Improving Academic Writing Skills

Improving Academic Writing Skills

Dr Mary Pryor, Centre for Academic Development, tells us about how she worked towards improving standards of students' formal writing skills.

Below, read Dr Pryor's report on the process implemented to achieve this aim.

Originally raised at the College of Arts & Social Sciences (CASS) Teaching & Learning Committee:

An agreed perception that, on arrival at university, there had been an incremental fall in the overall standards of students' formal writing skills, which were causing problems for an increasing number of students in producing work of the appropriate academic level.

How was this to be resolved?

Would some form of early identification of the level of academic writing skills upon arrival, with follow-up writing development intervention, for those in need, be beneficial?

A working group was formed to explore options of an online solution