Tutoring Sessions and Frequently Asked Questions
Our services are free to all current IUPUI students, faculty and staff members!
Tutoring Sessions
To make the most of your tutoring session, come in early and often. We often work with writers several times on a single document; we help the writer plan the document, we help them revise the draft, and then we help them clean up the final version just before it is submitted. Remember, the longer the document, the more sessions you will likely need to schedule.
To schedule a tutoring session at either our Cavanaugh Hall location (Room CA 427) or our University Library location (Room UL 2125), you may telephone our CA location at (317) 274-2049, telephone our UL location at (317) 278-8171, or visit either UWC location. You must provide both your name and your University ID number (to be found on the upper right corner of your JagTag, or via OneStart), at the time you schedule the session. We cannot schedule a session for you without this information.
Tutoring session lengths:
We offer 30-minute tutoring sessions to:
IUPUI undergraduate students
IUPUI staff members
*We offer 60-minute tutoring sessions (when available) to:
IUPUI students with physical disabilities
IUPUI students with learning disabilities (as registered by Adaptive Educational Services)
IUPUI graduate students
IUPUI faculty members
*(Students from any of these groups may choose 30-minute tutoring sessions, if 60-minute session availability is limited, or if less time is desired.)
Important rules and stuff to remember:
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Graduate students and faculty members must be tutored by faculty tutors. If you are a graduate student or faculty member, please mention this, when scheduling a tutoring session.
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You may have only one tutoring session per day. You may not have tutoring sessions on the same day at both our CA and UL locations. We reserve the right to cancel such sessions, and to subsequently limit sessions.
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You may have up to three tutoring sessions per week. You may schedule tutoring sessions up to 14 days in advance.
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If you are more than ten minutes late for a 30-minute tutoring session, or more than twenty minutes late for a 60-minute tutoring session, we reserve the right to cancel the session.
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At certain times of the semester, particularly mid-term and finals weeks, our schedule fills up quickly. Graduate students and faculty may not be able to schedule 60-minutes sessions simply because they are not available. Undergraduates may not be able to schedule at the times they would prefer. If no appropriate times are available, however, you may come in and wait to see if a scheduled student cancels or does not show up. If after 10 or 20 minutes, a scheduled student does not come in, we will take any students who are waiting. We cannot put you on a waiting list or call you if an opening becomes available.
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If you have a session scheduled and cannot attend, please call us as soon as possible, so we can open up that time for another student. Cancellations do not count against you in any way.
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If you are a consistent no-show for tutoring sessions you have scheduled, we reserve the right to limit you to walk-in sessions only.
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We do not provide tutoring by proxy. In other words, you cannot ask a friend or classmate to bring your paper in for a session. Each writer must bring her or her own work.
Canceling tutoring sessions:
If you cannot attend your tutoring session, please call us or drop in to let us know as soon as possible, so we can make the time slot available to someone else.
What to bring with you:
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Yourself
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Your IUPUI Identification Number
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Your preferred e-mail address
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Your preferred telephone number
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A legible draft of your paper or an electronic file we can access on the PC
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Any relevant assignment sheets, syllabi, instructor feedback, or class notes
Confirmation of Student Visit (CSV):
While some instructors recommend that their students visit the IUPUI UWC, others require it! Most instructors, even if they do not suggest a UWC visit directly, appreciate knowing that their students took the extra time out of their busy schedules to seek additional assistance on their assignments. For those students who would like to inform their instructors of UWC visits, we offer a Confirmation of Student Visit (CSV). If you would like for us to send a CSV to your instructor, please inform us during the tutoring session (rather than after the fact). You must provide us with the following information:
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Your instructor's first and last names
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Your instructor's department name
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Your instructor's e-mail address
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Your own e-mail address (if you would like to be CC'd on a CSV sent to your instructor)
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Your course name (e.g., ENG-W132)
Busiest times:
Our busiest times are generally during midterm examinations and during finals weeks. Please plan accordingly! Remember--you may schedule tutoring sessions up to 14 days in advance, so plan ahead for your paper, portfolio, and project due dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My instructor suggested that I come to the University Writing Center for an ACES session. What is ACES and when are these sessions available?
A: ACES tutoring is available through the University Writing Center for
students who need academic English language support. ACES tutors are
trained to explain English language usage and sentence structure to
non-native English writers. Hours for ACES tutoring, which takes place
in the University Library location, are limited. Call the UWC to
schedule a session.
Q: I was supposed to have someone from my class complete a Peer Review form for my paper, but I missed a class meeting. Could you please complete a Peer Review form for me?
A: Peer Review forms are for you and your classmates to use, when evaluating each other's work. We cannot complete these forms for you, but we will be more than happy to send your instructor a Confirmation of Student Visit. Simply let your tutor know (before the end of your tutoring session) that you would like one sent.
Q: My instructor requires me to visit the University Writing Center for an assignment, but my busy schedule doesn't allow me much time to do so. Can I instead just e-mail my paper to you for a quick proofread, and have you e-mail my instructor that I consulted with you?
A: Because of the collaborative nature of our work (i.e., you work with a tutor to identify and address areas of your writing that need attention), we do not accept anything for review via e-mail, or anything "dropped off." You must meet with a tutor in person so we can review your work and have a conversations about strategies for improving it. Afterwards, we will be more than happy to send your instructor a Confirmation of Student Visit.
Q.: Where can I find my IUPUI Identification Number?
A.: Most JagTags now have the holder's IUPUI Identification Number in the upper right corner of the card's front. You may also find your IUPUI Identification Number via OneStart:
1.) Go to OneStart
2.) Login using your username and password
3.) Click the "Student Center" link
4.) Click on "Demographic Data" link
Q: I am a graduate student and need a tutor to look at a 30-page paper that is due tomorrow. I am supposed to get an hour-long tutoring session with the Writing Center, but when I called to schedule my session, they said they could only give me a half-hour. What's going on?
A: Because graduate assignments are generally longer than undergraduate assignments, we do try to give graduate students an hour. At certain times of the semester (mid-terms and finals), however, we simply cannot fit an hour into the schedule because we have so many students coming in to work with us. We will certainly give you an hour if it is available, but sometimes half-hour sessions are all we have, especially if you schedule at the last minute.
Q: I am a graduate student and went into the Writing Center to see if anyone was available to help me on a paper. There were a couple of student tutors who did not seem to be working with anyone at the moment, but the person at the desk told me they did not have anything available for graduate students because only faculty tutors can work with graduate students. I only needed help with grammar. Why can't a student tutor work with me?
A: Because graduate assignments are generally more difficult and in-depth, only faculty tutors can work on graduate assignments. This policy is one that the deans of all campus graduate programs insist upon due to the complex nature of graduate work.
We look forward to working with you!
