Dorothy Sizemore Smith Computer-Assisted Writing Center

Dorothy Sizemore Smith 1914-1990 Writing Center hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 301-860-3676 Location: MLK room 251 Dr. Isaiah Ayafor, Coordinator Prof. Stephanie D. Johnson, Assistant Coordinator

Mission

Writing Excellence

Vision

Becoming a premier 21st century writing center while incorporating culturally appropriate teaching and learning strategies to facilitate writing excellence across the curriculum and in the community at large.

Description of the Writing Center

The Dorothy Sizemore Smith Computer-Assisted Writing Center is an instructional facility designed to assist students, primarily those who are enrolled in writing courses, but also Bowie State University students in general, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Writing Center instructors address the writing concerns of students, respond to the papers of students, and direct students to the appropriate Writing Center resources. The instructors also work with English faculty to provide lab orientation for their courses, worksheets for their students, and feedback on student progress.

Writing Center Responsibilities

THE WRITING CENTER STAFF WILL:

• Help students understand English assignments, as well as other papers
• Diagnose writing problems
• Provide worksheets and computer activities
• Help students access online writing help
• Give MLA and APA workshops
• Give workshops on the English Proficiency Exam (EPE) at the beginning of each semester (as well as individual workshops)

THE WRITING CENTER STAFF WILL NOT:

• Write, proofread, or edit papers
• Re-grade, comment on, or guarantee a grade
• Give personal tutorials on word processing
• Read papers/comment on papers that have not already been submitted for grading
• Allow excessive Internet access
• Answer writing questions by phone or fax
• Allow individual students to print multiple copies or more than 10 pages per day

GENERAL WRITING CONSULTATION PROCEDURES:

• Submit your paper to your instructor for review/grading
• Submit your paper to Writing Center staff
• Schedule an appointment for consultation

All writing samples must be submitted 24 hours prior to scheduled appointment.

It is extremely important that you come to your appointments on time so you will have time for a thorough consultation. Also, we may have an appointment following yours and we will not keep others waiting. Please call the center if you will be late or need to reschedule.

Writing Center Resources

The Writing Center has 30 computer stations equipped with:

Word
Excel
Explorer
Publisher
PowerPoint

Also available to students are:

• Writing and grammar tutorials
• Access to online computer labs
• Access to writing and grammar software

Please do not wait until the last minute to do your assignments. Remember that a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on the parts of others. Always plan ahead.

Special Scheduling

Occasionally, the Writing Center will close for orientation sessions, English classes, or other special circumstances. Signs will be posted to announce these occasions. At these times, students are encouraged to use other computer labs on campus.

Going Green!

To conserve paper, we request that students DO NOT:

• Print from the Internet
• Print PowerPoint presentations
• Print multiple copies of the same document
• Print more than 10 pages per day