Exploring Pedagogic and Practical Intersections of Academic Writing Support for Faculty in Higher Education.

Abstract

This is a case study of Faculty perceptions of the nature and effectiveness of academic writing provision and practice in a university in Ireland. It discusses the pedagogical approach adopted by a pan-university initiative. The focus of this case study is a Professional Development module for Faculty designed with a dual purpose - to support them to develop their own professional writing for publication, and to enable them to use the same strategies to support and reinforce their students’ academic writing. The research design used a qualitative approach to gather three forms of data for capturing the perception of Faculty: a survey (n=30) and a Faculty focus group (n=6).Findings indicate that Faculty holds clear perceptions about the nature and effectiveness of academic writing support that is most of use to their own practice: the opportunity for critical (reflective) thinking, reading and writing, using technologies and strategies to support the writing process such as audio feedback and peer review, formative feedback on article structure and development, and supports on the literature review. The results help validate, consolidate and support the current approach and inform the future role of writing support within the institution.