SWS Resources for Instructors
Everyone can benefit from our services, not just struggling writers, so we want to partner with you to provide all students the opportunity to get insights into their writing. If you have students who…
- are considering a complex paper topic and could use a thinking partner
- are interested in learning ways to create various types of sentences in their academic writing
- have expressed that they struggle to get started or stay motivated with writing assignments
- might benefit from significantly reorganizing a draft or refining a thesis statement
…then consider making a “warm referral” to us. By warm referral, we mean avoiding talking about SWS as a “fix-it shop” for just struggling writers, but rather telling students about what we offer and how everyone can benefit from a writing consultation. Learn more about what we offer to your students.
Connect your students with SWS
Sample syllabus statement:
Student Writing Support (SWS) offers collaborative one-to-one writing consultations to help develop your writing abilities. Writing consultants will listen to your goals and concerns, read and respond to your written work, and pose questions that help you clarify and articulate your ideas. Consultants can work with writers at any stage of the writing process, such as brainstorming ideas, developing a thesis statement, creating an outline, crafting cohesive sentences and paragraphs, or documenting sources. Book with a consultant through the SWS website.
Have your students view this video to learn more about what we offer. You can link it in your syllabus, show it in class, or post it on your Canvas site. https://z.umn.edu/SWSvideo
To support your work teaching with writing, we offer 10-minute informational class visits, either Zoom or in person. If you are interested in having a class visit, please complete this form, and we will get back to you. Due to limited capacity, please offer first, second, and third date preferences, and we will do the best we can to find a workable date. For spring semester 2026, SWS class visits will be available no earlier than February 9. In addition, please consider using our promotional video in your class by showing it during class time or posting it on your Canvas site.
Other resources for instructors
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) with its Writing-Enriched Curriculum Program (WEC) is a faculty-driven model designed to support the curricular integration of relevant writing and writing instruction into undergraduate majors.
The Teaching with Writing (TWW) website contains a wealth of resources that help instructors effectively incorporate writing into their courses. TWW has professional teaching consultants who are available to meet individually with instructors about all aspects of teaching with writing.
The Minnesota English Language Program's English Language Resources website provides multilingual students with guidance and resources to improve their English language skills and enrich their educational experience. They also provide University faculty and staff with teaching tools and tips for supporting multilingual students.