The Writing Center and the Goals of Writing Conferences

The Writing Center of Eastern Illinois University is a place where students can develop as independent writers and thinkers. We recognize that student writers come to the center with individual needs and individual writing processes, and we are committed to helping students from all disciplines, majors, and academic backgrounds at any stage of the writing process.

• Understanding and analyzing writing assignments
• Moving past writer’s block
• Brainstorming topics and ideas
• Revising for stronger content and adapting to audience
• Developing focus and thesis statements
• Organizing ideas and support
• Developing evidence, examples, and supporting details
• Revising for stronger development of and work with source materials
• Guiding writers to effectively integrate source materials
• Providing guidance on using citation systems
• Offering assistance on how to effectively and ethically summarize, paraphrase, and quote source materials
• Implementing strategies for strong paragraphing
• Improving cohesion through transitions and organization
• Revising for sentence-level clarity, precision, and emphasis
• Creating sentence variety for emphasis and cohesion
• Offering strategies for efficient and effective proofreading and editing
• Helping students find their own process for proofreading and editing

Writing Center Workshops ~ Fall 2009

If you plan to attend a workshop, please provide your name and the specific workshop you want to attend by emailing eiuwritingcenter@gmail.com.

APA Formatting Made Simple: In-Text Citations and the References Page

Date: Monday, November 9
Time: 3:30 - 4:00
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Jamie Patton

Strategies for Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

Date: Tuesday, November 10
Time: 3:30 - 4:00
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Jamie Van Allen

Pruning Your Paper: How to Minimize Wordiness

Final Draft and Proofreading Strategies (ELL Students)

Date: Monday, November 16
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Ashok Bhusal

Preparing for Thanksgiving Break: Don't Forget to Write!

Plurals, Possessives, and Pronouns: Fixing Common Mistakes (cancelled due to illness but will be rescheduled)

Date: Wednesday, December 2
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Donica Miller

Last Minute Crunch: The Basics of MLA Format

Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Mary Lieske

Past Writing Center Workshops ~ Fall 2009

Grammar Check is Evil: How to Proofread and Edit Without the Techno-Crutch

Getting Started: Brainstorming Techniques That Improve Your Writing

An Introduction to the Writing Center for English Language Learner (ELL) Students

Date: Monday, September 14
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Ashok Bhusal

Finding and Improving the Thesis Statement

Source Reliability: How to Know Your Source is Credible

Date: Wednesday, September 30
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Donica Miller

Prewriting and Citation Strategies (ELL Students)

Audience Awareness: Does This Count as Slang?

Date: Wednesday, October 7
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Mary Lieske

Drafting Strategies (ELL Students)

Date: Monday, October 26
Time: 3:30 - 4 pm
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Ashok Bhusal

What Does My Teacher Want?: Deciphering the Comments on Your Paper

Date: Tuesday, October 27
Time: 3:30 - 4:00
Location: 3110 Coleman Hall, the EIU Writing Center
Workshop Coordinator: Laura Gallardo