One Hour by Arrangement for:

English 100, 100+101, 110, 120, 135, 140, and 165

ESL 400

English 100, 100+101, 110, 120, 135, 140, and 165

What is the one hour by arrangement?

The one hour by arrangement is a requirement of all transfer-level English courses. With the hour by arrangement, you can take advantage of all the resources in the Writing Center, so you can improve your writing. For example, you can choose to meet with a Writing Center instructor in up to three conferences per essay.

How do I know what I should do to receive credit for the one hour by arrangement?

Based on your writing skills and the goals for the course, your classroom instructor decides how you should fulfill this requirement and gives you a yellow reporting form that tells you what activities you should complete during the semester. Some of these activities may involve working in the Writing Center, and some may not involve the Writing Center at all.

Your instructor may ask you to sign up for one-on-one conferences so that you can get help with your classroom essays. Or your classroom instructor may ask you to do enrichment activities such as reading a book or attending a play. In this case, your instructor will sign the form. You may be asked to research and compose your essay for class on one of the computers in the Writing Center—with English instructors available to answer quick questions when you get stuck. Or you may be required to work in the Writing Center with an instructor on specific editing and proofreading skills. A faculty member or an instructional aide in the Writing Center will sign your yellow reporting form.

What should I do if my instructor does not give me a yellow reporting form?

Ask your classroom instructor to give you a yellow reporting form, so you can use the resources in the Writing Center.

How will the one hour by arrangement affect my grade for the course?

Ask your instructor. Your classroom instructor determines how the one hour by arrangement affects your course grade.

How do I get started?

If your instructor has asked that you do activities in the Writing Center, bring the yellow reporting form that your instructor has given to you to the Writing Center, and we will help you begin.

What must I do in order to get help with my essays or use the other resources in the Writing Center?

Even if your classroom instructor has not specified that you must do activities in the Writing Center, you can use the computers in the Writing Center to write or do web research for your essays. You can also sign up for an appointment with a Writing Center instructor to get help with an essay. You can also choose to do tutorials to improve your writing skills. To use the center for these purposes, simply bring your yellow reporting form to the Writing Center.

What is available in the center?

There are many resources in the Writing Center, which you can use:

• English instructors who can help with essays and editing and proofreading skills.
• Two-hour workshops which focus on specific editing and proofreading skills.
• Tutorials on specific writing and critical thinking skills which are available both in hard copies in the center and on the web for work at home.
• Videotapes and DVDs based on literature, plays and films (with headphones) to watch at the viewing stations in the center.
• Computers with access to the World Wide Web, available for research and word processing.

If my classroom instructor indicated that I should get one-on-one tutoring, what should I do?

Bring your yellow reporting form to sign up for an appointment in the Writing Center (18-104) with a Writing Center instructor.

How do I sign up for an appointment with an instructor?

The appointment sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board at the front of the room in the Writing Center. Sign ups for future weeks are on the table in front of the bulletin board in the Writing Center.

If there are no conference times available, you may come to the Writing Center during the hour you want to see an instructor and use the stand-by list. Although there are no guarantees, more often than not, instructors find time to work with people on the stand-by list.

What happens if I cannot come to an appointment?

Please keep all appointments or call to cancel your appointment as far in advance of your scheduled appointment as possible. Call the Writing Center at (650) 574-6436. If you miss two appointments, you will lose the right to make another appointment.

What should I bring to my essay conference?

Always bring:

• your yellow reporting form (continually updated by the Writing Center) which you keep and give to your classroom instructor at the end of the semester
  
• your essay that you want to work on
  
• your essay assignment sheet
  

What can I expect from a conference with a Writing Center instructor?

Your instructor will spend about twenty minutes discussing your essay, homework or tutorial with you. It is a good idea to come prepared with questions or specific areas that you need help with. Since time is limited, this will allow the instructor to give you as much assistance as possible during the conference.

Although your essay grades will probably improve, a conference with a Writing Center instructor does not ensure that you will receive an A on a paper. The Writing Center is not a proofreading service; instead, your instructor will use the conference as an opportunity to teach you to revise and proofread your own work. The instructor’s goal is to help you to become an independent editor of your own writing. You are limited to three conferences per essay.

How do I sign up for a two-hour workshop that focuses on a specific writing skill?

A two-hour workshop focuses on one writing skill only and meets once only. If your Writing Center instructor recommends that you attend one of these two-hour workshops, you can sign up on the bulletin board in the English 800 Lab (18-102).

