Academic Writing Center
Recommendations for Use
Support for acquiring the ability to write reports and papers on one's own
Writing reports and papers is an essential part of university learning. The Academic Writing Center (AWC) was established in 2017 with the aim of supporting students in improving their own "writing skills." All students at our university can receive support at both Aoyama and Sagamihara campuses, free of charge, as many times as they like. Support is provided in the form of individual consultations (sessions) of 45 minutes each (30 minutes during lunch break only), and graduate students affiliated with our university who have undergone specialized training are in charge of the consultations as tutors. We support both Japanese and English writing, and you can consult about any worries related to writing, such as "I don't know what to write" or "I want to improve my report." Why not improve your "writing skills" that can be used internationally at the AWC?
What is Academic Writing?
"Academic writing" refers to the act of writing academic documents such as reports and papers, or the way of writing. To write academic documents, it is important to acquire logical thinking and sentence structure skills in addition to knowledge of notation rules. However, due to time constraints and other factors, this training is not often provided sufficiently within classes in each specialized field. For this reason, AWC provides support specialized in academic writing. "Writing ability" is an essential part of what students learn. In addition, the skill of "thinking logically and communicating in correct sentences" will be an even stronger asset for students after they enter society.
AWC Management Staff
Draw out students' own ideas
AWC connects to "writing ability"
Assistant Professor
Shido Kobayashi
Aoyama Campus AWC Dedicated Staff
At AWC, we aim to "stand by students until they are able to write academic writing such as reports and papers on their own." For this reason, tutors do not unilaterally tell students the answers to assignments or correct their manuscripts, but rather place importance on students getting the feeling that they "have become able to write on their own." As a result, students who have used AWC have given positive feedback, such as "I feel that I have acquired solid skills by being taught practical writing methods."
According to a survey (Table 1), AWC user satisfaction was extremely high at 97.6%. This high level of satisfaction has been maintained since the facility opened in 2017.
The repeat rate of 44.8% (Table 2) is also significant, because the more sessions you use, the more your writing ability will improve. I am in a position to know the situation at other universities through the operation of writing centers at other universities and through teaching writing classes, and with that in mind, I would say that this satisfaction and repeat rate is quite high nationwide.
Table 1 User satisfaction
FY2019 data (valid responses = 621)
| number | ratio | |
| satisfaction | 606 items | 97.6％ |
|---|---|---|
| Unsatisfied | 15 items | 2.4％ |
Table 2. Percentage of repeat users
Fiscal year 2019 data (actual number of annual users = 317 people)
| Number of people | ratio | |
| Multiple users | 142 people | 44.8％ |
|---|---|---|
| 5+ times users | 27 people | 8.5％ |
AWC draws out students' own "thinking" and connects it to "writing ability"
Assistant Professor
Shido Kobayashi
利用者の声VIEW DETAIL →
To provide high-quality support, AWC places special emphasis on training its tutors. All tutors undergo practical training, such as role-playing "mock sessions," to acquire expertise in writing support. The fact that all tutors are graduate students at the university is also popular with users, who say, "I can consult with them without hesitation because they can see things from the perspective of fellow students." At AWC, we use various data to objectively analyze our users' needs, and we make efforts every day to improve the accuracy of our support (Tables 3-5).
There are three tips to using AWC: "Casual, repeated, and with plenty of time before the submission deadline." Whether you're struggling to write anything yet or you want to review a manuscript you've written, feel free to use AWC. The first step is important. And if possible, using it repeatedly, rather than just once, will make a big difference in how your skills improve. Also, if you book your session as early as possible and submit the consultation text you want AWC to look at, you can receive a more fulfilling session even in a limited time.
I myself was once one of those students who struggled to write reports or papers at all. Therefore, I always want AWC to be a place where students who are in trouble can always feel free to ask for advice. I strongly hope that those who are not good at writing or having someone read their writing will use AWC as many times as they like until they are satisfied.
Tutors available to assist with academic writing
Table 3 Presence or absence of written consultation
Data for fiscal year 2020 (number of consultations per year = 508 cases)
*The following percentages are almost unchanged from fiscal 2019.
| number | ratio | |
| Consultation in a situation where "consultation documents are available" | 400 items | 78.7％ |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation in a situation where there is no consultation document | 108 items | 21.3％ |
Table 4 Top 3 consultation topics in situations where written advice was available (multiple answers allowed)
| number | ratio | |
| "How to structure your writing": Is it written in a format that includes an introduction, main body, and conclusion, and that satisfies the elements of a question, assertion, and proof? | 245 items | 61.5％ |
|---|---|---|
| "Proofreading the entire text": Is the entire text written without any problems, including the finer details? | 195 items | 48.8％ |
| "How to develop a sentence": Are the connections between sentences and paragraphs written in a logical and easy-to-understand manner? | 137 items | 34.3％ |
Table 5 Top 3 consultation topics when there was no written consultation (multiple answers allowed)
| number | ratio | |
| "Understanding and understanding the assignment content and conditions": Are you able to grasp and understand the content and conditions of the assignment (lesson outline and question intent)? | 64 items | 59.3％ |
|---|---|---|
| "Deciding the theme": How to set the theme, including generating ideas for the assignment and narrowing down the questions | 51 items | 47.2％ |
| "The Writing Process": How to write a report or paper, including the schedule for submission | 44 Results | 40.7％ |
Tutors available to assist with academic writing
Aoyama Campus AWC Tutor
Currently, I am studying international politics at graduate school while also working as a tutor at AWC. At AWC, we support our users to recognize problems in their writing and correct them in a bright and friendly atmosphere. If the tutor corrected the user's writing, the user's problems could be easily solved, but this would not improve the user's ability, so the sessions (consultation opportunities) are centered on dialogue, and the tutor strives to be a listener.
