UAEU Writing Center

New Location for the Maqam Writing Center!

2010-11-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

As oxygen is the essence of every living being, writing is the essence of university life. Here at the UAEU, we have the UAEU-UGRU Writing Centers to help all students (Faculty, ESP and UGRU) with their writing. And, you can now visit the Maqam Writing Center in its new, bigger and better location. Opening hours: Sundays-Wednesdays, 9am-4pm; Thursdays, 9am-12pm.

Come one, come all!!

How to make a Professional CV

2010-05-22T23:02:00.001-07:00

That was the title for Graeme Shepherd's workshop that he conducted on Sunday 16th May, 2010 in the Islamic Institute Writing Center. He gave very helpful notes on how to adapt your Curriclum Vitea to different types of jobs.

If you would like to attend another workshop about that, we can arrange it to take place at a hostel once again in the near future.

We hope to see you in coming workshops ... do not miss the excitement and benefits ...

Writing Center Team,

Where writing never ends

Writing Center Workshops At The Islamic Institute

2010-04-21T00:47:00.000-07:00

IELTS Task 1

Proffessor Dan Niles used a document camera writer, to give a hands-on example of how to write a report for a bar chart as practice for level 3 Midterm. It was a new way to illustrate the information to the students, and we could watch him as he worked through the process. He captured the students' attention with his interactive workshop, and it was interesting!

IELTS Task 2

Professor Brendan Aken works with students during his workshop review for IELTS essay writing.

ESP Essay Outline

Peer Tutors Rahmi Mabrury and AbdiMalik Yousef -aided by Professor David Christie - presented a review on Essay Outline for ESP Midterm. The students said they liked it because they worked in groups to practice wring outlines, and it helped them a lot!

Spring 2010 Creative Writing Competition

2010-04-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

Writing is a passion for many people. So, the Writing Center is giving all UGRU and Faculty students an opportunity to present their writing abilities through the Spring 2010 Creative Writing Competition. The topic is IDENTITY and thereby, you are free to define yourself any way you like! Tell us who you are - in an essay, story, drama, poem or song. Winners will not go home empty-handed!! Give pen to your personality and go for it.

Special Guests From Japan

2010-03-08T22:06:00.001-08:00

"Konnichiwa..! Genki desuka?"

…which means, "Hi, how are you?" in Japanese - these are some words that we have learned from Japanese Students.

What?! Japanese Students? Where?!

Yes, on Thursday the 4th March 2010, the Writing Center at the Islamic Institute was visited by special guests from Japan; they are students that belong to the Japan GCC Student Association of students (J-GAS), and they are Ienobu Kaneko, Yayoi Kodama, Maki Zushi and Atsushi Fujioka.

Japan GCC Student Association of students is a non-profit organization/inter-university society established in March 2008 in Tokyo. This association is promoting the cultural exchange and mutual understanding between students/youth of Japan and GCC countries.

We - Mrs. Jennie and peer tutors - had a fascinating discussion with them about the histories of our countries and our educational systems. We all introduced ourselves and we were exchanging many ideas about Japanese and UAE cultures.

Really, it was unforgettable moment because we got a lot of new information and knowledge about Japan from Japanese people themselves.

Arigato Gozaimasta...!!

Sayonara...!!

Fall 2009 Newsletter Now Available!

2009-12-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest issue of the newsletter!

Please go on this link:

http://www.ugr.uaeu.ac.ae/writing_centre/images/writingcentersstudentnewsletterissue7nov2009.pdf

Note: Adobe Reader is required to open the page. You can save the newsletter by clicking on the save button -found at the top of the page- once the page is loaded.

English Poetry Workshop

2009-11-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

On the 18th of November, Ms. Sylvie Raymond gave a workshop on English Poetry at the UAEU Writing Center. Students who attended the workshop thought that it was very beneficial and interesting, and many of them have attempted to write their own poems ever since. Here are a few pictures from the event:

Suggestion Box

2009-11-18T00:59:00.000-08:00

The Writing Center has recently added a "Suggestion Box" to ask for students' feedback. It can be found right on the coffee table as you walk into the Writing Center. Should you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints, please write them on a piece of paper and put them in the box. We will later on gather the slips and check them.

Thank you for coming to the Writing Center. Your input is of great value to us.

The Writing Center Staff

Peer Tutor Training

2009-10-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

Peer tutors have been attending workshops given by Mr. Mike Cornelius in which they have been trained to deal with various writing tasks for the IELTS exams. For example, they have learned how to teach students IELTS bar charts and how to effectively write essays for the IELTS timed writing tasks .

Here are a few pictures taken at one of the training sessions:

UAEU Writing Center's Podcast: Episode 2

2009-10-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

This is the second episode of the UAEU Writing Center's podcast!

