How the Writing Studio helps Reynolds students

The primary goal of the Writing Studio is to help Reynolds students become successful and confident writers! This means that we are here to support students in all aspects of writing. To do this, we meet our students where they are. Our staff is composed of writing specialists who have firsthand experience of how daunting and anxiety-provoking writing can be.

We assist them with brainstorming, drafting, and revising course-related assignments, but you might not know that we are also happy to help students with other writing-related tasks that extend beyond the classroom. This includes job application materials (e.g., résumés/CV's, cover letters) and university application materials (e.g., personal statements, letters of purpose, scholarship essays).

At the Writing Studio, we work collaboratively with students to support their writing. We do not evaluate student writing; instead, we consult the student and the assignment guidelines to see how each piece of writing can move forward. 

Another important thing you as an instructor should know about the Writing Studio is that students who visit our spaces don't just have to come to work with a writing consultant. Our studios are community spaces! We welcome students who are looking for a quiet space to work/write (we have private work/study rooms and studio tables) as well as those who are looking for a break from the day (we have Mindfulness Rooms for this very purpose).

How to refer your student to the Writing Studio

Our aim is to make students aware of their own writing practices and to make writing approachable to them. As such, we make ourselves available to students as much and in as many modalities as possible!

Students can meet with us in-person at one of our physical studio spaces, which are on the Reynolds College's Downtown and Parham Road campuses. We are also proud to host virtual sessions via Zoom, where students can meet with a writing consultant online.

Whether in-person or virtual, we welcome all students and are happy to receive them in whatever way is most comfortable for them:

  • Walk-In Consultations: Students are free to walk into our studios during our standard hours of operation without an appointment to consult with one of our staff (or just to use the space itself).
  • Scheduled Consultations: We appreciate some students might prefer the structure of setting an appointment to work with us. For these students, we offer the option of scheduling via Navigate.  Students wishing to have a virtual consultation must make an appointment.

One thing that we at the Writing Studio hope that you, the instructor, will impress upon your students is that the Writing Studio is not a space for your students to feel judged (we collaborate with students on their writing and never evaluate its merit). Instead, we hope you will help them see that the Writing Studio is a place that makes writing meaningful for our students.

How to incorporate the Writing Studio into your course

Syllabus Statement

To encourage your students to take advantage of our services, we welcome you to include this text (or similar language) in your syllabus:

I encourage you to visit the Writing Studio for essays and all other writing-related assignments. The studio offers one-to-one writing consultations for students enrolled in any course, and no appointment is necessary. Consultants can help you at any stage of the writing process, including: brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing. They can even help you understand the writing assignment itself! You can also visit a writing studio space to work in a quiet, focused, and supportive space. You can receive help at the Writing Studio's Downtown location, its Parham Road location, or through one of its virtual sessions!

Canvas Site for the Writing Studio

The Writing Studio has developed a Canvas site as a central location for sharing information about our studio with Reynolds faculty and staff. It includes a ready-made informational module, which you can import directly into your own Canvas class sites to share with your students.

If you would like to be added to the Canvas site, please contact the Writing Studio Assistant Coordinator, Gillian Douple (gdouple@reynolds.edu).

Classroom Visits from the Writing Studio

The Writing Studio is always happy and excited to come to your class to talk about what we do and how amazing we are! Please request a classroom visit by emailing our general studio inbox (writingstudio@reynolds.edu) with your course information and the date(s) and time(s) you would like us to visit. Also helpful to include for us to tailor what we say to your specific students would be the writing assignments and/or the specific skills you would like your students to work on in your course.

Class Visits to the Writing Studio

We welcome you to bring your class to visit one of our physical studio spaces so they can see just how awesome we are! Because we wish to be respectful of our studio staff and guests, we only ask that you please email us beforehand so that we are aware beforehand and can ensure that your visit does not disturb anyone who might be working.

In-Class Writing Studio Integration

The Writing Studio is happy to collaborate with you however we can to better serve your students! We are happy to work with you to brainstorm and implement in-class workshops that target specific writing outcomes for your students. Or, we can help you put together assignments that have students use the Writing Studio as a soundboard for their ideas before they submit them to you.

If you have an idea about how you would like to incorporate us into your class (or if you are merely curious about the possibility), please email us at writingstudio@reynolds.edu.

Including the Writing Studio in Assignment Instructions

To promote the visibility of the Writing Studio to your students and to encourage them to visit us, we welcome you to include this text (or similar) within the instructions for any writing-related assignment you may have as part of your course:

As you work on the written portions of this assignment, I encourage you to visit the Writing Studio. For more information, see the syllabus, or just visit them in person at their Downtown location or their Parham Road location. No appointment is necessary! You can also visit them in a virtual session if you prefer the convenience of Zoom (be sure to check the Zoom hours to see when we're open).

Sending Students to the Writing Studio

As you get to know your students over the course of the semester, we also encourage you to consider how the Writing Studio can help them in their development, both as Reynolds students as well as individuals.

For some, the Writing Studio will primarily be a place where they go to receive help and feedback while crafting assignments for class. But others may use us for other things: help with applications, a space to work independently, or even just a place to feel seen and heard. We are here for them!

Questions?

If you have questions about the Writing Studio or how we might better serve you and our students, please email us at writingstudio@reynolds.edu. We look forward to working with you!