Click on the "Schedule an Appointment" button at the top of this page (http://jmu.mywconline.com/) to access the University Writing Center's online scheduler.

• If this is your first UWC visit, you'll need to click on the "Register for an account" link in the scheduler landing page before you can access our listing of available consultants.

In the UWC's online scheduler, you can meet our available consultants by clicking on the Meet the UWC Team link at the top of the page.

After you click on any of the open white boxes on the schedule, the "Create New Appointment" pages asks for information and offers choices:

• You can choose whether your appointment will be for 60 or 30 minutes and then whether your appointment will be face-to-face or online.
• You can help your UWC consultant prepare for your session by completing the session request form. We especially value the "What are your concerns about this writing task?" question.
• You can attach files at the bottom of the appointment form. If you have a prompt, or a draft, or a set of notes you'd like to attach, feel free to do.
• You can edit your appointment request form and can upload new/revised files before your session.

After you complete your session request form and click on the "Create Appointment" button at the bottom of the page, you'll get an email confirming that you've successfully signed up for a session. 

After your session, you'll receive a second email asking you to complete a very quick survey on your UWC experience. We appreciate your time and interest in offering feedback.

Sessions are set by default in the WCOnline scheduler to last for 30 minutes, which translates to 25 minutes of actual talking time. You can extend your session to 60 minutes in the box next to the date in the session request form.

We suggest that you think first about a 60-minute session, which translates to 50 minutes of talking time. We know your time is tight, but we also know you are working on your writing. We'd much rather that your session ends with time to spare than that you feel like you were racing the clock.

• 60-minute sessions are better for many writing tasks:
  • You are looking for help understanding or getting started on an assignment.
  • Your rough draft is more than 3 pages.
  • Your project has mulitple components or stages.
  • You are working to act on important, big-picture feedback.
  • You are signing up for a group session on behalf of your group or are representing your group.
  • You are working on a short piece that requires a lot of thought and planning (e.g., a personal statement, a cover letter, an application or scholarship essay, a policy brief, an elevator pitch, a caption... ).

•  30-minute sessions work best for quick writing tasks or specific concerns:
  • You are working on a relatively short project that you can introduce quickly.
  • You have localized concerns (e.g., you're working on a paragraph or a specific concern, or you have a formatting or citation question).
  • You want to start a conversation that you can continue in a later UWC session.
  • You want to check in after/build on an earlier UWC session.

We'd love to meet you in person here in the University Writing Center on the first floor of JMU's Student Success Center.

Face-to-face sessions generally enable a broader range of writing help as they cut through technology challenges. Working in person allows you and your trained writing consultant to fully engage your concerns and your texts.

About 30% of UWC clients opt for online sessions. Online sessions are particularly useful if

• You work best in an online setting. 
• You are possibly contagious or at risk, and you want to minimize the chance of transmission or exposure.
• You take your JMU classes online, do not live in Harrisonburg, and/or need to schedule around class/work/family priorities.
• You want to set up a hybrid session for your group, with some group members working in person in the UWC and other group members participating online. The group sessions section of this page offers advice regarding hybrid sessions.

The University Writing Center offers sessions starting on the hour and half hour. If you are thinking about heading our way, your first, best bet is to check whether any consultants are available through the UWC's online scheduler (http://jmu.mywconline.com/). If this is your first visit to the UWC, you'll need to register for an account before you can access the scheduler (registering takes about two minutes).

If you are in the neighborhood during our open hours, just come on in, no matter where the minute hand is on the clock dial. The friendly people at our Learning Centers' front desk can help you register for your UWC account, introduce you to the UWC space, and/or assess in the moment whether a UWC consultant might be available to work with you.

If you catch us when there's no one at the front desk, keep walking straight on into the UWC to find someone who can help you get started.

Every writing project is different, and there's no set script for your UWC session. We'll work with you on the day, in the moment, to help you move your writing forward.

In every UWC session, your consultant will help you engage your immediate writing concerns and identify transferable strategies, approaches, or resources that you can apply after the session and in your future writing projects. Most UWC sessions feature most of the following elements:

Rapport building/affirming: If this is your first visit, we'll meet you as a person and as a writer. If you're returning to the UWC, we'll catch up with you since your last visit.

