Increased specialisation of disciplinary cultures creates barriers for students who may not understand the genre, style and conventions of disciplinary writing. Academic literacies research recognises that literacy is a social practice where writing is inextricably linked to knowledge construction. Learning to write, therefore, requires…

A good research base exists on the benefits of structured writing retreats and similar provision for academic staff and postgraduate researchers, but to date little has been published about the worth of such events for undergraduate students. This is despite the fact that undergraduate student researchers also experience external pressures,…

Teacher trainees are familiarised with various genres during their studies; however, the teaching portfolio and the thesis are the ones in the focus of their university years. The present study aims at investigating student teachers' writing and reflective skills by analysing reflective writings as compulsory documents of teaching portfolios.…

In this study, the role of reflective practice and collaborative learning practice in promoting learner autonomy (LA) and improving reflective thinking skills (RT) and related learner perceptions were explored. A mixed-method design was preferred to investigate the issue, with participants enrolled in an Academic English Skills (EAP) course (N =…

Commencing students in universities today are very diverse with regards to their academic preparation, language, and cultural background. Some of these students are also first in family to attend university. With such diverse student profiles and previous learning experiences, it is possible that some students may not be confident to employ the…

This exploratory study aims to analyse the nature of peer feedback during a collaborative writing assignment, and to identify the possible effects of feedback on the revision of a text written by university students in a blended learning environment. Under analysis are two different graduate courses in academic writing, during which, over a period…

This qualitative study explores student learning progression through reflective writing on a tertiary-level course in social work. The study is based on the content analysis of three sets of data: student reflective writing, instructor formative feedback on this writing, and student end-of-course reflections. Our findings demonstrate that…

Although literature demonstrates that mindfulness practices enhance undergraduate student learning, writing composition, and sense of well-being in higher education, there is minimal research that explores faculty and doctoral student engagement in mindfulness practices to support academic writing and build online writing community. In this…

This article showcases an instructor-librarian collaborative model for teaching critical information literacy (CIL) skills in a higher education course by incorporating interactive workshops into a sequence of required course assignments. Using an asset-focused design, this assignment sequence allows students to first demonstrate their existing…

The last teaching-learning stage in the education system is the doctoral programmes, which turn graduate students into researchers. This evolution involves writing a dissertation, but also being able to discuss research. However, training on spoken genres has not received much attention, and the interest has been mainly on monologic prepared…

This case study explores the successes and challenges experienced while creating the Academic Skills Toolkit1 for use by academic staff at London South Bank University (LSBU). Based on similar initiatives at Queen Mary University of London (McConlogue, Mitchell and Peake, 2012), the University of Derby (2021) and the University of Huddersfield…

Peer review in the classroom can enhance numerous employability skills such as critical appraisal, writing skills, reflection practices and collaborative experiences. This study takes place over two years and discusses the implementation of a repeating blind peer review cycle across a single semester for final year chemistry students enrolled on a…

This article focuses on the impact reflective learning has on a group of EFL preservice teachers' academic writing skills through formative feedback and self-assessment at a university in Bogotá (Colombia). The goal was to determine how the participants' academic writing skills were developed when writing essays for international examinations, and…

This paper presents a case report of the experiences of a hybrid library team from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol providing academic literacy support to the first cohorts of Trainee Nursing Associates following a new National Health Service (NHS) career pathway. We set out the academic literacy needs of this unique group of…

This study explores the use of a Moodle-based electronic textbook (e-textbook) created for an on-campus intensive academic writing course. The role of the e-textbook in facilitating collaborative writing practice and developing academic digital literacy skills as part of a blended learning approach is investigated. The study involved 83 students…