For Instructors

Instructors sometimes find it helpful to consult with tutors at the Walk-In Service about responding to students' work, because these tutors have a great deal of experience in looking at student essays and instructor comments.

First-Year Writing Seminar instructors interested in free, private consultation are invited to participate in the Essay Response Consultation program. In this program the tutor reads a set of papers on which you have commented, and then meets with you for a one-to-one consultation about questions and insights regarding response to student work.

Less formal, unscheduled consultation is also possible; when a brief, informal meeting in the midst of responding to a set of papers could clear up temporary confusion and restore a balanced perspective, drop by any of the Walk-In Service locations during our regular hours.

Please do refer your students but please do not ask them to obtain a tutor's signature. Because tutors work with the entire spectrum of quality in writing, our policy is to encourage rather than to monitor consultation with students. When you remind students about the Service, encourage them to browse these pages, including "How It Works. "

If you hear of any other strategies that have worked particularly well, please share them with us so we can pass them along to others. And if you wish to arrange for either an Essay Response Consultation or for some special assistance for a student during the semester, please contact Joe Martin .