Time for assessing/reading: We'll check out your assignment prompt with you, and we'll talk through or ask for a tour through your draft or your notes. We might also look at any feedback you've received from your professor, peer reviewers, group members, or other readers.

Agenda setting: We'll talk with you about your writing concerns and work with you to establish a plan  for the session.

We'll work with you as you work to make your writing better, wherever you are in your writing process. UWC consultants can help you invent, brainstorm, focus in, plan, organize, edit, cut, expand, or clarify your writing. We can help you assess your audience, respond to feedback, and understand disciplinary or genre conventions. We can play the new reader role to offer suggestions, and we can supply a trained second set of eyes.

What we won't do:

We will not do all the work for you while you wait, nor will we agree not suggest that you drop off your draft to pick up later on, nor will we . We will not comment on scores/grades, either before you submit your work or after you have your work back.

We also won't report directly to your professor, coach, advisor, or supervisor regarding your UWC sessions, though we'll happily supply proof of your visit that you can share. See

"Will my professor know I visited the UWC?" and "How do I prove I visited the UWC?" later on this page.

Schedule your session ahead of your due date:

• We'll work with you at any stage in your writing process, but we know that writers benefit most from UWC visits when they're planning, drafting, revising, or truly editing, instead of racing against a deadline.

Be as specific as you can in completing your session request form and early in your session:

• When you schedule your appointment, you can help your consultant by completing the "Concerns" box. What do you hope or need to focus on during the meeting? Where are you in your writing process? What kind of writing help has worked best for you in the past? 
• In the first minutes of your session, you and your consultant will work together to set an agenda. Your consultant will have read your session request form, but you can be ready to supply more information. Have your needs have changed? Have you added to or revised your draft? Have you received professor, classmate, or group member feedback? 

Have your texts ready, whether you have scheduled an in-person session or are working online:

• You can arrive for your UWC session with a blank page and questions, the ideas you've been thinking through or just scribbled down, a hard copy of your draft, your laptop with an open file, or a file you can readily share in online setting. 
• We love talking with you about your writing task, and it helps to see your your assignment, prompt, guidelines, instructions...
• We also love talking with you about your sources. You don't need to have them all open as tabs on your laptop, nor do you need to come in with a perfectly formatted list of sources, but you can save time and create a flow for your session by being ready to access your sources.

Plan to be an active partner during your session:

• Be ready to ask and respond to questions: You can use questions to understand, focus in, and identify opportunities. Your consultant will also ask questions to clarify ideas, and open up
• Take notes: You can add comments to your draft, type write into your draft, or grab a handy notepad.
  • Big picture ideas that made sense in the moment are hard to recapture after the fact.
  • Flashes of insight and great lines need to be recorded before they are lost in the flow of conversation.
  • Your consultant might also volunteer to take notes, and you should ask to take them with you.
•  
• about your assignment prompt, your ideas, your draft, and your plans, and you can do the same.
• Take time, and be ready to draft
• Be flexible: You might not always get everything you want during a single UWC session, but if you're prepared to participate actively, you might find just what you need. 
•  
• There's no set activity list for an effective UWC session, and no two UWC sessions are alike. We'll meet you and your writing project....
•  

Work during and immediately after your session to consolidate your insights:

During your session

Be ready to take notes on your laptop or on one of the notepads we provide. You will say, think, or hear really useful stuff during your session, and you should write it down.

Your consultant may also also volunteer to make notes, and you can askDon't be afraid to ask questions

Our goal is to help you address your immediate concerns as we help you define transportable strategies for after the session/other writing projects.

Your UWC consultant may offer links to online resources, handwritten notes, in-text and marginal , or even a list during

NOTE: Be flexible/come back soon

The UWC is a training center. From time to time, UWC consultants fill in for other consultants, observe each other, and work together during sessions. 

The UWC welcomes full groups, parts of groups, and individuals from groups. We love face-to-face group sessions, but we can also do onine group sessions, or hybrid group sessions, with most of your group members in person and at least one group member participating online. Note that 60-minute sessions generally work best for group projects.

