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This service is for currently registered University of Wisconsin-Madison students. Please read these instructions carefully! |
Live Online "Chat" Conferences
As a UW-Madison student currently enrolled in almost any class, you can talk about your draft with a Writing Center instructor online. Using our new Learn@UW page, you'll be able to show your draft to an instructor and chat about it.
Using a program called Breeze, you'll be able to paste your draft into a window that allows both you and your instructor to read and revise the text. You'll also have a chat window, where you'll be able to discuss the draft with your instructor. You access Breeze by first logging into our Learn@UW page, which serves as a sort of waiting room. Once you're in Learn@UW, an instructor will let you know if he or she is ready for you to go into Breeze or, if he or she is with another student, when your conference will begin. Sessions usually last about 45 minutes, and this is a first-come, first-served service. Sound complicated? Don't worry! Once you're in Learn@UW, your instructor will guide you through the steps. At the bottom of this page you'll find step-by-step instructions to get you to Learn@UW.
What do I need to use this service? Browsers for Windows 98 SE, 2000, XP (Win XP recommended)
Browsers for Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3, 10.4
Additional requirements
What if I just have a question, not a whole draft? If you have a quick writing question, ask the Writing Consultant. While E-Instruction on paper drafts is for registered University of Wisconsin-Madison students only, anyone can send a question to the Writing Consultant. But our Writer’s Handbook is also a great resource for answering questions, be they about documenting sources, punctuation, grammar, or style. What if I prefer to send my draft and receive a response via email? You'll want to check out our email instruction service rather than meeting with an instructor online. What kinds of papers can I talk about with an instructor? Online instruction works best with papers of 5 pages or less. (If you are writing something longer, make an in-person appointment at the regular, face-to-face Writing Center.) We're also happy to see you if you don't have a draft but want to talk through your ideas for an upcoming writing assignment. What classes qualify for online instruction? Almost all classes! But like the face-to-face Writing Center, the Online Writing Center unfortunately cannot work with you on papers for a handful of writing-oriented classes, including Communications-A, ESL, and creative writing courses. In these classes, your course instructor is your specially trained writing teacher, a resource to which students in other types of courses don’t have access. When is online instruction available? We're here Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. (Central). Please note that this service is first-come, first-served, like our other satellite locations; you don't need an appointment, but it's possible you'll have to wait if the instructor is working with another student. A typical session will last about 45 minutes, unless other students are waiting. Okay . . .Now that you’ve read our instructions and are ready to meet with an instructor online, here's what you need to do: 1. Visit Learn@UW by clicking below or going to learnuw.wisc.edu. Log in with your UW netID and password. 2. Choose "Self Registration" at the top, right-hand side of the screen (next to "Logout"). Choose "Online Writing Center," and you'll then be able to register yourself through our short form. (You'll only need to go through the registration step your first time visiting, and we only ask you to do this because we need to limit our service to currently-registered UW students; once you're registered, "Online Writing Center" will be listed as an Ongoing Course every time you log into Learn@UW.) 3. Once you've entered the course, you'll see instructions and a link to get into our "waiting room." This is a chat room where our instructors will be waiting to greet you! (Please remember that instructors are only online Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Central.) An instructor will then give you a link to meet in a private room where you can post your paper and text chat about it. You can also download a (2MB .pdf) step-by-step Chat Conferencing Guide! |
