AUC Writing Centre
Book an appointment
The Writing Centre is staffed by AUC’s highly skilled academic writing team, who also teach the Academic Writing Skills and Advanced Research Writing courses. Please note that the Writing Centre has been established to help you further improve your writing. This means that it is not an editing service: you cannot make an appointment and ask the instructor to proofread your work.
Appointments
- You can book a 30-minute appointment in advance through our online scheduling system (‘Book an Appointment’). You can make an appointment seven days in advance and have to do so at least 24 hours in advance. If you're unable to attend a booked appointment, you must cancel it, using the online scheduling system, at least two hours in advance.
- When you book an appointment online, you are asked to provide a brief description of your question/problem.
- You have to bring your text – preferably a printout, but otherwise on your laptop – to the Writing Centre. You do not have to send the draft in advance; you only need to bring it to the meeting.
- After the appointment, you have to write a brief reflection in which you describe what you focused on and what you learned. If your teacher referred you to the writing centre, he/she will also receive this reflection.
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What we can do for students
You can make a 30-minute individual appointment or stop by for a 20-minute drop-in session to discuss issues such as the following:
- Getting started, organising ideas, improving style
- Improving the overall structure of the essay/paper, coherence, development of the argument
- Using particular referencing styles (APA, MLA, CSE, Numbered References)
- Gaining insight into the conventions and style of different types of writing, such as essays, research papers, abstracts, research proposals, but also CVs, cover letters and application essays
- Strategies for overcoming writer’s block
- Becoming a more effective editor of your own writing
- Making an analysis of recurring grammatical errors and referring you to self-study tools
- Capstone students can also make appointments at the Writing Centre
- ESL support: the Writing Centre also provides specific support to students who write in English as a Second Language (ESL). The instructor can work with you on grammar, punctuation and vocabulary (vocabulary expansion and word use).
Please note that the Writing Centre has been established to help you further improve your writing. This means that it is not an editing service: you cannot make an appointment and ask the instructor to proofread your work.
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What we can do for teachers
- Teachers can also refer students to the Writing Centre. They can, for instance, do this when they see that the student’s writing needs work, but do not have the time to provide detailed feedback or when they do not know exactly what could be improved about the writing.
- If a teacher refers a student to the Writing Centre, the teacher will receive a copy of the reflection that the student has to write after the appointment, so that he/she knows what the student worked on in the appointment.
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Writing Centre workshops
The Writing Centre offers workshops on a variety of communication-related topics throughout the semester. Developed and presented by our writing specialists, they are designed to help students engage with a particular topic through participation and practice. Check the AUC newsletter, LCD screens and Canvas for an overview of the workshops and information on how to register for the workshops.
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AUC’s Writing Centre instructors
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Lotte Tavecchio/Daniel Kontowski – coordinators
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Melanie Eijberts
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Ydwine Zanstra
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