In an ideal session, we'll focus on the writing produced by the group members able to participate in the session. If you wrote Section A of a group project but not Sections B and C, we'll try to focus on Section A. This said, we know that finding an open time for your whole group can be impossible and that you might be sending delegated representatives. We also know that in some group writing projects, one or two members agree/are assigned to serve as editors. In these cases, we can help the group's designated editors to effectively edit the paper as a whole.

Only one group member needs to make an appointment to set up a group session. As you're completing the session request form, be sure to click the button next to the "Is this a group-written paper?" question. As you complete the "Concerns" box at the bottom of the session request form, you might tell us how many people are in your group and who will be able to participate in the session.

If you want to set up a hybrid session, click on the "Yes. Schedule Online appointment" button in the session request form and then be very clear down in the "Concerns" box to let your consultant know that you're planning on a hybrid session, with some of your group members coming in person and at least one of your group members joining online.

After you schedule a hybrid or fully online group session, you can immediately share the link for the session with your group members. Click into your appointment in the UWC's online scheduler, click on "Start or Join Online Conversation," and then copy the URL at the top of WCOnline page that opens. Sharing the URL ahead of time with your group members might help them to test-drive any tech problems.

UWC group sessions work best when everyone can see and edit the same active file, and you might plan to offer your consultant a link to your group's shared file along with temporary editing privileges. If your group is not working in a shared online file format, we can project your draft on one of our UWC big screens or can share your screen online.

The University Writing Center empowers students, faculty, and staff to develop writing and critical thinking skills by providing personalized consultations, resources, and programs that strengthen writing across campus. 

UWC consultants help JMU student writers with all types of academic and non-academic writing: course assignments from all JMU disciplines, personal statements, cover letters, scholarship applications, articles for publication, theses and dissertations, digital work, creative writing, and other writing projects. We also work with JMU faculty and staff with their academic and non-academic writing projects, and we assist faculty in designing effective assignments and responding to student writing.

We offer

The UWC Writing Guides and Handouts page organizes a bunch of useful online resources in four columns:

• The writing process
• Types of writing
• Grammar, punctuation, and style
• Citation and formatting resources

Our UWC consultants have evaluated and endorsed all these resources , and and we work every semester to assess the page as a whole for usefulness and correctness.

We'll often reference the Sure, you could just Google it and go with whatever comes up first, but we suggest starting here.

Dead links do happen, and we are sometimes slow to recognize an opportunity. If you find a dead link or would like to see a new resource on the site, please let us know.

Will my professor know I visited the UWC?

• No, not unless you tell them. You can ask your consultant for a note stating that you participated in a UWC session (see below), but what you and your consultant say is confidential. It's important for you to feel safe to test out ideas during your UWC sessions, and it's important for us to stay outside of the evaluative classroom learning space.

How do I prove I visited the UWC?

• If you need to show that you met with a UWC consultant, just let your consultant know. If your session is in the UWC, your consultant can complete a "proof of visit" slip for you. If your session is online, your consultant can supply a testimonial in the chat for you to screenshot.

I'm feeling sick or may be contagious. What do I do?

• If you're feeling even just a bit under the weather, may still be contagious, or may have been exposed to something, please opt for an online session. If you've already scheduled a face-to-face session, you can edit your appointment in the UWC's online scheduler to shift to an online session.
• If you're down for the count, take care of yourself and try to cancel your session at least an hour before your start time..

I'm running late for my session. What can I do?

• If you're running a few minutes late but still hope to make your session, try calling our front desk at (540) 568-1759. The friendly person who answers the phone can help you hold your slot for an extra 10 minutes if the UWC is busy. They may also be able to help you push your starting time back a half hour or to reschedule for later in the day.
• If you can't contact us by phone, you can get into the UWC's online scheduler to reschedule or cancel your session.

I missed my appointment. What now?

• If we don't hear from you ahead of time and/or if you are more than ten minutes late, we may have to cancel your session to open up the slot for other clients. If we don't hear from you or see you at all, we will register your appointment as "missed."
• We do track missed sessions. If you miss a first session, you can write to let us know why. If you miss a second session, the UWC online scheduler will automatically revoke your online scheduling privileges through the end of the semester. If you find yourself in this temporary doghouse, you can still use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis.

I'm having trouble connecting online...need to address elsewhere....

