Embedding Academic Literacy Skills: Towards a Best Practice Model

Abstract

Learning advisors provide academic literacy development support in a variety of configurations, ranging from one-on-one consultations through to large-scale lectures. Such lectures can be generic, stand-alone modules or embedded within a discipline-specific course. Pragmatic and institutional considerations suggest that a generic model of delivery often has an effective role to play; however, there are strong pedagogical arguments for adopting an embedded approach wherever possible. The practice of embedding literacy interventions within subject papers is time-consuming and often logistically challenging; therefore, in order to help learning advisors, their managers and academic staff in faculties to consider the issues, options and constraints in a systematic manner, this paper proposes a best-practice model drawing from over two decades of literature and the authors’ practical experience over the same period in New Zealand and overseas. In order to elucidate the model, the paper critiques an embedded academic literacy skills programme facilitated by an interdisciplinary studies unit at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. The programme is embedded in a core paper entitled Knowledge, Enquiry and Communication (KEC) which is a prerequisite for entry into all of the Health Science programmes. As well as describing key features which have contributed to the success of the programme, the authors identify several key factors which need to be taken into account when considering embedded academic literacy initiatives

A theory‐based research literacy intervention for nurses: A pilot study

“…A 6‐hour face‐to‐face educational workshop was designed to be delivered in 1 day. The workshop teaching approaches used concepts from Adult Learning Theory, 14 social learning theory, 15 genre analysis techniques, 16 and academic literacies techniques in a context appropriate to nursing to facilitate clinicians' understanding of the language used in research and EBP publications 17 . The intervention was designed to improve research literacy through focusing on understanding the language of research.…”

“…The workshop teaching approaches used concepts from Adult Learning Theory, 14 social learning theory, 15 genre analysis techniques, 16 and academic literacies techniques in a context appropriate to nursing to facilitate clinicians' understanding of the language used in research and EBP publications. 17 by nurses and the one they find most challenging to understand. 18,19 The overall learning outcome was participants' understanding of how each part of the research paper contributes to telling the story of the research.…”

Effect of Interdisciplinary Team Teaching on Postgraduate Students’ Beliefs and Confidence in Academic Writing

“…Nevertheless, intensive discussions on the teaching side of the mechanism reckoned without its potential impact on students as EAP practitioners. There are several pieces of literature proving the positive influence of ITT on students' academic literacy development (Fan & Lo, 2015;McWilliams & Allan, 2014). However, the extensive adoption of the pedagogy and its effectiveness in supporting students' writing development in a constant way has been largely undervalued.…”

Emergency Remote Teaching and Programme Intervention: Towards a Human-Machine Pedagogy Based on Interactive Learning Documents

“…A wealth of literature exists on what constitutes best practice in transitioning programmes, and a consensus has emerged favouring a holistic approach, one that links academic preparedness with affective elements such as self-efficacy, resourcefulness, a feeling of belonging, and the development of a sense of identity as a member of a learning community (Larsen et al, 2021). Generally, these programmes are designed for on-site in-person mentoring (McWilliams & Allan, 2014;Curtis et al, 2017;O'Rourke et al, 2021) which, due to the rapid shift of the learning environment to emergency remote teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, lack the usual effectiveness. Consequently, educators are now challenged to find innovative ways to integrate intervention mechanisms into their course curriculum to help alleviate the students' transition.…”