Since 1959, The Writing Center has supported writers at Ball State. While our center is most well-known for our free, peer tutoring services, we also educate through writing workshops, presentations, communities, and online resources. Additionally, we collaborate with the Ball State Graduate School and Ball State Libraries to promote writing across campus.
Our history
Our Writing Center has a long and distinguished history at Ball State University. In 1959, the English Department added a “Writing Clinic” as a required lab component to a writing course. By 1966, the Writing Clinic had become a stand-alone unit where any student enrolled in a writing course could get feedback. In the 1980s, the Writing Clinic became the Writing Center and permitted students in any course to use its services. More than a half-century later, the Writing Center continues to thrive and support students, faculty, and staff.
Our philosophy
Writing research asserts writing is a lifelong pursuit, and that writers improve with continuous practice, feedback, and access to resources. Research also tells us that all writers struggle when writing in new genres, disciplines, languages/cultures, media, for new audiences, and/or when writing is pressured by time or stakes (e.g., grades or tenure). The Writing Center exists to help writers make forward progress on their current writing tasks and, through instruction and modeling, tutors can help writers transfer their learning from one writing task to the next.
Today, the Writing Center continues to offer free feedback, planning, and accountability sessions for students, faculty, and staff. Anyone at Ball State can make an appointment through our online schedule (ballstate.mywconline.com). Tutors are available to support writers with papers, presentations, websites, podcast scripts, reports, literature reviews, lesson plans, theses, dissertations, scholarship applications, and more. Some writers have a complete draft. Some writers have not started. Some are writing for a course assignment, but others are working on something extra-curricular or job-related. We are here to help at any stage of the writing-process.
Our services
We offer three different types of appointments. First, our Planning Sessions can help writers work through the assignment prompt, generate ideas, narrow topics, set goals. Next, our Feedback Sessions are the most common and can provide writers with feedback on work that’s in progress. Finally, our Accountability Sessions allow writers to get scheduled writing time on their calendars. A tutor is available during accountability sessions, but the main goal is to write.
Our writing center staff of 20-30 undergraduate and graduate tutors respond to texts in various stages, genres, disciplines, and modes. We are just as likely to work with students from first-year writing courses as we are to work with doctoral students completing their dissertations. Our tutors often represent majors from across campus. Current and previous tutors have come from majors including English Education, Journalism, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Creative Writing, Psychology, and dietetics.
Current hours & location
All appointments are available either in person at one of our two locations or online via the WCOnline website. Our main location is in the Robert Bell building, second floor, room 295, and we offer all our daytime appointments (Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. & Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.) at this location. Our evening appointments (Sun. – Thurs. 6-10 p.m.) are offered at our satellite location in Bracken Library—First Floor West. Visit our website (bsu.edu/writingcenter) to make your appointment today. We can’t wait to see you in the Writing Center!