About Loyola's OWL
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a service of Loyola University New Orleans' Writing Across the Curriculum program. The OWL, a tutoring center that staffs over 20 peer tutors trained to assist students in all phases of the writing process, from planning and pre-writing to revising and documenting.
The Loyola OWL’s quest is to provide assistance to those unable to make it WAC’s main Writing Center (Bobet Hall) or the ACE Center (Monroe Library) to receive face-to-face tutoring.
Loyola’s OWL follows WAC’s policy in that it does accept drafts from students, however, tutors will not write or edit your papers for you. Students that require more extensive help on drafts should make an appointment with a WAC peer tutor or walk-in during WAC’s operating hours. You can also email WAC at wac@loyno.edu if you have a quick question. Also, check out Frequently Asked Questions to see if your question has already been answered.
OWL serves students in several ways:
Online Tutoring
The Online Tutoring Form allows students to submit questions about their assignment. It helps the student through the creative process by asking questions about thesis statements, organization, paragraph development, etc. This pushes students to explore their writing strengths and weaknesses, and instills the importance of preparing the writing process way in advance to the due date.
Please remember that commenting takes a certain amount of time, so send your questions and drafts well in advance.
Handouts and Links
Loyola’s OWL offers a variety of handouts and materials that will help students learn to become better writers and editors. Handouts contain information on
- General writing concerns such as brainstorming, pre-writing, revising, genres of writing, etc.
- Grammar, punctuations, and spelling
- English as a second language
- Research advise
- Documentation and citation using MLA, APA, etc.
- Practice exercises
Other OWLs
A list of specifically chosen online writing labs are also available to students if they cannot find what they are looking for at Loyola’s OWL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to commonly asked questions about WAC, tutors, the OWL, tutoring sessions. Check here to see if your question has already been answered.
Dr. Melanie McKay, Director of the Loyola Writing Across the Curriculum Lab, Robert Bell, M.F.A., Assistant Director, and Avia Morgan, Lab Manager, sought to bring about the Loyola OWL, in order to further WAC’s goal of developing important writing skills. Loyola’s OWL was created and designed by Camille Thélin, a graduate of Boston College and WAC peer tutor working towards a medical degree.
