Writing Hub Front Desk Staff Guide

Writing Hub Front Desk Staff Operations Guide

Writing Hub Tutoring Appointment Information

Does the Writing Hub offer tutoring during Finals Week? During the summer? During the intercessions

The Writing Hub does offer tutoring during Finals Week on a restricted schedule. The Finals Week schedule for each quarter will be published around Week 9. Tutoring during the Summer Sessions is also offered on a restricted schedule. The schedules for each session will be published two weeks beforehand. We do not offer any services during intercessions.

What are the differences between appointments for undergrad students and appointments for grad students?

Currently enrolled UCSD undergraduate students can schedule one 30-minute appointment with one of our undergraduate writing tutors per day. They are also limited to three appointments per week. However, we also offer Drop-In Hours Monday thru Thursday which undergraduate students can attend even if they have already reached the daily and weekly appointment limits.

Currently enrolled UCSD graduate students can schedule one 1-hour appointment with one of our graduate writing consultants per day. They are also limited to two appointments per week. However, graduate students may also schedule 30-minute appointments with our undergraduate writing tutors within these daily and weekly limits.

Can postdoc employees/alumni/UCSD student family members/faculty make tutoring appointments?

Unfortunately, due to the terms of our current funding, we may only provide services to currently enrolled UCSD undergraduate and graduate students. This excludes exchange students and extension students as well. If a faculty member wishes to consult the Writing Hub about a writing component in a course they are teaching they should send an email to the Writing Hub at writinghub@ucsd.edu.

A student is here for a tutoring appointment with the Writing Hub; what do I do?

Pull up WCOnline in the browser. Sign in on your account.
Ask the student for their student ID, the time of their appointment, and the name of their tutor.
1. If the student does not have an appointment and/or does not have a WCOnline account, offer them a Commons’ tablet to make an appointment and/or create an account. Assist them as necessary.
Check the name on their student ID against the name on the appointment.
Return their ID. Give them the name of the tutor they will be working with.
Direct them to the Writing Hub waiting area in the semi-circle of grey chairs behind the front desk.

If the student does not have an appointment, have them make an appointment on their own device.

If the student does not have a WCOnline account, have them register for an account on their own device.

A student has arrived late for their appointment; how do I handle this?

If a student arrives within 10 minutes of their appointment, proceed with the check-in process as usual and notify the tutor that their student has arrived.

If a student arrives 10 minutes or more after the start of their appointment, it is up to the tutor’s discretion whether or not they will take the appointment. Consult with the tutor. If the tutor chooses to not take the appointment, urge the student to schedule another appointment.

Also, advise the student that if they are running late they can cancel their appointment up to 15 minutes prior online. Within 15 minutes, they should call the Teaching + Learning Commons Front Desk at (858) 246-2110 or send an email to the Writing Hub at writinghub@ucsd.edu explaining the situation so they are not penalized for not showing up.

Note that tutors are encouraged to consult Front Desk assistants before marking someone as missed/no-show.

A student is telling me that they are locked out of WCOnline; what do I tell them?

If a student has lost access to their WCOnline account or cannot create one for any reason, tell the student to send an email to the Writing Hub at writinghub@ucsd.edu briefly explaining the situation. This email puts the burden of communication on the student instead of the Front Desk staff and serves as a record of any issues that come up with WCOnline.

Generally, students lose access to their account because they missed three appointments within the academic year without canceling. Sometimes they’ll say it is because they forgot their password, but more likely it’s because the system automatically disabled their account due to missing appointments. Only a professional staff member of the Writing Hub has the authority to restore accounts.

Students may also not be able to create accounts in WCOnline because either they are not using an “@ucsd.edu” email domain, or there is an alumnus who previously had that email and still has an active WCOnline account. They also may not be inputting the correct number of characters for their password.

Please DO NOT make appointments for students saying they are locked out of their accounts or are otherwise unable to make appointments.

An incident occurred in the Teaching + Learning Commons that was inappropriate and/or made me feel uncomfortable; how do I report this? Can I stay anonymous?

It is the goal of the Writing Hub to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment that is conducive to learning and intellectual growth. If you observe any behavior, event, or policies/practices that may have negatively impacted any member of our community, please fill out this form. Your notes will be sent directly to the Writing Hub Director and will be addressed as soon as possible.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you have the option of not including your name or contact information in the form.

WCOnline How To Guide

How do I help a student create a WCOnline account?

As there are many personal questions asked on the registration form, front desk assistants should not create WCOnline accounts for students. If a student wishes to see a tutor immediately, bring up WCOnline on one of the iPads at the front desk. Instruct the student to fill in only their name, UCSD email address, and PID number to expedite the process. They can fill out the rest of the information when they go in later to change their password.

