EFSC Writing Centers Feature Free Help

June 19, 2014 - Writing Centers on two Eastern Florida State College campuses provide writing assistance to students from all disciplines.

The Melbourne Campus Center offers both one-on-one consultations and small-group workshops, preferably by appointment.  

The center’s mission is to create independent writers with strong essential skills. Towards this aim, the center advises and assists students throughout any stage of the writing process, in a supportive, comfortable environment.

“Too often, students are fearful of writing and have had negative experiences,” said Melbourne English Instructor and Writing Center Coordinator, Sharon Cronk-Raby. “I try to help them become more skilled at writing, regardless of past experiences. I am a big proponent of the writing process and working in steps. By helping students understand that writing is a process, not a got-to-be-perfect-in-one-sitting ordeal, I can help change their writing by changing their thinking about writing — which I find very rewarding.”

The Melbourne Writing Center is provided by EFSC and there is no cost to students for its use. Its staff includes four writing consultants — one full-time and three part-time. Each consultant holds a bachelor’s degree and three hold master’s degrees. All have significant writing experience.

The consultants assist students with the entire writing process, from brainstorming to organizing and clarifying ideas. Although the center is not a proofreading service, its staff teaches the skills necessary for writing success. In addition to assisting with academic assignments, the staff also helps with other areas, such as scholarship essays and college admission statements.

“In the writing center, we change lives by helping students accomplish writing tasks they never thought possible,” said Cronk-Raby. “We make connections with students and help them think critically and engage in conversations (first with our writing consultants and then on paper in their writing assignments) that help them grow as people and as writers.”

Cronk-Raby just completed her third year as a full-time English instructor on the Melbourne campus. Previously, she was an adjunct instructor on the Cocoa campus for a year; and before this, she lived in the suburbs of Chicago, where she also taught English and worked in writing centers.

“I have worked with writing centers in some capacity for the last twenty years. For the first ten years, I taught middle school within the public school system in Illinois, and I worked directly with students in the classroom and in after-school homework clubs on writing skills. For the last ten years, I have been teaching English at the college level and working directly in writing centers in various capacities.

“Actually, I just started a PhD program, and my dissertation will, in some form or another, focus on the positive roles a writing center holds within a college community. Writing is my passion, and I firmly believe that writing centers have a positive impact on students.”

The Melbourne Writing Center is located on the Melbourne campus in Building 2, Room 125 inside the library. It also has an entry off of the breezeway next to the large glass window. The center is available to all EFSC students, faculty and staff, Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The center’s workshops are offered in the Fall and Spring terms only. To make an appointment, call 321-433-5605 or visit their webpage on the college website www.easternflorida.edu.

EFSC also provides a writing center on its Cocoa campus in Building 12, Room 221. This center is available to all EFSC and UCF students, faculty and staff. It is closed for the summer and reopens in the fall, Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. During the summer, EFSC and UCF students from any campus may use the Melbourne Campus Writing Center.

The writing centers’ staff suggest you bring the following to your consultation:

•    A printed version of your latest draft
•    Instructor’s assignment guidelines
•    A flash drive to save any changes made during the consultation
•    An open mind and willingness to accept constructive feedback

In addition to in-person assistance, the writing centers also provide students with valuable writing tips, via power points, posted on the EFSC Writing Centers’ Libguide website. These power points include:

• MLA (7th Ed.) Resources
• APA (6th Ed.) Resources
• Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)
• EMC 1101: Writing and Grammar
• ENC 1102: Writing about Literature

To view any of these power points please see:  https://libguides.easternflorida.edu/melbournewritingcenter