Study Help and Tutoring

If you want to improve your academic writing skills, the Writing Skills Centre can help! Meetings with a writing skills tutor are one-on-one and free. We can help you with:

The Writing Skills Centre will re-open in September. Contact Amy Becker, Academic Support Coordinator, for more information:

amy.becker@rdc.ab.ca | 403.342.3264

All RDC students are welcome in the Writing Skills Centre. It doesn't matter what program you're in or what your marks are. We can help you with:

• Essay organization and structure
• Research and planning
• Developing a strong thesis statement
• Grammar and punctuation
• Any other issues related to writing

In order to become independent learners, students must be prepared to acquire many types of skills throughout their post-secondary education. At the Writing Skills Centre, we focus on helping students develop the writing skills they need in both academic and professional settings. While our tutors cannot proofread your paper for you, they can teach you how to proofread and edit your own work, a skill that will stay with you for life.

During your tutoring session in the Writing Skills Centre, you can:

• Bring your preliminary ideas and notes for an assignment, so you can talk them through with the tutor. Talking them through can help you clarify and focus your ideas.
• Bring a draft of your paper, no matter how rough it is. The tutor can comment on which sections are clearly explained and which might need more explanation and support.
• Bring in your paper in its final stages. Ask the tutor to comment on particular parts—e.g., paragraphs, sentences, word choices—that you’re unsure about.
• Bring your nearly finished paper. The tutor can give you some techniques for editing and proofreading. Please remember that the tutor will not proofread the paper for you.

The tutor will offer you guidance so you can work more effectively. Be aware that if the tutor does any more than what is described above, you may be accused of academic dishonesty. If the assignment you hand in contains the tutor’s work rather than your own, this would be considered plagiarism, which can result in severe consequences for your educational opportunities. 

Please see the link below for more information about the Writing Skills Centre`s policies

Vision

To create a thriving, vibrant RDC writing community wherein students, staff, and instructors gather to discuss all aspects of academic writing.

Mission

Using scaffolded instructional techniques and student-centred learning approaches, we strive to help RDC writers discover the knowledge and develop the skills they need to become confident, competent and independent writers.

Looking for help with your references?

The Writing Skills Centre tutors are happy to help you with APA, MLA, and/or Chicago style citation. Do not forget, however, that the library staff can also help with citation questions. If you are on campus, just drop by the Library Desk. If you are off campus, start a live chat session, text, or phone us.