How do I help someone make an appointment?

Front Desk assistants should not make appointments for students under any circumstances. Students are limited to one appointment a day and three appointments a week (outside of Drop-In Hours) and the system will not allow them to pass these limits. Front Desk assistants are not subject to these limits, and can inadvertently schedule an appointment for a student who has already reached their limit. It should be noted that tutors do not have the authority to bypass these rules.

If a student wishes to see a tutor immediately, bring up WCOnline on one of the iPads at the front desk so that they can make the appointment themselves. Then check them in as usual.

How do I make changes to someone’s appointment?

How do I cancel someone’s appointment?

There are no tutors available; what do I tell a student trying to make an appointment?

Inform the student that all tutors are booked for appointments. The student can either make an appointment for later and come back at that time, come back during Drop-In Hours (Monday thru Thursday, 5:00 – 7:00pm), or they can join a waiting list through WCOnline.

How do I put a placeholder on a tutor’s schedule?

A placeholder is a block of time in a tutor’s schedule where students cannot make appointments with them. It is represented by a fuchsia color.

Writing Hub Tutors

A student checked in for their appointment but their tutor has not connected with them; what should I do?

Writing Hub tutors must constantly refresh WCOnline in their browsers to catch new appointments that pop up during their shifts. Sometimes, however, walk-in appointments are not seen in a timely manner. If you help a student to create a walk-in appointment, please inform the tutor.

Regardless, find the tutor and inform them that their student has checked in and is in the waiting area. If the tutor is not in the Writing Hub’s tutoring space or in the back office area and they did not call in to say they are running late, switch the appointment to another tutor that is available. Notify the new tutor and then a Writing Hub professional staff member. If no staff members are present, consult the Writing Hub files at the front desk for the tutor’s phone number. Call the tutor and inquire about their estimated time of arrival.

To fill out an Incident Report Form click here.

A tutor is late; how should I handle this?

If a tutor calls in to say they will be arriving late:

Ask the tutor for their estimated arrival time.
Move any appointments affected by the new arrival time to another tutor. Inform the new tutor(s) of the switched appointment(s).
The appointment slots affected by the new arrival time need to be taken off of the tutor’s schedule so that no new appointments can be made.
1. Inform a Writing Hub professional staff member. They will be able to block off a tutor’s schedule.
2. If no professional staff members are present, create a placeholder appointment in the tutor’s schedule. You can change the length of time in a placeholder to accommodate the amount of time needed to be blocked off.
3. Fill out an Incident Report Form.

If a tutor has not called, but is not in the Writing Hub tutoring space or in the back office area:

Move any immediately impacted appointment to another tutor. Inform the new tutor of the switched appointment.
Inform a Writing Hub professional staff member. They will be able to get into contact with the tutor and make any other schedule and appointment changes as necessary.
If no professional staff members are present…
1. Consult the Writing Hub files at the Front Desk for the tutor’s phone number. Call the tutor and ask for their estimated time of arrival.
2. Move any further appointments affected by the new time of arrival to another tutor. Inform the new tutor(s) of the switched appointment(s).
3. Block off the affected time in the tutor’s schedule with a placeholder so that no new appointments can be made. You can change the length of time in a placeholder to accommodate the amount needed to be blocked off.
Fill out an Incident Report Form.

Writing Hub Program Information

Undergraduate Writing Workshops

The Writing Hub offers writing workshops for undergraduate students throughout the quarter on a variety of topics. Each workshop is approximately an hour and 30 minutes long and facilitated by a member of the Writing Hub professional staff in Room 1503. Enrolled UCSD undergraduate students who wish to participate in a workshop need to sign up on our website at https://writinghub.ucsd.edu/for-undergrads/workshops.html.

Front Desk assistance with furniture rearrangement may be necessary.

Graduate Writing Workshops

The Writing Hub offers graduate-level writing workshops on a variety of topics throughout each quarter. Each workshop is 3 hours long, and is facilitated by either a member of the Writing Hub professional staff or a graduate writing consultant in Room 1503 on Friday mornings. Enrolled UCSD graduate students who wish to participate in a workshop need to sign up on our website at https://writinghub.ucsd.edu/for-grad-students/workshops.html.

Front Desk assistance with furniture rearrangement may be necessary. These workshops will displace the Faculty & Graduate Writing Room to the tall tables near the atrium.

