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THE BCC Writing Lab

Room D-204D

 

PLEASE CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT: 425-564-2200

 

Purpose | What We Do | What You Do | Hours

 

The purpose of the Writing Lab is to give students at Bellevue Community College (BCC) a single place where they can go for help with any writing assignment or project, whether it's for a science class, an English class, or an art class, or for personal needs such as resumes or college application essays. In addition, we have free handout materials that students may keep as references and English handbooks for student use in the lab. Tutors are available at all times to answer quick questions as well.

Students who come to the Lab may work with tutors on a one-to-one basis. Generally, tutors help by identifying weaknesses in a student's writing and explaining how they can be overcome. Tutoring sessions typically last for twenty-five minutes, plenty of time to cover most assignments.

The Lab's staff is made up of faculty teaching assistants, teachers of record, and student and graduate tutors from BCC and various universities. Student tutors must have earned A's in all their English classes and enjoy writing. Students are assigned to work with the tutor on duty; we do not make appointments for students to work with specific tutors.

The Writing Lab also has a roomful of computers networked to a laser printer and connected to the Internet. When this room is not occupied by English classes, all students may use the computer room, either to write papers, conduct research on the Internet, or review grammar with the available skills development software. Our word processing software is Microsoft Word, and we have an online handbook and dictionary, as well as an integrated writing network program for use by classes. Tutors are available to answer questions and provide help in creating, saving, and printing documents. For revision purposes, it's a good idea to bring your own disk or to transfer your via email. The proper disk is any 3.5 inch floppy, PC (IBM)-formatted.

What We Do | What You Do | Hours


WHAT TUTORS CAN DO FOR YOU

  • Listen to your ideas for topics and ask questions to help you develop your focus, so that you can begin writing with the comfortable feeling of knowing what you want to accomplish in your paper.
  • Review your rough draft for mechanical errors in punctuation, spelling, sentence structure and so on; identify these errors; and help you learn how to correct and avoid them.
  • Review your paper to be sure that it follows the instructor's assignment, and explain why if it does not.
  • Give you feedback on the clarity of your writing and point out any parts that are confusing.
  • Establish a support system that will help you maintain consistent growth in your writing skills.

Purpose | What You Do | Hours


WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WHEN YOU SEE A TUTOR

  • Be sure you know exactly what the assignment is, and bring any books, handouts, or notes on the assignment with you.
  • Identify, at least in a general way, your topic and purpose.
  • Bring something to work with: a rough draft, an outline, or a mind map. If you have your paper printed out from a word processing program, it will be much easier to revise following the tutorial session and before you turn it in, especially if you have it saved on your own disk.
  • If you are rewriting a paper based on your instructor's comments, rewrite the paper first, then bring both the original and the rewrite. This way the tutor can help determine if you've done what your instructor has asked.
  • Leave yourself plenty of time, so that if your paper has problems, you will have enough time to correct them before your due date.
  • Plan ahead and make an appointment at least two days in advance. This way, you will be sure of getting help. Appointments can be made a week in advance.
  • Be realistic in your expectations of what a tutor can do. Tutors can point out problems in your writing, but you must put in the effort to correct the problems yourself. Tutors can discuss topic choices with you, but they cannot create topics. Most of all, tutors can care about your writing, but they cannot do it for you.
  • Keep in mind that a tutor's help, though it is based on the tutor's competency in English, is not the final word, nor is our work guaranteed. The ultimate responsibility for a student's work lies with the student.
  • Hours

    Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

    Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.