COS Offers Curriculum-based Writing Tutoring

by Caroline Gergel, peer tutor and writing fellow, Biology

Undergraduate writers in the sciences are expected to mimic the form, prose style, and tone used by professionals in the field, yet the specifics of how to write in a scientific style are seldom explained by professors. Proficient writers may absorb the conventions over time and with experience, but students who are less proficient or who are still struggling with the basics of writing in English need some direct assistance, as Professors Rick Diecchio and Larry Rockwood recognized when they arranged for me to tutor student writers through a new College of Science writing assistance initiative.

As a recently graduated biology major with an earth science minor, I had spent two semesters in experiential coursework in CHSS 390: Peer Tutoring in the Disciplines and a third semester in CHSS 490 as a writing fellow working with Professor Giuseppina Kysar. As a writing fellow, I introduced students to the basic writing elements through a presentation, “Writing in the Sciences,” that addressed, among other things, concision, accuracy, and precision. I then invited interested students to meet with me individually to review and revise their science writing habits.

Now, in COS, I am continuing to provide a similar tutorial service. I began with a focus on BIOL 307 student writing improvement and then opened my schedule to students in all COS writing-intensive courses. Although I have no large scale data, no reliable t-tests or p-values to prove it, student response has shown that targeted science writing assistance is an appreciated and productive service. Moreover, I know this tutoring experience will be invaluable to me when I have completed my masters of education and secured a position teaching high school biology.