What should I do if my instructor asks me to watch a video or DVD in the Writing Center?

Come to the Writing Center. An instructional aide or student assistant will help you check out the video or DVD, give you earphones and get you settled at the viewing station in the Writing Center. When you have finished, the instructional aide or student assistant will stamp your yellow reporting form so you can show it to your classroom instructor.

What should I do if my instructor asks me to do an online critical thinking skills supplementary exercise?

You can access these supplementary exercises from our tutorial section.

At the end of each tutorial, you must complete and print the quiz. Bring the quiz and the yellow reporting form to the Writing Center.

Because of the time required to check these exercises, please bring no more than two quizzes to be checked at a time.

What should I do if my instructor asks me to do an online tutorial through the College of San Mateo Library?

You can access the online tutorials on library research through the web address:

http://www.smccd.net/accounts/csmlibrary/engtutorials.html

At the end of each tutorial, you must complete and submit the quiz online. After you have finished, bring the yellow reporting form to the Writing Center, so an instructional aide or student assistant can update your yellow form.

My classroom instructor has asked me to do activities outside the Writing Center in order to fulfill the one-hour-by-arrangement requirement. Do I need to come to the center?

If your classroom instructor has asked you to attend a cultural event, read a book, attend a conference or do other activities outside class which do not involve the Writing Center, you do not need to come to the Writing Center. Ask your instructor for details about these assignments. Your instructor will sign your yellow reporting form.

If I cannot come to campus, how can I fulfill the hour-by-arrangement requirement?

If you are in a distance learning class and are unable to come to campus, you should talk with your classroom instructor about making alternate arrangements.

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ESL 400

What is the ESL 400 hour by arrangement?
All students enrolled in ESL 400 must complete an hour by arrangement requirement. With the hour by arrangement, you can take advantage of all the resources in the Writing Center, so you can improve your writing. For example, you can choose to meet with a Writing Center instructor in up to three conferences per essay.

How do I begin?
Your instructor will give you a pink Hour-by-Arrangement Reporting Form which will tell you what activities you need to do in order to fulfill this requirement. As soon as you receive it, you need to bring your pink reporting form to the Writing Center in 18-104 to get started.

How do I get started?
If your instructor has asked that you do activities in the Writing Center, bring the pink reporting form that your instructor has given you to the Writing Center, and we will help you begin.

In addition to working on my homework, can I get help with my class essays in the Writing Center?
Even if your classroom instructor has not specified it, you can sign up for an appointment with an instructor to get help with an essay. You should bring a copy of the essay and the assignment sheet to your conference with your Writing Center instructor. The Writing Center instructor will record notes about this meeting on your pink reporting form.

What can I expect from an essay conference with a Writing Center instructor?
Your Writing Center instructor will spend about twenty minutes discussing your essay with you. It is a good idea to come prepared with questions or specific areas that you need help with. Since time is limited, this will allow the instructor to give you as much assistance as possible during the conference. When your conference is over, ask your Writing Center instructor to sign your pink Hour-by-Arrangment Reporting Form to indicate that you have completed a conference appointment.

Although your essay grades will probably improve, a conference with a Writing Center instructor does not ensure that you will receive an A on a paper. The Writing Center is not a proofreading service; instead, your instructor will use the conference as an opportunity to teach you to revise and proofread your own work. The instructor’s goal is to help you become an independent editor of your own writing. Students are limited to three conferences per essay.

How do I sign up for an appointment with an instructor?
The appointment sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board at the front of the room in the Writing Center. Sign ups for future weeks are on the table in front of the bulletin board in the Writing Center.

If there are no conference times available, you may come at the time you want your conference to take place and use the stand-by list. Although there are no guarantees, more often than not, instructors find time to work with people on the stand-by list.

What happens if I cannot come to an appointment?
Please keep all appointments or call to cancel your appointment as far in advance of your scheduled appointment as possible. Call the Writing Center at (650) 574-6436. If you miss two appointments, you will lose the right to make another appointment.

Can I use the computers in the Writing Center?
As a student enrolled in ESL 400, you can use the computers in the Writing Center and can get help from the instructional aide and student assistants with computer questions. You must bring the pink reporting form whenever you come to work in the Writing Center.

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The Writing Center
Building 18-104
(650) 574-6436

The English 800 Lab
Building 18-102
(650) 574-6539