"More than meets the eye": Transforming academic writing practice

Abstract

‘Blended learning’ (BL) has been touted as an effective methodology for delivering content in the digital age. However, BL and online learning have at times been confused. This has led to dumping of content online and expecting learners to complete tasks in their own time with little or no instruction. True BL involves a fine balance between the online and face-to-face environments. The context of this workshop is academic writing, an area that tends to be reliant on face-to-face delivery. In order for learners to improve, there are significant practice and feedback requirements. This leads to great demands on instructor time in and out of the classroom, with learners becoming heavily dependent on their instructors. This BL workshop will demonstrate ways to extend practice opportunities outside of the classroom, gain in-depth diagnostics of learner needs, and use information to provide more focused feedback in face-to-face sessions. Participants will learn about a range of contexts in which they can transform delivery of academic writing. To mimic the blended approach, participants will take the role of learners in experiencing a variety of instructional methods, focused on academic writing. The use of freely available online computer tools will be used as well as face-to-face instruction. While the context of the workshop is academic writing in the tertiary sector, other sectors could also apply similar strategies.