Supporting university staff to develop student writing: collaborative writing as a method of inquiry

Authors

  • Sandra Abegglen University of Calgary
  • Tom Burns London Metropolitan University
  • Sandra Sinfield London Metropolitan University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi23.839

Keywords:

collaborative writing, writing as inquiry, writing workshop, mark making, exploratory process, writing in the curriculum

Abstract

There is a feeling in the Learning Development community – and in academia more generally – that discipline staff see the academic writing of students as a problem better ‘fixed’ by others. However, staff at a writing workshop held within a learning and teaching conference revealed positions that were more nuanced, inflected, compassionate and ‘responsible’ than this. Writing collaboratively around the words produced by staff at our workshop, led to new insights into ways that staff could support student writing as an emergent practice. We decided to collect and share the many ways that discipline staff might be encouraged to harness writing in their own curriculum spaces: a staff guide on supporting writing and other forms of learning and assessment emerged. In this paper we discuss collaborative writing as a method of inquiry as we explore the contested terrain of academic writing, challenge the notion of ‘writing skills’, and model a more emergent form of exploratory writing.

Author Biographies

Sandra Abegglen, University of Calgary

Sandra Abegglen is a Researcher in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary where she explores learning and teaching in the design disciplines as the project lead of TALON. Sandra has an MSc in Social Research and a MA in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. She has over eight years’ experience as a Senior Lecturer in Education Studies. Her research interests are in online education, creative learning and teaching, mentoring, visual narratives, identity and qualitative research methods. She has published widely on emancipatory learning and teaching practice, and playful pedagogy.

Tom Burns, London Metropolitan University

Tom Burns is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Learning Development in the Centre for Professional and Educational Development at London Metropolitan University, developing innovations with a special focus on praxes that ignite student curiosity, and develop power and voice. Tom is a member of the #creativeHE community and is always interested in theatre and the arts and their capacity for holistic practice. Tom is co-author of Teaching, learning and study skills: a guide for tutors, and Essential study skills: the complete guide to success at university (5th edition, forthcoming 2022).

Sandra Sinfield, London Metropolitan University

Sandra Sinfield is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Professional and Educational Development at London Metropolitan University. She is the co-author of Teaching, learning and study skills: a guide for tutors, and Essential study skills: the complete guide to success at university (5th edition, forthcoming 2022). Sandra is a member of the #creativeHE community and one of the co-founders of the ALDinHE. Sandra is interested in creativity as emancipatory practice in higher education, has integrated creative practice into the curriculum and has designed and led a variety of creative learning events for both students and academic staff.

References

Abegglen, S., Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2017) ‘“Really free!”: Strategic interventions to foster students' academic writing skills’, Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 3(1), pp.251-255.

Abegglen, S., Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2018) ‘Drawing as a way of knowing: visual practices as the route to becoming academic’, Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie, 28, pp.173-185. https://doi.org/10.31468/cjsdwr.600.

Abegglen, S., Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2021a) Supporting student writing and other modes of learning and assessment: a staff guide. Calgary: PRISM.

Abegglen, S., Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2021b) ‘Dialogic montage: reflecting on playful practice in higher education’, Journal of Play in Adulthood, 3(2), pp.82-95. https://doi.org/10.5920/jpa.843.

Bakhtin, M. M. (1981) The dialogic imagination: four essays by M. M. Bakhtin, trans. by Emerson, C. and Holquist, M. ed. by Holquist, M. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Barthes, R. (1975) The pleasure of text, trans. by Miller, R. New York: Hill and Wang.

Bowstead, H. (2011) ‘Coming to writing’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Issue 3, March, pp.1-19. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i3.128.

Burns, T., Sinfield, S. and Holley, D. (2004) ‘Outsiders looking in or insiders looking out? Widening Participation in a post-1992 university’, in Satterthwaite, J., Atkinson, E. and Martin, W. (eds) The disciplining of education: new languages of power and resistance. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books, pp.137-152.

Elbow, P. (1998) Writing without teachers. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Elbow, P. (1981) Writing with power: techniques for mastering the writing process. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Farkas, D. K. (1991) ‘Collaborative writing, software development, and the universe of collaborative activity’, in Lay, M. M. and Karis, W. M. (eds.) Collaborative writing in industry: Investigations in theory and practice. Amityville: Baywood, pp.13-30.

Gale, K. and Bowstead, H. (2013) ‘Deleuze and collaborative writing as a method of inquiry’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Issue 6, November, pp.1-15. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i6.222.

Gossferich, S. (2016) ‘Writing centres as the driving force of program development: from add-on writing courses to content and literacy integrated teaching’, Journal of Academic Writing, 1(1), pp.41-58. https://doi.org/10.18552/joaw.v6i1.218.

Holmes, L. (2000) ‘Reframing learning: Performance, identity and practice’, Critical Contributions to Managing and Learning: 2nd Connecting Learning and Critique Conference. Lancaster University, Lancaster July. Available at: http://www.re-skill.org.uk/papers/lanc00.html (Accessed: 24 November 2021).

Hoskins, K. (2008a) ‘Online literature review: “critical reading skills for students; an evolving literature review”’, Litreview PBWorks. Available at: http://litreview.pbworks.com/w/page/18059710/FrontPage (Accessed: 20 November 2021).

Hoskins, K. (2008b) ‘Literature review’, Onlinelitreview Blogspot, 17 January. Available at: http://onlinelitreview.blogspot.com/2008/01/reflection-on-structure-blog-entry.html (Accessed: 20 November 2021).

Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (2019) Special edition: academic literacies, Issue 15, November. Available at: https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/issue/view/29 (Accessed: 23 November 2021).

Lillis, T. (2001) Student writing, access, regulation, desire. London: Routledge.

Lillis, T., Harrington, K., Lea, M. R. and Mitchell, S. (eds.) (2015a) Working with academic literacies: case studies towards transformative practice. Parlor Press. Available at: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/312 (Accessed: 11 February 2022).

Lillis, T., Harrington, K., Lea, M. and Mitchell, S. (2015b) ‘Introduction’, in Lillis, T. Harrington, K. Lea, M. R. and Mitchell, S. (eds.) Working with academic literacies: case studies towards transformative practice. Parlor Press. Available at: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/312 (Accessed: 19 November 2021).

Mazzei, L. A. and McCoy, K. (2010) ‘Thinking with Deleuze in qualitative research’, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 23(5), pp.503-509. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2010.500634.

Molinari, J. (2017) ‘What makes our writing academic?’, reGenring17 Conference. Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham 21 June.

Murray, D. (1972) ‘Teach writing as a process not a product’, The Leaflet, 71(3), pp.11-14.

Reay, D., David, M. E. and Ball, S. J. (2005) Degrees of choice: class, race, gender and higher education. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.

Storan, J. and Allen, L. (2005) ‘Widening participation: a rough guide for higher education providers’, Action on Access. Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/widening_participation_roughguide_for_education_providers.pdf (Accessed: 18 November 2021).

Vygotsky, L. (1934) Thinking and speech. Edited and translated in part by E. Hanfmann and G. Vakar, and in part by N. Minnick. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Downloads

Published

16-03-2022

How to Cite

Abegglen, S., Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2022) “Supporting university staff to develop student writing: collaborative writing as a method of inquiry”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (23). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi23.839.

Issue

No. 23 (2022)

Section

Case Studies

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).