Presentations

A writing consultant reading a paper.

Class Presentations

In addition to working with students one-on-one in the center, UWC staff can visit classes and on-campus organization meetings to talk about the services we offer. We conduct longer presentations on college-level writing that walk students through the process of writing and revising a thesis-driven argumentative paper as well as short introductions that get students acquainted with our services, details of which can be found below. Please see our comprehensive FAQ section below for more detailed information on scheduling, policies and procedures, or our presentations request page to schedule a presentation.

You can download copies of some of our presentation templates as Powerpoint files here.

Presentations Offered

Introduction to the Writing Center Presentation


Showing your writing to a stranger can be intimidating. To help students feel more comfortable about coming to the UWC, many instructors invite one of our consultants to their class to give a ten-minute presentation. In-class presentations provide all the essential details about the center (hours, location and policies) and they also allow students to ask questions about how we can meet their individual needs. We provide copies of the UWC brochure and a “Getting the Most from your visit to the UWC” handout which details what students should expect when visiting. Please schedule your introductory presentation at least one week in advance.

Longer Writing Presentations


In addition to presentations about the UWC, we offer 45-50 minute writing presentations on:
  • The Writing Process: This presentation focuses on the basics of writing a college-level essay. We walk students through planning an essay, organization (intro, thesis, body, conclusion) and tips for citation and revision. It is particularly effective for those in Substantial Writing Component courses or other courses that require at least one major writing assignment.
  • Writing a Personal Statement: This presentation helps students develop and write effective personal statements for graduate school, medical school, law school and beyond. The presentation covers topics such as “what is the admissions committee looking for?” and provides a framework for students’ writing whether applying to professional schools or individual graduate programs.
  • Research Papers in the Humanities: This presentation outlines how to plan, structure and revise humanities research papers, with a focus on constructing an argument. We also cover evaluating sources, the importance of tying everything back to a central claim and tips for revision and proofreading. We encourage students to see their work as part of a scholarly conversation.
  • Research Papers in the Sciences: This presentation helps students prepare for and structure a research paper, focusing on communicating scientific work effectively. It is similar to the research papers in the humanities presentation but is more focused on clarity of expression and conceptualizing writing in the sciences. Please schedule your longer presentation at least two weeks in advance.

Revision Workshops


We offer a 45-50 minute revision workshop that encourages students to revise their papers holistically, paying attention to their thesis, main claims and support, amongst other elements. These workshops are specifically tailored for Rhetoric students (especially in RHE 306 or 309k), but students in other courses may find these useful as well.

For this workshop to benefit your students, it should be scheduled after they have submitted one draft of a paper and before they turn in a revised draft of the same paper. Your students will need to bring unmarked printed copies of their papers to the workshop, as well as three different-colored writing implements to mark up their drafts according to the UWC presenter's instructions.

Presentation FAQs

Why should I schedule an in-class presentation?


One of the most frequent comments on our exit survey is “I wish I’d visited the Writing Center sooner in my college career”. Students hear about the UWC from a variety of places, but many don’t know what we actually do. A presentation allows us to give out information about our services and address any student concerns. In addition to this, our presentations:
  • Give positive reinforcement of the importance of writing in a college environment
  • Offer a way to open up/continue discussions about writing in class
  • Connote the importance of revision and attention to argument
  • Debunk myths about the UWC as a space just for poor writers and/or somewhere where you get your paper “proofread” for grammar mistakes
[back to questions]

When should I schedule my presentation? How much advance notice do you need?


In our experience, students benefit from having a presentation sooner in the semester rather than later. Getting students to think about their writing skills early on gives them more time to think critically about their own writing process and start an in-class dialogue about their papers. We require one week’s notice for ten-minute introductions and two weeks’ notice for longer presentations. [back to questions]

Do you give presentations to campus organizations and FIGs?


Absolutely. Please schedule your presentation during our normal opening hours. [back to questions]

Will the material you cover only be relevant to my particular class?


Our goal at the UWC is to make students confident and independent writers, so the information we give out in classes is geared towards writing skills that we hope will complement every writing task they engage in. We emphasize in our presentations that different disciplines have different requirements and that students should always consider their audience when writing. [back to questions]

I have a specific assignment for my class. Can you build a longer presentation that directly addresses the requirements of my assignment?


