The Writing and Media Center (WMC) provides individual help for any Iowa State University student on any kind of communication project during any phase of the composing process. Time constraints allow for attention to only one issue at any single appointment (e.g., brainstorming a topic, organizing, or editing), which means that some students may need more than one session to achieve their revision goals.
Referring Students to the WMC
When you refer students to the Writing and Media Center, urge them to bring to the first appointment a project they are working on or one recently returned to them, their assignment sheet, and their grading rubric. Though walk-in appointments are possible, because the WMC works with a limited number of tutors, students should make an appointment by visiting wmc.dso.iastate.edu or stop by several days in advance to make appointments. During the second half of the term, students may find it increasingly difficult to get last-minute help, so encourage them to visit the Writing and Media Center early in the term.
When students sign up for an appointment, they have the option of including their professor’s email address. This is an easy way for your student to let you know that they came to an appointment. Within 48 hours after the session, the WMC consultant will write a note describing what they did, and this note will be automatically emailed to you (if the student includes your email address). The student will also have access to this note. Encourage any of your students who visit the WMC to work on an assignment from your class, whether referred or not, to include your email address.
What the WMC Cannot Do
Please know that the WMC is not equipped to handle a class assignment in which the entire class is required to visit the WMC for points or credit. The WMC is for individual students making appointments for assistance on a specific assignment or writing issue. While it is fine for you to suggest a WMC appointment for individual students in your classes who need additional specific work beyond what you are able to provide as their instructor during office hours, it is not the intended use of the WMC that entire classes be required to go.
A student lacking motivation will not do well in the Writing and Media Center. The staff cannot pressure students to come to appointments, and students with full schedules or with little interest in writing will simply not continue. Working in the WMC does not assure that students with serious communication problems will meet the standards. Problems with second language interference, dialect, learning disabilities, or generally weak skills require more than a semester to correct, and some are not remedial. Instructors sending students with serious communication issues should keep in touch with the Director of the WMC to work out realistic goals and to monitor whether the student is visiting the WMC.