Our Mission

The Writing Lab at Eastern Oregon University is dedicated to providing a supportive environment where student writers work closely with qualified writing tutors to strengthen writing and reading skills in order to become better learners, communicators, and thinkers. Our practice is informed by research which shows that good writers rarely work in isolation, but instead need responses to works-in-progress. Writers learn to write better by writing, talking, and getting feedback on their writing, and then rewriting and rewriting. Our peer writing tutors are trained to create provocative student-centered conversations about writing, to help writers analyze their own writing processes, and to guide writers at all stages of the writing process. The central mission of The Writing Lab is to help writers learn to help themselves as they draft and revise their writing. Our goal is not to just make better papers, but more important, to make better writers.

Whom We Serve

The On-campus Writing Lab is available to EOU students from every discipline, and from every class level  At present, the On-line Writing Lab is available for Distance Education (DDE) students only.  Our services are free to all students. The Writing Lab also serves faculty by providing workshops, resources for teaching writing across the disciplines, and  guides for creating effective writing assignments.  See our Resources for Teachers page.

Who We Are

The Writing Lab is staffed by EOU students (peer tutors) who are currently enrolled in or have taken Writing 220, Methods of Tutoring, a course designed to teach writing and learning theory, and to teach tutors how to respond to studentsâ papers with a variety of effective tools, which students then learn to use themselves.  Writing tutors come from all major disciplines and are selected on the basis of their writing and interpersonal skills.

What We Do

Writing tutors can help writers learn how to:

¬      develop ways of coping with writing anxiety or writing blocks

¬      learn how to manage their writing time more effectively

¬     choose or clarify an assignment, and to understand the purpose, audience, and occasion of a piece of writing

¬      brainstorm or plan a response to an assignment

¬      understand the different conventions and expectations of different academic disciplines

¬      understand the different conventions and expectations of different kinds of writing:  personal essay, academic essay, research papers, creative non-fiction, literary analysis,  and creative writing.

¬      focus, develop, clarify, refine and organize ideas, helping them to pay attention to, analyze, and improve their writing process to create effective writing

¬      discover spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, and style error patterns, and learn how to correct their own errors

¬      find and use available writing resources such as handbooks and on-line resources

¬      develop the organizational and time-management skills needed to complete essays, or projects involving extensive research or other forms of investigation

¬      discuss appropriate methods of summarizing, paraphrasing, and documenting outside reading and research

What We Don't Do

Writing tutors cannot write, proofread, or correct papers for writers.  To do so would be a violation of scholarly ethics.  The Writing Lab is not a fix-it shop or an editing service.  One session with a tutor, which is generally 30 minutes long (45 minutes for on-line tutoring), is only a small part of what should be a  writerâs much longer process.  Writers, not tutors, own their own writing, and are responsible for improving their drafts.

Where We're Located

The Writing Lab is located on the second floor of Loso Hall in the Learning Resource Center.  The Writing Lab Directorâs office is Loso 234C.  The Online Writing Lab tutor staff is for Distance Education (DDE) students only.  See Submit a Draft On-line.

When We're Open

Because tutors are students, the Writing Lab closes for all student holidays outlined in the annual schedule. The on-campus Writing Lab offers Drop-In Evening Hours on Sundays and Thursdays- Thursdays 7-11 p.m. and on Mondays 8-10 p.m.. During the daytime, students schedule specific times for half-hour sessions 24 hours ahead of time by writing their name on the Tutor Schedule Board in the Learning Resource Center/Writing Lab in Loso 234.

The Online Writing Lab accepts drafts Monday through Thursday noon. Any draft submitted after noon on Thursday will be considered a Monday morning submission.

How to Reach Us

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Short at 962-3663, <kshort@eou.edu> or The Writing Lab Director Susan Whitelock at 962-3853, <swhitelo@eou.edu>.  To schedule a session with an on-campus tutor, see Schedule an On-Campus Writing Tutor Session.  To submit a draft on-line (for Distance Education (DDE) students only), see Submit a Draft On-line.