Episode #2: An Interview With David Rumptz

In this episode, Adam asks Mr. Rumptz some questions about writing. Mr. Rumptz shares his experiences and gives valuable writing advice to the students.

Enjoy and stay tuned for upcoming episodes!

Note: Please use Realplayer or Orbit to download podcasts and videos

English Majles

2009-10-07T23:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the 29th of September, peer tutor Ferdy gave a workshop titled "English Majles" at Seih Bin Ammar male student hostel. The workshop was very entertaining, and included various activities such as games and English practice.

The guys first introduced themselves and then had a casual conversation with Ferdy to practice their speaking skills. Afterwards, Ferdy introduced three games:

The first game was a guessing game, the second was a spelling bee, and the last one was a whispering game. The students were divided into two groups. These are the pictures taken at the event:

Announcement

2009-09-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

NOW OPEN!

MARKHANIA 2 WRITING CENTER

SUNDAYS: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Peer tutor Musa will be there to assist you with any problems you may have in writing.

Come on in!

UAEU Writing Center Welcome Video

2009-09-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Check out our new welcome video!

Welcome

2009-09-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome everybody to the new semester! The UAEU Writing Center wishes you the best of luck with your studies!

We expect great things from all of our students!

Keep writing everyone!

Fall 2008 Cultural Writing Competition Winners!

2009-05-27T03:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations again to all the winners of the Cultural Writing Competition! This year's contestants had excellent writings that were expressive, interesting, and promising!

To read the winners' writings, download from this site:

http://www.zshare.net/download/60576682994b620c/

Note: Please use Winzip or Winrar to unzip the file

English Writing

Here are the names of the winners:

1st prize winner: Zena N Abdullahi "The Nation In hopelessness"

2nd prize winner: Adel Abdulrahman "My Angel, My Mother"

3rd prize winner: Adam Ahmed "What Is Wrong With Me?"

4th prize winner: Noor Ghazal- Aswad "Nana"5th prize winner: Hassam Yousef Hittini "The War"

5th prize winner: Hassam Yousef Hittini "The War"

Writing Center Promotional Videos

2009-05-27T02:10:00.001-07:00

If you are experiencing low buffer rates with Google's Video Player, please go on this link:
http://www.ugr.uaeu.ac.ae/writing_centre/

It will take you to the official Writing Center website. Click on the thumbnails to view the videos. Hopefully, they'll load faster.

UAEU Writing Center's First Promotional Video (Maqam Campus)

2009-05-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is the Writing Center's first promotional video for the Maqam Campus! Enjoy:

Note: Please use Realplayer or Orbit to download podcasts and videos

Adel's Poem

2009-05-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

Check out Adel reciting his poem titled "The Dream Of My Life"

UAEU Writing Center's First Arabic Podcast!

2009-05-06T02:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's finally here! This is the first episode of the UAEU writing center's Arabic podcast. In this episode, Adam introduces himself and explains more about the Writing Center. Enjoy and stay tuned for upcoming episodes!

نعم، إنها هنا أخيراً! هذه هي الحلقة الأولى للتسجيل الصوتي من مركزِ الكتابة في جامعة الإمارات العربية المتحدة . في هذه الحلقة، يعرّف آدم عن نفسه ويُوضّح أموراً تتعلق بمركزِ الكتابة. نتمنى لكم أن تقضوا أوقاتاً سعيدة و ترقبوا الحلقة القادمة بإذن الله

HAIKU Workshop Today!

2009-04-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

There will be a very, very interesting HAIKU workshop today!

(Japanese style poem, only 3 lines, usually 3-5-3 syllables)

The event will be held from 2:00-3:00 PM at the Writing Center. Please come and tell your friends and classmates to come!!!

Arabic Workshops Now Available!

2009-04-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Need help with your Arabic reports or projects? Come along and join other students who are attending Dr. Amaneddine's review workshops at the UAEU Writing Center!

For more information, please visit the Writing Center.

Read And React

2009-04-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

The “Read and React” board (available at the Writing Center) can help improve the students' reading and writing skills. It contains updated newspaper articles, announcements, and notices in both English and Arabic. Students can read whatever is posted on the board and then react by writing their comments and thoughts on anything they find interesting.

"Tie The Knot" Workshop

2009-04-21T01:59:00.000-07:00

On the 8th of April, Dr. Raney Benner organized two workshops titled “Tie The Knot” at the UAEU Writing Center . The workshops, which included a demonstration of how to tie a tie, were a great success to the extent that the entire writing center was fully packed with students. Many students were glad to learn more about how to tie a tie. Dr. Benner also showcased lots of different items from various countries around the world, such as Japanese fans, Kimonos, CDs, and swords.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Featured Writing: Walking into the Unknown

2009-04-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

“You’re all on your own my precious daughter. You have to not depend on us. However, we’ll be there whenever you need us.” I got out of the car and waited for a moment, watching my mother drive away. When she disappeared around a corner, I walked inside to the unknown.
There I was, in a mesmerizing place, with no sense of direction. I was turning my head from side to side looking for the building I was told to go to a week ago. I stood at an intersection where the four roots led to big buildings. I stood there for a while and decided to ask for directions from a flock of students standing beside me. They were freshmen too and seeking the same building as I was.

