Writing Center FAQ - Massasoit Community College

Who can use the Writing Center?
The ARC Writing Center supports writers and writing instruction at Massasoit. We invite currently enrolled students to visit us for consultation at any phase of the writing process. We also invite Massasoit instructors to use the Writing Center as a resource for feedback on writing assignment and rubric design as well as their own writing. We welcome English Language Learners in the Writing Center!
What do you do at the Writing Center?
Writing Center tutors work with writers at Massasoit on writing projects. Since writing projects often span different disciplines and media, we’re happy to work with students on improving their writing and communication. Our goal is to cultivate confident writers by empowering them to produce better writing. We aim to support writers at any skill level and during any part of the writing process.
The Writing Center also offers tutoring for several modern languages including French, Spanish and Portuguese.
How long is an appointment?
Appointments at the Writing Center are about 30 minutes long. We offer limited drop-in tutoring that’s available on a first-come first serve basis throughout the day. Depending on how busy the writing center is, a drop-in appointment may last from 15 to 30 minutes. At our peak hours, drop-in appointments are much more limited.
For these reasons, we highly suggest that Massasoit students make an appointment in advance.
Students with an essay draft that is at least 10 pages long at the time of the appointment may schedule an appointment for 1 hour. In order to make this appointment, you will need to visit the Writing Center Coordinator in office SC165A.
How do I make an appointment?
You can make an appointment online through Navigate. You can also make an appointment in person at the Brockton ARC reception desk, or by calling 508-588-9100 x1801.
How many appointments can I make?
Currently enrolled Massasoit students can make 3 appointments per week at the Writing Center, per class. For example, if you’re enrolled in a sociology class and English class, you can schedule up to 3 appointments for your sociology essay and 3 assignment for your English assignment in a single week.
Can we make a group appointment?
Writing Center tutors can work with a group of students at the same time. However, group appointments are best if you are working on a group assignment, or working on assignment analysis and planning, or a specific writing question. If students have their own individual essays, they will need to make individual appointments.
If you would like to reserve the Writing Center group room to collaborate with your classmates on a project, you can schedule an appointment through the Brockton ARC reception desk.
What happens if I miss an appointment?
Appointments are considered missed if a student is more than 10 minutes late for their appointment, or if they do not show up for an appointment. If you miss two appointments in a row, you will not be able to schedule an appointment without speaking to the Writing Center Coordinator.
How do I cancel an appointment?
Appointments can be cancelled through Navigate, or by calling 508-588-9100 x1801.
Will you proofread my paper?
Proofreading is the final stage of the revision process. Proofreading focuses on finding errors in your paper like misspellings and mistakes in your punctuation, and is usually the very last thing you do before turning your paper in to your professor. The Writing Center is happy to provide tips and strategies to help you learn to revise and proofread your writing. Since our goal is to help writers produce better writing, we can’t do your writing or polishing for you. We are not a proofreading service because we want to make sure that you thoroughly understand why every change is made to your paper.
Can you help me with my grammar?
Of course! While we are not a proofreading service, we’re happy to help students with questions about grammar. Since our appointments are limited to 30 minutes and English grammar is a very broad concept, we recommend that students come prepared with specific grammar questions and examples of their own writing where they’ve made those specific mistakes. Once a writing consultation begins, tutors may point out other areas of the assignment that may need attention during the revision process.