Writing Center Online

Writing Center Online Instructions

Welcome to the Writing Center Online! Here are a few instructions to help you prepare for an online consultation.

• Call (804) 827-8108 to set up an appointment. This appointment must be made one day in advance.
• Tell the receptionist you’d like an online consultation. Again, be sure to specify that it will be an online consultation. Give the receptionist your VCU email along with your name.
• Once you’ve made the appointment, email vcuwritingcenteronline@gmail.com using your VCU email or gmail account. Send any relevant documents (your paper, an assignment, etc.) as attachments.
• You will receive an auto-reply message that will confirm receipt of your e-mail and outline what you should expect from an online consultation and how you might prepare for it.

Remember that you can have an online consultation even if you haven’t started drafting. If this is the case, you must still email the Writing Center Online (vcuwritingcenteronline@gmail.com) to confirm the appointment and to provide your email address. It will be helpful to include the assignment or a description of the project as well.

Online consultations will be conducted using a combination of Google Docs and gChat. Before the consultation begins, your consultant will upload any documents you provide to Google Docs and share them with you for the purposes of the consultation.

Click the link below for further instructions on how to access shared documents in Google Docs.

Using Google Docs and gChat

Accessing documents on Google Docs:

• Sign on to your VCU email account.

• Click the tab that says "Documents" in the top-left corner of the page.

• The document(s) should appear in the middle of the screen.  Click on the document title to open the file; the file should open in a new window in your browser.

Signing on to Chat:

• Sign in to your VCU email account. 

• Once you’re logged in, make sure you are signed on to Chat.  The Chat function is located at the bottom left of the page when you first log in.

• You should expect the consultant to initiate a chat conversation with you. A chat request will pop up automatically on the left of the screen in your chat list asking you to join a chat with your consultant. The consultant’s username will either be VCUwritingcenter1, VCUwritingcenter2, or VCUwritingcenter3. Once you accept the chat, the consultant’s username should appear in your chat list and the consultation can begin.

Writing Center Online Home |Using Google Docs and gChat