“My Professor said I need to learn to how to write at the college level…

“My Professor said I need to learn how to write at the College Level.”   These are the first words a student said to me during a recent tutoring session. I was glad this student stopped by our Kaplan University Writing Center Live Tutoring hours to get help with her writing.  Some students don’t seek help after getting similar comments, and they stay stuck and confused.

The term “College Level Writing” represents a vague concept that even scholars quibble over.  State and national educational organizations and schools define this concept differently, and so do individual faculty members. For some, college level writing means proper grammar and punctuation; for others, it means demonstrating clear depth of thought.  For still others, it means simple clear writing with organized paragraphs, conclusions, and proper APA. It could mean a combination of all of these things.

For this reason, students need a clearly defined explanation of the areas that need improvement and specific steps to follow in order to progress and learn from their mistakes.  Sometimes, knowing what to say to help a student’s writing is a very difficult task, especially if there are multiple issues at work.

The KUWC is here to help all students and faculty address writing issues.  We can help faculty members know how to give a few clear comments on student papers, and we can help students take the next step toward writing well.

Here are just a few resources to which you can refer students. There are many, many more, and you can contact us any time.

Podcasts

The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing

Workshops

We look forward to hearing from you.

Melody

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