The following resources are designed to help you assess and develop your students' academic writing skills.
All our resources are available for free educational use under a Creative Commons licence. You are welcome to link to them, use them and adapt them if necessary for your students, but please acknowledge Learnhigher as authors.
Activity time: 15 minutes
Types of media: Podcast, MP3This resource features a podcast which focuses upon academic writing technique. The podcast particularly concerns lecturer feedback regarding the importance of focusing on the essay title given.
Activity time: 25 MinutesTypes of media: Handout/s, PDF fileA group editorial activity aimed at highlighting examples of bad practice in academic writing. Presents the opportunty to make selective changes in order to develop academic writing skills.
Activity time: Activities range from 1-10 minutes.Types of media: Powerpoint fileWorkshop activities on academic writing, including a powerpoint download outlining activities.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, PDF fileThis resource highlights the importance of fully considering an essay title and offers guidance on essay title interpretation. The resource suggests how identifying directive words, the topic area and limiting words may help students to organise and structure their essays effectively, and thus obtain higher grades.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word documentBased on the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, this resource prompts students to consider the assignment question and discuss the ways in which they would answer it prior to beginning writing. A full understanding of the assignment title or question is crucial to obtain the best possible mark.
Activity time: 30 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, HelpsheetThis resource highlights the importance of referencing to the overall assignment quality. The resource directs students to proof-read their work and identify correct use of referencing in the main body of the essay, as well as in the reference list itself.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, HelpsheetThis resource identifies how attention to punctuation, particularly standard comma use, may improve coherence and grades. The main uses of commas are identified, such as listing, bracketing and joining. Explanations and examples are given for the context in which they are most commonly correctly utilised in academic work.
Activity time: 30 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word document, PDF file, QuizBy completing these learning resources, students will be able to:
Appreciate the limits and uses of Microsoft Word in aiding proofreading beyond built-in spelling and grammar checks.
Use A-Z sort, Find, and Find and Replace to eliminate common proofreading errors efficiently.
Find further free sources of developmental support for proofreading skills.
Activity time: Unknown timeTypes of media: Helpsheet, Word document, Interactive learning objectA downloadable workbook for students which can be tailored to different essay questions. The workbook structures enables the essay to be structured in an orderly way, allowing for the process to be learned as the assignment is completed.
Activity time: 2 minutesTypes of media: VideoIdentify common parts in conclusion paragraphs for essays.
Activity time: 1 hourTypes of media: Handout/s, Slides, Powerpoint file, PDF fileThe aim of this activity is to clarify the difference between descriptive and analytical writing and emphasise the importance of research-based argument. Participants engage in an interactive 3-stage exercise that interrogates a (visual) text in order to generate a piece of academic writing.
Activity time: 20-60 minutes, depending on length of the assessments which are being examinedTypes of media: WorksheetStudents will be able to:
Explain the different writing features of different writing examples (and their own work if applicable)
Compare and contrast the effect of different ways of writing an assessment
Use their analysis of different assessment examples to produce specific actions for their own writing
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Webpage, PDF fileA classroom activity, designed to help students recognise the broad functions of academic writing
Activity time: Unknown timeTypes of media: Webpage, Helpsheet, Powerpoint fileA resource which would be particularly useful for staff teaching on a creative writing programme. Includes two structured writing exercises and information on free writing.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word documentThis resource encourages students to write on a given topic for a set amount of time. It is is designed to test information recall ability as well as help students improve their confidence in their writing ability.
Activity time: Unknown timeTypes of media: Slides, Powerpoint fileThis resource includes ideas for initiating discussions about writing with students, and facilitates the opportunity to begin writing assignments during the activity.
Activity time: 30 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word documentAn overview of some techniques to get started with writing after conducting research for an assignment. Includes information about planning, freewriting, structuring and writing paragraphs.
Includes a worksheet for students to download and keep for reference.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, PDF fileThis resource highlights the importance of clear and effective paragraphing to essay coherence. The resource explains the basic aims and structure of a paragraph, along with a checklist of features. Signposting words and phrases can be particularly useful for introducing theory, linking or concluding an essay.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, HelpsheetHighlighting the importance of structure to constructing clear and effective communication, this resource offers advice on improving structure and planning in academic writing. The resource offers techniques, particularly essay focus and basic structures, which may help to improve student work.
Activity time: Unknown timeThis guide is designed to show you how to adapt your current report writing practices for doing a longer independent research project like a dissertation. If you are planning to do a dissertation project that involves some kind of primary data...
Activity time: 3 minutesTypes of media: VideoThe animations are all based around the themes of productivity, curation, discovery, collaboration, impact and transferable skills. It is to highlight the many ways students can engage with technology to improve their learning experience.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, PDF fileThis resource highlights the importance of planning work, and how this may improve essay coherence and structure. According to personal preference, the resource offers the linear, cornell or mindmapping approach to planning as guidance for achieving higher grades.
Activity time: 15 minutesTypes of media: Podcast, MP3This resource, a podcast, offers advice on revision techniques and dealing with examination stress. This includes varying peer-to-peer tips, as well as lecturer guidance.
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, Word documentThis resource provides an activity which aims to ensure students stay focused on the essay question. Students answer the essay question with a one-word answer, and then expand on this forming a basis for each paragraph, and so on.
Activity time: 30 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Slides, Powerpoint file, Word documentAcademic glossary booklet, and slides and activity sheet
Activity time: Videos from 13-22 minutes each, but further time needed to complete activitiesTypes of media: Powerpoint file, PDF file, VideoDiscuss the requirements of each dissertation chapter
Apply the advice to your own dissertation
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, PDF fileThis resource identifies the common key features of academic writing, such as formality, correct grammar and a logical structure, and how this may be different from other forms of writing.
Activity time: Unknown timeTypes of media: HelpsheetA helpsheet explaining how to write clearly and concisely. Includes sections on the use of long words and abbreviations.
Activity time: VariableTypes of media: WebpageStudents can browse examples of students work from a number of subject areas, and see comments from lecturers
Here are some of our most popular resources within this category:
Activity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet
View this resourceActivity time: Unknown timeView this resourceActivity time: 20 minutesTypes of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet, PDF fileView this resourceDo you have learning and teaching resources to share? Amplify them using Learnhigher
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