Writing Lab
Mr. James DeMasi
Adjunct Instructor of English and Writing Lab Director
Writing Lab: Braniff 304
Telephone: (972) 721-5243
email: jdemasi@udallas.edu
The Writing Lab is located in Braniff 304 and offers individual 30-minute tutoring sessions for UD
students working on essays, regardless of the subject or the student's writing abilities.
After each session, the tutor sends a Writing Lab Report to the professor who assigned
the essay, summarizing the session and suggestions.
The Writing Lab is open Sunday through Friday with appointments available as early
as 10:00am and as late as 10:30pm. A tutoring session may be reserved by signing up
for an appointment outside the Lab in Braniff 304. Walk-ins are also welcome as time
allows.
The Writing Lab is open during the Fall and Spring semesters only.
Writing Lab Rules:
1. A sign-up sheet outside the Writing Lab is used to sign up for an appointment.
That sheet will be posted mid-day Thursday for the following week.
2. Undergraduates are limited to one 30 minute slot per day per assignment.
3. Students should bring a paper copy of the professor's prompt.
4. Students must bring a paper copy of the student's draft or outline--not just a
lap top--to be discussed.
5. Tutors are not allowed to edit, review, or critique take-home, out-of-class exams
without the written consent of the exam-giving instructor.
6. Tutors will comment on grammar, syntax, organization, and/or argumentation of
the draft presented. Their task is to show where the paper needs to improve, not
to re-write the paper. For that reason, tutors will point out consistent errors in
grammar and syntax, but not correct them all. Similarly, tutors will point out problems
with evidence use or information flow, but they will not generate the paper's argument,
evidence, or information.
Writing Lab Resources
Marking Guide with links to explanations of Common Errors and exercises to help you
correct those errors.