How many UWC sessions can I schedule each day and week?

• You may schedule up to two sessions totaling a maximum of 90 minutes of session time per day. If you do want to sign up for two sessions in a single day, we'll ask that you leave some time to revise and rest between your first and second session.
• You may return to the UWC for help on the same project as many times each week as you need provided you invest significant effort/make significant revisions between each visit.

How far ahead can I schedule UWC sessions?

• You may schedule your UWC sessions up to two weeks in advance through the UWC's online scheduler.

Contact the UWC

If you have questions, call (540) 568-1759 or visit the UWC on the first floor of the Student Success Center. THIS IS THE FRONT DESK...EMAIL RUDY?

Working on a digital project--a website, an online portfolio, a post? Thinking about branding, color palettes, and fonts? Trying to figure out how to integrate different media effectively?

While all UWC consultants can be helpful, you might look for the "digital specialist" listing after some consultants' names as you schedule your session.

You can also check out our Digital Storytelling, e-Portfolios, and Personal Branding suite of resources.

Early is good / last minute is bad: give yourself time after your UWC visit to make thoughtful choices about your writing. We'll work with you at any stage in your writing process, but believe that writers benefit most from their UWC visits when they're planning or drafting, instead of racing a deadline.

Help us help you: be as specific as you can when you schedule your appointment (in the UWC online scheduler's "Concerns" box) and then again in the first five minutes of your session. Where are you in your writing process? What do you hope or need to focus on during the meeting? What are your concerns? What has worked best for you in the past?

Have your texts with you:

• Have your assignment / prompt / instructions / guidelines / grade rubric / instructor feedback handy or even open. It's also useful to be able to access your sources.
• Be ready with your work, whether it's the ideas locked in your head, a page of scribbled notes, or your most recent draft.

Be flexible and participate actively: there's no set activity list for an effective UWC session. Our goal is to help you address your immediate concerns as we help you define transportable strategies for after the session/other writing projects. You might not always get everything you want during a single UWC session, but if you're prepared to participate actively, you might find just what you need.

NOTE: From time to time UWC consultants fill in for other consultants, observe each other, and work together during sessions. 

We'll work with you as you work to make your writing better, wherever you are in your writing process. UWC consultants can help you invent, brainstorm, focus on, plan, organize, edit, cut, expand, or clarify your writing. We can help you assess your audience and respond to feedback, and we can supply a trained second set of eyes. In a broader sense, we'll collaborate with you to identify strategies, tools, questions, approaches, or resources that you can apply in your future writing projects.

We will not suggest that you drop off your draft to pick up later on, nor will we do all the work for you while you wait. We will not comment on scores/grades, either before you submit your work or after you have your work back.

We also won't report directly to your professor, coach, advisor, or supervisor regarding your UWC sessions, though we'll happily supply proof of your visit that you can share. See "Will my professor know I visited the UWC?" and "How do I prove I visited the UWC?" later on this page.

No, not unless you want them to know. You can ask your consultant for a note stating that you participated in a session (see below), but the UWC and its consultants do not discuss sessions with professors. A professor may ask you about your UWC session if you tell them you visited us, but we consider what is said during a session to be confidential. It's important for you to feel safe to test out ideas, and it's important for us to stay outside of the evaluative classroom learning space.

If your professor requires evidence that you met with a UWC consultant, just let your consultant know. If your session is online, your consultant can supply an a sentence in the chat for you to screenshot or can send you an email. If your session is in the UWC, your consultant can complete a "proof of visit" slip for you.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please do so through the UWC's online scheduler at least an hour before your start time. If you're running just a few minutes late but hope to keep your slot, or if you belatedly recognize that you just can't make it, please call us at (540) 568-1759. Doing so will help us to hold your slot (for just a few extra minutes) or to open it up for other JMU writers.

If we don't hear from you ahead of time and/or if you are more than ten minutes late, we may have to cancel your session to open up the slot for other clients. If we don't hear from you or see you at all, we will register your appointment as "missed."

We do track missed sessions. If you miss a first session, you can write to let us know why. If you miss a second session, the UWC online scheduler will automatically revoke your online scheduling privileges through the end of the semester. If you find yourself in this temporary doghouse, you can still use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis (see above).