How can I encourage my students to come to the Writing Center without requiring them?

The best way to encourage your class to work with  tutors is to demonstrate when in your own writing process you might seek feedback from a skilled reader. Remind them that reader feedback is a natural part of the writing process for writers at all levels.

It is extremely helpful for students who work with tutors to have a clear sense of your priorities for their improvement. If you have seen drafts of the assignment already or noticed patterns in their writing prior to a new assignment, empower your students to ask for the help they need by providing them with a small set of skills to focus on first (ex. “I want you to improve your thesis and topic sentences before you work on grammar”).

NOTE: Extra credit is fine so long as it functions merely as incentive for the uncertain student and not as a hail-mary for a failing student.