We talked amongst each other and decided to head left. There was a huge unlabeled building with tens of students waiting at the doors ahead of us. It turned out, after asking, that it was our destination. I isolated myself from everyone and stood in a corner. After around fifteen, a couple of adults (who I assumed to be the one’s responsible for the first day orientation) opened the doors of the building from the inside. They stood at there for a while and the students entered one by one, and so did I.

The place I just entered was a weird gymnasium; one that was used at the moment as a lecture hall and a stadium. Noises echoed in the large hall as the students filled up the seats. The seated students were blankly staring at a group of serious-looking adults consisting of both males and females, but not including the ones I saw at the doors. The adults were silent and checking the unseated noisy students moving about.

Personally, I sat in the end of one of the nine blocks that constituted the stadium. There was no one on my left, but on my right there was a colorfully-dressed girl, who was unique amongst the black-dressed students-including myself. There was noise everywhere and I started to get irritated. But the loud screech of a microphone save the moment and cleared the air. At this point, everybody was paying attention to the adults.

After the recitation of some Islamic commencing statements, a short chubby man of about fifty years old began talking to us about expectations, rules, and opportunities. After a twenty-minute non-sop talk, he finally took his seat. This time, a veiled woman came to the stand and listed the different places that we could visit to receive help with regards to any needs we have. She chattered more about how university life is supposed to be like. The more she spoke the more her words were becoming awfully familiar. “…you have to be autonomous and depend on yourselves. No one here is going to spoon-feed you everything like when you were in school. Your decisions should be made and implemented by you and only you. You should distinguish between what’s good and what’s bad for your own sake…”

The orientation finished after thirty more minutes of talks, directions, and advices. I walked out of the building and stood somewhere where I could see everything. Looking around me, I tried to figure out my head from my toes. I was scared and confused in the middle of tens of buildings not knowing where to go next. I let out a deep sigh of desperation and decided to follow my heart. I was on the move a while later.

Written by: Seira Ben-Ammar

Spring 2009 Newsletter Now Available!

2009-04-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest issue of the newsletter!

Please go on this link:

www.ugr.uaeu.ac.ae/writing_centre/docs/newsletterissue5.pdf

Note: Adobe Reader is required to open the page. You can save the newsletter by clicking on the save button once the page is loaded.

Fall 2008 Cultural Writing Competition Winners!

2009-04-01T02:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the winners of the Cultural Writing Competition!

This year's contestants had excellent writings that were expressive, interesting, and promising!

Here are the names of the winners:

English Writing

1st prize winner: Zena N Abdullahi "The Nation In hopelessness"

2nd prize winner: Adel Abdulrahman "My Angel, My Mother"

3rd prize winner: Adam Ahmed "What Is Wrong With Me?"

4th prize winner: Noor Ghazal- Aswad "Nana"

5th prize winner: Hassam Yousef Hittini "The War"

Arabic Writing

1st prize winner: Sundos Zeyad "How Difficult The Waiting Moments Are"

2nd prize winner: Abd-AlGader Khalid "Pains and Hopes"

3rd prize winner: Khulood Hassan Al-Neimi "Hope Is The Life Consul"

4th prize winner: Add-Rahman Maan Sophi "How Long"

5th prize winner: Aisha Abd-Allah Al-Nuaimi "Naked Without a Nation"

We wish all our student writers the best of luck.

UAEU Writing Center's Official Website

2009-03-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Check out the UAEU writing center's official website!

The website contains lots of useful writing resources for your convenience, including practice sheets, time management skills, critical thinking strategies, and more.

Announcement

2009-03-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

NOW OPEN!

FALAJ HAZZA WRITING CENTER

SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY : 12:00 - 2:00 PM

Teachers and peer tutors are there to help you with all types of academic and creative writing, especially ESP

Location: Room 78

UAEU Writing Center's First Podcast!

2009-03-24T01:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's finally here! This is the first episode of the UAEU writing center's podcast.

Episode #1: An Introduction To The Writing Center

In this episode, Adam and Marwan introduce themselves and Adam asks Marwan questions that many students might have about the writing center.

Enjoy and stay tuned for upcoming episodes!

Note: Please use Realplayer or Orbit to download podcasts and videos

UAEU Writing Center's First Promotional Video!

2009-03-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

This is the Writing Center's first promotional video! Enjoy:

Note: Please use Realplayer or Orbit to download podcasts and videos

Featured Posts!

