Splash of the Titans banner image that has the Mr. Titan mascot in a wet suite and with a surfboard. EFSC logo on the surfboard and the background is water.

Did You Know the Academic Success Center Has an OWL?

by · Published · Updated

I don’t mean the feathered, nocturnal creature. (Though, if you were following EFSC’s Facebook page in early spring 2021, you may have seen the video of our Melbourne Campus owls or maybe the subsequent Flickr album). The Academic Success Center’s OWL, however, is an acronym; it stands for Online Writing Lab.

As you may already know, the Academic Success Centers at EFSC offer virtual and face-to-face tutoring for writing, business, math, science, and computer courses. The OWL is an online tutoring service provided by Academic Success Center writing tutors. It doesn’t require an appointment or a live session, so it’s ideal for students taking an online class or who are unable to come to campus for tutoring. The OWL allows you to submit a draft of your assignment for a tutor to review — not to edit or proofread — but to leave supportive feedback in the form of comments.

You can submit to the OWL anytime, although tutors are only available from 8 AM to 3 PM Monday through Thursday. Tutors will finish the review of your paper in 24 business hours or fewer.

How to Access the OWL

You can access the OWL from two places: the myEFSC portal or the EFSC website.

Option 1: myEFSC
Click or tap to enlarge the image.
  1. After logging in to myEFSC, scroll down until you see the blue “EFSC Student Applications” heading.
  2. Below this, you will see a drop-down box.
  3. Click or tap the arrow in the drop-down box, and look through the items (which are listed in alphabetical order) until you see “Online Writing Lab – Tutoring.”
  4. Select this option, then click or tap “Launch.”
Option 2: EFSC Website
Click or tap to enlarge the image.
  1. Visit the Academic Success Centers (ASC) page on the EFSC website.
  2. Locate the “Other Tutoring Resources” box.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of this box, and you will see a section called “Online Writing Lab.” This provides details about the OWL and allows you to access it by clicking or tapping the blue “ACCESS THE OWL” button.
  4. If you’re not already logged in, you will be asked to do so using your Titan Single Sign-On credentials.

How to Use the OWL

After you access the OWL, you will be brought to a new screen that asks for the following information:

Click or tap to enlarge the image.
  • Email Address: Please use your Titan student email address so that tutors can respond to your school account.
  • Course or Paper: Select the most appropriate option from the drop-down.
  • Paper Due By: Please include the due date of your assignment.
  • Please Describe Your Assignment: Share the assignment requirements so that tutors can provide you with optimum assistance.
  • Select File to Attach: Hit “Browse” to attach your .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.
  • After you fill in all the information, click “Submit Writing Sample.”

How the OWL Works

Once a tutor receives your file, they will download it and type comments at the top of the paper as well as in comment boxes on the side of the draft. You may have to click or tap the drop-down box next to some of the comments in order to view them in full; these comments often include writing tips, examples, and/or links.

When the tutor is finished reviewing your paper, they will send a version with comments to your Titan student email. If you have any questions about the tutor’s comments, you can respond to the email to ask for further clarification.

Other Tutoring Options and Resources

If the format of the OWL doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for your learning style or you’d like to couple it with a live session, consider participating in a virtual tutoring session by connecting with Academic Success Center writing tutors through Microsoft Teams. However, if virtual tutoring doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for your learning style either, you can also make an appointment for a face-to-face tutoring session.

Besides tutoring sessions, we have other resources that can help you as you write your papers, such as our LibGuides and YouTube videos. Finally, if you have any questions about using the OWL or our tutoring services, please email us for more information at writingcenter@easternflorida.edu.

We’re happy to help you succeed with your writing assignments through the OWL, MS Teams, or face-to-face sessions because, as the Academic Success Center slogan affirms, “Success is our middle name!”

Amy Covel
Latest posts by Amy Covel (see all)
Post Views: 2,686

Tags:

You may also like...