Writing Center

MISSION

The mission of the Writing Assistance Center is to help students become more confident and effective communicators. Working with students one-on-one, we provide coaching and tutoring, promote professionalism, and encourage students to see the connection between effective written communication skills and career enhancement. We are not, however, an editing service. Instead, we teach students how to recognize problems with organization, development, syntax, grammar, and mechanics and to edit their own work more accurately and efficiently.

ASSISTANCE OFFERED

The Writing Assistance Center is a place where students of all disciplines and writing abilities can come to discuss their business-related writing with a trained writing consultant. Our services are free to all students in the School of Business and Economics.

The Writing Assistance Center consultants work with students as they think about and critique their own writing. In some instances, the consultant may need to help students generate ideas or may offer other strategies for getting started. Other students may need help applying principles of organization based upon the assignment’s purpose and audience. The consultant may also suggest where and how ideas in a draft need more development. Some students may need help with professional outline, email, letter, memorandum, or report formats. Finally, the Writing Assistance Center consultants can tutor students on grammar, mechanics, and sentence construction.

OTHER RESOURCES

In addition to the one-on-one sessions, students may visit the Writing Assistance Center for sample resumes and letters of application or for sample business correspondence. We also have helpful reference materials: dictionaries of contemporary usage; APA, MLA, and Chicago style manuals; the Gregg Reference Manual; and grammar handbooks and workbooks.

LOCATION AND HOURS

The Writing Assistance Center is housed in the Department of Business Education. Hours vary every semester to accommodate changes in class schedules. Faculty consultants volunteer their time throughout academic year. A schedule is posted at the beginning of each semester. Check with the Department Office in 324 Merrick or (336) 334-7657 for specific hours and consultant offices.

APPOINTMENTS

No appointment is usually necessary; students can stop by at any of the posted times. However, during busy times of the semester (such as midterms and the end of the semester), appointments are strongly advised. If a student needs to cancel a scheduled appointment, we ask that he or she call at least one hour before the scheduled time.

ASSIGNMENTS

Students visiting the Writing Assistance Center should bring a copy of the assignment, including any special instructions on format, organization, or documentation provided by the faculty member.

NOTIFYING FACULTY

When a student visits the Writing Assistance Center, the consultant will complete a short form indicating the date, the student’s name, the course in which the student is enrolled, and the topics discussed or the problems addressed during the session. That information is then emailed to the course’s faculty member so he or she will know which students visited the Center for help with a particular assignment.

CONSULTANTS

Faculty who teach BUED 360, Business Communication, serve as the primary consultants for the Center. However, other faculty in the School of Business and Economics also volunteer their time to assist students. Check the semester schedule for faculty consultants, office locations, and hours.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Department of Business Education, 324 Merrick Hall

School of Business & Economics | North Carolina A&T State University

1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411 | (336) 334-7657 | bueddept@ncat.edu