1. T HE U NIVERSITY OF N IZWA W RITING C ENTER E XPANSION Presented to the U.A.C.: February 28 th 2012 By: Derek M.N. O’Connell Director of TWC

3. The Writing Center will be recognized as an educational facility that provides quality instruction and academic support across all disciplines to further develop student’s diverse writing abilities.

4. The Writing Center will cater primarily to academic students currently enrolled in their degree programs that need to improve their English, Arabic, and other essential languages proficiency in writing. The Writing Center is a learning support service designed to promote a dynamic writing culture for students. The center will aim to improve student writing composition skills, reinforce quality study habits, support critical thinking, and encourage creativity and innovation. The Writing Center’s programs, services, and extracurricular activities will reflect the Islamic and cultural values embraced by the Sultanate of Oman in order to assist in the development of quality graduates.

5. 1.Promote quality academic writing skills and habits 2.Design innovative programs and services conducive to writing 3.Promote academic excellence and integrity 4.Enhance the development of peer tutorial mentoring 5.Build professional affiliations with international and regional writing centers “On the other hand, a positive aspect of the University’s academic support for students is its dedicated and heavily utilized Writing Centre”. -OAAA, 2011

6. Academic Excellence The Promotion of Writing Respect and Understanding Teamwork and Collaboration Learning and Innovation C ORE V ALUES OF TWC

7. 1.Writing 2.Reading Comprehension 3.Vocabulary Acquisition

8. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Chair) Academic Advisor to the Chancellor (Vice Chair) Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies CAS Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies CEA Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies CPN Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs CEMIS Director of the UoN Library Director of Student Support Fund TWC Supervisor (Provisional Appt.) Director of TWC (Convener)

10. Workshops Academic Consultations Peer Tutorials Conversation Sessions

11. “The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the University of Nizwa for the establishment of its Writing Centre as a well-planned, dedicated facility to support student learning and promote academic excellence”. - Page 9 of UoN Report of Audit by OAAA, 2011 - Page 9 of UoN Report of Audit by OAAA, 2011

13. 1.As of October 2011 TWC has received a distinctive commendation from the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) 2.As of February 26 th 2012 TWC has surpassed 40,000 appointments in less than 3 ½ years 3.As of February 23 rd 2012, the UoN Director of TWC has been appointed as Vice President of MENAWCA for a two year term. 4.Served as consultants for other academic institutions to model in the Sultanate of Oman and within the G.C.C.

14. Thank you for your time and consideration…