The Student Writing and Reading Center at Salt Lake Community College can help any student improve their grades in any class that requires a written paper, and recent data supports that claim.
According to data taken in 2017 by Jeff Webb and the Office of Institutional Research and Reporting at SLCC, students who run their work by tutors at the SWRC can expect about a 0.3 increase to their GPA. The margin between those who used the SWRC versus those who did not was even wider among new students.
The report found, “New students who used the SWRC received, on average, a numerical grade of 3.11 in the originating course, compared to 2.67 for students who did not.”
Students can bring their writing assignments into the SWRC, no matter the stage their assignment is in. Even if someone does not have a word written, the writing center is there to help.
“We can help at any stage during the writing process,” explained Jordan Hartley, lab coordinator for the South City Campus SWRC. “If someone doesn’t know where to get started or understand the assignment, we can help clarify what the assignment expectations are.”
Hartley requested that students bring a copy of the assignment requirements so the tutors can know if they are doing the assignment correctly. According to Hartley, understanding the assignment is the chief reason for a student who is struggling with writing assignments.
In addition to assignments, the SWRC helps students with writing outside of the classroom.
“They can bring in any sort of writing,” Hartley said. “It can be for essays for scholarships or resumes and things like that, or just personal writing if someone is doing creative writing.”
To get help from the SWRC, students have the option to either make an appointment for an online tutoring session, walk-in without an appointment or use the online service, all of which can be accessed through their website at slccswc.org.
According to Hartley, the SWRC can accommodate most walk-ins, with the exception being that every tutor is already helping other students. With more classes available in fall semesters than summer, Hartley encouraged students to either make appointments ahead of time or use the online tutoring tool services.
“There’s a live chat feature,” Hartley said as he described the online tutoring services. “There’s also a feature where you’re able to submit your work and a tutor will look over it and write a few paragraphs worth of feedback and then send the student the feedback.”
To get online help, students need to sign in to the SWRC website with their S-number and password.
