The Writing Resource Center offers synchronous, or real time, online tutoring and a limited number of appointments for asynchronous review through our scheduling software, WCOnline (wrc.case.edu). Appointments are scheduled on the hour for a minimum of 60 minutes. Please note that although online tutoring takes place virtually, the sessions are designed to be as interactive as possible. Your online will work collaboratively with you on your writing. Please review the instructions below for synchronous and asynchronous consulting below.
Instructions for Scheduling an Online Appointment – Synchronous:
- Go to wrc.case.edu and log-in using your CWRU network ID and password. If you are a first-time user, the system will prompt you to create an account.
- Select “Online Tutoring” from the drop down menu at the top of the main schedule page in order to access the online schedule.
- Select a white square to select an appointment with your consultant.
- Both you and your consultant will receive an automated confirmation e-mail.
Beginning Your Session:
- Log-on to WC Online at least five (5) minutes before the scheduled time of your appointment.
- Go to the Online Tutoring Schedule and locate your appointment, which will appear in red.
- Select your appointment square so that a new pop-up box appears.
- In the pop-up box, click on the text that reads: “Start or Join Online Consultation."
- A larger whiteboard screen will appear. Follow the instructions on this screen.
- The chat function on the right side of the screen indicates when your consultant is online. You will use this feature to communicate with him or her throughout the session.
Additional Tips for Online Consultations:
- Make sure you have saved your paper on your computer in an easy-to-find location.
- As with face-to-face appointments, we recommend that you come prepared with a list of concerns that you would like to discuss with your consultant during your session.
- If you are new to online tutoring, we recommend that you schedule your first appointment well in advance of your paper’s due date. If your paper is longer than six-to-eight pages, then we recommend that you plan for more than one conference.
- Be open to working collaboratively with your consultant and to answering questions about your writing as you would in a face-to-face session.
Guidelines for Asynchronous Consulting (48-hours return consulting)
Unlike live online tutoring, 48-hours later feedback, or asynchronous tutoring, does not take place in real time. Writers may submit documents for 48-hours turnaround per appointment to one of the designated consultants through our WC Online scheduling system. Consultants will spend 60 minutes on your work; therefore, they may not be able to address very long documents in one appointment. To facilitate better feedback, please include a clear description of what you would like the consultant to focus on.
*Please note that eTutoring is not an editing or proofreading service; instead our consultants will offer writers advice for moving forward with their revisions based on the guidance that writers provide to them when filling out the appointment form. Normal appointment parameters per week apply; see our FAQ page.
Instructions on submitting writing to a consultant and additional policies regarding document length and turnaround time follow below:
- Log-in to the WC Online schedule and look for consultants who are designated as eTutors. These are different from those designated as “online only” tutors. Several eTutors work at various times throughout the week.
- Keeping in mind your due date, select to create an appointment with an eTutor at a designated time. The consultant will return the paper to you 48 hours after the day/time of the appointment slot—but not the time during which you booked the appointment. (i.e., if you book an appointment today for April 22 and then the paper will be returned to you by 5 p.m. on April 24). For papers with approaching deadlines, please look for eTutors available on dates before your due dates.
- Fill out the questions on the form, providing a detailed description of the assignment and how the consultant can help you complete your goals. If you do not fill this out in specific detail, the consultant may not be able to usefully review your writing or may ask you to provide that information before reviewing your writing.
- Upload a document using the upload tool at the bottom of the appointment box.
- Consultants will review your papers with an eye for patterns or larger-scale issues that you can revisit as you work on your writing; they will not provide a line-by-line correction of your document, but, instead, offer suggestions and ask questions that prompt you to consider readers’ responses to your work.
Do you have additional questions about online tutoring? Contact us at writingcenter@case.edu.