We are happy to tailor our individual presentations to certain class requirements (e.g. adding a slide about writing abstracts or resources for APA style). If your assignment is very specific and not covered by our standard presentations, your students are probably better served by hearing this information from their instructor. As the primary purpose of UWC presentations is to provide general guidance for student writing at the college level, we are unable to generate entirely new presentations for individual assignments. [back to questions]

Can you talk about tips for writing a college essay in an additional ten minutes after your introduction to the UWC presentation?


We would be happy to answer students’ concerns about writing in a brief Q & A after our ten-minute presentation, but it is very difficult to address writing at a college level in such a short time. In these instances, we would recommend having one of our Writing Process presentations. [back to questions]

I’m unsure whether I should request the Writing Process presentation or one of the Research Papers presentations. Which do you recommend?


The Writing Process presentation is geared towards lower-division undergraduates, whereas the Research Papers presentations tend to be more popular for more advanced students. However, in our experience, students of all levels have benefited from either model. [back to questions]

My class is an upper-division SWC course. Will the material covered in a longer presentation be relevant to juniors and seniors?


Many juniors and seniors have not had much college-level writing experience, especially if they are in a major where they’ve not taken many SWC courses. Other students may have experience in writing, and our presentations can offer positive reinforcement of what they have been taught. We take care to prepare our presentations to our audience’s needs, and our presenters can give more advanced advice to upper-division writers. If you are considering a longer presentation, you may wish to ask your students if they would find it useful. [back to questions]

How comprehensive are your longer presentations?


In a 45-50 minute session we give a brief, point-by-point guide to writing papers that we hope will get students thinking about the way they approach college writing. While we certainly try to address student concerns, we think that presentations are most effective in opening up a dialogue about writing and offering specific tips for success. We would encourage instructors to see the presentation as a starting point for writing in the class and not as a panacea for writing problems. [back to questions]

Are the longer presentations only relevant to one particular style of writing?


No. While they deal with argumentative essay writing for the most part, the presentations also impart advice about good study habits, breaking assignments down into their components, argumentation and paper structure: elements which are applicable to all college writing. [back to questions]

What do you need from me before the presentation?


Please be as detailed as possible in your email requesting the presentation. If you have any special requests (copies of handouts, arrival at a specific time) please note these. It is important for us to get a sense of audience, so any information you can supply about the students would be useful to us. We would also appreciate it greatly if you could speak to your class about why they are having a presentation from the writing center so that they are aware of its relevance. [back to questions]

I’ve apportioned 30 minutes of class time for one of your longer presentations. Can you condense the material you’ll cover to fit the timeframe?


Most of our presentations take at least 45 minutes from start to finish. As a 30-minute session cuts this timeframe by a third, this may not be possible. We kindly request that you apportion as much class time as possible for our presentation. [back to questions]

Will there be time for students to ask questions?


Yes. We always allow students to ask questions whenever they want. [back to questions]

In the longer presentations, will also you talk about the writing center’s services?


Yes. We usually spend five minutes talking about the UWC’s services at the beginning of our longer presentations. [back to questions]

I have several sections of a class. Will you be able to present to all of them?


We give well over 100 presentations a year, and our schedule gets very congested at the beginning of the semester. We can generally accommodate most presentation requests but we may not be able to give you your most preferred time slot. We appreciate your patience with this. [back to questions]

Do you need a media console/laptop and projector in the classroom for your presentations?


We do not need a media console/projector for ten-minute introductions or revision workshops. Our longer presentations use PowerPoint slideshows, and we would be grateful if you could request a projector if the classroom does not have one. We can also bring our own laptop and projector if needed. [back to questions]

Can I have a copy of the PowerPoint slides you used during your presentation?


Yes. We ask that you keep the UWC information on the PowerPoint and attribute all information that you take directly from the slide to us. You can download a copy of our basic Writing Process presentation here. [back to questions]

Where can I find additional copies of UWC handouts?


You can download PDFs and HTML copies of handouts from our handouts page. [back to questions]

How do I request a presentation?


By sending an email to presentations@uwc.utexas.edu with the information mentioned here. [back to questions]