Workshop Update

April 24th, 2010

We have a lot to catch up on! First off, let’s start with where we left off!

Thursday, February 18th, we hosted a workshop dedicated to understanding punctuation, entitled “Commas, Colons, and Semi-colons Made Easy.” A special thanks goes out to Jennifer Brown, Instructor in the Scientific and Technical Communication Program, who prepared the workshop. She talked us through her PowerPoint on these helpful punctuation techniques, one or two rules at a time. During the PowerPoint, we discussed a lot of really great tips and suggestions. To begin the presentation, she asked the participants to express any questions or specific concerns they may have when dealing with these important types of punctuation. Next, she explored 5 different comma rules and then provided examples for each rule, so it would easier, and certainly less intimidating to understand. She provided a similar formula for both semi-colons and colons. Afterward, the attendees participated in a worksheet to better understand where appropriate punctuation belongs. Because of time constraints, we didn’t get to talk about the colon at all or do all the examples or “mixer” from the worksheet, but the answer key will be on our blog so everyone can check their work. I am also going to try to be more efficient with posting materials about the workshops more promptly in the future, as well as posting the materials from these websites soon.

On February 25th, we hosted “Taking Essay Tests,” where our speaker offered some great tips on how to evaluate the essay question specifically and then provide a well developed response. Our presenter for this workshop was Kimberly Spallinger, and she provided a lot of good tips for approaching essay questions. First, she discussed some common key words you might see in an essay prompt. These include words like: classify, compare, contrast, define, evaluate, summarize, etc. Then she offered a couple sample essay questions, to help us be familiar with the topics. After that, we went over strategies for answering essay questions–there are two kinds of these strategies, some for before before the test and some for the day of the test. It’s important to prioritize information. If you are nervous about the essay test, you might it helpful to jot down some ideas before taking the test that you can use as thought prompters–or key concepts you want to include. One final thing discussed was the 6 most common types of essay questions: definition, analysis, cause & effect, comparison & contrast, process and argumentative. Once again, we would like to thank Kimberly Spallinger for offering such great tips to help us be more comfortable and be able to tackle our essay tests successfully in the future!

On March 4th, there was “Cover Letters: More than Your Resume in Prose.” As usual, we focused more on cover letters than we did on resumes. We talked about effective language to use within a cover letter, as well as a general format of how to present yourself successfully.

March 18th was “Plagiarism: Defined and Declined”–our speaker was Dr. Bettina Shuford, and she provided us with a lot insight on how to both detect and avoid plagiarism. She used the University’s honesty policy to help clarify what plagiarism really means by offering “Representing as one’s own in any academic exercise the words or ideas of another, including but not limited to, quoting or paraphrasing without proper citation.” Following the definition of plagiarism, she offered a quiz, so that students could better understand the concept. For instance,

On March 25th, we transitioned into our section on sources. Specifically on March 25th, we hosted “Using Sources Effectively” to help students learn how to use sources and not let the sources use them. Ann Westrick was our helpful speaker for the week and she provided a presentation for us called “Throwing Your Own Punches”– she began the presentation by discussing reasons for researching topics. As she continued her presentation, she stressed the importance of leading your own arguments, or more accurately, developing solid arguments and then using sources for the support instead of letting the sources overrun your paper. A special thanks goes out to her for sharing this powerful insight.

By transitioning into our section on sources, I mean that we will be offering two more workshops this spring dedicated to using sources effectively as well. Thursday, April 1st, we hosted “MLA Documentation” – which can be a great guide to overcoming any obstacle you might have with citing sources effectively in MLA. Our guest speaker was Heather Pristash and she offered a lot of great advice to help writers tackle the MLA world successfully. She went over the basics in MLA, as well as the updates and most common mistakes to help readers navigate and use MLA effectively.

April 8th, we hosted a workshop on “APA Documentation” where we offered tips on how to approach citing sources using the APA citation style. Dr. Barbara Toth was our speaker of the week, and our expert in APA. Dr. Toth taught us a good deal about APA–the updates as well as the basics. For example, when using two sources with APA, you use both an ampersand (&) and a comma between two authors’ names on a citation page. She also introduced on to the concept of the running head, how it is left justified on the first line of the title page, and should not be longer than 50 characters. In addition, she introduced us to DOIs and how to use them. She offered this video to help explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Afmknkzeo. A big thanks goes out to Dr. Toth for giving us a solid introduction (or at least refresher course) on using APA effectively.

