Successful Writing At Abertay

Writing is a fundamental skill at University – and afterwards! In today’s digital world, being able to make your point clearly and concisely is vital, no matter what subject you study. In fact, writing as a student is more challenging than ever, as you’ll need to write in a range of different forms throughout your time at Abertay: from traditional essays to technical blogs to case studies to reflections on your own learning, our degree courses include a wide range of assessments.

This micro credential will help you to understand the fundamentals of writing at university, including how to find the specific language for your subject and how to “sound academic” when you write. We’ll also review some key grammatical areas, which will help you to avoid errors, and to paraphrase other people’s writing for your own purposes. Finally, we’ll cover how texts are structured, so that you can write arguments that will convince your reader – a vital skill not just at university but also in the workplace.

You’ll practise the key skills, and you’ll also evaluate academic texts to enable you to recognise what your lecturers mean by good student writing. This module will help you to evaluate, develop and feel more confident about your own writing skills.

These skills are aligned with development of the following Abertay Attributes across all the dimensions:

• Understand how knowledge is generated, processed and disseminated, and actively apply knowledge in order to recognise problems and solutions.
• Be equipped and motivated to continue learning and professional development throughout their careers
• Be responsive and responsible in personal, cultural and social contexts
• Understand and embody self-awareness, honesty and integrity in their professional and personal lives Be equipped for workforce transitions and lifelong learning, including the ability to learn online
• Be inclusive, globally conscientious and socially respectful, and self-reflective

By the end of this module the student should be able to:

1. Identify and implement key academic writing skills to support learning and assessment success at the start of their university career.

1 Finding the right words

Why having a big vocabulary is vital if you want to be a good writer Introduction to the Academic Word List How to build your subject vocabulary

2 Learning the style

What lecturers mean by 'academic style' How to learn the rules of academic writing Why these vary in different subjects and different assignments

3 The connection between the right language and avoiding plagiarism

What we mean by 'the right language' in writing Some fundamental rules you need to remember How this helps you to paraphrase (and why that's vital)

4 Being a guide for your reader

Why a clear structure is key to a good grade How to lead your reader through your writing How to make your writing 'flow'

5 Persuading your reader you're right

Why all academic writing is persuasive writing The importance of evidence How to present your arguments and back them up