Reading and Writing Studio
Looking for an edge on your writing projects? Get some free assistance from one of our professional tutors!
Spring Tutoring: Available On Campus and Online February 21 - June 7, 2023
Visit ECC's Online Tutoring Hub here. The password is "Tutorhub".Join the Zoom!
For the Spring 2023 semester, the Writing Center (located in Humanities 122) is open Monday through Thursday from 9am-5pm and Fridays 9am-1pm. Tutors will be available online via ECC's Online Tutoring Hub on Thursdays 2-9pm, and Fridays & Saturdays 10am-3pm.
Be sure to have all your files ready, like essay prompts, assignment sheets, and draft pages. Write down any specific questions you have so you remember to ask. And please be patient; we'll try to keep the wait to a minimum, but sometimes we get very busy!
Our Mission Statement
In alignment with El Camino College’s vision and goals, the Writing Center believes that tutoring is equity in action. We recognize that all people come to the writing center from different backgrounds, including language, identity, and learning style to express their unique voices. The Writing Center works with students to refine and clarify their ideas, produce successful writing, and improve their academic confidence. We strive to create better writers, not just better writing, by encouraging students to use their voices to make significant contributions and achieve academic and personal growth.
On Campus: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu 9-5pm; Fri 9-1pm
Online: Thu 2-9pm; Fri/Sat 10-3pm
February 21 through June 7
- Draft review
- Pre-writing
- Brainstorming
- Outlining
- Interpreting challenging texts
- Source integration
- Quoting and paraphrasing
- APA & MLA formatting and documentation
- Editing tips
- Grammar help
- Research papers
- Lit reviews
- Speeches
- Digital presentations
Need guidance about grammar, sentence structure, or citations? Email your specific
questions to us, and a tutor will get back to you quickly, usually within two working
days.
If you have more complex questions such as, “Is this a good thesis for my essay?”
or “Can you give me your thoughts on this draft?” we’ll advise you to join a one-on-one
session for a fuller conversation. Email Your Question
Conversation Corner
Several times during the week, we host Conversation Corner sessions for students who want to practice speaking English. In Spring 2023, those sessions are Mon & Tue 10-12 and Wed 12-2 in the Writing Center, and Thu 2-4 on Zoom (click here to join).
Workshops
Throughout the Fall and Spring semester, we offer a variety of workshops led by tutors and/or faculty members. We cover topics from essay format and development to editing techniques and more.
Workshops are open to all students – just join us and learn! Check out our YouTube channel for some past workshops, and follow us on Instagram @eccwriting for info about future ones.
Embedded Tutors
We assign a tutor to every section of English 1AS to assist your specific class. The embedded tutor works closely with your professor to make sure you can meet all the expectations for quality writing.
Getting the Most from Your Tutoring Session
If you’ve never worked with a tutor before, here’s what to expect.
Ideally, you should attend your tutoring session with your draft in progress, the assignment sheet and/or parameters given to you by your professor, and some specific questions for your tutor about how we can help you.
That said, if you have less than this, we’ll work hard to make the most of our time together – if you have nothing, we’ll help you brainstorm and get started. The key is to have some ideas about what you’d like to accomplish in your session.
The more time you allow between your tutoring session and the assignment’s due date, the more we can help you refine your work, and the more valuable your session will be.
As much as possible, try to plan ahead so that you can really think about your tutor’s advice, make changes based on it, and maybe even come back for another session!
Tutors aren’t miracle workers, and this isn’t Hogwarts. Keep in mind that your session can’t last forever, and you may not get to cover everything you had hoped for.
A tutor’s job is to help you learn and, as a result, be more independent, not to wave their magic wands and just “fix” things.
The Writing Center is meant for all students, not just those who are struggling. Every semester, we see a wide variety of students with all manner of writing abilities. Not everyone loves to write, and that’s OK.
But we believe that everyone can be good at it, and we will always strive to share that positivity with you. You can do it, and we can help!
Questions? Contact us!
Writing Center
Humanities 122
310-660-3873
writingctrstaff@elcamino.edu