Essay Exams, The Basic Skills Test, & "Writing on the Spot: Essay Exams" Workshop

The EIU Writing Center doesn’t only provide feedback about academic papers or scholarship essays. Writing consultants there can help you with any document you've drafted, or they can help you get the writing process started by having a conversation about the assignment and brainstorming ideas.

As the DEN has informed readers about recently, to be accepted into any teacher education programs at Eastern, students must first take and pass all parts of the Basic Skills Test. Because most programs have become more rigid with class scheduling during the sophomore and junior years of college, people recommend that students take the test in their first year or sophomore year of college.

What does this have to do with writing, you might ask?

A lot since there are writing assignments on the exam.

The Basic Skills test is required for all Education majors because it is used to asses that prospective teachers have the analytical and communication skills that they can implement in the classroom. This test consists mainly of essay tests. So being prepared and knowing the process of writing a timed essay is crucial for success on the Basic Skills Test. Getting ample practice before the big day of the test is very important, especially since students can take the test no more than five times.

On Thursday, October 6, 2011, the Writing Center will provide a workshop titled "Writing on the Spot: Essay Exams" at 3:30 p.m. in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall). This interactive session will focus on strategies that will help students on the typical essay exams they write in college, and it also could help Education majors who are concerned about the Basic Skills Test.

In addition, last spring this blog provided some advice about the challenge of in-class/timed essays in the post "Essay Exam Writing Tips."

Mid-term exams are approaching and the Basic Skills Test is important if you're an Ed major, so checking out the link above and attending the workshop tomorrow will better prepare you for what's ahead.

Creating Effective Personal Statements & Resumes Workshop, Th. 3/31 @ 5:00 p.m.

This week's workshop,"Creating Effective Personal Statements and Resumes," is designed to help you create documents that can help you advance your academic and/or professional career.

When applying for jobs, graduate programs, internships, or scholarships, you might be called upon to submit a resume or personal statement.

Come to this Writing Center workshop for tips on composing these documents successfully.

The workshop will run from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall).

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

Working with Sources in MLA Style & Plagiarism Awareness Workshop, Thursday 3/10 @ 5:00 p.m.

This week's workshop, “Working with Sources in MLA Style & Plagiarism Awareness,” focuses on how to introduce, use, and cite sources in MLA Style to show that you've done solid research while effectively and ethically providing sources.

If any of your instructors are asking you to use MLA style in your writing assignments, and you’ve questions about how to follow it, this workshop will be very helpful.

The workshop will run from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall).

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

Working with Sources in APA Style & Plagiarism Awareness Workshop, Th 3/3 5:00 pm

This week's workshop, "Working with Sources in APA Style & Plagiarism Awareness," focuses on how to introduce, use, and cite sources in APA Style to show that you've done solid research while effectively and ethically providing sources.

The workshop will run from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall).

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

Writing on the Spot: Approaching Essay Exams Workshop, Th 2/24

Since mid-term exams are drawing near, this Thursday's workshop, "Writing on the Spot: Approaching Essay Exams," focuses on strategies and tactics that can help you when you're writing in-class essays exams.

The workshop will run from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall).

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

Good luck with your mid-term exams.

Strategies for Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Workshop, Th 2/17 5:00 pm

The old adage is that learning how to write is really learning learn how to revise. So if you're interested in understanding what entails strong revision, tomorrow we're hosting a workshop titled "Strategies for Revising, Editing, and Proofreading."

The workshop will run from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall).

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

To get a preview of what the workshop might possibly cover, check out the "Important Points about Revision" page on the Writing Center's webpage.

Keys to Writing Successful Conclusions Workshop, 2/10 5:00 pm

Do conclusions baffle you? Do you find the final paragraph or two of a paper the hardest paragraphs to write? Are you seeking closure?

If so, today from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall), we'll host the workshop, "Keys to Writing Successful Conclusions." The workshop coordinators will offer tactics for writing strong conclusions, ones that offer closure to your documents without being overly repetitive.

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.

Strategies for Getting Started Workshop on Th Jan. 27

Are you having trouble getting your thoughts on the page?

If so, tomorrow from 5:00 to 5:30 in the Writing Center (3110 Coleman Hall), we'll host the first workshop of the spring semester. The workshop, "Hit the Ground Running: Strategies for Getting Started," will offer tactics for producing effective brainstorming and other pre-writing activities that will help you get started on your writing assignments in a productive manner.

If a student is interested in attending, he or she just needs to give us a call at 581-5929, reply to this blog post, or reply to our latest status update on the EIU Writing Center's Facebook page.