Each semester, dedicated tutors from the McGill Writing Centre work with students one-on-one to help them at any stage of the writing process. During these tutorial sessions (currently offered remotely due to the pandemic), our tutors help students write clear and engaging prose for projects, papers and reports, so students can improve their writing skills, and feel confident in their work.
We spoke with Dr. Marc Ducusin, a tutor at the MWC with a PhD in English Literature, about his approach to these sessions and how McGill students can benefit from individualized writing guidance.
How can students benefit from a tutoring session?
Tutoring offers the rewarding opportunity to work one-on-one with students of all levels and fields to coach them through different stages in their writing process, from brainstorming to final revisions.
What kinds of work can students bring to the tutoring session?
Students bring in a variety of writing projects, from term papers to doctoral dissertations to personal statements for job applications.
How do you approach each session?
As a tutor, I can coach them closely through the details of writing and address their personal needs at a level of specificity that would be difficult to achieve in a larger classroom setting. I try to explain things in ways that enable students to improve their writing in concrete, actionable ways that have served me well in my own work.
What do you find rewarding as a tutor?
It's exciting to watch them find the best means to express their specialized knowledge with clarity and persuasiveness.
About Marc Ducusin, PhD
Marc Ducusin has a PhD in English Literature from McGill University. He has taught several courses in the English department, as well as at the School of Continuing Studies, the Faculty of Management, and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies.
About the McGill Writing Centre’s Tutorial Service
The Tutorial Service is offered remotely to McGill students at no cost to help them organize their ideas, express arguments clearly and eliminate common grammatical errors. Students can access up to seven hours per term. Learn more at mcgill.ca/mwc/tutorial-service