The last workshop of the semester was on April 15th and was “Readings from Many Cultures.” We had many guest speakers offer up selections. To begin with, Angela Garner shared a poem called “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall. You can find a copy of the poem here: http://www.ctadams.com/dudleyrandall4.html. Two other readers, Sue Zwayer as well as Muntadher Al Zaher, a student shared some of their favorite readings also. Sue Zwayer read a poem which expressed loss, and Muntadher Al Zaher followed a similar theme–reading an Arabic poem describing a conversation between the narrator and a deceased relative. Dr. Toth offered a poem called “Invictus” (the poem that inspired the movie). The poem was written by William Ernest Henley, and describes his struggle with his physical condition:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

A special thanks goes out to our readers who share their favorite poems and helped us celebrate writing from around the world.

And a thanks goes out to all of you who attended our workshops this Spring, and to those of you who have shown interest in our topics. We look forward to seeing all of you in the future at the Fall Workshops or even at the Writing Center. Have a lovely summer and keep writing! 🙂

Reading Effectively

February 11th, 2010

This past week, February 4th, we hosted “Reading Effectively Across Displines.” A big thanks goes out to Kate Spike for leading our discussion and giving us some great suggestions.

Through a powerpoint presentation that I will be posting shortly, she helped us explore how to approach multiple kinds of documents. Her first tip for us was to approach the text “cold”- this means to scan the document, noting the title, publication information, abstract (if available) and checking out the overall format of the rest of the text. When pressed for time, she told us to start by skimming over the first paragraph in each section or chapter, or at the very least, the beginning sentence of each paragraph.

As for approaching textbooks, Kate Spike recommends using the same theory at first- familiarizing yourself with the text (layout, introductions, appendices, glossaries, questions, etc.). In order to read more efficiently, consider reading any chapter questions first. As you are reading, if you find that something is particularly confusing, jot down your questions! Your instructor is a helpful resource to thoroughly understanding the text. If you need to read a novel over an extended period of time, she offered some great advice: begin as early as possible! She gives a lot of great points for this specifically, so check out the powerpoint! She concluded her presentation with discussing how to incorporate class notes with the readings, suggesting good reading habits to cultivate and addressing any questions the group had. All in all, we learned a lot of great ways to make course readings not so intimidating. Thanks again, Kate Spike!

There is some bad news to relay though- due to schedule changes, we unfortunately had to cancel this week’s workshop, “Writing Science Lab Reports.” We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but it does mean that we should be even more excited about next week’s workshop,  “Commas, Colons, and Semi-colons Made Easy”!  This workshop will help you tackle tricky punctuation techniques.

Once again, remember that all workshops are on Thursdays, from 2:30-3:25 in Moseley Hall Room 400. We hope to see you soon!

Spring Workshops!

February 4th, 2010

Welcome back to another semester full of new classes, new opportunities and new workshops! We have 4 really exciting workshops available this February, and the first one starts today!

This afternoon, February 4, we will be hosting “Reading Effectively Across Disciplines.” During this workshop, writers will learn how to critically dissect and understand the readings assigned by professors. It should be pretty promising if you struggle recalling information as it will teach you some really important retention skills.

Next Thursday, February 11, we are hosting a new kind of workshop, “Writing Science Lab Reports.” Sometimes we forget that writing isn’t just for writing classes, but is across multiple disciplines, even science! At this workshop, you’ll build your skills at effectively reporting lab processes and analyses in written format, and even learn how to incorporate graphs and data.

On Thursday, February 18, we will be hosting “Commas, Colons, and Semi-colons Made Easy,” where we will explore how to use these different types of punctuation correctly. If you have ever struggled with issues like comma splices or inappropriate semi-colon usage, this workshop would be really helpful for you.

