At the Academic Center for Reading and Writing, our goal is to teach effective reading, writing, and thinking strategies so you'll become an independent thinker for the rest of your life. If you struggle with organizing your paper, we'll show you techniques to improve your logic and make your paper flow. If you have difficulty with grammar, we'll show you the rules of grammar and how to spot grammatical problems and fix them. If you have trouble organizing your research, we can show you how to do it. Even if you're a confident writer, we can help provide you with feedback. To do so, we offer free, one-on-one consultations and group workshops. We can assist you with any writing you're working on.

Here are a few guidelines:

You are limited to 90 minutes of one-on-one help per week. That means one (1) appointment and one (1) walk-in visit or three (3) walk-in visits per week. Only one consultation is allowed per day.

• Appointments - 45-60 minutes: best for pre-writing/brainstorming sessions, paper evaluations (using full "Student Draft Evaluation" sheet), or all concerns the student feels will require close attention and extended time to address (including grammar issues). When unsure about how much time you will need, make an appointment (just in case). Appointments receive priority.
• Walk-in sessions - 20-30 minutes: best for a quick grammar review (one concept) or assistance with one element of an essay or paragraph. Walk-ins may be seen if someone misses an appointment or if there is no appointment scheduled. These sessions can be extended for the same reasons, but your allowable time for the week will be reduced. NO walk-in session will be allowed to conflict with an appointment.

You must arrive for a session, scheduled or walk-in, prepared. This means:

• A NOVA ID: It's free and helps faculty and staff recognize you as a student with a right to the services offered by NOVA to help your success. This policy begins October 3, 2011.
• On time: More than 10 minutes late forfeits an appointment; your session status becomes "walk-in." More details below.
• Knowledgeable: You should know what kind of help you need and should be able to articulate it in writing (to the best of your ability).
• Equipped: Have the tools necessary to write, including a pen or pencil, paper or a notebook, the assignment sheet for the writing assignment on which you are working, the writing guide used for your class, and any written feedback on the writing assignment that your professor has given you. Don't forget all drafts you have written as well.

Our goal is to provide you with on-going, quality reading, writing and ESL language assistance. We depend on your assistance and reliability to keep our service active.

HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FALL 2011
Opening: August 29, 2011
Closing: December 2, 2011

Tyauna Bruce
Coordinator
The Academic Center for Reading and Writing
Instructor of English, Liberal Arts Division
Alexandria Campus
Northern Virginia Community College
3001 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311-5097
Phone: 703.845.6363