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Writing and Learning Center
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What we do

We want to partner with you to help UIW undergraduate students build the writing skills that will prepare them to be more successful in their college courses and careers. We support your efforts to teach these important skills by offering individual consultations, interactive workshops, in-class guided writing activities, and other online writing resources.

The WLC's primary goal is to help students learn to write. Tutors will not copyedit or "fix" students' papers, but they will ask questions to encourage students to think more critically about their subject matter and assist students in identifying error patterns and stylistic concerns. 

On the WLC home page, you can find information on how to get in touch with us, make appointments (either by contacting us or self-scheduling), and find our office. On our handouts page, you can find shareable resources on a variety of writing concerns. 

Find writing support across a range of disciplines

We understand that while many aspects of writing are transferable, expectations sometimes vary across genres and disciplines. To provide the support our students need, we aim to hire writing tutors from a range of majors. Students can find assistance with general writing concerns from any of the writing tutors. They can also request to work with a particular tutor to address discipline-specific writing conventions (depending on availability). 

For more information, please contact:

Director of Learning Support Services, Dr. Amanda Johnston, by phone: (210) 805-5856, by e-mail: ajohnsto@uiwtx.edu, or in person: Student Engagement Center, room 3162. 

Writing and Learning Center Program Leader, Charlie Briggs, by phone: (210) 283-6326, by e-mail: cbriggs@uiwtx.edu, or in person: Student Engagement Center, room 3164. 

Talk to students about tutoring

Asking for help is still quite stigmatized, unfortunately, and students not uncommonly report experiencing anxiety around seeking tutoring. We can work together to counter this narrative in several ways:

  1. We can encourage students to view tutoring as a positive. While they may fear that it reveals some sort of deficiency, it really shows their commitment, industriousness, and persistence in the face of challenges. 
  2. We can share our own experiences of seeking help, to reinforce the idea that it is a natural and important part of the learning process. 
  3. We can remind students that they will get the most out of tutoring if they come in regularly. Sometimes they get discouraged if they don't see immediate results. 
  4. We can arrange a time for a tutor to drop by for a quick class intro (2 or 5 minutes--your choice). 

Recommend a Writing Tutor or Office Assistant

Note: The Writing and Learning Center is connected to Tutoring Services. You are welcome to use the linked form to recommend a student to become a writing tutor, a course content tutor, or an office assistant.

Prospective writing tutors must meet the following criteria to be eligible to work with us: 1) strong written and oral communication skills, 2) minimum overall GPA of 3.0, 3) patience and empathy toward inexperienced writers, and 4) ability to maintain confidentiality. Along with an application, each applicant must submit two faculty recommendations, an academic writing sample, and an unofficial transcript.

Tutors are trained in general and writing-specific pedagogies, writing center theory, and best practices in writing tutoring. They complete practice sessions and observe experienced writing tutors prior to beginning to tutor. Ongoing training is conducted regularly to address questions and challenges that come up throughout the semester.

Find the tutor/office assistant recommendation form here.

Request in-class writing support

The WLC can provide workshops on a variety of writing topics, as well as work with individual students or small groups during class time. If you're interested in arranging in-class writing support, please fill out the form at least two business days prior to the class date you are requesting. For more information, contact Dr. Amanda Johnston at ajohnsto@uiwtx.edu or (210) 805-5856.

You can find the form to request in-class writing support here .

The University of the Incarnate Word provides reasonable accommodation with adequate notice. To request disability accommodation for an event, visit the ADA/Section 504 page.