Online Writing Center

How to Use the Online Writing Center

The online writing center provides tutoring assistance to students via the Internet, to both onsite and online students. The online writing center is available seven days a week from 3-9 p.m. Pacific Time and offers 45-minute synchronous online sessions using web conferencing software, email, instant message, telephone or a combination of these. To use the online writing center, all you need is an active email account, an Internet connection, and phone line.

NOTE: You must remain online during the session in order to interact with the writing consultant.

To access the Online writing Center:

Go to the online scheduler (http://tutor.nu.edu) and make an appointment.
Just before your appointment is to begin, be at your computer with your email open. Send a note to wonline@nu.edu to let the consultant know that you are ready to begin your tutorial session. Include in your email:

• The assignment
• If you have one, a draft of your work (a Microsoft Word attachment with a .doc extension works best)
• Two or three elements of your paper that you would like to discuss during the session, such as whether your thesis is narrow enough, the organization is clear, your evidence is convincing, or your paper's citations and bibliography are formatted correctly. Once you've discussed larger issues like these, you and the consultant may decide to move on to topics like sentence structure and punctuation.
• The online consultant will respond to your email and send you a web link to a web meeting where you and the consultant will meet for the session. If you do not see an email from the writing consultant, check your spam or junk folder in case your email program filtered it out. If your computer has speakers and a microphone, turn these on, or plug in your headset if you have one. If you do not have a microphone, you can still respond to the consultant by typing your responses to the consultant in the chat box. If you have neither a speaker system nor a microphone, let the consultant know - you will communicate by other means.
• If you have a preference for what type of technology you’d like to use, please let the consultant know.