You will meet with an instructor in one of our offices on the St. George campus in Nursing, KPE, or Social Work. (You need to make note of WHERE your appointment will take place and allow time to get to that location.)

Bring your laptop or a paper copy of your draft or outline and your assignment guidelines to your appointment. Together, you and your instructor will discuss assignment expectations, identify what needs work, read over sections of your paper, and plan next steps for your revision.

In-person appointments are most helpful when you want to discuss your concerns and get immediate feedback — you will have a conversation about your assignment. Instructors can teach you strategies for revision that you can practice and then apply later on this and other assignments.

You interact directly with a writing instructor, in real time, through our scheduling system interface.

You can use video and/or audio to carry on conversations about your draft, which you upload to a white screen that both of you can use. A written chat function is also available.

Use online appointments when you want to simulate an in-person appointment and discuss your assignment and concerns.

You need to be available at the time scheduled and log in to the scheduling system by clicking on your appointment to “join” the session. After joining, you can “enable” your camera and microphone for the session.

You do not interact directly with a writing instructor. Instead, you upload a copy of your draft and assignment guidelines prior to your appointment time and an instructor will provide you with written comments on your draft to guide your revision.

Use e-Tutoring when you cannot be available at a specific time to meet online. It is best used when you have at least a partial draft on which your instructor can comment.

E-Tutoring is also helpful as a follow-up appointment for feedback on a revised draft, i.e., as a second appointment after you have already met online to discuss the assignment and your initial draft.

Note that we DO NOT proofread/correct any draft, though we often identify sentence level errors for you to correct.

Try our 30-minute ONLINE drop-ins on Friday mornings. You cannot book these appointments ahead of time. Instead, beginning at 15 minutes before the hour (e.g., 8:45, 9:45, etc.), you can book one of the two open slots for that hour. You and your instructor will then meet for an ONLINE appointment. Two 30-minute drop-in appts are available each hour. Drop-ins are also great if you just have a short question you’d like answered.

Appointments often fill up, especially at mid-term and end of term. If the schedule is fully booked on the dates and times you want, put your name on the waiting list for that date. Click on the “waiting list” link under each day’s schedule. You will receive an automated text or email letting you know if a cancellation occurs so you can book this opening. Act fast!

Appointments are available to registered undergraduate or graduate students (with a valid UTOR/ID) in one of the following University of Toronto Faculties:

• Dalla Lana School of Public Health (PhD students only)

• Nursing

• Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Kinesiology & Physical Education

• Social Work

• Medicine (through OLA)

Students may book up to 1 appointment per week each term, holding a maximum of 3 appointments at any one time. As you complete an appointment, you can book another as needed.

If you do not show up to your appointment, you can lose scheduling privileges (see below).

DON'T just skip it! You must cancel or reschedule your appointment if you can't make it, preferably 24 hours in advance. Cancelling early enables other students to book this opening.

You must cancel or reschedule AT LEAST 12 hours before your appointment time, or you will be unable to change your appointment. If you don’t show up, you will be marked as a no-show.

If you miss an appointment, your account will be locked and you will be prevented from booking any other appointments that term. Late cancellations (cancelling less than 5 hours before the appt time) will also be counted as no-shows.

The Health Sciences Writing Centre (HSCW) collects personal information that is necessary for the provision of the services offered by the HSWC. All student personal information is stored securely within our scheduling system WCOnline, and is at all times handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31. The WCOnline system is not accessible to anyone outside of the HSWC, and instructors are only authorized to access your personal information stored in WCOnline to provide instruction to you. During your sessions, your instructor may ask you questions to inform and facilitate the instruction to you. Any information that you provide to your writing instructor during your session may be recorded in the instructor’s teaching notes.

By registering to use the HSWC services, you are consenting to the collection and use of your personal information as described above.

If you have any questions about how the HSWC collects or uses your personal information, please email us.

All student appointments are FREE, included as part of your fees and tuition. Various writing resources are also freely available online though the University of Toronto.

Please upload:

• a copy of your assignment guidelines

• a copy of your paper, draft, notes, etc.

DO NOT upload pdf files because we cannot make notes on them for you. Send regular document files.

No, we will neither proofread nor rewrite your work. We will, however, identify problems and show you how to correct them. We will also help you write more effectively. Our goal is to develop your writing skills, not proofread for you.

Yes, students are limited to ONE APPOINTMENT PER WEEK and TEN APPOINTMENTS PER TERM during the regular school year (Sept-April). Students may hold up to THREE appointments at any one time. This ensures that all students have access to appointments during busy times. Sometimes additional appointments can be arranged, if the schedule allows. Email us to request such appointments.

We encourage you to book ahead for upcoming assignments.

Our booking system sends out appointment confirmations and reminders by email and text. If you not do not receive reminders the day before your appointments, please try the following steps.

Step 1

Check your junk/spam folders for both your email and/or your phone (if you signed up for text messages). If you do find the messages there, mark them as safe. If not, go to step 2.

Step 2

Check your reminder settings by going to the welcome menu in the booking system (‘Welcome [First name]’) and selecting ‘Update Profile and Email Options’. Ensure that your email address is written correctly in the system.

Under ‘Email Preferences’, check that you have not opted out of any emails or messages that you want to get. If you did, change the setting and click ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom of the page.

Step 3

If you signed up for text messages, send a test text message to make sure the text messaging works.

On the same ‘Update Profile and Email Options’ page (see step 2), you can sign up for text messages. If you did, you will NOT receive reminder or waitlist emails. However, if you did not test the text messaging you may not receive text messages either.

Go to the bottom of the page, to the box that says ‘Text Messaging Preferences’. After entering your phone number and carrier, click ‘Save Changes’ and a test link will appear below the phone number you just entered. Click it to send a test message.

Step 4

If you do not receive a test text message, check whether the information you entered is correct. If it is correct and you still don’t receive a text message, your carrier may not be supported. Remove your text messaging information and click ‘Save Changes’ to receive emails instead.

Email us if you have any other concerns.

If you are unable to access our appointment schedule, check your Quercus settings to ensure that your current UoT email is being used (ending “mail.utoronto.ca").

If you are having internet or connection problems during online appointments, try logging in and out again. This often resets the system so it will work.

If you think you have an appointment but don’t see your instructor in your online session, or you don’t receive an email informing you that your written feedback is ready for you after your e-tutoring appointment time, please email your instructor directly.

Alternatively, email us if you continue experiencing technical difficulties.

You may be locked out of the scheduling system for the current term. Have you accumulated penalties from missed appointments or appointments not cancelled with 24-hours' notice? PLEASE check your email for reminders about your upcoming appointments. Cancel your appointment if you can't make it, preferably at least 24 hours ahead of time. Appointment privileges may be reinstated at the discretion of the Writing Centre Director; email us with such requests.

We have THREE locations across the Health Science faculties:

• Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, 155 College St, HS341B

• Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 320 Huron St, BN229

• Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor St W, SK704

We are open Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms and on a reduced schedule during the spring term.