Writing Center Services and Policies

The Writing Center offers free face-to-face and online services to all CMU students enrolled in any undergraduate or graduate course and for CMU faculty and staff.  Writing Center peer consultants can provide feedback on writing projects of any kind, at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to final editing.

All appointments begin on the hour and are scheduled through our booking software WCONLINE. We recommend scheduling an appointment in advance, especially at busy times in the semester, but we do take drop-in appointments if a consultant is available at that time. Appointment can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance.

In the event of a university delay or closure, all appointments scheduled to take place during the delay or closure will be canceled and will not take place.

Face-to-face services

Face-to-face sessions are available by appointment in Park Library 360. Appointments are 50 minutes and can be made by calling the Writing Center, booking an appointment through WCONLINE, or by dropping in to check for availability. This service works well for brainstorming and developing ideas, integrating sources, and talking through writing challenges. Don't forget to bring any helpful materials to your session, such as assignment guidelines. Computers and printers are available for those with appointments.

Guidelines and policies

• You can schedule a total of two appointments of any type a week, and you can schedule an appointment up to two weeks in advance. Missed appointments count toward the maximum of two appointments a week that can be booked.
• Please call to cancel if you are unable to attend or may be late in arriving. Ten-minute grace period before you are marked missed and the appointment is given away; writing a note in the appointment form indicating you will be more than ten minutes late will not extend the time an appointment is held before being marked missed. After three missed appointments, the account is deactivated for two weeks.

Park Library 360

Located on the third floor (south) of the Park Library
Phone: 989-774-2986

Online services

Asynchronous draft review

50-minute asynchronous review of your draft. Appointments for these sessions are made through our WCONLINE website or by calling the Writing Center if you have registered your account with WCONLINE. The draft for review must be uploaded at least 1 minute before the appointment time. You will not meet with a consultant during this time; a consultant will review your draft, provide written comments using Microsoft Word insert comments, upload the commented draft to your appointment in WCONLINE, and email the commented draft to your CMU email. This service works well if you have a nearly complete draft and have questions about specific areas such as citation style, organization, and development or if you are looking for final editing and polishing tips.

Guidelines and policies

• You can schedule a total of two appointments of any type a week and you can schedule an appointment up to two weeks in advance.
• Drafts are returned by the end of the day. They are attached to the appointment as well as emailed to your CMU email.
• 50-minute session per submission. A 50-minute review generally covers 8 to 10 double-spaced pages, depending on selected focuses and draft content. If you have a longer paper, we recommend booking two appointments back-to-back with the same consultant and indicating the consultant should pick up where they left off the previous hour.
• Consultants are not available to work with writers via email or over the phone. All appointments must take place through WCONLINE.
• Before resubmitting papers, make applicable revisions to the draft and indicate where consultants should resume the review.
• Delete all comments before submitting.
• File attachments must be 5 MB or less and attached to the appointment in one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, .ppt, or .pptx. Links to outside sources and drafts emailed to the Writing Center are not accepted.
• An attachment is not required to book the appointment; however, the draft must be attached to the appointment at least 1 minute before the appointment begins. After that, the appointment is locked and can no longer be edited. The appointment will be marked missed if no draft is attached. After three missed appointments, the account is deactivated for two weeks.
• Please note: Consultants go through a semester of training to work at the Writing Center, and consultants are not available for asynchronous draft review appointments until they are fully trained. If asynchronous draft review is not an option in the appointment form, the consultant is not available for asynchronous draft reviews. The appointment type selected in the form is the type of appointment the consultant will hold; it is not possible to change face-to-face or video conference appointments to an asynchronous draft review by writing that in the appointment form.

How to book an appointment and submit your draft

• Log into WCONLINE, and select a day/time with a consultant available for asynchronous draft review.
• Fill out the form completely, attach your document by clicking on the "Choose File" button, and then click "Create Appointment." NOTE: You must schedule an appointment for each submission. If an appointment has multiple attachments, the consultant will comment on the most recently uploaded draft.
• The system will not notify you if the appointment has no attachment. After attaching your draft and creating the appointment or saving the changes, we recommend refreshing the page, clicking on the appointment again, and verifying the attachment is there.
• Drafts are returned as a Word document through WCONLINE and through your CMU email. You will receive a notification via email that the draft has been uploaded. Comments appear in the right margin.

Online one-to-one video conference via WCONLINE

50-minute online appointment in WCONLINE with a Writing Center consultant. In online video conferences, a consultant meets with you to discuss the draft; they do not provide written feedback on the draft. These sessions are like face-to-face sessions and work well when coming to our physical locations is difficult.

Guidelines and policies 

• You can schedule a total of two appointments of any type a week, and you can schedule an appointment up to two weeks in advance.
  
• Ten-minute grace period before appointment is marked missed; writing a note in the appointment form indicating you will be more than ten minutes late will not extend the time an appointment is held before being marked missed. After three missed appointments, the account is deactivated for two weeks.
• Consultants are not available to work with writers over the phone, via email, or via other platforms (such as Zoom, Webex, Teams, etc.). All appointments must take place through WCONLINE.

How to book and attend your appointment

• Log into WCONLINE, and select a day/time with a consultant.
  
• Fill out the form completely. You may choose to attach a draft, but it is not required. 
  
• Log back in about 5 minutes before your session to join and meet with a consultant to discuss your draft.
  

