E-Tutor FAQs

What is E-Tutoring?
Rather than signing up for a face-to-face appointment, you sign up for E-Tutoring, complete a submission form, submit your draft electronically, and receive a combination of audio and written tutor feedback right after the scheduled appointment time. The tutor uses the 50-minute time slot to read your submission form and comment on your draft.

How do I decide whether to schedule a Face-to-Face or E-Tutor appointment?
Reasons vary. You might strongly prefer written comments--something you can read over a few times if you want. Or, you might like the relative anonymity of an E-Tutor appointment. Or, your schedule might allow you the 15-20 minutes to fill out the questionnaire you will submit with your draft but not the hour for a face-to-face appointment. Or, the E-Tutor appointment might be a follow-up to a face-to-face appointment on the same writing project.

Do I have to submit a draft?
Yes, and the more complete the draft, the better. The nature of E-Tutoring is that it does not lend itself, for example, to a brainstorming session nor to concerns you have about your writing that would require a question and answer give and take between you and your tutor.

Do I have to submit a draft at the same time I make an appointment?
No. You can submit a draft up until the time of your appointment by going to "Show/Cancel My Appointments" and clicking on the "Submit Draft" button. Before your appointment, you can also go back and update your submission form and submit a revised draft. The new information will automatically replace the previous submission.

What kind of writing can I submit to the E-Tutor?
Tutors will respond to any type of writing you submit--from academic essays to creative writing, honors theses, personal statements, etc.

Are there any restrictions on the length of a draft or the number of times I can schedule an E-Tutor appointment?
Due to tutor time constraints, you are restricted to a maximum of 10 pages of text. An E-Tutor appointment counts in the Writing Studio policy of a maximum of one appointment a day and two appointments a week.

What is the turn around time?
When you schedule an E-Tutor appointment, you choose a day and time and a tutor preference, the same as you do for a face-to-face appointment. In contrast to a face-to-face appointment, though, the location is not important. Your tutor will use the 50-minute appointment time slot you reserve to read your submission form, read your draft, and respond to your questions and/or concerns. Once the hour is up, you will receive an email letting you know that the tutor's comments are ready and how to access them online.

If I submit a draft for a class assignment, will the tutor send a conference summary to the professor letting him/her know I took advantage of E-Tutoring?
Yes. The tutor will include your stated concerns/questions and the advice the tutor has provided and send these to your professor and to you. The tutor will access the name and email of your professor from the submission form.

Do I need to keep a copy of the tutor comments?
Only if you want to. Tutor written comments for all your E-Tutor appointments are archived on your "Show/Cancel Appointments" page on the Writing Studio web site. The audio comments are sent as an email attachment and are not archived.