I always love coming to the writing center. Everyone is always friendly and helpful and this last experience was no exception.
CSN Student
About CSN Writing Center
WHAT is it?
The CSN Writing Center is a free, drop-in space for writers to come and speak about their writing with a friendly and qualified reader. It is located on West Charleston, Cheyenne, and Henderson campuses. Writers can stop in during open hours of operation to talk about their project even before it starts and do not need an appointment.
WHO helps?
Writing Center Assistants are friendly and qualified readers that work one-on-one with any member of the CSN community who would like to discuss his or her written work. Assistants will actively engage writers in conversations about their work that help establish a personal writing and research process, draw out and express their ideas, organize their ideas, commit their ideas to writing, document sources, and revise for readability.
WHO can use it?
Writers of all kinds can visit the CSN Writing Center. Assistants are prepared to help writers from a variety of backgrounds and whose first language is not English, as well as writers who are writing about topics in multiple disciplines including Accounting, Anthropology, Art, Chemistry, Criminal Justice, English, ESL, Geology, History, Hospitality, Management, Nursing, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and Transportation Technology. Assistants will also consult with writers on projects such as resumes, cover letters, college statement letters, and scholarship essays.
What Can We Do For YOU?
During your 30-40 minute consultation, the Writing Center offers free one-on-one assistance to you in all disciplines and at any stage of the writing process. No appointment needed!
We will discuss
- The teacher's instructions and requirements
- The deadline or due date for your project
- Your writing process overall
- Brainstorming ideas for your project
- Organization and outlining ideas for your project
- Revising your project for readability
What to bring (if you have it)
- A printed copy of your teacher's instructions, including grading criteria if you have it
- A printed copy* of your writing project at any stage, including free writes, notes, research, an outline, or a partial or complete draft. * Free writes and notes can be handwritten.
- Your class syllabus and any past papers you have written for that class
Writing Centers
Charleston Campus
Location and Hours
North Las Vegas Campus
Location and Hours
Henderson Campus
Location and Hours
Reading Centers
Charleston Campus
Location and Hours
North Las Vegas Campus
Location and Hours
Henderson Campus
Location and Hours
Faculty and Staff
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few questions we have answered based on feedback to see how you can best utilize us in your teaching pedagogy. We are here to help you and your students during all stages of writing.
What can the Writing Center do for me? For my students?
Writing Assistants offer one on one opportunities for your students to collaborate with academically experienced personnel. We offer collaborative opportunities for increasing student success through committees, asking for constructive feedback, providing customized tours, and workshops for your course on request. Writing Assistants can offer feedback as well regarding overall student successes and challenges in writing. The Writing Center works to support your completion and retention efforts while maintaining the academic rigor of your courses.
Writing Assistants-Who are they?
Writing Assistants first and primary goal is to work with your students to become better writers. The Writing Center offers a free unlimited walk-in service to any CSN student enrolled in any class/discipline. Other forms of writing, such as Resumes, Newsletters, and Business letters are also covered. Assistance provided to students ranges from choosing a topic to editing a final draft.
Factors - What factors can affect the outcome of a session?
Some students come to the Writing Center several times to brainstorm topics, develop outlines, thesis statements, and revise rough drafts. Writing Assistants on average spend 20 to 30 minutes with a student, however, students may return multiple times and at different stages. Assistants may recommend students to return for another session for several reasons, such as if they believe the assignment or writing prompt was not addressed or if the work is incomplete. Other students procrastinate and visit the Center only 20 minutes before the assignment is due. Therefore, time and dedication of the students are two of many factors that influence the outcome of a student's session with a Writing Assistant. Language barriers, English comprehension, and computer assistance may also influence how much time is devoted to essay structure, rather than citation format and grammar.
Grades - Can the Writing Center improve the student's grade for an assignment?
The staff at the Writing Center does not tell a student what grade he or she could receive on a given assignment. Our Center is an academic support service, so our goal is to help students develop an effective process for writing academic assignments throughout college. Our suggestions may help a student do well on one assignment, but the purpose of our assistance is broader than just one paper.
Errors - Does the Writing Center proofread for all types of errors?
There are many factors that affect the outcome of a session between a student and a Writing Assistant. The Writing Center always addresses bigger picture concerns, such as following instructions, having a clear thesis statement, or overall essay organization as priorities. Also, the amount of time the student can commit to doing more work on the assignment can impact the number of errors that can be addressed. In addition, it is vital that the student learn to self-edit, so the Writing Assistant may instruct the student to identify and correct certain errors by him/herself.
Perfection - Does the Writing Center make the student's paper perfect?
The main objective of our services is not to ‘perfect’ the student’s assignment. The Center focuses on strategies and information that will help the student develop his/her own writing process in general and not just on one assignment. However, a student may take the initiative to visit the Writing Center more than once for a paper and when that happens, that paper can become quite polished. If you have concerns regarding the quality of your student's writing after visiting the Writing Center, please contact us.
Help! I am not teaching a composition course, but my students need help with writing their essays, research papers, or homework responses. How can the Writing Center help?
The Writing Center can consult with students who are enrolled in ANY class. The subject matter of the essay is important for deciding the tone and style of the writing, but our Writing Assistants are trained to help students write in all subjects. Some of our staff specialize in certain areas including composition, business writing, psychology, philosophy, ESL, and education. As an instructor, we can also speak with you to discuss ways your written assignments (reports, essays, etc.) can be constructed to aid in student success. You can also schedule a time for one of our full-time staff to speak directly to your class or a time to bring your students to the Writing Center for a brief tour. The Writing Center offers a CAPE workshop for faculty and advice for faculty at events including the Academic Success Poster Session in the spring, or the Adjunct Impact Conference in August.
