Helping with more - and earlier - insight into students' writing abilities, Studiosity partners can already use the Academic Writing Evaluation (AWE) service now.
Outcomes: More students enrolling are less prepared. Universities need the insight to control the quality of degrees offered; and most importantly, to provide the best possible experience for the students arriving, regardless of CALD, EAL backgrounds, socio-economically diverse circumstances, including international enrolments.
Recommended action: Academic Writing Evaluation (AWE) - ask your Studiosity Partnership Manager to switch on this extra service for your students, or particular cohorts.
This year's Studiosity 'Students First' Symposium was hosted at La Trobe University City Campus, 25 and 26 July 2019.
Academic Writing Evaluation - Denise Stewart, General Manager Operations, and Scott Harrison, Director Partner Services, Studiosity
1. Academic
Writing Evaluation
Shining a light on Academic Writing Ability (AWE)
Denise Stewart - General Manager, Operations
Scott Harrison - Partnership Services Director
2. Studiosity ∙
Academic Writing
2Symposium
Q: Which group of commencing students need most help with Academic
Writing?
1) Low SES
2) International students
3) Remote students?
4) School leavers
5) Mature students
Spot quiz
3. Studiosity ∙ 3Symposium
The Student Story Challenges
Commencing Students
“Hi I'm stuck on how to start on a 500 word
essay, first year into my course and I'm
feeling very stressed about this.”
Chantelle, 26.3.19, 10:42pm
1st Year Undergraduate,
Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
4. Studiosity ∙ 4
Commencing mature age students
“This is my first piece of academic writing
for university since leaving high school 12
years ago. Not confident in my writing or
my grammar...”
Michelle, 15.7.18, 9:44pm
1st Year Undergraduate,
Charles Sturt University
The Student Story Challenges
6. Studiosity ∙
The Academic Support Team Story
6Symposium...
“How do we help our Faculty staff identify and
support their students most in need across the
whole University?”
“How do we get students to engage with
support before it’s too late?”
“What support interventions does each student
need to succeed?”
“How can we deliver student centric support
with our existing resources?”
7. Studiosity ∙ 7
Studiosity Services
Connect Live Writing Feedback AWE
Live, chat-based study help from
a Subject Specialist
24/7 feedback on grammar,
language, structure, referencing
in a student’s writing draft
Students respond to a
task/prompt to gain insight into
their language and writing
capabilities
Complementing Studiosity’s existing suite of support services
8. Studiosity ∙
AWE Shining a light on Academic Writing Ability
8Symposium
Gain visibility of your students’
academic writing ability quickly and at
scale.
Identify which students require what
type of core academic skills support,
early in the semester.
9. Studiosity ∙
AWE Shining a light on Academic Writing Ability
9Symposium
Gain visibility of your students’
academic writing ability quickly and at
scale.
Identify which students require what
type of core academic skills support,
early in the semester.
Student reads stimulus
piece & submits a
short response
Writing Specialist reviews,
provides feedback and
scores against a rubric
Student gets feedback
&
Uni gets student insight
10. Studiosity ∙
AWE Getting started...an easy process
10Symposium
Day 1 - University contacts Studiosity to set
up the evaluation
● Provide details of the cohort for the
evaluation and task deadline
● Choose the writing task
● Arts and Humanities
● Education
● Business
● Health
● Law and Justice
● IT, Science and Engineering
● Other
● Studiosity will assign a cohort access code
Step 1 of 2
11. Studiosity ∙
AWE Getting started...an easy process
11Symposium
Day 2+ Academic Writing Assignment open
● notify students of task and provide them with
the cohort access code
● in class assignment or at home in student’s
own time
● student accesses the task via the Studiosity
dashboard in your LMS
Step 2 of 2
14. Studiosity ∙ 14Symposium
● Reviews submission as per
Writing Feedback
principles
and assesses submission
against the AWE rubric
framework
● Student receives feedback
(but not AWE scores)
within 24 hours
AWE Writing Specialist
16. Studiosity ∙ 16Symposium
AWE Evaluation reports at your fingertips
“Our Studiosity program allows us to support our students quickly and at scale, allowing our academic support staff to focus their effort
on those students that need more intensive support to ensure they succeed.”
Jacqueline Clements
Executive Director, Student Services, Charles Sturt University
17. Studiosity ∙ 17Symposium
AWE Evaluation reports at your fingertips
Referencing Guide / Workshops
Students could be emailed referencing guides /
invited to referencing workshops
18. Studiosity ∙ 18Symposium
AWE Evaluation reports at your fingertips
Peer Assisted Help
Students with greater need
could be directed to
appropriate support
1:1 Support
19. Studiosity ∙ 19Symposium
AWE Evaluation reports at your fingertips
24/7 Online Support
Everyone could have access to online support
● Writing Feedback
● Connect Live
20. Studiosity ∙ 20Symposium
AWE Evaluation reports at your fingertips
Referencing Guide / Workshops 24/7 Online Support1:1 SupportPeer Assisted Help
21. Studiosity ∙ 21Symposium
The Student Story AWE outcomes
● low stress introduction to University
student services early in student’s
university experience
● Student receives rapid feedback - positive
encouragement
● provides suggestions for improvement
● boosts confidence“Thank you, this has been helpful. It has
been daunting writing a first assessment
after having not studied in 16 years.
Almost considered withdrawing and this
has now helped!”
Sharon M, Faculty of Business
22. Studiosity ∙
The Faculty Story AWE outcomes
22Symposium
● higher quality written
submissions = educators can
focus more on content
● helps guard against inadvertent
plagiarism
● reduced admin and stress for
faculty
● positive feedback from students
● higher course completion rates
“We teach Biology, but it is the writing
ability of many of our students that is
putting them at risk of failing. How do
we identify them early so we can help
them?”
23. Studiosity ∙
The Academic Support Team AWE outcomes
23Symposium
● early visibility of student needs
● enables timely and appropriate
interventions & tailored support
● data to measure and report impact
informing budgets and planning
“How do we get students to
engage with support before it’s
too late?”
“What support interventions
does each student need to
succeed?”
24. Studiosity ∙
AWE In action
24Symposium
Target
● Cohort of commencing Postgrad
Engineering Students
● 93% International Students
● Set for week 4
Outcomes
● Approximately 30% students were flagged
with at least one issue
● Students were booked into a Literacy
Officer in order of need
● 100% students received timely and
constructive feedback on their writing
“Feedback from markers of
first assignment that the
standard of English
expression has risen
compared with previous
semesters”
Program Manager
26. Studiosity ∙
AWE Don’t forget to…...
26
Pick up an AWE FAQ booklet on your way out
today.
Talk to your Partner Services Manager about
which student cohort you would like to evaluate
first.
Thank you!
contact: sharrison@studiosity.com