By Emma Timberg | Guest Writer
The Wilmer Writing Center continues to find ways to increase student engagement and drive academic success at the University of Lynchburg.
According to the university’s website, the Wilmer Writing Center offers one-on-one sessions with all individuals on campus to improve their writing skills. Through the use of tutors, students and faculty can become more engaged in their projects and build upon their work. Meetings can occur in person, online via video meetings, or they can simply upload their project for feedback.
The center’s flexibility has led to an increase in bookings. Dr. Rachel Willis is the director of the Wilmer Writing Center. Willis has noticed several trends in engagement, attributed to both social media promotion and word of mouth, throughout the campus.
“Within the last year, we’ve had an increase in engagement from our graduate student,” Willis said. She believes this is because of the students in the Doctor of Medical Science program, who are furthering their academic studies at the University of Lynchburg.
Overall, the students appear to be satisfied with the work being done by the Wilmer Writing Center, according to Willis and the surveys she has received. However, she hopes that continued promotion will increase student engagement.
Finding talented tutors is vital in helping the center maintain its status. Sophomore Henry Gardiner discussed his role as a tutor in supporting academics through his job.
“I get a lot of English students,” Gardiner stated, “I’ve been pretty balanced with grade level, but maybe having more freshmen.” Understanding who is using the center can be helpful in catering to certain groups while also understanding where there may need to be more of a push.
While the response to the Wilmer Writing Center is positive, both Gardiner and Willis have noticed a lack of first-time visitors. They hope to continue building upon the center to increase this engagement.
“You have to be brave,” Willis said. She acknowledged that taking the first steps to come to the center can be scary. However, the writing center has numerous options to help improve projects.
The Wilmer Writing Center is located on the bottom floor of Hopwood Hall. To learn more about the Wilmer Writing Center, you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
