Vision:
The Writing and Support Center at MSA provides a free writing tutoring service on campus for students to promote their success as university students.
The Writing and Support Center helps undergraduate students in all faculties and majors to enhance their academic writing, communication, and presentation skills in a friendly and stress-free environment.
The Writing and Support Center offers MSA students guidance on their assignments and academic tasks at all stages involved in the writing process: from brainstorming and prewriting techniques to writing skills, citation and proofreading strategies.
Mission:
The Writing and Support Center at MSA offers two main services:
– One-to-one consultations
The writing and support center provides one-to-one assistance to students on their writing and academic tasks as well as feedback and follow up tutorials. Tutors will help students improve their academic skills on a given task and provide tips and resources to students to become more confident and successful writers.
Tutors will primarily offer help in the following areas:
▪ Organizational skills: brain storming, outlining, and prewriting techniques
▪ Language skills: language structure and mechanics
▪ Study skills: paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, synthesizing, and integration of sources
▪ Avoidance of plagiarism and maintaining academic honesty
▪ Communication and presentation skill
– Workshops
The Writing and Support Center offers both specialized and tailored workshops on varied topics to students in all disciplines. Sessions will be delivered by keynote speakers, and faculty members. The purpose of the workshops is to provide academic support to MSA students in any subject or field.
The following are examples of workshops topics which can be tailored and customized to assist students:
• Primary Research Techniques
• Writing a Literature Review
• Integration of Sources and Avoidance of Plagiarism
• Communication and Presentation skills
• General Translation Skills
• Creative and Literary Writing
• Technical/Business Writing Skills
Objectives:
- Providing one-to-one support for all university students in all soft skills (this includes CV writing, Graduate research skills in different faculties, presentation skills) All year round Daily
- Conducts workshops for skill development One workshop per semester
- Provides one-to-one support for all students especially those with learning difficulties
- Provides more hands-on exercises to students who are facing some problems in any of the academic English units
How to book a writing centre session:
- The student heads to the faculty of Languages Administration Office (A215).
- The student books a session that suits their schedule.
- The administration office arranges with an instructor and plans for the session.
- The student is contacted and directed to Library Building (L) – Third floor.
📝 Writing & Support Center Workshops:
At a Glance
5 workshops| Date | Time | Workshop | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 11 Oct | 11:30 – 1:30 | Paragraph Writing Workshop | Sandra |
| Wed 21 Oct | 9:00 – 11:00 | Grammar Accuracy Clinic | Phoebe |
| Wed 21 Oct | 11:00 – 1:00 | Developing Sub-ideas | Yara Gad |
| Wed 21 Oct | 1:00 – 2:00 | Citation Workshop | Yasmin Nabil |
| Sun 15 Nov | 11:30 – 1:30 | Oral Presentation Skills Workshop | Sandra |
The Workshops
Pick yours and save the date.
Paragraph Writing Workshop
From topic sentence to final word.
You will:
- Build a well-structured paragraph: topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.
- Apply the ENG 90 Paragraph Rubric (100 marks) to self-assess a draft.
- Understand the difference between general and specific supporting evidence.
Grammar Accuracy Clinic
Spot it. Fix it. Own it.
You will:
- Practise correcting the most common grammar errors in student writing: tense, modal verbs, and subject-verb agreement.
- Use error correction strategies: self-correction, peer feedback, and the error clinic technique.
Developing Sub-ideas
Grow one idea into a strong argument.
You will:
- Break a main supporting point into clear, focused sub-ideas that each explain one aspect of the topic.
- Develop each sub-idea with examples, explanations, and specific details.
- Use transitions to connect sub-ideas logically and keep the paragraph unified.
Citation Workshop
Give credit where it's due.
You will:
- Understand why citation matters and how it helps avoid plagiarism.
- Correctly format in-text citations and reference list entries for common source types.
- Integrate sources smoothly through quoting, paraphrasing, and summarising.
Oral Presentation Skills Workshop
Speak up. Stand out.
You will:
- Organise a spoken presentation clearly: opening, main points, and a strong conclusion.
- Practise delivery skills: pacing, eye contact, voice projection, and managing nerves.
- Receive structured peer feedback using the ENG 90 Oral Assessment Rubric.
Great writers aren't born, they're workshopped. See you there!
Center of Excellence
MSA Repository (MSAR)
Central Research Laboratory
