What to Expect during a Consultation Session

What to Bring

In order to be fully prepared for a writing consultation, students should bring the following:

  • A printout of the assignment
  • The instructions to the assignment
  • Valencia Student ID
  • A pen or pencil to write with
  • An open and active mind for communicating with my tutor!

Consultation Guidelines and Expectations

The goals of the Communications Center are to help you become a better writer and an independent learner. Listed below are guidelines that will enhance your learning experience while you are studying in the center. By applying these guidelines, you will accomplish academic and personal skills that will serve you for a lifetime! Please take a moment to review the consultation guidelines.

I understand that…

  • I will have up to thirty (30) minutes with my tutor. My tutor and I will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of my writing. However, we may not be able to address all areas of concern during the consultation. I recognize that developing my writing will happen over time, not in a single 30 minute tutoring session.
  • I will need to look over my paper and revise it to the best of my ability before the writing consultation session . Some ways to ensure that it’s my best work are to: read aloud, check content and organization, and look for grammatical errors that I commonly make. I will make a concerted effort to apply the writing rules that I know. If it’s obvious that I haven’t proofread my paper, I may be asked to do so before the consultation begins.
  • I am coming to the Communications Center for assistance with my writing; therefore, I will provide an assignment sheet or be prepared to discuss the assignment requirements. Additionally, I will be able to identify my class number and professor’s full name.
  • With the exception of the brainstorming stage and/or drafts less than two pages, all papers must be typed.
  • During the tutoring session, I need to be engaged. I can be engaged by taking notes, making modifications to my paper, highlighting sections of my paper, and asking questions during the consultation. I am responsible for directing the discussion.
  • The consultant may write on my paper, but ultimately I am responsible for any changes to it, either during the consultation or afterwards. The tutor is not responsible for editing or revising the paper for me. Therefore, the grade I earn on a paper is my responsibility.
  • The consultant may ask me to complete some supplemental exercises either during or after the consultation to strengthen my writing skills.
  • I must follow the Student Code of Conduct. I, therefore, not act disrespectfully to my tutor or other students by refusing to leave a tutoring session, using a cell phone, speaking loudly, or acting inappropriately in the center.
  • I need to give credit to all of my sources. I understand that plagiarism – the use of someone else’s words or ideas without credit – is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct (see policy 6Hx28:10-16) and that I may not present plagiarized work to my tutor. I also understand that my tutor cannot accept responsibility for identifying plagiarism in my paper.