Faculty Support for Student Success

Even advanced students may not be aware of resources to help them improve their writing. Faculty in all disciplines can increase student familiarity with the Writing Center by implementing the following strategies in their courses each semester:

  • Schedule a visit from a peer Writing Assistant to introduce the Center's services and resources to your class. For asynchronous online courses, email writingcenter@kennesaw.edu for a video introduction.

  • KSU Writing Center:  

    Success in any class or career depends on your ability to develop and communicate your ideas effectively. Whether you’re working on a discussion post, a dissertation, or anything in between, the KSU Writing Center helps you figure out what you want to say—and how to say it.  
     
    Students from every major benefit from the one-on-one support of our peer writing assistants. They’ll guide you in person or online from the moment you start to think about a topic until you’re proofreading your final draft. Specialized tutors in the Writing Center’s English Language Program (ELP) offer additional assistance for students seeking to improve their speaking, writing, or reading of English, and our dedicated team of Graduate Writing Coaches supports any student enrolled in graduate coursework.  
     
    The Writing Center also offers weekly workshops; free online writing resources; and student-led book, writing, and D&D clubs. To learn more or schedule an appointment, go to http://go.kennesaw.edu/writing-center or drop in for help (and a free cup of coffee!) at either campus location: English 219 (K) or Johnson 101 (M). 
     

  • In your D2L Courses, prominently link to the Writing Center and any of our Resources relevant to your class.

faculty tutoring group of students in the writing center.

Incentivize and Require Student Usage

Faculty encouragement is the single greatest influence in a student's decison to seek help from the Writing Center. Many faculty successfully implement incentives or requirements to further increase student use of Writing Center support. Incentives for completing a Writing Center session could include

  • Allowing extra time for completing an assignment.
  • Raising a grade for an effective revision of a graded assignment.
  • Adding extra points to an essay grade for students who work with a Writing Assistant.
  • Assigning a reflection of  their Writing Center session.

Faculty requiring entire classes to schedule Writing Center sessions are asked to email the Writing Center to provide your course information, number of students, and timeframe in which visits will take place. Attaching a copy of your assignment guidelines and rubric will help us serve your students more effectively.

Note that required visits are effective only when students are prepared to be active participants in our highly collaborative sessions, and we therefore ask that faculty do the following:

  • Help students understand what to expect in a Writing Center session by directing them to that information on our website.
  • Require that students who are coming for mandatory visits have a draft ready to discuss.
  • Emphasize that students should have specific goals, topics, or questions for their Writing Assistant.
  • Provide students with feedback that enables them focus on areas in which you see room for improvement.    

Assignment: Writing Center Session + Reflection

three students sitting at a table working on their paper

Incorporating a short reflection after a Writing Center session helps students connect the feedback they receive to their personal writing goals. This added step encourages them to think critically about their writing process, reinforces what they’ve learned, and promotes more intentional revision. It transforms the session from a one-time consultation into a meaningful part of their development as writers.

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Plagiarism and AI

While generative AI has had an undeniable impact on many aspects of  writing, it has not altered the Writing Center’s policies about student responsibility for their own work. As always, writing assistants begin every session by asking students to share their assignment guidelines. During the session, if questions or issues arise that are not addressed in the guidelines or other available course documents, students are advised to contact their instructors for clarification as soon as possible.
 
Thus, when guiding students on the appropriate use and handling of AI-generated materials, the Writing Center always defers to an individual instructor’s AI policy. If no policy is identified, the writing assistant will help the student properly cite the AI content and again emphasize the importance of consulting their instructor.

KSU Faculty Resources

ksu student using ai to write their assignment.