Students' experiences of academic writing support
Exploring students' experiences of finding and accessing academic writing support
Team Members: Jenna Mann, Alison Thomas
School/Unit: Institute for Academic Development
Abstract
The University of Edinburgh has a rich and diverse provision of writing support and development in place to guide and advise students from all backgrounds in the demands of academic writing. Our experience as writing development teachers from two different departments suggests, however, that the complexity caused by providing viable support across the university may actually inhibit student access to writing support services. We propose, therefore, to investigate student perceptions of accessing provision at a time and level suitable to them. We will then use the data gathered to map provision across the university, providing a resource for scholarship and administration, while asking whether, and in what ways, we as providers can respond better to students’ needs and expectations. We further envisage that the data collected will help us in future to develop resources to aid students in accessing support.
The investigation, therefore, has the potential for significant impact on the practices of both tutors and students as well as informing the coordination of efforts and provision across Schools, Colleges and University-wide student support services.
Final report
Download the final project report (PDF)