Welcome

The MSU Writing Center will open for limited tutoring for the summer semester on

Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

IMPORTANT:

This summer, we are not using WC Online for appointments.

Instead, we are offering ONLY face-to-face tutoring (drop-in) and etutoring (asynchronous).  Synchronous tutoring (online) is NOT available for summer. 

Here is our schedule:

Face-to-face Tutoring (drop-in only):

The Center will be open for drop-in face-to-face tutoring on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00.

You do not need an appointment; just come to the Center on the lower level of the Library. Be aware that we only have one tutor on staff for the summer, so if someone else is ahead of you, you will need to wait or come back at another time.

Etutoring (asynchronous, via email):

To submit a paper for etutoring, please email your paper to writing@minotstateu.edu as a Word file attachment.

In your email, please include:

The course number and title

The instructor's name

A brief description of the assignment

When the assignment is due (Specific date, please, and allow plenty of turn around time)

What you want to work on (be specific, please).

The tutor will comment on your paper and send it back to you via email, so be sure you check your email.

Please allow 48-72 hours for the tutor's comments to be sent to you.

Questions? Contact Dr. Patti Kurtz, Writing Center Director at patti.kurtz@ndus.edu

 

 

 

 

 

So you have a writing assignment…now what?

Writing can be hard. We’re here to help you become a successful writer. 

At the Minot State Writing Center, you will work with our student tutors who are eager and ready to offer feedback on your writing in any subject, at any stage of the writing process. 

Tutoring is free for all Minot State students and there is no limit on the number of appointments you make. We encourage you to bring your paper or assignment to us several times while you work on it, rather than coming in at the very end of the process. This allows our tutors to offer in-depth feedback and help. 

How to Make an Appointment:

For summer 2024, we are only offering in person tutoring (drop in) and etutoring (asynchronous).

Location:

You can find the Minot State Writing Center in the Academic Support Center on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library. Simply follow the signs or ask the administrative assistant for directions. 

How to contact us:

Phone: (701) 858-3060

Email: writing@MinotStateU.edu

Director: Patti J. Kurtz, Associate Professor, English

308 Hartnett Hall

(701) 858-3073 

patti.kurtz@ndus.edu

What we believe about writing:

At the Minot State Writing Center, we believe everyone is a writer and can express their ideas through writing. We also believe that the best way to improve your writing is through helpful and constructive feedback from engaged, nonjudgmental readers. Our tutors strive to be those readers. 

As writers ourselves, we offer a place where you can safely try out new ideas, learn new writing skills, practice revising strategies, and gain confidence in your writing. 

Our primary goal is to help you become a stronger, independent writer by offering you strategies and tools you can use for future papers. We focus on you, the writer, rather than the individual assignment. 

We believe writing is a process of discovering what we really want to say, a creative, non-linear process whose steps often blur together. All writers approach this process in different ways on their way to a polished final draft. 

Because writing is a "messy" process, we believe that feedback throughout the writing process is most helpful. The Writing Center should not be the last stop for your paper, but rather, several stops along the way to a finished paper. 

We believe content comes before format in all forms of writing, though we know that the end product will be strong in both areas. Thus, we work from the following hierarchy of concerns:

  1. Thesis and focus
  2. Audience awareness
  3. Depth of ideas
  4. Organization and flow
  5. Support for ideas in the form of examples, research, etc. 
  6. Style: appropriate voice, word choice, etc.
  7. Mechanics, grammar, and format (documentation style)

 

Questions?

writing@minotstateu.edu
1-701-858-3060
1-800-777-0750 ext. 3060

» Meet this year's tutors.
» Faculty, find out what our tutors can do for you!

The Writing Center has a new No Show policy:
If you miss three appointments in a semester, your account will be disabled and you will no longer be able to make appointments.

This is important, because a no show in effect steals a session from someone else. If you need to cancel, please do so 24 hours before your appointment. It's only common courtesy to both the tutor and your fellow students.

To make an appointment, go to WC Online.

Below is a short video explaining how to make an appointment and what kinds of online appointments we offer.

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Watch this quick take from The Lookout podcast to learn more about the Minot State Writing Center.