2009-03-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Do you want your writing to be featured on our blog? We can check it and provide some feedback, and if it were to be accepted, post your own writing on our blog! Simply send us an e-mail to sonic_xtr.writingcenter@blogger.com

Writing Center Pics

2009-03-18T05:56:00.001-07:00

So here are a few pictures that were taken at the bustling writing center.:

Peer tutors working with students in the writing center

Our friendly peer tutors are at your service! Rahmi, we all like your mellow smile!

Oh and don't worry about us being shorthanded!

Interesting biographies of peer tutors

UAEU Writing Center's Podcast!

2009-03-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

The UAEU writing center is in the process of making its first podcast! Episode one of the podcast would include a general introduction as well as questions and answers that many students might have about the Writing Center. Subsequent episodes would include various interesting topics about writing, such as the problems that students face in essays, storytelling, and writing tips.

Stay Tuned!

Meet Some of Our Teachers!

2009-03-18T03:06:00.001-07:00

Jennie Murray and Stephen Price

Meet Some of Our Peer Tutors!

2009-03-17T02:20:00.001-07:00

From Left to right (first row): Abbubacar, Ferdie, Cirous

From Left to right (second row): Rahmi, Solieman, Adam

Featured Post: Feeling Down?

2009-03-10T02:43:00.000-07:00

We're all humans, and this means that we all get depressed and sad sometimes. It may be because many of us feel that we haven’t accomplished our goals and dreams. So if you've been a downer lately, consider this as it might hopefully mitigate the problem: You're currently wallowing in negative thoughts and this could ultimately scuttle your plans… I've had those thoughts lately as well, especially after I've received my lousy grades (failed in one subject and haven't done well in the others).

The worst part is the diminished self esteem. Nevertheless, there are many things that you could do to lift your spirits. The golden rule of thumb regarding success is as follows: To be successful in anything, you must commit yourself and follow through Yes, commitment is a key to solving the problem. Many of us feel overwhelmed by the enormous tasks we undertake. Because of the many things that we have on our minds, sometimes we just don’t know where to get started. Time elapses quickly, and to our complete and utter horror, some of us might eventually find out that we either haven’t finished the task, or worse, haven’t done it at all. One of the things that can really help you get organized is making a list. That is, making a list of all tasks, appointments, and projects waiting there to be finished. Seeing the tasks right there in front of you can get you planned since you’d know what to do.

It’s always helpful to have a planner; whether it’s in the form of good old pen and paper, or a digital planner. In my opinion, I like the latter as it’s much more convenient. Whatever you choose, it’s completely up to you. This alone is a major step and can alone help your mood and attitude. I personally use programs that help me get organized. One excellent program I used for a couple of years was called “Wallpaper Calendar”.

You can check it out here: http://www.zepsoft.com/wallcal/

Windows vista has its own program called “Windows Calendar”, and I am currently using it now. You can add all your tasks and appointments and later view them as daily, weekly, and monthly. The next thing you need to do, and I stress this, is to EXERCISE. Trust me on this one, working out will absolutely make you feel better. Anytime you feel stressed, just go out and get active. Don’t let the waves of self pity wash over you.

If it's any consolation, just remember that you're alive and kicking. I swear to god this is the most important thing in life... we humans are EXTREMELY weak creatures. Any small virus you catch.... days later it might progress and you might die out of the complications. Just be happy with what you have... we're all going through a difficult time now. If you compare our problems with the problems of the people suffering in Gaza, well, our problems are trivial...

Written by: Adam Ahmed

Welcome!

2009-02-24T00:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the UAEU writing center! To get started, let us first tell you more about who we are and what we do:

Writing is a powerful tool that helps people communicate their ideas with the world. Learning to write is a life-long process that requires great skill and determination. That is why students can always improve their writing by sharing their work with attentive teachers and peers who in turn may provide valuable feedback.

The writing center is a free service available to students and faculty at UAEU. We are a group of friendly teachers and peer tutors who help undergraduate (primarily UGRU) students to cultivate their writing skills and build their confidence in both academic and creative writing. We offer writing workshops and presentations on all kinds of writing.

Simply put, we help students to become better writers

Peer Tutor Survey

2008-10-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Writing Center Blog!

Here you can post your experiences peer tutoring.

To get things started, could you please answer the following questions:

1. What quality is most important to be a successful peer tutor?

2. Which part of peer tutoring do you enjoy the most?

3. For what kind of help do you get asked the most?

4. What do you feel most comfortable helping students with?

5. What is your policy on "wait time"? How long do you wait for a student to answer a question (without answering for him/her)?

6. What is your policy on using Arabic language? How do you decide which language to use?

7. In which area would you like more training?

8. Do you have any suggestions to improve our Writing Center?

Thank you very much for your time!