How do I know that the Writing Center’s evaluation of a student’s paper won’t contradict mine?
You don’t know that, and neither do we. That’s why Writing Center consultants are trained to avoid evaluating papers. We try to encourage writers by taking an interest in their work and by responding enthusiastically to their ideas and their effort. But we also react honestly as readers – pointing out problems, raising questions, encouraging writers to examine their options. It’s a fine line – trying to be supportive while at the same time helping students to look critically at their own writing. When they ask us (as they often do) to evaluate their writing, we try instead to get them to identify its strengths and weaknesses in relation to their intentions or to the criteria given them as part of the assignment. And we always tell students that we are not in a position to anticipate or explain their instructor’s response to a paper. Our mantra in the Writing Center is that students are responsible for the papers they turn in, and their instructors are responsible for evaluating them.
Related Questions
- Do I have to submit a writing paper to the portfolio if I am a non-degree seeking student taking a designated portfolio course?
- How do I know that the Writing Center’s evaluation of a student’s paper won’t contradict mine?
- How finished does a student’s paper have to be to get help from the Writing Center?
