Centre for Academic Writing and Communication
AVOK is the Centre for Academic Writing and Communication and our main goal is to support writing and communication skills development through the following activities.
News and upcoming courses
Research
We want our support to be informed through research. As such, AVOK actively seeks research projects, topics, and partners that approach writing through different angles. For example, our research investigates writing processes through peer review, and writing products through different genres, disciplines, and languages. We focus on questions such as: How can we best support students' positive experiences while giving and receiving feedback on their writing? How do students write and communicate in the Humanities in comparison to Chemistry? What do texts look like when students write a MA thesis in Education? How do we write in Estonian?
We will support students who seek to engage in a thesis topic related to questions about writing and communication. For example, we have had students investigate creative writing in secondary schools and students' attitudes towards writing (examples to be added shortly). Another investigation focused on the stance of students in their writing in the Department of English MA theses.
Teaching and Learning
Our courses are informed by our research and currently the following courses are developed around our central principle to support writing and communication skills development:
- HVLC.10.009 Communicating Science for PhD students at the University of Tartu
- FLLC.01.002 Introduction to Writing and Study Skills for BA students of Humanities
We also support the following:
- Writing Retreats for PhD students supported by Doctoral Schools
- Thesis writing bootcamps
- Advertisement writing bootcamp
- Advertisement writing groups
- Shut-up and Write Sessions for Students
We have a number of resources available for students:
- Akadeemiliste tekstide kirjutamine - humaniora
- Akadeemiliste tekstide kirjutamine - socialia
- Akadeemiliste tekstide kirjutamine - realia et naturalia
- Akadeemiliste tekstide kirjutamine - medicina
- Academic Writing Guideline for Writing in English
If you would like to join our team, please write an email to djuddah.leijen@ut.ee.
Projects and networks we are a part of
STARS: Self-Regulated Learning Tool for Academic Success
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 to find and deploy suitable SRL strategies to help them to sustainably improve academic performance (writing skills) 2) a reduction in dropout rates and 3) HEI educators to support learners SRL and to better incorporate AI powered support practice into their teaching pedagogies.
FLAIR Fostering Learners’ AI Readiness
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.
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:
- Engage in an intercultural learning experience and strengthen your intercultural skills.
- Learn writing strategies to cope with the complex working process of academic writing.
- Try out different digital AI-based tools that can facilitate writing and also require critical reflection.
- 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 (djuddah.leijen@ut.ee).
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.
Upcoming courses:
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
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.
Contacts