On Thursday, February 25, “Taking Essay Tests” will help you learn specific strategies for how to do your best on these kinds of tests. If you cringe at the thought of essay tests, this could be one more step toward helping you prepare for success.

Now remember, all of the workshops will be on Thursdays, from 2:30-3:25, and will be held in Moseley Hall Room 400. We hope to see you soon, and stay tuned for updates on the upcoming Spring workshops!

Fall Workshop wrap-up!

December 15th, 2009

It’s time to play some catch up. We had three great workshops worth mentioning in November, so for all of you who need a refresher, or missed any of them, please feel free to review the following. 

On November 5th, the Writing Center and the English Department combined efforts to host the “Writing Effective Statements of Purpose: A Panel’s Perspective.” A big thanks goes out to the English Department for allowing us to participate in the workshop as well. Because the workshop was hosted by the English Department, the focus was on English Graduate programs, but in reality, most of what was being discussed was applicable to most students considering graduate school. In general, Dr. Coates helped us examine the process, beginning with the first big question: should you go? From there, where to go becomes the new struggle. At the workshop, our hosts offered some great tips to help with the decision making process. First, talk to professors; they will be great sources to direct you to a promising school. Doing your own research will also be helpful in pinpointing your best school- learn about the available professors. Once you have some options, try to narrow it down to schools that offer the best program of  what you are looking for, or by personal recommendations. Dr. Coates made some suggestions about the writing sample (specifically, he said to be creative. You want to provide a complex piece of work, and while this can be intimidating, try to find mentors who can help you in the process). As for the statement of process, Dr. Coates offered some great advice here, so I am just going to include what he said. In regards to a personal statement, “It should show not only professional aspirations but also scholarly interest … the future research. It should talk about the past, what you’ve done, and how that takes you to a place where doctoral study makes sense. ” After that, Dr. Coates discussed personal recommendation letters, both how to get them and what to tell professors, so that your letter is as effective as possible. Please see his notes in the handouts section of the blog to review that information. So once again, a big thanks goes out to the English Department and Dr. Coates for providing such insight to the Graduate School process!

On November 12th, we had “Resumes and Cover Letters,”  where we learned how to present our strengths and impress potential employers. Dr. Bill Coggin, Professor-Scientific & Technical Communication at BGSU offered some great suggestions on how to write an impressive resume in his powerpoint presentation. The cover letter was briefly addressed To begin with, he mentioned the multiple documents associated with the job hunting process ranging from resumes to thank you letters. He explored the research aspect of a resume- what details should you know and work to include in your text? Then, he discussed the general content of a good resume: self-assessment, career requirements and specific career requirements. In addition, he discussed some key adjectives that are useful when describing your work ethic (punctual, motivated, collaborative, etc.). A great piece of his presentation was his list of acceptable parts of a good resume: Objective Statement (Branding statement, value added statement), Demographics, Education, Experience, Honors/Awards, Publications, Organizational memberships  and References. After mentioning each of these categories, he continued to offer specialized information depending on the section. How long each section should be, the kind of information to include in the section, etc. Dr. Coggin concluded his presentation by discussing the general layout and design of the resume, as it will be examined quickly, the layout is really what leaves a lasting impression. A big thanks goes out to Dr. Coggin for providing such great information for building a strong resume.

As for the workshop on November 19th, “Readings from Many Cultures,” many people shared pieces of poetry. Dr. Barb Toth read a poem she enjoyed, entitled “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and Angela Garner  read a poem that was written by a friend of hers. It was a great time for everyone, and we all learned a little bit about culture in each piece. It was the perfect way to wrap up such a busy fall workshop schedule!

We would like to thank all of you for your participation and/or interest in the Fall 2009 Workshops. We learned a lot of skills this semester from effective audience awareness skills, to revision and even about MLA/APA and resumes! We hope you enjoyed the workshops as much as we did. Stay posted for news about the upcoming Spring 2010 Workshops, and a very happy holiday season! 🙂

October Updates

November 4th, 2009

Wow, two weeks have gone by and no post. We have a lot to catch up on!

