Writing Centre
Book An AppointmentThe Writing Centre is staffed by friendly VIU faculty tutors interested in working with you to improve all aspects of your writing, including:
- brainstorming and choosing a topic
- developing a thesis statement
- organizing your essay
- improving sentence structure
- understanding punctuation
- increasing clarity
- revising a rough draft of your essay
- citing sources and using reference material
Tutors at the Writing Centre do not provide simple proofreading of your assignment. Instead, they teach you skills to improve your writing generally and help you to further develop your own voice.
The Writing Centre is also home to a tutor from International Academic Support whose focus is on English language learning for international students.
Contact us
Email: writingcentre@viu.ca
Phone: 250-740-6330 ext. 4
Book a 25-minute appointment up to 12 days in advance. Appointments can be held in person, online through video chat, or asynchronously through document upload. Log in to WCOnline, our booking platform, using your VIU email address and password to book an appointment. If you study at the Cowichan or tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus, visit the Cowichan Writing Centre or tiwšɛmawtxʷ Writing Centre websites for full details.
Need to cancel?
Our services are in high demand. If you need to cancel, please notify us as early as possible before your appointment start time to free up the space for other students.
No-shows
If you're running late, please contact us by phone at 250-740-6330 or email writingcentre@viu.ca. Appointments will be made available to others if you are more than 15 minutes late for a 55-minute booking or 5 minutes late for a 25-minute booking. Three no-shows in one semester will result in a suspension of future bookings for the rest of the semester.
Waitlist
If the time you're hoping to book is already reserved, you can place your name on the waitlist. If an appointment is cancelled during your waitlisted period, you will receive an email notification.
General guidelines
- After multiple appointments on the same essay, tutors reserve the right to withdraw assistance at their discretion to ensure that the essay remains your own work.
- Information from your instructor always takes precedence over information from a Writing Centre tutor.
- Tutors will not discuss grades or help you with any examination material, including take-home exams.
- eTutoring appointments are only available to 3rd year students and above.
The Writing Centre is currently open for International Academic Support tutoring. Tutoring for the student community as a whole resumes Monday, September 14.
The Nanaimo campus Writing Centre is on the fourth floor of the library in building 305. At Cowichan campus, the Writing Centre is located in the Learning Centre in room 120. The tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus Writing Centre is located in room 153.
Hours of operation for Nanaimo and Cowichan are listed on our appointment booking page. At tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus, hours are posted on the webpage.
Is there a cost for the service?
The Writing Centre is a free service for current VIU students.
Who are the tutors?
The Writing Centre is staffed by faculty members, usually instructors from the English Department and International Education. Tutors change from term to term.
Do I have to work with the same tutor every time?
Each time you book an appointment, you can choose your tutor depending on availability. It’s a good idea to work with a variety of tutors.
What should I bring to the tutorial?
Bring a copy of the assignment you’re working on and an idea of what you’d like to accomplish in the tutorial. For example, you might say, “My essay doesn’t flow.” The tutor will then help you with transitions and coherence. Or you might say, “The assignment calls for 1500 words, but I’ve got only 600.” The tutor will then help you to develop your ideas in greater depth and breadth.
Can I bring non-academic writing like a cover letter for a job I’d like to apply for?
Yes, tutors can help you with any writing project.
