The Academic Writing Center connects students with trained peer tutors who specialize in writing skills. Writing tutors provide assistance on papers in the English language for most undergraduate courses. Topics writing coaches can collaborate with you on include content, paper organization, grammar rules, formulating ideas for topics, and more.
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Writing Coaches can assist with the following:
- Essays written for class, including graduate/professional classes
- Articles for conferences, or publications
- Honors Thesis, Master's Thesis, Dissertations, or other comparable papers.
- Grant applications
- Graduate school application essays
- Personal statements
We do not assist with creative writing or other non-academic writing, language translations, English Language Learning for speaking, data analysis, public speaking, or multi-media presentations.
Download the Penji app and sign in with your Tulane credentials. See our Penji Help page for detailed instructions.
Appointments can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and must be requested at least 48 hours in advance. The appointment is not confirmed until it is accepted by the writing coach. You will be notified by email when the coach accepts the appointment.
Appointments must be cancelled at least 24 hours in advance, or a $25 no-show fee will be charged.
Appointments are for 60 minutes, and can be in-person, virtual over Zoom, or asynchronous. Back-to-back appointments are not allowed. Students are limited to 120 minutes of coaching per week.
The ALTC is closed for all University Holidays. In the event of a university closure, all appointments will be automatically cancelled. We will work to reschedule appointments once the university reopens.
Select “Asynchronous” when prompted on the app. and select a date and time that you will get your paper back from the writing coach.
Once the writing coach accepts the appointment, submit your paper, prompt, rubric, and any other relevant materials through the chat function in the appointment notice.
The date and time that you select is when you will receive your coach’s feedback. Your Coach needs at least 48 hours to analyze your paper and may contact you to schedule additional time if your paper is long or needs extensive notes.
Your writing coach will not make any changes to your paper. They will give you notes, either through comments on a Google or Word document, or in a separate feedback form. You must write your own paper. Leave enough time before the submission deadline to edit your paper.
If your paper requires more than an hour to analyze, your coach may request that you make a second appointment, or they may make the appointment for you. This helps us accurately track the writing coach’s hours.
To get the most out of your session and maximize your time with the writing coach, please indicate what stage of the writing process you are in, and what you would like help with. Once the appointment is confirmed, please upload your draft, prompt, rubric, or any other relevant materials for the writing coach to prepare for your session.
The writing coach will not write your paper for you. They will help you think through your draft, ask questions to clarify your logic and argument and point out areas where you might improve your paper. Leave time to edit your work before your submission deadline. (See the Tulane Code of Academic Conduct here)
Writing coaches do not proofread. They may direct you to resources to assist you with spelling, grammar, and word choice, and point out areas where there are problems, but their primary focus will be on elevating your writing skills and improving the organization, clarity, and persuasiveness of your writing. Be engaged and responsive during the session. Learning is an active process that involves focus, practice, and purpose.
We encourage students to reschedule appointments rather than cancel them. If you choose to cancel your appointment, it must be canceled than 24 hours in advance, or you will be charged a $25 no-show fee. The writing coach cannot waive the no-show fee.
Rescheduling is not allowed less than 24 hours in advance of the appointment.
3 no-shows within a 60-day period will result in a loss of Writing Center privileges for the duration of the semester.
Writing coaches rarely cancel appointments, but if it is necessary, they will attempt to reschedule or schedule you with another coach.
If inclement weather, internet, or power outages disrupt your session, your coach will attempt to reschedule as quickly as possible.
If you are diagnosed with COVID, or other infectious disease, please contact your coach immediately to reschedule or move your appointment on-line.
