AVOK - Centre for Academic Writing and Communication

The overall objective of this project is to transform students’ learning experience by helping them to systematically develop Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) skills to overcome challenges like time management, motivation, and emotional dysregulation.

It will be delivered in 3 geographies through the user centred design, development and validation of an innovative tool for learners, prioritising disadvantaged learners, to systematically develop SRL skills for at least 750 learners and educators.

We will use a participatory design process: need finding informs the design which we will develop into the first version of the tool for SRL skills. Concurrently, we curate and create the first collection of learning content for the skill gaps. We will rigorously use, test and refine these in collaboration with 750 participants, in tandem with a growing set of modules involving development of writing skills. We will iterate this over 3 semesters and disseminate our results widely.

The key results are the tool for SRL skills and the collection of curated and created learning content, which enable

1. learners who are experiencing difficulties in finding and deploying suitable SRL strategies to help them sustainably improve academic performance (writing skills),
2. a reduction in dropout rates,
3. and HEI educators to support learners' SRL and to better incorporate AI-powered support practice into their teaching pedagogies.

In 2025, the STARS project has worked on need finding to help develop the first version of the tool for self-regulated learning skills to support academic writing processes for BA/MA and PhD writers. So far, with partners in Ireland and Finland, we have curated and created the first collection of learning content.

In 2026, we plan to rigorously use, test and refine these in collaboration in our courses, in tandem with a growing set of modules involving the development of writing skills. You can expect to see our initial needs analysis and state-of-the-art report on our website. Publications will follow.

Go to the STARS project website

An international consortium with six partner universities has launched the FLAIR project with the aim of supporting teachers in conveying AI literacy as well as developing tools for students to acquire AI skills through self-learning.

The sudden public availability of generative AI tools has acted as a catalyst for changes in pedagogy and learning. FLAIR will contribute to preparing learners to thrive in a society characterized by digital transformation by promoting an ethical and meaningful use of generative AI, thus fostering students’ AI readiness. Overall, FLAIR will provide insight into the ongoing discourse on AI literacy in Europe, contribute to the advancement of AI literacy education and promote transversal skills.

Initially, comparative research on AI literacy frameworks, guidelines and policies will be carried out, contributing to an overview of European approaches. Two different approaches will then be developed to support learners in acquiring the necessary skills to use genAI responsibly and efficiently. These will include versatile and adaptable self-learning modules for students and transdisciplinary learning activities that are ready to use and can be embedded in existing courses.

The research conducted in Phase 1 will result in a synthesis report that will form the basis of an AI skills framework identifying key transferable skills. Phase 2 will develop a blueprint and a comprehensive library of materials to enable educators to adapt the self-learning modules to their needs. In phase 3, a toolkit for lecturers will be published, focusing on skills that need facilitation. It will be complemented by learning nuggets ready to be embedded in courses in various disciplines.

Publications:

• AI Competence Frameworks and Policies in Higher Education: Synthesis Report
• AI Literacy Framework
• National report on AI literacy
• AI Competence Frameworks and Policies in Higher Education: Analysis and Recommendations

Go to the FLAIR project website

Writing process management with digital tools

Virtual exhange course

You are currently a student, and you want to strengthen your digital and intercultural competencies? Join this virtual exchange course and learn writing strategies for managing the complex process of academic writing. Here you will try out various Al-based tools that can facilitate writing but also require critical thinking and reflexion. You will also exchange ideas with participants from the university of Göttingen (Germany) and Gent (Belgium) about the writing processes and requirements for academic products.

In this course you can:

1. Engage in an intercultural learning experience and strengthen your intercultural skills.
2. Learn writing strategies to cope with the complex working process of academic writing.
3. Try out different digital AI-based tools that can facilitate writing and also require critical reflection.
4. Exchange ideas with international peers about their writing processes and requirements on writing products.

Course duration:

• September 26 - October 12 (Application deadline: September 20)
• November 23 - December 5 (Application deadline: November 22)

How to apply? Send a motivation letter with a short description of yourself and your motivation for joining this project ju Dr Djuddah Leijen ([email protected]).

In this intercultural virtual exchange project with 25 students from three different universities and study programmes, you can strengthen your academic writing skills and your intercultural competence by working collaboratively on one of the ENLIGHT challenges (EHealth challenges and opportunities, the role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping sustainable cities and communities, impact of climate change on regional ecosystems, energy and circular economy, inequalities, socio-spatial polarization, and diversity).

The project is a collaboration between Göttingen University, Ghent University, and the University of Tartu.

Past courses:

• Scenarios around Academic Writing in Intercultural Teams
• Illuminating the role of AI in today’s (written) world: Challenge Based Learning in intercultural, interdisciplinary teams
• Virtual Exchange Course – Writing your thesis
• Virtual Exchange on AI and Translation

We support the development and integration of writing into different disciplines. To enrich the development of each partners' writing initiatives, our objectives are to emphasize sharing the rationales of the on-going writing initiatives and pedagogical interventions. By doing so, we tap into each other's strengths and aim to develop writing initiatives that are best suited for each of our unique Nordic and Baltic contexts

NB!Write benefits researchers, instructors, students, departments and institutes who use writing as a measure of academic achievement and who see writing instruction as a scaffold for student success.

BWRITE contributes to understanding local writing conventions and helps to preserve Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian writing traditions in all the domains, including research and higher education. The results can be used when teaching academic writing in Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian. In addition, the results will contribute to studies of academic identity aspects and add to the intercultural rhetoric research worldwide.