Sometimes international students turn in papers that are difficult to read. I’m not sure that they understand my instructions and there are so many grammar errors. What should I do?
The expectation that every student – including non-native English speakers - be able to complete a well-constructed and grammatical essay in college is a customary and evident outcome of higher education. First, encourage all of your students to avail themselves of the free services at CSN including Tutorial Services, the Writing Center, and ESL Tutors in the International Languages Lab. Second, it is advisable to have students submit outlines or rough drafts of assignments, so they can receive your feedback with enough time to make changes before the due date. Finally, the National College Teachers of English (NCTE) recommends that when grading, it is important to acknowledge that non-native speakers can have the academic content knowledge, but may not be able to demonstrate that knowledge as clearly in writing due to language barriers. NCTE also advises using multiple assessments of content knowledge and recognizing that small errors (with articles or prepositions, for example) which do not obstruct meaning can be inconsequential.
How can I become involved?
- Join the Writing Center Advisory Committee and speak at our staff orientations and meetings about your discipline's requirements.
- Provide input and assist in the creation of training modules to help staff become more knowledgeable in discipline content.
- Bring us writing resources/examples specific to YOUR discipline, including assignment models, discipline conventions, standards, and department outcomes.
- Collaborate with the Writing Center to embed service into your course curriculum
- Schedule a facility tour, class visit, and/or workshop for class
Remember:
Students use an academic resource like the Writing Center or Tutorial Services most effectively if:
- It is introduced when it is needed
- It is for a specific reason
Model Students:
- Hear a positive message about WHY to use the Writing Center (i.e., receive feedback about your work, meet with an expert for ideas)
- Bring printed instructions for the assignment, including grading criteria
- Bring printed drafts/notes for the Assistant to review
- Come to the Center early in the process of writing the paper
- Know what to expect from the Writing Center
Videos for Class Presentations & Canvas
Introduce Centers for Academic Success
Introduce the CSN Writing Center
Welcome Video for Online English Courses
Check-In Video for Online Course - Week 1 Announcement
Check-In Video for Online Course - Week 8 Announcement
Check-In Video for Online Course - Week 13 Announcement
Copy and Paste Text for Syllabus or Assignments
Syllabus Statement
All students are strongly encouraged to use the free services provided by the Writing Centers, located on all three campuses. Walk-ins are encouraged, and no appointment is necessary. Trained assistants are available to help students discover topics, complete helpful prewriting tasks, learn to work with campus resources for conducting research, organize papers, develop ideas, draft papers, and revise for readability. Help is available for both MLA and APA format and documentation style. For optimal assistance, students are encouraged to bring a copy of their writing project at any stage, including free writes, notes, research, an outline, a partial or complete draft, and a printed copy of the assignment guidelines.
Checklist to Copy and Paste into Assignments
- Bring your instruction – Printed Copy
- Bring your grading rubric – Printed Copy
- Bring your class notes – However Messy
- Bring past graded essays
- Write down a few questions to ask
Sample Questions to Copy and Paste
Topic Selection
- Do you think my topic is narrow enough for a 3-4 page paper?
- Based on the due date, do you think my drafting plan is manageable?
- Do you have any recommendations on research, sources, or other services to visit to help with this project?
- What else can I come to the Writing Center for during this project?
Organizing and Saving Files
- Are there any tricks to keeping research organized?
- How do you save your research when working on a project?
- Would you recommend another CSN service for this project?
Proofreading and Editing
- Do you notice any grammar errors that I make consistently? Can you help me identify and correct them?
- Could you mark any sentences that don’t make sense to you?
- My instructor says to clear up my comma splices. What is a comma splice and how do I fix them?
Evaluating Sources
- As a reader, would you consider this a credible source?
- Does my evaluation give the reader a good sense of the source?
- I’m not sure if I cited this website correctly in APA format. Do you have a resource that shows me how to cite a website in APA?
- Are there any other CSN Services you would recommend to help me with sources?
Three Crucial Factors
The Writing Center is helpful to all students, but these three factors are crucial to getting the most out of the CSN Writing Center experience:
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Instructor Buy In
Most students first visit a Writing Center because their instructors require or recommend it. Students will visit of their own accord after the initial exposure. In Fall of 2013, 40% of the students first heard about the Writing Center because a visit was required by their instructors. Out of 9,465 visits, 60% of those students ended up visiting the center multiple times. -
Timing and Purpose
Students use a Writing Center most effectively if it is introduced when it is needed and for a specific reason. Introducing the service too early and without a clear goal or objective to gain from the visit doesn’t work. It helps to give students a sample list of questions they can ask a Writing Assistant to get more focused assistance, such as:- Do my ideas follow a logical and organized pattern?
- As a reader, would you consider this a credible source?
- I’m not sure if I cited this website correctly in APA format. Do you have a resource that shows me how to cite a website in APA?
- Are there any other CSN Services you would recommend to help me?
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Student Responsibility
Students should be encouraged to take control of their Writing Center experience by bringing helpful items like their assignment, a grading rubric, notes, and a course syllabus, and students should be encouraged to visit with a clear objective or goal to accomplish in the visit. Students get more out of their experience in a learning center if they are held accountable for the visit and their work.How can you help students more effectively utilize the CSN Writing Center?
- Present and speak about learning centers and CSN Services to all of your students as a part of academic life not as a punishment for failing. Every writer needs a reader.
- Include a use statement in syllabus and have a syllabus quiz question about service.
- Build one visit to the Writing Center into an assignment early in the semester or project.
- Inform students that the Writing Center can even help them start a project on the right track.
- Schedule a tour of facility or invite a representative to visit class right before service is needed.
- Promote student responsibility by holding the student accountable for having an objective for the visit, bringing supporting documents, and the work they produce.
Dissertation and Thesis Resources