AWC tutors undergo specialized training, and in a curriculum called "mock sessions," they acquire communication skills to draw out ideas from users. In fact, before entering graduate school, I was a teacher and had experience in guiding students. However, because I was used to teaching at the class level, there are times when I end up giving the "right answer" without waiting for the client to realize it themselves. In such cases, what I learned in the training is useful.
It's not easy to draw out ideas from users, but it's very rewarding when a user's problem is resolved or when we sense that they have grown. Users' abilities improve especially when they learn the basics of sentence structure, which can be thought of as the "pattern" of a piece of writing. In fact, academic writing has a universal "pattern" and writing rules, so knowing this pattern makes it much easier to write good writing. However, there are not many places where you can learn this knowledge. AWC is one such valuable place.
At AWC, we tutors are there to support you. If you have any questions about how to decide on a topic, how to write references, how to search for literature, etc., please feel free to come and join us. The sessions are generally cheerful, fun, and relaxing, so you can learn in a relaxed atmosphere. If you have any problems with reports, please feel free to come to AWC!
What I keep in mind is
"A fun and engaging learning session"
Graduate School of International Politics, Economics and Communication
2nd year doctoral student Department of International Politics
Tsukasa Watanabe
What I keep in mind is
"Bright and fun
A learning session
Graduate School of International Politics, Economics and Communication
2nd year doctoral student Department of International Politics
Tsukasa Watanabe
Science texts
Sagamihara AWC also has strengths in writing support
Sagamihara Campus AWC Dedicated Staff
Like the AWC on Sagamihara Campus, the AWC on Aoyama Campus also provides writing support with the aim of cultivating the "writing ability" of the client. Many of the tutors at Sagamihara Campus AWC are graduates of Graduate School of Science and Engineering, and can provide consultations on science-related writing, including lab reports. Of course, we also accept humanities-related writing, so please contact us regardless of whether you are in the sciences or humanities. Support is available for academic writing written in Japanese or English, and we are happy to consult on assignments for The Aoyama Standard Subjects, English essays, worship reports, various application letters, etc. Sagamihara AWC is located on the second floor of Mandai Memorial Library. If you are writing a report in the library and feel even a little bit "stuck," please drop in. You can also consult with us about coming up with ideas and deciding on a topic before you start writing. We recommend that you make a reservation in advance on the web, but if there is an available session reservation slot, you can also walk in. No matter how trivial it may be, you can improve your writing through dialogue with a tutor!
Science texts
Also useful for writing support
Sagamihara Campus AWC: A place of strength
User testimonials
I was originally not good at writing reports. I was not confident in my own ideas and was hesitant to present them in writing. Therefore, I was initially hesitant to have my reports read at the AWC.
However, when I was assigned to write a report in one English class, I was shocked to find that I was unable to write something that I was satisfied with. But I decided that I wanted to be able to write more proper sentences, so I sought advice from AWC.
I was nervous about my first session, but the tutor was surprisingly kind and helpful, and I was able to enjoy the session. What was particularly good was that when it came to writing reports, the tutor taught me the "process" of how to think and structure sentences, rather than just the "answers." Thanks to this, I think I have gained the ability to apply what I have learned to new topics. When I compare my writing now to when I first started learning, I feel that my writing ability has improved.
One thing I've grown from using AWC is that I no longer feel uncomfortable about writing. Thanks to my tutor's continued support in bringing out my ideas and respecting my way of thinking, I've now come to see reports, which I used to be terrible at, in a positive light: "I want to write, I want to express myself in my own words!" I think my attitude toward learning has also changed, to "I want to try harder, I want to know more!" As I improve my writing skills, I would like to continue to deepen my learning about the academic subject of law itself.
If you are not confident in your report, please consult AWC. By continuing to use our services, you will surely be able to write "substantial, cool, and attractive" documents.
Through the AWC sessions, I was able to enjoy writing reports, something I had always found difficult.
2nd year, Faculty of Law Department of Law
Mao Uemura
At the AWC session,
Writing reports, which I was not good at
I started to enjoy it.
2nd year, Faculty of Law Department of Law
Mao Uemura
From the 2020 interview survey
◆Even if I consulted them when I hadn't yet decided what I wanted to write, they gave me a starting point, which helped me organize my thoughts and decide what to write.
◆There were many times when new sentences were born through my interactions with my tutor.
◆You can discuss things with your tutor on an equal footing, so you get the feeling that you are considering the matter together.
◆I was nervous at first, but my tutor was really kind and supported me while respecting my ideas, which gave me a lot of confidence and increased my motivation!
◆Before using the service I had an impression that it was a stiff school, but the tutors are very easy to talk to and understand, so I want to use the service again and again.
After using AWC many times, I happened to look back at my reports and realized that I had improved my skills. Not only that, my teacher even praised me for being able to write lively reports!
◆By repeatedly using the service, it no longer takes me so long to start writing my reports, and my writing speed has increased. I'm very happy that I can now write reports quickly, something that I used to find difficult.
◆In the past, I would get nervous about writing reports, but by using AWC, I can now start writing without any stress!
◆Before taking the session, I was a little nervous about making a reservation, but the tutors were all friendly so I now want to use their services again and again.
◆I had the impression that the Writing Center was a place where my writing would be corrected with a red pen, but in reality, I was taught practical writing techniques and points that I wouldn't have learned just by reading a book on how to write a report, so I definitely feel that I have improved my skills.
*The years of employment, positions, activities, etc. of the individuals appearing are from the time of the interview.
AWC Information
