Schedule and Appointment Guide
Students can make appointments with Writing Centre tutors and peer academic coaches through our appointment scheduling platform, WCOnline.
On WCOnline, we have up to three service schedules available throughout the year:
1. Writing Centre tutors schedule
Meet with a Writing Centre Tutor for support with any writing-related assignment.
- Offered during the Fall, Winter, and Summer semesters
- Appointments are 30 minutes
- Students can book two appointments per day, four per week, up to two weeks in advance
- Appointments must be cancelled with at least two hours’ notice; see our cancellation policy for more information
- Appointments can be in-person or online via video call (synchronous) or email feedback (asynchronous); see our Appointment Types below for more information
2. Peer academic coaches schedule
Meet with a Peer Academic Coach for individualized strategies and reources to support a range of academic needs across disciplines.
- Offered during the Fall and Winter semesters
- Appointments are 45 minutes
- Students can book up to four appointments per semester
- Appointments must be cancelled with at least 12 hours’ notice; see our cancellation policy for more information
- Appointments can be in-person or online via video call (synchronous)
3. Open learning email tutoring schedule
During the weeks in between semesters, Open Learning students can receive email feedback (asynchronous) tutoring support through this schedule. If you are an Open Learning student, visit our Services for Open Learning Students for more information on this schedule and how we provide support to Open Learning students.
Are you a student from the Williams Lake campus?
The Writing Centre is here to support you! Meet with Writing Centre tutors or peer academic coaches on WCOnline through video call or get feedback on written assignments from an email appointment on our Writing Centre tutors schedule on WCOnline. If you have any questions about making an appointment, contact us at writing_ctr@tru.ca or call 250-852-7673.
Appointment types
On WCOnline, we offer three different appointment types:
| In-person | Video Call (Synchronous) | Email (Asynchronous) |
|---|---|---|
|
In-person appointments take place in the Writing Centre in Old Main room 1411. We sometimes offer in-person appointments at satellite locations outside the Writing Centre. Appointments conducted at satellite locations are labelled with the location name on WCOnline. |
Meet with your tutor through a video call. The device you use will need a microphone and camera. How to connect:
We highly recommend a laptop or desktop computer as mobile devices (tablets or smartphones) may have limited functionality |
Receive written feedback on your draft from a tutor. At least 30 minutes before your appointment begins, attach two files:
The tutor will attach their feedback to the appointment. Students should receive an email notification with their feedback file attached or students can download the feedback file directly from their appointment on WCOnline. Please note that tutors cannot help with assignment interpretation or brainstorming with this appointment type nor can they conduct info session appointments. Are you an Open Learning student taking undergraduate courses? Learn how the Writing Centre provides email (asynchronous) tutoring for you here. |
Booking an appointment online on WCOnline
Log in to WCOnline and select the schedule you want to book an appointment on. Once in that schedule, you will see days, times, and tutor (or Peer Academic Coach) names. White blocks are available appointment times, and purple blocks are appointments booked by other students. To book an appointment:
- Click on a white block
- Select an appointment type
- Fill out the required questions
- Attach the assignment instructions (and your draft, if applicable/ready)
- Files can also be attached to existing appointments by clicking on the appointment, scrolling to the bottom of the pop up, and clicking the yellow “Attach Files” button
- Click "Create Appointment"
- Once you exit the appointment details window, the block will turn yellow to indicate that it is your appointment
If you have any questions about using WCOnline, don’t hesitate to visit us in Old Main room 1411 or contact us via email at writing_ctr@tru.ca or via phone call at 250-852-7673.
Preparing for an appointment
Appointments are limited in length so to get the most out of your session with a tutor, it is recommended that students come to their appointments prepared with their assignment instructions and an idea of what they would like to accomplish in their tutoring session—the more specific the questions the better!
- For in-person appointments, bring your assignment instructions or rubric, some questions or ideas about the assignment, your draft (if you have one), and your critical thinking cap.
- You can bring printed copies of your instructions and draft, a mobile device (laptop, tablet, etc.) to access them digitally, or use the computers in Olf Main Room 1411.
- In-person appointments at satellite locations may not have access to student computers, so students must bring physical copies of their draft/assignment instructions or their own mobile devie to digitally access them.
- For video call (synchronous) appointments, students can attach their assignment instructions to the appointment on WCOnline. A few minutes before the appointment starts, log in to WCOnline, connect to the video call appointment, and upload your draft, if you have one, to the collaborative digital workspace.
- For email (asynchronous) appointments, students must attach their assignment instructions and draft directly to their appointment on WCOnline 30 minutes before the appointment start time. We highly recommend that students provide tutors with questions that they would like addressed or concerns they would like prioritized when booking the appointment.
- WCOnline only accepts .pdf or .docx files under 5MB.
- Drafts must be attached as .docx files.
- tutors can provide asynchronous feedback on slide decks (PowerPoint slides); students can attach a slide deck as .pdf file to their appointment. After the appointment, tutors will attach a .docx file with feedback on the slides.
- Writing Centre tutors schedule: two hours in advance
- peer academic coaches schedule: 12 hours in advance
- Open Learning email tutoring schedule: by 8 a.m. the day of the appointment
Appointment Policies
Cancellation Policy
Appointments can be cancelled ahead of time through WCOnline:
If students must cancel their appointment with less than two hours' notice, they must contact the Writing Centre via email or phone to cancel their appointment. Cancellation requests received outside of office hours will be processed during office hours. Students that do not cancel and do not attend their appointment should refer to our No-Show Appointment Policy.
No-Show Appointment Policy
Appointments are marked as “no-show” when a student is 10 minutes late for an in-person or video call (synchronous) appointment or doesn’t upload a draft to their email (asynchronous) appointment before the appointment start time.
When a student does not show up for an appointment, their WCOnline account is automatically deactivated and future appointments will be cancelled. To have an account reactivated, students can contact the Writing Centre support staff by emailing writing_ctr@tru.ca, calling 250-852-7673, or visiting the Writing Centre (Old Main Room 1411). Email and phone are only monitored during our office hours.
Please note that repeated no-show appointments may result in an extended account deactivation period.
