Online Writing Lab (OWL)

The OWL is an online writing resource that allows KCC students, faculty and staff the opportunity to drop drafts or partial drafts of their writing, or any questions about writing, to the OWL tutors through SparkyMail and receive feedback from a KCC faculty Writing Tutor. The OWL is part of the Writing Center under the Tutorial Services Program, which is certified by the College Reading & Learning Association, at Kirtland Community College.

As with in-person tutoring, our mission is to help students improve their writing at the global level, with attention to argument, structure, organization, and effectiveness, rather than extensive grammatical and syntactical revisions. While face to face tutoring is more effective, we recognize that there are times when it is not possible to meet with a Writing Specialist in person. The OWL is not a proofreading or editing service; our goal is to help you become a better writer.

We encourage all students to visit the KCC Writing Center, located in Tutorial Services, Room 17, Instructional Building, to work in-person with one of our Writing Tutors.

We require writers who are interested in submitting to the OWL to first read our OWL Submission Guidelines. 

OWL tutors include the Tutorial Services’ Lead Language Arts Paraprofessional and Kirtland English faculty members; all undergo extensive and continual writing tutoring training relevant to KCC courses.

The OWL tutors are happy to share their experience and insights into writing with you and will formulate a thorough and useful response to your draft. The Writing Tutors are also available for one-on-one appointments with students in the Writing Center located across from the Tutorial Services, in Room 17, Instructional Building. See the KCC website for hours and general information concerning the Writing Center or stop in Room 17, Instructional Building.

Only students enrolled at KCC may use the OWL. The students must know how to use the KCC SparkyMail and check it regularly in order to receive a response. 

• The OWL allows you to drop your writing project, or part of your writing project, or even just a question about your writing, in the semester drop box to a Writing Tutor who will return comments to you on such things as organizing, developing, and revising your work. Tutors will also make suggestions on the content, structure, and style of your writing to help you write more effectively.
• Help students who have questions at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to final draft.
• Writing Tutors cannot proofread or edit your paper, but they will analyze your work for errors that reoccur so that you can learn to proofread the paper yourself. They will use one or two examples from your writing to help explain the error and how to correct it and direct you to resources that will help you.
• Respond to your questions within 24-48 hours with specific suggestions, hints about effective writing, and further questions for the writer to consider.

• We cannot comment extensively on or do detailed analyses of long papers online; if you have many questions about an assignment, or an extensive project, please come to the Writing Center for a one-on-one tutoring session with one of the OWL tutors.
• Questions such as "What's wrong with my paper?" or “Just fix it” will be returned to the writer for further explanation.
• The OWL tutors will not rewrite your papers for you.
• They will not edit your paper or correct mechanical errors. These are important tasks, but our goal is to help you learn how to do these tasks.
• They will not assign a grade or guess what grade your instructor will give you.
• The OWL is not a substitute for class attendance.