The Humanities Undergraduate Writing Centre Opens

Inspired by a model common in North American Liberal Arts Colleges, The Undergraduate Writing Centre provides students with support and guidance from their peers, facilitating a fresh discussion of academic writing. The Peer-Advisor team are taken from across all Humanities disciplines and are determined to make sure that the Centre is a success.

Antonia Wimbush, Modern Languages student and Peer-Advisor said, “We are in the best position to help other students because we have been through the same problems ourselves and we can understand where they are coming from. Giving advice to other students helps us to remember our own advice too – it benefits both of us.”

Dr. Siân Harris, leading the project, said “The Centre provides fresh perspectives on key issues, such as structuring a convincing argument or finding an academic voice. The Peer-Advisors are approachable and have been trained to encourage fellow students to think beyond assessment and focus on developing their writing as a skill in itself, whilst also working to further a sense of community amongst student writers.”

This innovative approach to the development of writing skills promises benefits to all those involved. Peer-Advisors can be consulted by any student within the College, and offer thirty-minute individual appointments in a friendly and informal environment. Students can visit the centre five days per week and at full capacity, the centre can accommodate twenty-four appointments per day.

Geoff Martin, UG Drama student commented, “I found the session useful because it gave me a clearer focus on my approach to an essay and also some new ideas for research methods.”

For more information, please email humanities-writing-centre@exeter.ac.uk, or contact Siân Harris on s.l.harris@exeter.ac.uk.

Date: 5 February 2012