December 2021
Happy Holidays from WriteAway!!
Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels
News and Updates
WriteAway received nearly 7,000 submissions in 2021!
Submission Numbers Remain High
Student awareness of WriteAway benefits continues to climb!

We received a total of 208 submissions in the opening week of the Fall 2021 semester – a 7% increase from the same week in 2020 – and high submission numbers continued throughout the term. This shows us that student awareness and need has remained steady, even with the return to in-person classes and access to on-campus services.
We reconsidered the definition of "weekend"
WriteAway has always looked for ways to allocate tutoring hours throughout the semester to best meet student need. During the Summer and Fall 2021 semesters, we also looked at ways to create consistency throughout each week in anticipation of days students were most likely to submit papers.

With full cooperation from our institutional coordinators, we redefined "weekend" to include Fridays and Mondays. This enabled us to schedule tutoring hours at the beginning and end of the week to maintain consistency in response times.
For the Fall 2021 semester, more students submitted their papers on Monday than any other day of the week.
Many students are taking advantage of the revise and resubmit option
In late February 2021, we introduced an analytics feature on our tutoring platform that allows the tutor to select the type of submission they have responded to. While many tutors are still adapting to the new feature, the data has allowed us to see how many students have incorporated WriteAway into their regular writing process.
Of the 5,405 recorded interactions that WriteAway tutors had with students in 2021 there were:

  • 3,687 first draft submissions
  • 0,706 second draft submissions
  • 0,211 third draft submissions

And students reached out 163 times to thank tutors for their help with their assignments!
What Students are Saying
During the Fall 2021 semester, students had a lot to say about the quality and positivity of the responses from WriteAway tutors... 

“The tutor's help enabled me to judge my writing skills as well as the research I've done. Your service is absolutely amazing and helpful in all aspects, whether it may concern writing or the suitability of the concept. Thanks again for your help." 

University of British Columbia Student

"The suggestions were very clearly laid out and easy to understand. I really appreciate the extra resources that were added. This is such a great resource that I will be using again in the future!"

Selkirk College Student

"This is hands down the best advice I have received outside my college professors!! Thank you so much!!"

Simon Fraser University Student

"The process was really easy to use and enjoyable, so I hope to utilize them more in the future! This was great. The tutor focused on the question I had concerning my assignment and they provided some really helpful feedback. It's always nice to know when you're on the right track too. So the positive feedback is almost as important as the constructive feedback! Thank you so much!"
North Island College Student

"The service is excellent! I really appreciate the time and effort that tutors put into it!"

University of the Fraser Valley Student

“The tutor framed their suggestions in a really positive way, focusing on the things I had done well as well as the things I still needed to work on. They were specific and highlighted particular areas I could improve.“

British Columbia Institute of Technology Student
What Tutors Are Reading
When WriteAway tutors aren't helping students, you can often find them reading. Here is an eclectic selection of what our tutors have read recently...

  • Girlhood by Melissa Febos (Mono, Langara College Tutor)
  • Being Mortal and Complications by Atul Gawande (Janet, Camosun College Tutor)
  • The Thin Man (1934) by Dashiell Hammett (Chris, Thompson Rivers University)
  • Caste:The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Luke, Admin Centre Tutor)
  • The Razor's Edge, by Somerset Maugham (Ian, University of the Fraser Valley Tutor)
Photo by Eleonora Albasi on Unsplash
Warmest wishes to all for a safe and joyous holiday season.

The WriteAway Administrative Centre will be closed over the winter break (December 24, 2021 to January 3, 2022). We look forward to continuing to support students as they develop their writing skills in the new year!

-The WriteAway Admin Centre
Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash
WriteAway is a service of the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN).
Questions? Contact the WriteAway Administrative Centre.