The 91做厙 Writing Center (WC) offers free writing support for all ODU students, undergraduate and graduate, including students in online programs. Our goal is to create a collaborative space where writers can talk through ideas, try out strategies, and get feedback at any stage of the writing process. Consultants can help with everything from brainstorming and organizing to refining arguments and polishing drafts.
We offer 45-minute appointments with graduate student consultants, who meet with individuals or groups. Students can choose in-person sessions, live online appointments, or asynchronous video feedback. Writing Center consultants are not editors or proofreaders; instead, they work with students to explore options, strengthen writing, and build confidence.
Schedule an Appointment
If you encounter any issues logging into your appointment, please email us at writingcenter@odu.edu or call us at 757-683-4013 during our open hours. Please note we will not have phone access during online only hours. We recommend emailing during online only hours.
Mission
The 91做厙 Writing Center fosters collaborative learning by engaging writers in conversations that support their growth and confidence. We provide an inclusive space where students at all levels and in all disciplinesboth on campus and onlinecan explore ideas, develop strategies, and strengthen their writing. Our consultants work with students at any stage of the writing process to support both their immediate projects and their long-term development as writers.
Megan Boeshart, Writing Center Director
- Number of appointments allowed per week: Students can have three appointments per week.
- Appointment Length: Appointments are 45 minutes.
- Proof or verification of appointments: The WC will send professors an email after an appointment. Students need to email us at writingcenter@odu.edu or talk to their tutor once the appointment has concluded to get the verification sent. Our tutors will not sign any documents.
- Requesting a specific tutor for your appointments: Provided that a particular tutor is available during the hours that you request, he or she can see you on a regular basis.
- Missed appointments and cancellations: When the Writing Center is booked, the only way students can get appointments is if we have a cancellation. When the WC is full, you may be able to get an appointment at ten minutes past any hour if someone doesn't show up for an appointment. Please use the Wait List feature in our scheduling system if this happens.
- If you cannot make it to an appointment, please email us at writingcenter@odu.edu OR cancel the appointment yourself within our appointment system. If it is already past the start of your appointment, you can still email us within 10 minutes of the start of the appointment to cancel without penalty.
- Late policy for appointments: All appointments begin on the hour. We hold the appointment for 10 minutes. If a student doesn't show up, the appointment is considered a no-show. There is no penalty for cancellations, but there is a penalty for no-shows. Please remember that our appointments are in demand. Being a no-show means taking away an appointment from someone else. Students are allowed two missed appointments per semester (without any attempt to contact us and cancel or reschedule ahead of time). After two appointments are missed, a student's WCOnline account will be disabled.
- Required appointments: The Writing Center is a voluntary service. The WC has a limited number of tutors and appointments and is unable to offer teaching assistance for individual instructors, courses, or departments.
- Distance appointments: All students can make online appointments with us via our scheduling system.
- Time: Please note that our appointments are 45 minutes. This means we may not be able to get through an entire piece of writing, especially if it is more than a few pages. We encourage students to plan ahead so they can have multiple appointments if necessary.
- Accessibility: If you need live captioning for a real time appointment or captioning for video feedback due to a disability, please make a note in the "questions or comments" section of the appointment form that you'd like the captions and we'd be happy to provide them.
Real Time Online
- Use microphone and webcam to talk and work together in real time.
- Writing is shared in an editing space that can be seen and worked on by the tutor and student at the same time.
- Ideal for sessions where clarification, questions, or discussion needs to take place.
- Can be useful at any point in the writing process.
Video Feedback
- Student submits the writing assignment guidelines and writing, identifying what they need feedback on.
- The tutor creates a video where they verbally walk the student through feedback on the writing.
- Ideal for assignments where significant writing has been done.
- Not useful for the early or brainstorming stages of a paper.
- Student does not need to be available at the time of appointment.
- Please do not schedule multiple appointments with the same draft with different tutors without making changes based on the feedback you receive first.
What is a "Write-In"?
Write-Ins are weekly writing retreats hosted by the ODU Writing Center on Saturdays for graduate students. You're welcome to come once, or come every week!
If you're trying to make progress on an article, dissertation, or course project, but would benefit from some quiet camaraderie, and a structured time to focus on your writing, we welcome you to join us for this weekly writing retreat. Our goal is to provide a time and space for graduate students to set writing goals and work without interruption in a supportive environment. WC tutors will facilitate the session and be available for 30-minute appointments to answer specific questions or review select segments of text.
We start and end with discussing our writing goals as a group. The group offers encouragement and accountability to help keep you focused on your goals.
Where and When is the Write-In?
Graduate Student Write-Ins will resume on Sept. 6th in Fall 2025
The last graduate write-in for Fall will take place on Nov. 22nd. The Write-In will not meet on Oct. 11th during Fall break.
Write-Ins are Saturdays from 10:00am - 2:00pm on Zoom. All graduate students are welcome! Students must sign-in using their ODU MIDAS ID and password to get into the meeting.
