Improving student writing: working in partnership to develop the Student Academic Literacy Tool (SALT). (Project Report)

Authors

  • Sue Becker Teesside University
  • Luke Kennedy Teesside University
  • Holly Shahverdi Teesside University
  • Nadine Spence Teesside University

Keywords:

Assessment, Widening paticipation

Abstract

Developing an effective academic writing style can be a crucial determinant for degree success in undergraduate programmes which rely almost exclusively on written assessments to measure academic ability. The SALT project has brought together academic staff and students to develop an accessible and useful tool to enable students to recognise the characteristics of academic writing which need to be developed in order to be successful in written assessments. Crucial to the success of the project so far has been the involvement of student research partners as co-creators and owners of the tool. This report describes the development of the project and presents a model of partnership working in academic research which recognises the importance of students as owners of co-created research outputs and intellectual property.

Author Biographies

Sue Becker, Teesside University

Sue Becker is Programme Leader for BSc Psychology at Teesside University. Sue is a discursive psychologist and currently teaches qualitative research methods.

Luke Kennedy, Teesside University

Luke Kennedy is a graduate BSc Forensic Psychology student at Teesside University and is currently working on a personal research project in addition to the SALT project.

Holly Shahverdi, Teesside University

Holly Shahverdi is a Psychology student in her final year at Teesside University. Her interests are in Clinical Psychology and in improving student experience. She has been a part of the SALT project for a year. She also works as a HE support worker and enjoys volunteering at the local hospital.

Nadine Spence, Teesside University

Nadine Spence is an undergraduate studying towards a BSc Psychology at Teesside University. She is currently in her second year of study.

References

Beckman, J. and Rayner, G. (2011) ‘Embedding academic-professional collaborations that build student confidence for essay writing: Student perceptions and quality outcomes. A Practice Report.’ The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 2(2), 83-90. Available at: https://fyhejournal.com/article/view/87/96. (Accessed: 30 April 2015).

Cook-Sather, A. Bovill, C. and Felten, P. (2014) Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching : a guide for faculty. New York: John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.

Hathaway, J. (2015) ‘Developing that voice: locating academic writing tuition in the

mainstream of higher education.’ Teaching in Higher Education, 20(5), 506-517. DOI:

1080/13562517.2015.1026891

Hulme, J.A. and Forshaw, M.J. (2009) ‘Effectiveness of feedback provision for psychology undergraduate students.’ Psychology Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 34-38.

Silvernagel, C, Schultz, R. R, Moser, S. B and Aune, A. (2009) ‘Student-generated intellectual property: perceptions of ownership by faculty and students.’ Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 12, 13-33.

Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change

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Published

07/31/2015

How to Cite

Becker, S., Kennedy, L., Shahverdi, H., & Spence, N. (2015). Improving student writing: working in partnership to develop the Student Academic Literacy Tool (SALT). (Project Report). The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/studentchangeagents/article/view/228

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2015)

Section

Case Study

License

Copyright is held by the journal. The author has full permission to publish to their institutional repository. Articles are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence.