wRITING

The leader in on-demand student support

info@smarthinking.com | www.smarthinking.com

P R e Pa R e S T u d e N T S f o R S u cc e S S I N T h e c l a S S R o o m a N d B e yo N d w I T h co m P R e h e N S I v e o N l I N e T u To R I N G f o R w R I T I N G

According to a survey of employers conducted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 25 percent of college-

educated workers entering the workforce lack a basic knowledge of writing and written communications.

To improve their writing skills in the classroom and prepare them to meet the needs of employers, students

require convenient and continuous access to personalized instruction. Smarthinking’s Online Tutoring for Writing

is designed to make secondary, post-secondary, and

graduate students better and more confident writers.

With access to expert writing educators, students can

utilize live, on-demand tutoring sessions or

asynchronous question submissions for specific targeted

support. Through Smarthinking’s comprehensive

Writing Center, students receive a detailed, personalized

critique of any written assignment, such as an essay,

research paper, paragraph, résumé, or creative work.

With experienced tutors who have reviewed millions of

essays for students of all ages and skill levels,

Smarthinking’s writing support can play a central role in

strengthening student writing, supporting instructors

who have challenging workloads, and improving overall

student success rates.

writing is fundamental

live, one-to-one Tutoring SessionsWriting tutors are also available for live, on-demand sessions or to address asynchronous

question submissions. Live tutors are available for extensive hours of the day and night to

assist students with specific writing questions, such as pre-writing techniques, research

strategies, documentation, and grammar and mechanics. Students can also submit an offline

question at any time, and responses are generally received within 24 hours.

h e R e ’ S a N e x a m P l e o f a l I v e , d R o P - I N T u To R I a l S e S S I o N

Using Smarthinking’s proprietary virtual whiteboard, our writing tutor (in red) helps a student

(in black) develop the thesis for a writing assignment. Note how the tutor guides the student

through the process.

writing

reading

mathematics

science

business

english for speakers of other languages (eSol)

spanish

nursing & allied health

computers & technology

available subjects

info@smarthinking.com | www.smarthinking.com

h e l P f u l w R I T I N G R e S o u R c e S

In addition to live writing assistance and the Writing Center options, Smarthinking provides

students with access to the Smarthinking Writer’s Handbook, the ESL Writer’s Handbook,

and a Study Guide Handbook. These tools can be helpful to students as they complete their

coursework, and tutors often direct students to sections of the handbook for additional

information and support.

R e S e a R c h B a S e d , R e S e a R c h P R ov e N

Independent research proves that Smarthinking’s online

tutoring services increase student achievement and help

improve student retention. With Smarthinking, students

get higher grades, pass their classes, and stay enrolled.

I N f o R m aT I v e daTa o N S T u d e N T P R o G R e S S

With Smarthinking, administrators are only a click away

from accessing data on student use of the Smarthinking

service, including the records of actual student sessions,

writing submissions, and guidance provided. This data can

be valuable in assessing student progress and success. An

archive of live sessions, offline questions, and paper

reviews is also available to students. Source: Broward College, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Research Brief.

w R I T I N G P R ac T I c e

Smarthinking also

offers an automated

solution for immediate

writing feedback in

four genres. Powered

by Pearson’s

Knowledge Analysis

TechnologiesTM (KAT)

engine, Smarthinking’s

Writing Practice

provides immediate

feedback and helps

motivate students to

invest more time

reviewing, reworking,

and rewriting their

assignments. Inquire

with your

Smarthinking Sales

Director to learn more.

6 / 1 3

S P e c I a l I z e d S u P P o R T, P e R S o N a l I z e d f e e d B ac k

Every aspect of Smarthinking’s Online Tutoring Services for Writing is designed to provide

individual instruction to students. Our service assists students with a wide variety of applications,

including report and essay review, remediation, graduate-level thesis critique, English for Speakers

of Other Languages (ESOL), developmental education, résumé and cover letters, and GED®

programs.

Smarthinking’s live tutoring sessions are conducted one-to-one within our proprietary virtual

whiteboard environment, which provides real-time collaboration. Students can brainstorm with a

tutor about their assignment, get help with grammar or documentation, or discuss feedback

provided by a tutor or instructor. In the Writing Center, students can submit essays and other

written work for personalized, detailed critique and feedback, with a response usually within 24

hours.

e x P e R I e N c e d T u To R S

Over 90 percent of Smarthinking’s writing tutors have an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in their writing-

intensive discipline. Most are current or former instructors and all are experienced, screened tutors

and teachers who receive ongoing professional development. With the aid of trained, experienced

writing tutors available around the clock, instructors can utilize Smarthinking as they might a

teaching assistant, saving them valuable time.

The writing center Smarthinking’s tutors review various types of written pieces, and provide constructive criticism

and feedback students need to improve the way they write. Students may choose to receive this

critique from a tutor with expertise in creative writing, business/technical writing, or English for

Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), depending on the assignment and the student. Writing

review services include the following options:

S Ta N da R d e S S ay R e v I e w - Smarthinking’s standard essay critique prioritizes higher-

order concerns, including main idea/thesis, content development, organization, and introduction/

conclusion. This critique includes a tutor’s embedded comments and a response form with

commentary on essay strengths, areas in need of improvement, and a summary of next steps.

lo N G e S S ay R e v I e w - The long essay review provides the same individualized feedback as

the standard review, but applied to written pieces of greater length.

Pa R aG R a P h R e v I e w - The paragraph review provides the same individualized feedback as

the standard essay review, but applied to a writing piece of 300 words or less.

G R a m m a R & d o c u m e N TaT I o N R e v I e w - The Lower-Order Concerns-only essay

addresses exclusively lower-order issues of grammar and mechanics, sentence structure, word

choice, and documentation. Revision advice is provided without editing or proofing student work.

R É S u m É & cov e R l e T T e R R e v I e w - Smarthinking critiques résumés and cover letters,

which gives job applicants and students detailed feedback that can be critical as they seek

employment. Key areas of focus include purpose/focus, content development, organization,

grammar & mechanics, sentence structure, and word choice.

T u T o R R e S P o N S e f o R m

S T R e N G T h S o f T h e e S S ay:Hello, Kate. Welcome back to Smarthinking. This is Tom, and I’m glad to work with you on another draft of this essay. You’re making some great improvements here, particularly in the development of your third paragraph and in the elimination of some of the comma splices that were a problem in your first draft. I encourage you to keep up the good work! I’ve included my comments here and in your essay. Be sure to look there, too.

co N T e N T d e v e lo P m e N T:Kate, I think your main goal during revision will be to decide just exactly what critical point you want to make about Butler’s writing. I see that you want to focus on the death rituals of Vietnam and Butler’s character Dao; however, I don’t see what point you want to make about these topics. Try to rework your thesis statement so that it answers the following questions: What do I want to prove or show to my readers about the death ritual in Butler’s story? What opinion do I have about Butler’s use of the death ritual in the story? Then, make sure your body paragraphs address and develop these questions, using both examples from the text and your discussion and analysis of these examples. You will find more specific content development suggestions embedded in your essay.

o R G a N I z aT I o N :Currently, some of your paragraphs summarize the story, while other paragraphs give us information about Vietnamese tradition. We can’t be sure what the relationship is between these two topics. By rewriting your thesis statement, you will give your essay a more clear-cut organizational structure. The first portion of your essay’s body may examine the use of the death ritual in Vietnamese tradition; the next part of your essay’s body may look at Butler’s use of the ritual in his story; and the final portion of your essay’s body may include information about your opinion of Butler’s use of the death ritual in the story.

G R a m m a R a N d m e c h a N I c S :Kate, as I mentioned above, you’ve done a good job of eliminating comma splices, but I see you’re still having some trouble with commas. I wanted to remind you to check for comma errors by reading your writing aloud. Commas sound like pauses, as you can tell from reading this sentence aloud. If you read the following sentence aloud, can you hear which comma might be unnecessary?

In “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain,” Robert Olen Butler, tells the story of an old Vietnamese gentleman as he is departing this life and entering the next.

As you probably can hear, the comma after Butler sounds unnatural. Note: sometimes it is difficult to “hear” all of these pauses, so it is important to know the rules.

For more information about comma usage, take a look at the section on commas in our online handbook.

S u m m a Ry o f N e x T S T e P S : As you work on your next draft, • Determine a clear thesis statement that tells us exactly what point you want to make about these topics. Make sure

that each body paragraph is working to support your thesis. • Use your thesis as a “road map” for the organization of your essay. • Read aloud to listen for missing or extra commas. • Feel free to submit your next draft to us if you’d like more help!

For more information about writing, grammar, and usage, visit the Smarthinking Writer’s Handbook or the Smarthinking ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Writer’s Handbook. Thank you for visiting Smarthinking. I enjoyed working with you again today, Kate. Please stop back again soon!

Tom

d e Ta I l e d f e e d B ac k h e l P S S T u d e N T S S T R e N G T h e N w R I T I N G S k I l l S

The Writing Center sample below presents a tutor’s global feedback in response to a student’s submission. This feedback

provides suggestions for how to revise the three highest priority areas of assistance in the student’s writing. Tutors also

embed comments in the student’s submission to pinpoint areas that need attention and revision.

“ I have been very

impressed with

the quality of

the tutoring my

students are

getting. In almost

every case, the

tutor has pointed

out exactly the

kinds of errors

or logic gaps that

I would have …

My students are

also pleased with

the help they have

received. I am

certainly going

to recommend

that San Jacinto

continue with

this program.”

Vickie J. Hodges

Professor of English

San Jacinto College South, Texas

“The essay center

is fantastic. I have

received succinct

and valuable

feedback. No

matter what a

student’s level of

writing is, the essay

center will

improve it.”

Dina M.

Student

Tennessee Regents Online Degree Program

wRITING

The leader in on-demand student support

info@smarthinking.com | www.smarthinking.com

P R e Pa R e S T u d e N T S f o R S u cc e S S I N T h e c l a S S R o o m a N d B e yo N d w I T h co m P R e h e N S I v e o N l I N e T u To R I N G f o R w R I T I N G

According to a survey of employers conducted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 25 percent of college-

educated workers entering the workforce lack a basic knowledge of writing and written communications.

To improve their writing skills in the classroom and prepare them to meet the needs of employers, students

require convenient and continuous access to personalized instruction. Smarthinking’s Online Tutoring for Writing

is designed to make secondary, post-secondary, and

graduate students better and more confident writers.

With access to expert writing educators, students can

utilize live, on-demand tutoring sessions or

asynchronous question submissions for specific targeted

support. Through Smarthinking’s comprehensive

Writing Center, students receive a detailed, personalized

critique of any written assignment, such as an essay,

research paper, paragraph, résumé, or creative work.

With experienced tutors who have reviewed millions of

essays for students of all ages and skill levels,

Smarthinking’s writing support can play a central role in

strengthening student writing, supporting instructors

who have challenging workloads, and improving overall

student success rates.

writing is fundamental

live, one-to-one Tutoring SessionsWriting tutors are also available for live, on-demand sessions or to address asynchronous

question submissions. Live tutors are available for extensive hours of the day and night to

assist students with specific writing questions, such as pre-writing techniques, research

strategies, documentation, and grammar and mechanics. Students can also submit an offline

question at any time, and responses are generally received within 24 hours.

h e R e ’ S a N e x a m P l e o f a l I v e , d R o P - I N T u To R I a l S e S S I o N

Using Smarthinking’s proprietary virtual whiteboard, our writing tutor (in red) helps a student

(in black) develop the thesis for a writing assignment. Note how the tutor guides the student

through the process.

writing

reading

mathematics

science

business

english for speakers of other languages (eSol)

spanish

nursing & allied health

computers & technology

available subjects

info@smarthinking.com | www.smarthinking.com

h e l P f u l w R I T I N G R e S o u R c e S

In addition to live writing assistance and the Writing Center options, Smarthinking provides

students with access to the Smarthinking Writer’s Handbook, the ESL Writer’s Handbook,

and a Study Guide Handbook. These tools can be helpful to students as they complete their

coursework, and tutors often direct students to sections of the handbook for additional

information and support.

R e S e a R c h B a S e d , R e S e a R c h P R ov e N

Independent research proves that Smarthinking’s online

tutoring services increase student achievement and help

improve student retention. With Smarthinking, students

get higher grades, pass their classes, and stay enrolled.

I N f o R m aT I v e daTa o N S T u d e N T P R o G R e S S

With Smarthinking, administrators are only a click away

from accessing data on student use of the Smarthinking

service, including the records of actual student sessions,

writing submissions, and guidance provided. This data can

be valuable in assessing student progress and success. An

archive of live sessions, offline questions, and paper

reviews is also available to students. Source: Broward College, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Research Brief.

w R I T I N G P R ac T I c e

Smarthinking also

offers an automated

solution for immediate

writing feedback in

four genres. Powered

by Pearson’s

Knowledge Analysis

TechnologiesTM (KAT)

engine, Smarthinking’s

Writing Practice

provides immediate

feedback and helps

motivate students to

invest more time

reviewing, reworking,

and rewriting their

assignments. Inquire

with your

Smarthinking Sales

Director to learn more.

6 / 1 3