Zoom Link:
If you encounter any issues joining the Zoom, please email us at writingcenter@odu.edu
Requesting a Class Visit
Inviting the Writing Center into your classroom is a great way to connect your students with our services early in the semester. During a 1015 minute visit, one of our Writing Center staff members will:
- Introduce what the Writing Center is and how we support student writers across disciplines
- Share how students can make appointments
- Share what to expect when they visit
Scheduling:
- We ask that faculty submit requests at least two weeks in advance so we have time to schedule and prepare. While we will do our best to accommodate all requests, please note that we cannot guarantee visits outside of our in-person operating hours.
- Number of appointments allowed per week: Students can have three appointments per week.
- Appointment Length: Appointments are 45 minutes.
- Proof or verification of appointments: The WC will send professors an email after an appointment. Students need to email us at writingcenter@odu.edu or talk to their tutor once the appointment has concluded to get the verification sent. Our tutors will not sign any documents.
- Requesting a specific tutor for your appointments: Provided that a particular tutor is available during the hours that you request, he or she can see you on a regular basis.
- Missed appointments and cancellations: When the Writing Center is booked, the only way students can get appointments is if we have a cancellation. When the WC is full, you may be able to get an appointment at ten minutes past any hour if someone doesn't show up for an appointment. Please use the Wait List feature in our scheduling system if this happens.
- If you cannot make it to an appointment, please email us at writingcenter@odu.edu OR cancel the appointment yourself within our appointment system. If it is already past the start of your appointment, you can still email us within 10 minutes of the start of the appointment to cancel without penalty.
- Late policy for appointments: All appointments begin on the hour. We hold the appointment for 10 minutes. If a student doesn't show up, the appointment is considered a no-show. There is no penalty for cancellations, but there is a penalty for no-shows. Please remember that our appointments are in demand. Being a no-show means taking away an appointment from someone else. Students are allowed two missed appointments per semester (without any attempt to contact us and cancel or reschedule ahead of time). After two appointments are missed, a student's WCOnline account will be disabled.
- Required appointments: The Writing Center is a voluntary service. The WC has a limited number of tutors and appointments and is unable to offer teaching assistance for individual instructors, courses, or departments.
- Distance appointments: All students can make online appointments with us via our scheduling system.
- Time: Please note that our appointments are 45 minutes. This means we may not be able to get through an entire piece of writing, especially if it is more than a few pages. We encourage students to plan ahead so they can have multiple appointments if necessary.
- Accessibility: If you need live captioning for a real time appointment or captioning for video feedback due to a disability, please make a note in the "questions or comments" section of the appointment form that you'd like the captions and we'd be happy to provide them.
Real Time Online
- Use microphone and webcam to talk and work together in real time.
- Writing is shared in an editing space that can be seen and worked on by the tutor and student at the same time.
- Ideal for sessions where clarification, questions, or discussion needs to take place.
- Can be useful at any point in the writing process.
Video Feedback
- Student submits the writing assignment guidelines and writing, identifying what they need feedback on.
- The tutor creates a video where they verbally walk the student through feedback on the writing.
- Ideal for assignments where significant writing has been done.
- Not useful for the early or brainstorming stages of a paper.
- Student does not need to be available at the time of appointment.
- Please do not schedule multiple appointments with the same draft with different tutors without making changes based on the feedback you receive first.
What is a "Write-In"?
Write-Ins are weekly writing retreats hosted by the ODU Writing Center on Saturdays for graduate students. You're welcome to come once, or come every week!
If you're trying to make progress on an article, dissertation, or course project, but would benefit from some quiet camaraderie, and a structured time to focus on your writing, we welcome you to join us for this weekly writing retreat. Our goal is to provide a time and space for graduate students to set writing goals and work without interruption in a supportive environment. WC tutors will facilitate the session and be available for 30-minute appointments to answer specific questions or review select segments of text.
We start and end with discussing our writing goals as a group. The group offers encouragement and accountability to help keep you focused on your goals.
Where and When is the Write-In?
Graduate Student Write-Ins will resume on Sept. 6th in Fall 2025
The last graduate write-in for Fall will take place on Nov. 22nd. The Write-In will not meet on Oct. 11th during Fall break.
Write-Ins are Saturdays from 10:00am - 2:00pm on Zoom. All graduate students are welcome! Students must sign-in using their ODU MIDAS ID and password to get into the meeting.
Zoom Link:
If you encounter any issues joining the Zoom, please email us at writingcenter@odu.edu
Requesting a Class Visit
Inviting the Writing Center into your classroom is a great way to connect your students with our services early in the semester. During a 1015 minute visit, one of our Writing Center staff members will:
- Introduce what the Writing Center is and how we support student writers across disciplines
- Share how students can make appointments
- Share what to expect when they visit
Scheduling:
- We ask that faculty submit requests at least two weeks in advance so we have time to schedule and prepare. While we will do our best to accommodate all requests, please note that we cannot guarantee visits outside of our in-person operating hours.