Faculty & Graduate Writing Room

The Writing Hub offers a daily Faculty & Graduate Writing Room (formerly known as the “Grad Writing Room”) in Room 1503 through each quarter and summer session. This is a dedicated time and space for UCSD faculty members and currently enrolled UCSD graduate students to work on writing projects. No appointments or RSVPs are required.

The Writing Room occurs Monday thru Friday from 9:00am – 11:00am in Room 1503. It is facilitated by a graduate writing consultant who prepares the Writing Hub’s coffee and tea cart. This coffee is not to be made available to students who are not participating in the Writing Room.

On Fridays, the Writing Room is displaced by the Graduate Writing Workshops to the tall tables by the atrium. The Writing Room can also be displaced by a Graduate Student Writing Retreat session.

Graduate Student Writing Retreats

The Writing Hub offers intensive Writing Retreats throughout each quarter and during Summer Sessions to currently enrolled UCSD graduate students to help them tackle long-term and high-stakes writing projects. A Writing Retreat consists of five 4-hour sessions. Most Writing Retreats will be spread out over the course of five weeks, though there is usually an intensive five-day Writing Retreat at the end of each quarter. These Writing Retreats are facilitated by a graduate writing consultant or a member of the Writing Hub’s professional staff in Room 1503.

Writing Retreats are limited to 16 participants who must apply to be on the attendance list. Full participation in every session is absolutely critical. If a graduate student cannot commit to the full 20 hours, they will not be allowed to participate. Graduate students may find the Retreat schedule and apply at https://writinghub.ucsd.edu/for-grad-students/retreats.html#Upcoming-Retreats. Application forms close down one week before the first session of each Retreat.

For scheduling purposes, the Writing Retreats should not be moved. Research shows that consistency in times and space vastly improve learning outcomes for participants.

As the sessions are four hours long, the Writing Hub orders coffee, tea, and pastries from Audrey’s for each Retreat session. These orders should arrive 15 minutes before the start of the Retreat session, and be picked up 15 minutes after it ends. Front desk assistants should move one of the Writing Hub’s small, round tables from the tutoring space into Room 1503 to accommodate the refreshments. Front desk assistants will need to move the table back out into the tutoring space at the conclusion of the Retreat session. Any receipts for the Audrey’s orders should be immediately passed to the Writing Hub’s Administrative Assistant.

EAL Writing Support Groups

The Writing Hub now offers English as an Additional Language Writing Support Groups for graduate-level UCSD students. These groups meet once a week each for 2 hours in Room 1503, and are led by a graduate writing consultant.

Graduate students wishing to participate must apply at the beginning of the quarter. They can find more information at https://writinghub.ucsd.edu/for-grad-students/groups.html.

The graduate writing consultant facilitator prepares the Writing Hub’s coffee and tea cart for these sessions.

Faculty Consultations

One of the things that makes the Teaching + Learning Commons unique is that we work to support student academic success not only with direct student support, but also through working with faculty. The Writing Hub offers faculty consultations to assist with writing components in courses or with individual writing projects. We work with both individual faculty members and entire academic departments.

Any UCSD faculty member wishing to schedule a consultation should be directed to email the Writing Hub at writinghub@ucsd.edu. The Writing Hub’s professional staff will then work with the faculty member or department to schedule consultation appointments.

Faculty consultations occur year-round and may require front desk assistants to rearrange furniture in the smaller meeting rooms.

Faculty Workshops

One of the things that makes the Teaching + Learning Commons unique is that we work to support student academic success not only with direct student support, but also through working with faculty. Workshops focused on faculty writing needs are conducted jointly through the Writing and Engaged Teaching Hubs. These events are typically hosted in the Literature Building instead of the Teaching + Learning Commons.

Weekly Undergraduate Tutor Training

The Writing Hub invests an enormous amount of time, energy, and resources into our undergraduate writing tutors. Each tutor is required to attend a one-hour training session per week in Weeks 1 – 10 throughout each quarter except for the week of the Thanksgiving break. To accommodate the large number of student staff (we currently have 58 undergraduate writing tutors), we conduct three training sessions per week in Room 1503. These trainings are on Tuesdays (2:00 – 3:00pm), Wednesdays (3:00 – 4:00pm) and Thursdays (4:00 – 5:00pm). Typically, our Tutor Coordinators conduct these trainings.

Weekly Graduate Consultant Training

The Writing Hub invests a large amount of time, energy, resources and responsibilities into our graduate writing consultants. Each consultant is required to attend a one-hour training session per week in Weeks 1 – 10 throughout each quarter except for the week of the Thanksgiving break. Graduate Consultant training is conducted by members of the Writing Hub’s professional staff on Monday mornings in Room 1502.