Using the Writing Centre

Registering

Before you can book an appointment, you must have an account with the Writing Centre. Create a new account

Go to the login page
Enter your email address and password (the one you created when you registered your account with us)
Select "Writing Centre: Fall or Spring" from the drop-down menu
Click "Log In"

Sign up for or cancel appointments
Appointments last for 30 minutes
Available time slots show up as white boxes (click on the box corresponding to the time, day, and tutor you want)
You are allowed two half-hour appointments a week to give you time to make progress on your essay
You can cancel an appointment up to 25 minutes before the appointment start time (click on the appointment slot and select Cancel This Appointment)
If you’re five minutes late for an appointment, any student can claim that appointment
Three no-shows result in no more appointments for the rest of the semester

Tutors will help you with all stages of the writing process, but they won’t proofread your essay for you
Tutors will teach you the skills to proofread your essay
Resources are available for your use. Feel free to come in and use the reference material
Tutors will not discuss grades or help you with any examination material, including take-home exams
After multiple appointments on the same essay, tutors reserve the right to withdraw assistance at their discretion to ensure that the essay remains your own work
Information from your instructor always takes precedence over information from a Writing Centre tutor.

Online appointments (eTutoring and Video Chat) are reserved for VIU Distance students (i.e. students taking online classes)
Sign up for or cancel online appointments; make sure you select "Schedule Video Chat Appointment" or "Schedule eTutoring Appointment" from the drop-down menu (otherwise, the system defaults to booking a face-to-face appointment)
You are allowed two half-hour online appointments a week to give you time to make progress on your essay
You can cancel an appointment up to 25 minutes before the appointment start time (click on the appointment slot and select Cancel This Appointment)
There are two different online services: eTutoring and Video Chat

eTutoring is asynchronous (i.e. you upload your assignment, and the tutor looks at it and then uploads their feedback at the end of the appointment time)
Video Chat is a real-time conversation between you and the tutor (i.e. you can talk to and see the tutor via video link).
We use Zoom for video chat

Note: not every tutor offers online appointments; when booking, look under the tutor's name (on the left-hand side of the page) to see which services they offer

First-come, first-served basis
Brief tutorials: 15 minutes
One tutorial a day, depending on availability
Come with specific questions, such as:
- I’m not sure what the assignment asks me to do
- I’d like help choosing a topic
- I’d like help citing sources