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Preparing for Your Session
What can I expect when I visit the Academic Support Lab (ASL)?
Expect to participate actively in your session. Consultations at the ASL are interactive and lead you in doing the work yourself. Be prepared to take notes, construct outlines, revise paragraphs, try new sentence patterns, debate your ideas, or just think out loud. The staff is familiar with many approaches to writing and many resources that enhance learning.
Does the ASL provide editing or proofreading services?
The ASL staff will not write, proofread, correct, or edit your paper for you. Instead, the staff will review your assignment and paper with you to discover any problems you might be having, and then teach you how to address those problems yourself. The ASL is here to help you develop your skills so you can tackle the content and assignments you have problems with more effectively.
When should I seek help at the ASL?
Don't wait until you are overwhelmed by an assignment. Make appointments early and often. We can help with assignments at any stage in the process: from planning to drafting to revising. You will learn the most if you make your first appointment during the first week or two of classes and continue to schedule sessions throughout the term.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Bring all necessary course materials, your calendar for scheduling new appointments, and your laptop if you wish. You should also bring any work you've done on the assignment so far.
- Come prepared with thoughts about comments and suggestions that have been made on other papers that you've written. You can significantly cut down your writing and revising workload and can use your session time more efficiently by getting a handle on your instructor's comments.
- Come prepared with thoughts about the assignment or a list of some of the characteristics that your paper should have in order to meet the goals of the assignment.
- Come prepared with an outline of what you've written so far. Outlining is a good way of rethinking the overall organization of your paper.
- Come prepared with marked sections of your draft that you're unsure of and would like to concentrate on. Write down your questions. If you can pinpoint specific sections or sentences in your draft, you won't have to wait for the consultant to find them.
Remember, it's OK if you haven't actually written anything. Bring your ideas or your questions. The ASL can help you at any point in the process of writing.
How should I prepare for my appointment?
Make sure that you have read class materials before coming to your appointment. Attend class and do the readings. Peer consulting cannot substitute for classes not attended or readings not completed.
- If meeting to discuss long-term peer consulting, bring a course syllabus, assignments, texts, and class notes with you to the first session and think about what kinds of questions you have about the material or assignments.
- If meeting to discuss a specific assignment, bring the assignment and all other relevant materials—including your text, your class notes and any pre-writing—to your appointment.
You should also set goals for the session. Tell the consultant exactly what your needs are at the beginning of a session. Think about what kind of help you really want; for example, do you have tons of ideas but no idea how to arrange them, or do you want to develop ideas that are already pretty well-organized? If you set a rough agenda of items to cover in the session, then you can be sure to get the most out of your time in the ASL.
What can I do if I am not satisfied with the ASL services?
Expect that the ASL's staff will be available during published drop-in hours and for scheduled appointments, arrive on time, and conduct sessions professionally. Be open and honest with us when we are not meeting your needs. If you are dissatisfied for any reason with your session, or if you have any concerns about the quality of the consultation, then please fill out a blue Student Feedback form or speak with Brandy Parris, coordinator of the Academic Support Lab, at any time.
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