Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not an English major. I'm an engineering paper. Will you still help me?

This is my first time here. What should I do?

Sometimes I make a change in Google Docs and the tutor doesn't respond right away. I don't think she's paying attention to me!

After I worked with a Writing Tutor I noticed the tutor still shows up as a contact in my Gmail Inbox. Is that normal?

So, what's online tutoring about?

We know that you can't always find time to make the long, ardurous trip up to the Writing Center. Maybe you don't feel well. Maybe you don't want to waste money on gas, or maybe you're just too lazy to put on clothes.

Whatever the reason, we still want you to be able to interact with one of our amazing tutors in real time. By using our online tutoring service, you will be able to talk about your essay with a tutor just as you would in a face to face session.

I'm not an English major. I'm an engineering paper. Will you still help me?

Absolutely!

Online tutoring works the same as walking into the Writing Center--as long as you want help with a document, we're there for you! (Well, as long as you're a UTSA student. We have to draw the line somewhere :-p)

This is my first time here. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is watch the video tutorials located here.

After that, contact one of our tutors using one of the three chat badges on the left side-bar. The tutor will tell you to log in to the Google Chat app in the middle of the page using your UTSA ID and password (we have to make sure the people getting help are actually UTSA students!).

After you log in you'll need to add the tutor as a contact. We have three tutor accounts: utsatwc1@gmail.com, utsatwc2@gmail.com, and utsatwc3@gmail.com. Just ask the tutor which login he or she is using.

As soon as you've added the tutor as a contact in the Google Chat App, click on the Google Docs link below the Chat app.

Once inside Google Docs, upload the document you want to work with.

When that document finishes uploading (don't worry...it won't take long) you'll need to add the Tutor as a writing collaborator. Click on the "Share" tab at the top right corner of the Google Docs page. Add the tutor's email as a collaborator (be sure to use @gmail.com). After the tutor is added, he or she will contact you using the Google Chat App.

Sometimes I make a change in Google Docs and the tutor doesn't respond right away. I don't think she's paying attention to me!

Calm down. Take a deep breath.

Changes made in Google Docs don't appear on the collaborator's screen until the document is saved. Google Docs saves automatically, but sometimes there's a time lapse of up to a minute.

If you want the tutor to see the changes you've made right away, press the save icon. Remember, you should still have the Google Chat App open in another tab. Use the Chat App for real time back and forth conversation. Watch the tutorial "Odds and Ends" to find out how to "pop out" the Chat App from its window.

After I worked with a Writing Tutor I noticed the tutor still shows up as a contact in my Gmail Inbox. Is that normal?

Absolutely.

Google Docs works in conjunction with Gmail, so after you add the Writing Tutor to your contact list it will show up in your Inbox.

In fact, if you plan on using the Online Tutoring offered by the Writing Center on a regular basis, we recommend that you simply go ahead and add all three tutor accounts: ustatwc1@gmail.com utsatwc2@gmail.com and utsatwc3@gmail.com.

After you add all three tutors to your contact list, you will be able to contact them directly from your Gmail inbox--no need to go to the Online Tutoring Webpage! Just contact a tutor from your Inbox, and the enter Google Docs from the top left corner. Click the "Documents" link, and then upload your paper as per usual.

Couldn't be easier, could it?