing in the classroom in many ways. Click through the options below to see what form of collaboration works for you and your students.



Informational Visits

The Writing Center offers 10-minute informational visits. Consultants are available to visit a class and tell students about the services offered at the Center, how students can schedule appointments, and share our contact information with the class.

Writing Center staff can also visit faculty or departmental meetings to provide information on Writing Center services. These visits can assist instructors in learning more about how we support students and how appointments can benefit their students.

Informational visits are available both in person and via Zoom.

Note: One form must be filled out per class section or meeting. Please do not put multiple sections on one request form. 

Please submit requests at least 5 business days prior to the requested date of visit.

Informational Visit Request Form

We are now accepting requests for Spring 2024.


Class Workshops

The Writing Center offers in-class, writing-related workshops by request. Previous workshops include citing sources, finding credible resources, writing a literature review, an introduction to graduate-level writing, overviews of APA citation style and of Chicago citation style, and creating an annotated bibliography. We are happy to create and deliver a presentation specific to your students' needs, pending staff availability.

Note: One form must be filled out per class section, even if the same workshop is being requested. Please do not put multiple sections on one request form. 

Creating workshops takes time and our professional staff is small. When requesting a pre-existing workshop from our list below, please submit requests at least 3 weeks prior to the requested date of visit. When requesting a custom workshop, please submit requests at least 6-8 weeks in advance of the desired presentation date.

 

Workshop Request Form

We are now accepting requests for Spring 2024.


At the Writing Center, we strive to meet the needs of each classroom instructor seeking our services. We offer both pre-existing and custom workshops to help us meet this goal.

Pre-Existing Workshops

The Writing Center has worked to curate a library of pre-existing workshops we can deliver more quickly for classroom instructors. These workshops are on popular topics that are frequently requested. Here is a list of workshops currently available. The number in parenthesis indicates the approximate length of the individual workshop.

  • APA citation style, an overview of (30 minutes)
  • ChatGPT/generative AI, pros and cons of (30 minutes)
  • Chicago citation style, an overview of (either author-date or notes-bibliography) (45 minutes each)
  • Citing sources
  • Creating an annotated bibliography (45 minutes)
  • Critical reading strategies (45 minutes)
  • Finding credible resources
  • Introduction to graduate-level writing
  • Managing writing anxiety (60 minutes)
  • MLA citation style, an overview of (30-45 minutes)
  • Organization of a research report (various sections, each 45 minutes)
  • Overcoming imposter syndrome
  • Setting SMART writing goals (30 minutes)
  • Writing a literature review (60 minutes)
  • Writing the discussion and conclusion of a research paper

Custom Workshops

The Writing Center may also be able to create a custom workshop for an individual course. Availability depends upon the number and variety of requests received each semester. Because of the small administrative staff at the Writing Center, we may not able to fulfill all requests.

If you are interested in a custom workshop, complete the request form found above on this page. Be as detailed as possible in your description. Then, someone from the Writing Center will contact you to discuss our availability and the details of the request.

Questions can also be directed to the Writing Center via email.


Resources: Handouts and Videos

The Writing Center creates a variety of resources that are available to both instructors and students. These resources include both text-based handouts and video tutorials. 

We welcome instructors to incorporate these materials into their courses. We do ask that any user who alters or edits these materials in any way adhere to Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA.

Here are some of the resources available:

  • Citation guides for APA, Chicago, and MLA
  • Handouts on various grammar topics
  • Handouts about various stages of the writing process
  • Video series on parts of speech
  • Video on using gender-inclusive language in academic writing

Required and Extra-Credit Visits

Are you requiring your students to visit the Writing Center? Or, are you offering extra credit for students who schedule an appointment?

The Writing Center has created a guide (new for Spring 2024) in order to assist instructors who are considering making required or incentivized visits part of their course curriculum. This guide, "Required and Incentivized Visits for the OU Writing Center: Guidance for Faculty and Instructors," covers recommendations for promoting visits that are useful to students. It also suggests actions to avoid when promoting useful required or incentivized visits.

Below you can also find more information about the Writing Center and a general outline of our policies regarding required or incentivized visits.

Writing Center consultants are trained to work with students across all disciplines, at all academic levels, and at any stage of the writing process. Our consultants work with individual writers and with groups on group assignments.

If you choose to require students to visit the Writing Center as part of an assignment, or offer extra credit to students who visit, we ask that you do a few things to help us prepare and manage the planned influx of appointments:

  1. Let the Writing Center know that you'll be sending students. Please give us as much advanced notice as possible. Include approximately how many students we can expect. 
  2. Provide the Writing Center with the assignment guidelines. This allows consultants to preview the instructions so they can better assist your students.
  3. Let your students know what kinds of appointments we have. We offer face-to-face, video conference, and written feedback appointments. Sometimes, the best option is one that allows students to have a conversation with a consultant. They can find out more about our appointment types on our Appointments page.
  4. Give your students several weeks notice of the required visit whenever possible. Our schedule can fill up fast, especially at peak times of the semester, like mid-terms and finals. We may also have limited availability on some days due to scheduling conflicts and staff needs. Students should make an appointment and not rely on drop-in availability for a required visit.
  5. Proof of Visit: Each student is emailed a Session Note at the end of their consultation. Students can forward this document to you as proof of their visit. The Writing Center does not provide individual emails or paper forms as proof of visit beyond the Session Note.

Contact the Writing Center
About Required Class Visits


Writing Center Syllabus Statement

Below is a statement about the Writing Center that instructors can copy and paste into a current syllabus or add to a course Canvas page.

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Most universities have a writing center, a place for students and staff to meet and talk about writing. The Writing Center here at OU is a resource I encourage you to use. As a writer, you will want to seek feedback from many different readers. The writing consultants at the Writing Center are able to talk with you about your writing--at any stage in the process and for any course you are taking.

You can make an appointment and learn more information about the Writing Center at write.ou.edu.

The OU Writing Center welcomes all writers and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.  We consider difference to be a seed for learning, writing, and a just society.


Writing Center Canvas Add-In

Help students connect with the OU Writing Center through Canvas by adding a page to each course. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.
 

Add the OU WC's Page to Canvas


Writing Enriched Curriculum

The Writing Enriched Curriculum program (WEC) is a university-sponsored initiative to promote the teaching of writing in all academic disciplines.  The WEC project is designed to further the university’s goal, outlined in the 2013-14 Strategic Plan, to “focus on building student and faculty writing and oral communication skills.”  In keeping with the AACU’s identification of writing education as a high-impact practice in undergraduate education, WEC offers faculty support for developing writing curricula that can make the teaching of writing a significant part of every major and degree program.

The WEC program is run through the Center for Faculty Excellence.

Writing Enriched Curriculum


Faculty Writing Support

Support for faculty teaching and writing does not take place through the Writing Center. The Center for Faculty Excellence provides writing support for all areas of faculty writing, including journal articles and book chapters, research and creative activity proposals, and integrating writing into teaching curriculum. 

CFE's Website


Accessibility and Disability

Looking for information on accessibility and disability? Learn more about resources provided for classroom instructors by the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).

ADRC's Website