At the October 22nd workshop, “Who & What Should I Believe? Credibility of Sources,” our speaker, Joelle Thomas, helped us explore the intricate nature of the library’s website, as a tool for investigating the credibility of sources. She introduced a lot of great information, and opened up the workshop with positivity: you can find good sources anywhere! Despite the questionable nature of some online information, there are other types of information online that can be especially useful (in the case of internet sources, current statistics are readily accessible). Joelle also shared a good strategy: consider the 3 C’s while evaluating a website: credibility, currency & content. 

In terms of credibility, ask yourself some questions: who is the author? Why are they justified to discuss topics in this field? What is their educational background? For currency: when was the work published? Is the information recent? And finally, in the field of content, are any sources cited? Can you verify the sources? Is there any bias in the material? Is the argument logical? Overall, we learned not to be fooled by a source’s appearance. Knowing whether or not it is a good source require some investigation on your part, but of course, you don’t have to be alone in the process. Joelle mentioned a great resource student writers have available to them: the library. You may choose to navigate the library’s website to help evaluate your source, or if you prefer in person advice, you can also schedule an appointment with a librarian, and he/she will personally help you look for good sources for your topic. So once again, we would like to thank Joelle Thomas for providing all of this wonderful information, and we encourage you to explore the library’s site yourself. All of these great resources are available: http://libguides.bgsu.edu/gsw1120

As for this past week’s workshop, “Common Documentation Styles: MLA and APA Citation Strategies,” the director of the Writing Center, Dr. Barbara Toth was our speaker. When asked about the workshop, she replied so eloquently that I am going to include her description of the afternoon:

We had a really fun session last Thursday—who would’ve thunk it with topics not so fun as APA and MLA! But we did!

Grad students, undergrads, SAGE scholars, and BGSU staff—a really diverse group–wanting to learn more about formatting styles—the whats, whys, and hows!

We centered our APA/MLA party around an APA and MLA True or False Quiz which is attached. Then we referred to a PowerPoint for explanations and answers. I like low-pressure/high-learning environments, don’t you?

We talked a bit about how APA grew out of empirical researchers’ needs to document and share their work with others in their discipline(s). For example, APA scholars expect dates of studies to be cited in text as a matter course, right? Why? Because the date that a study was conducted is important information as a reader interprets an APA text. If a study about DNA was published in 1970, it will provide information much different than a study published in 2009, right? So the date of publication is important, not extraneous information, for a reader. Make sense?

We discussed how MLA, likewise, has grown out of the needs of other disciplines, particularly literature, and how literature scholars have constructed conventions that suited both their presentation of information and their readers. Did you know that MLA didn’t always use in-text parenthetical citations? It’s true. Once upon a time, MLA writers would often use Chicago or Turabian style footnotes or endnotes. To save a reader from having to move to the foot of a page or to the end of the document to identify references, MLA rule makers recommended unobtrusive parenthetical spaces so that writers could tell their readers in text who wrote the article and what page it could be found on. A nice reader-friendly move, I’d say.

A good time was had by all. 🙂

Barb Toth, Presenter
BGSU Writing Center Workshop

We would really like to thank Dr. Toth for guiding us through the ins and outs of APA and MLA, as they can be difficult topics to battle. She provided great insight, and you can find even more of her helpful information including the powerpoint that she references on the blog very soon.

Now that October is over, it is time to discuss our three remaining workshops for the Fall 2009 semester. This Thursday, November 5th, we’d like to invite you to this week’s workshop titled, “The Graduate School Application Process.”  Unlike previous workshops which covered more general topics, this workshop is specifically designed for those who are applying to graduate programs in the next year. 



The workshop will focus on a variety of topics including how to select schools to apply for, how to write a statement of purpose, and how to approach your professors for letters of recommendation. 

The workshop will be held Thursday, November 5, from 2:30 to 3:30pm in 206 East Hall–not Moseley Hall where previous workshops have been held.



If you’re not applying to graduate school this year, then please consider joining us for next week’s workshop on writing effective cover letters and resumes (November 12) or the following workshop (November 19) where we will read literature from around the world. 

So, remember this week, the workshop is in 206 East Hall from 2:30-3:30, and then next week, we will be back in 400 Moseley Hall. We hope to see you there!!