FAQs

1. To register for an account, go to our schedule homepage. 
2. Select 'register for an account', fill in the required fields and 'create account'.

Note: Be sure to fill in both tick boxes on the form, including those in drop-down menus. 

1. Once you have an account registered on our booking system you will see our booking page. You will see tutors names, discipline, and languages they speak. White squares indicate free slots. Click on the appointment of your choice.
   Each tutor has been trained to work with students from any faculty.
2. Once you have selected your appointment, a booking form will appear. Fill out the details requested. You may book a 30 minute or hour long session. There is the option of attending online or in-person. You can also attach any neccessary files such as the work you have completed so far or an assignment rubric. The tutors will not look at this until the session.
3. Click create appointment and your slot will turn yellow now that it has been successfully booked.

All services offered by the Writing Centre are free. No matter whether you attend a workshop or a peer tutoring session, it will not cost you a cent.

1. Select your session on the schedule page.
2. Scroll to the bottom of your session information and select 'cancel appointment'.

A minimum of two hours' notice is required when cancelling sessions. Without this notice, the account will be deactivated. 

This means that their booking privileges are revoked for the remainder of the semester.

If a session is cancelled on the day of, please contact the Centre so the slot can be given to another student. 

Sessions can also be modified before the time.

You can only have one peer tutoring session booked at a time in the Writing Centre.

Firstly, this is because it is unfair to hold a second booking at the same time, preventing another student from using the service.

Also, almost nobody who comes to talk to the Writing Centre's peer tutors should know that they will need another session, before finishing their first one. This is because the aim of our tutors is to make students more confident, critical and autonomous writers, who no longer need to use this service.

The only exception to this rule is if a student needs to talk about two very different types of assignments (for example, law and politics). They can then book two half-hour sessions with specialists in those areas.

Anytime a student is found to have made more than one appointment at a time the later appointment will be cancelled and the tutee will be notified by email immediately.

You can book either 30 minute or hour long appointments at the Writing Centre.

If a student doesn't show up for their appointment after ten minutes, they are marked as a 'no show'.

This means that their booking privileges are revoked for the remainder of the semester.

Users will also be marked as a 'no show' and have booking privileges revoked for cancelling without at least two hours' notice. 

Booking privileges can be reinstated with fair reason.

If a student's booking privileges have been removed, they can still pop into the Writing Centre and avail of any sessions that were either not booked, cancelled or to which another student didn't show up.

If there is a session time that you want, but is already booked, you can join the waiting list.

Log into the schedule and click the white clock icon on the left side of the screen, next to the date. Make sure to choose a tutor who is tutoring that day, and a time they are tutoring.

Our tutors only come to the Writing Centre at the times that they are scheduled for, so referencing a tutor who isn't listed on the schedule will mean that you won't get an alert email if a slot frees up.

We put a 'Drop-In' sign on the Centre door when a student does not arrive for their session. A 'Drop-In' sign means that a tutor is in the Centre and is available to speak to a student.

If you have any difficulty booking online, please drop into the Writing Centre, C1-065, between 10am and midday, 2pm and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, you may email any further queries to writingcentre@ul.ie.

No, students cannot request to meet a tutor outside the Writing Centre.

Outside of the hours provided to students, the Centre has no control over the quality of tutoring provided.

It also would over-step the ethical boundaries placed by the Centre and eat into the peer tutors' own time to study.

If you cannot find any times this week that suit you, you can either click on the clock image next to each day to see when there are cancellations, or you can book for the following week.

Do not worry if you cannot book a session with a specialist tutor in your area, as they are all capable of talking to you about your assignment.

Tell us about your experience, good or bad, by completing the appropriate section of the survey emailed to you following your session. (Alternatively, you can fill out a paper copy of the survey in the Writing Centre.)

These surveys are reviewed on a regular basis and any issues that you bring to our attention will be addressed.

If there is a problem that you feel has not been adequately addressed or an issue that you feel needs immediate attention, please contact the RWC's Director: tara.giddens@ul.ie 

All communications will be addressed in the strictest confidence.