Writer behavior policies

• The CMU Writing Center reserves the right to terminate sessions wherein students behave in a manner at odds with the CMU Code of Student Conduct or that infringe upon what is detailed in the Code of Student Rights. CMU Writing Center consultants are students themselves and thus should not be subject to harassment, abuse, and/or bullying. In instances where a consultant feels unsafe, the session will be terminated, and the Directors will consult with the Office of Student Conduct to address the issue.
• We ask writers to respect our consultants' privacy and personal time by not contacting them directly. All communication must go through the Writing Center email or must take place over the Writing Center phone.  Any writing-related questions must be addressed in an appointment with a consultant while they are on shift and working for the Writing Center. Consultants are directed forward emails from writers to the Director and to block any writer who contacts them personally.
• All appointments must focus on the writer’s own work. Sessions may be terminated if the work submitted is not the writer’s own work, or if someone other than the writer attends the session in place of the writer. Please see CMU’s Academic Integrity policy for more information.

CMU Writing Center statement and policies on Language Learning Models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence

Language Learning Models (LLMs) and artificial Intelligence (AI) have increasingly become a concern in writing in various private and public spheres, including the university and workplace. While we acknowledge the potential and possibilities for AI tools for the writing process, we firmly assert that LLMs and AI are no replacement for human originality, critical thinking, or creativity. 

The pervasiveness of these tools has changed what it means to write, read, and respond in the university. Thus, the CMU Writing Center’s practices will be guided by the policies and principles articulated here. We thank Rebecca Hallman Martini and the Jill and Marvin Willis Center for Writing for providing us with language and guidance with which to address these important issues.

We do not directly address the use of LLMs/AI unless writers initiate the discussion. Consultants will not introduce the topic of AI in sessions. Although writing center consultants may suspect that language in a writer’s work could be the product of AI, they will not accuse a student of doing so. If a writer introduces the topic of AI, we will encourage the writer to abide by the policies and expectations of the course and/or rhetorical situation to which they are writing. Ethical concerns and academic integrity should always be the first consideration in the use of AI.

Writing Center consultants will not generate feedback using LLMs/AI. Violation of this policy may result in termination of employment. CMU’s community of writers can submit their work knowing that it will be read and responded to by a human being. Writers make appointments with us to receive feedback from highly trained human beings. The limited research available on AI feedback indicates that it is inferior to that of an interested human reader. LLMs require uploading a person’s writing to be analyzed and monetized by private companies. Doing so without consent is thus a gross ethical violation and at odds with CMU’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Writing Center consultants may discuss AI and LLMs and their ethical uses if writers introduce the topic. However, these discussions will occur within the parameters of course policy (to the best of our knowledge) and with writers’ complete transparency about their use. The CMU Writing Center is not responsible for writers’ unethical uses of LLMs and AI.

Consent to Participate in Writing Center Research Project

Project Description

In your appointment form for a session, you may notice an “Opt in to Affect in Asynchronous Draft Review Writing Center Sessions Research Project” check box. If you click this box, you consent to allow us you use your completed asynchronous online session for a research project conducted by Dr. Lawson, Director of CMU’s Writing Center

As a participant, you will be asked to allow us to examine your writing in an MS Word document submitted to the writing center for an asynchronous session. We may review the contents of your essay to contextualize the written comments.

Risk is minimal, and you may have the opportunity to reflect on your writing, tutoring, and/or learning practices. The knowledge gained from this project may allow writing center practioners to better understand how affect and affective cues operate in a writing center session. Your ability to schedule and receive appointments is unaffected by declining or participating in the study.

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Lawson at x3275 or email him at lawso3d@cmich.edu.

IRB Consent Form

Introductory statement

This study seeks to examine how writing center consultants convey affect and emotion in asynchronous writing center sessions. We ask to examine the Microsoft Word document you recently either submitted to the writing center (if you are a writer) or responded to via MS Word comments (if you are a consultant)

The investigators will code each MS Word comment via the Specific Affect Coding System (SPAFF) to identify potential instances of affect. The investigators are available to answer any questions you may have about the project.

What is the purpose of this study?

In addition to informing in-house training, the P.I. intends to present and publish on the findings of this study. These publications and presentations may suggest implications for practice and future research.

What will I do in this study?

You do not need to do anything except to allow us to examine your written work in the MS Word document the investigators will examine.

How long will it take me to do this?

Once you’ve allowed us to examine your written work, you have no further obligation to the study.

Are there any risks to me for participating in the study?

This study poses no risks beyond the risks encountered in daily life.

What are the potential benefits of participating in the study?

There will be no direct benefits to you in participating in this study. However, the results may inform training for writing center consultants.

Who besides the research team will know what I will do or say in this study (confidentiality)?

Staff of Central Michigan University and government agencies who ensure the protection of human subjects in research may examine your records. In all other instances, any data under the investigator’s control will, if disclosed, be presented in a manner that does not reveal your identity, except as may be required by law.

What will happen to my data after the study?

Your information collected as part of the research, even if identifiers are removed, will not be used or distributed for future research studies.

How can I contact a member of the research team?

To talk to someone on the research team about the research or research subjects’ rights, please call Dr. Lawson at 989-774-3275.

How can I contact someone outside the research team for information about this study?

To talk to someone other than the researcher(s) about your rights as a research participant; obtain information; report a research-related injury; ask questions or discuss any concerns about this study; or you wish to offer input about this study, please contact (anonymously if you wish):

Central Michigan University Institutional Review Board

600 East Preston Street, Foust Hall 104

Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

Phone: (989) 774-6401

Email: researchconcern@cmich.edu

What happens if I refuse to participate or want to stop being in the study?

You are free to refuse to participate in this research project or to withdraw your consent and discontinue participation in the project at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. Your decision not to participate will not affect your relationship with the institution(s) involved in this research project.