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Writing and Learning Centre: Your Go-To Place for Academic Help

Written by Alexander College in About AC on July 31, 2024

Need help on an assignment? Drop by the Writing and Learning Centre (WLC) where staff are more than happy to lend a hand!

Located in the AC Library, the WLC provides free tutoring and resources to help current students at Alexander College develop core academic skills. Not only can you get help for academic subjects such as math or social sciences, you can also get help for skills like academic writing and citations.

This blog post will introduce some of the main features and services of the Writing and Learning Centre.

WLC Features

For those who are unfamiliar with the WLC, one of the main goals of the WLC staff is to identify some of the students’ weaknesses and work on improving those areas through tutoring or resources. Many of the services offered is designed to help students improve and gain confidence in their academic skills.

student getting helped by staff

One-On-One Tutoring

One of the main things the WLC is known for is the one-on-one free tutoring. From the beginning of the assignment to the final draft, WLC staff is here to ensure you are following assignment instructions and submitting your best work.

One-on-one tutoring is a great idea if you are an international student and English is your second language. The WLC will help you so your writing adheres to Canadian academic standards.

Citations Help

Citations play a vital role in academic writing and knowing how to properly cite your sources is a big part in maintaining academic integrity. One of the most challenging aspects of academic writing is citations and this is challenging to even native English speakers!

Luckily, the WLC offers up-to-date citation guides and you can practice writing citations during tutoring sessions.

close up of a textbook

Grammar Lab

Academic writing is challenging for any student, especially those who aren’t as confident in their English skills. To provide support to students who want to improve their writing skills, the WLC has a Canvas course called Grammar Lab.

Grammar Lab, accessible from the Student Support Hub on Canvas, contains multiple modules that focus on specific grammar points so you can choose which sections you’d like to work on.

If you’re unsure where to start, the course also offers a self-assessment section so you can identify your strengths and weaknesses.

WriteAway

WriteAway was developed in conjunction with several educational organizations and institutions including BCcampus and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in order to provide around-the-clock assistance for students looking for help with their assignments.

Students can submit their assignments to WriteAway and receive feedback within 48 hours.

student looking at his laptop

WLC Workshops

In addition to tutoring and academic resources, the WLC periodically hosts workshops covering a variety of topics including thesis statement writing, paraphrasing and summarizing, and more. The workshops are held online so you don’t need to visit the WLC in person to attend these workshops.

If you want to revisit previous workshops, they will be posted on Canvas so the information will always be available to you.

students discussing an assignment

Advice for Students

As the WLC Manager, Evan’s advice for students is don’t wait to get help. It’s common for new students to be overwhelmed by the volume of new things they have to learn but the door to the WLC is always open to students.

Even if you don’t have an appointment, you are more than welcome to walk in and WLC staff will be more than happy to help answer any questions!

student reading in front of the WLC

The Writing and Learning Centre is just one of the many student support services available to students at Alexander College and we encourage you to visit the WLC whenever you have questions about your assignment or write them an email at wlc@alexandercollege.ca.

WLC

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.