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Academic Success Centre

Virtual Open Writing Lab (for everyone) — VOWəL

What is VOWəL?

It’s short for the Virtual Open Writing Lab (for everyone), an online writing and accountability community open to all students, staff, and faculty at UFV and other institutions.

Join us to tackle your academic work or your own writing projects in the company of a supportive virtual community.

How does VOWəL work?

VOWəL sessions are scheduled every Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon (UTC-07:00 / Pacific Daylight Time) in Zoom. A moderator will be present (and writing alongside you!) for the duration of that time. You can come and go as you please throughout the session.

  1. When you enter the VOWəL writing room, your Zoom video and audio will be automatically off. We encourage participants to turn their video on (though this is not required!) and keep their audio off. This way you can listen to music or talk to yourself, without distracting others. You can also look up and see the community of writers working alongside you.

  2. You will have the option of starting off with a writing prompt provided by the moderator to help kick start your writing, or you can simply dive in and get started on your own work. At various points during the VOWəL session, the moderator will invite you to participate in a chat that will serve as a check in to see how your work time is going.

  3. At the end of the VOWəL session, the moderator will invite you to check out by reflecting on the progress you made on your goal and the work you plan to do between now and the next weekly VOWəL meet-up.

How do I join VOWəL?

  • Visit the VOWəL website and fill out the out the form to receive the Zoom link; or
  • Email Tara Corman at asc@ufv.ca to request the Zoom link.

Why should I join VOWəL?

With the VOWəL community you can:

  • Carve out focused writing time
  • Set goals for increased productivity
  • Build your writing stamina
  • Stop procrastinating and get work done
  • Feel less isolated with our global network

Questions about VOWəL?

Email Tara Corman at asc@ufv.ca for more information.