Get Help
The Writing Center is a free resource available to all University of Idaho students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Writers can schedule up to one hour of writing tutoring per day and three appointments per week. If you have special circumstances that require additional time, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Through face-to-face, online, and eTutoring appointments, tutors assist with all types of writing and at any stage of the writing process. Whether you have a full draft or are just getting started, working with a writing tutor helps demystify the writing process, combat procrastination, clarify ideas, and build confidence in your work.
For graduate students working on longer projects, such as proposals, theses, and dissertations, the Writing Center's graduate writing consultant offers one-hour consultations either in-person or online.
On campus, writers work with tutors in 30- or 60-minute sessions. Sessions can focus on:
- Understanding an assignment sheet
- Developing ideas
- Planning an essay
- Revising work through the process of reading a draft together, or
- Addressing other writing concerns.
Writers should come to appointments with the assignment sheet or prompt if there is one, any notes or drafts toward the project, and a readiness to work with the tutor. Tutors strive to make sure writers’ questions are answered and leave with a plan for continuing their work. Writers are also invited to make follow-up appointments, either with the same tutor or someone new.
Online tutoring is much like the face-to-face tutoring session on campus. Tutors and writers meet online using audio-visual, instant messaging, and document sharing tools so that they can look at and discuss assignments, engage in brainstorming activities, read and talk about drafts, and more. When making and accessing an online tutoring appointment, it is important to know the following:
- Schedule online appointments only with tutors who have “Online” beneath their names.
- Upload the assignment sheets or prompts to the appointment form.
- When accessing the appointment, log in to the calendar, click the scheduled appointment slot, and then click “Start or Join Online Consultation.”
- If possible, begin the log in process a few minutes before the scheduled appointment time. If you think you will be a few minutes late, please let your tutor know by emailing writingcenter@uidaho.edu or calling at 208-885-6644.
eTutoring lets writers submit drafts for written feedback from the tutor. Writers do not need to be present during eTutoring sessions. Instead, the appointment designates the time the tutor will spend reading and responding to a draft, and the tutor emails their feedback at the end of the appointment session. This is a useful option when writers have a draft but cannot be present for a face-to-face or online tutoring session. When making eTutoring appointments, it is important to know the following:
- Schedule eTutoring appointments only with tutors who have “eTutoring” beneath their names.
- Submit no more than 8 double-spaced pages (or 2,000 words) per appointment.
- Schedule the appointment for 60 minutes.
- Upload your draft to the appointment form before the appointment begins. For help uploading your work, email writingcenter@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6644.
In addition to conferencing with peer tutors, graduate students can receive assistance from the Writing Center's graduate writing consultant, whose office is located in ISUB 326. The graduate writing consultant works exclusively with graduate students to provide in-depth and ongoing feedback for larger projects such as proposals, theses, and dissertations. Conferences are available in-person and online, so students can access writing support whether they are on the Moscow campus or studying from a distance.
Students can make appointments with the graduate writing consultant using the Writing Center's online calendar and selecting the calendar for Graduate Writing Support. For questions, email Isabel Marlens (imarlens@uidaho.edu).