Face-to-Face and Online Writing Consultations
The FHSU Writing Center offers both face-to-face consultations in our space in Forsyth Library and online, real-time writing consultations. (If you need writing help but cannot use our in-person or live online appointments because of technology, connection, or schedule limitations, please try FHSU's online tutoring service by clicking "Online Tutoring" under the "Support & Tutoring" section in myFHSU in Workday.)
Appointments are made in our WCOnline system: https://fhsu.mywconline.com/. For more information about appointments and instructions for making and participating in appointments, please read further.
For both kinds of appointments, the process starts the same way. You'll make an appointment in our WCOnline system (see information for how to register for an account below), and in the appointment form, you will choose either a face-to-face or an online appointment. If you choose a face-to-face appointment, you'll then just come to the Writing Center in Forsyth Library a few minutes before your appointment to check in.
If you choose an online appointment, read below for information about how to join your appointment.
What to Expect in a Session
At the Writing Center, we meet with FHSU students, faculty, and staff in 30-minute sessions about writing projects for any course or in any discipline. We also can help with application materials. We offer questions, conversation, feedback, and strategies for improving or developing your project. We do not work with writing without the active participation of the writer.
During the session, you will introduce yourself and your assignment, develop a plan of action for the session, and take one or two steps toward improving your project. Near the end of the session, you'll summarize your work and make a plan for the next steps.
What We Expect
- Bring any writing you have produced so far (have files or links ready to share, or include them when you make your appointment). You do not need to have anything written to meet with us, though! We are happy to help you get started on an assignment.
- If there is an assignment sheet, please be ready to share the file with your consultant. You can also attach assignments, rubrics, and drafts directly in the system when you are making your appointment.
- Be ready to work actively during the session. We do not edit or proofread papers for you, but we will help you learn to find and correct errors and to edit for smoother and clearer writing. We also will rarely be able to go through an entire paper in one session unless it is fairly short. You are welcome to schedule more than one session for a project, though, and we will help you learn how to develop, revise, and edit your own writing.
For all appointments:
- Please be ready to begin your appointment at the scheduled start time.
- Appointments are 30 minutes, and you may make one appointment per day, but you are welcome to make follow-up appointments for additional questions, for later drafts, or if you are working on a longer project.
- If you need to cancel an appointment, you can do so yourself up to one hour before the scheduled time by logging into WCOnline, opening your appointment, and clicking the Cancel button at the bottom. If you need to cancel within one hour before your appointment, call the Writing Center at 785-628-4106 for help.
To make an appointment (see below for video guides as well):
- Log in to WCOnline at https://fhsu.mywconline.com (if you don’t have an account already, you can make one quickly using your FHSU email). (Please note that the FHSU part of our WCOnline address is critical for accessing the FHSU Writing Center’s specific site.)
- Once you are logged in, select an open appointment (a white square) for a time when you are able to meet with your consultant. Please note that our schedule times are set up in the Central time zone and DO NOT adjust to your time zone, so please plan accordingly if you are making an online appointment from a different time zone.
- You will choose either the Face-to-Face or the Online appointment option in the scheduling form. If you choose an online appointment, you can read some instructions there for how to join your appointment when the time comes. Fill out the rest of the appointment form. When you are finished, click the Create Appointment button. You will receive a confirmation email with your appointment date and time.
To join an online appointment (see below for video guides as well):
- When it is time to attend your appointment, log back in to WCOnline 5-10 minutes before the time of your appointment and click on your appointment (highlighted in blue) in the schedule to open it. Your appointment will open in a popup window (if you don't see the popup, check to make sure you have allowed popup windows and that the popup is not hidden behind your main browser window). Remember that our schedule times are in the Central time zone.
- Near the top of the appointment popup, you will see the words "Start or Join Online Consultation" in purple text. Those words are a link; click on them to join the meeting with your consultant.
- If you have trouble connecting, please call 785-628-4106 to let us know and get help. We will try to help you connect, or if we are unable to help you with the problem at the time of the appointment, we will work with you to reschedule.
Online consultations take place through our WCOnline platform, which now has seamless Zoom integration, allowing real-time video, text chat, and screensharing. If Zoom is experiencing an outage, the connection will default to WCOnline's native video-conferencing application.
Questions? Please call us at 785-628-4106 during our business hours with questions about how to make appointments or if you are having trouble using the WCOnline system.
Registering for an Account
Guide to Online Appointments