Original Research

Traversing the spaces of higher education through writing

Laura M. Drennan
Reading & Writing | Vol 8, No 1 | a126 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v8i1.126 | © 2017 Laura M. Drennan | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 04 November 2015 | Published: 24 April 2017

About the author(s)

Laura M. Drennan, Unit for Academic Literacy, Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of the Free State, South Africa

Abstract

Writing functions as an important tool that spans various spaces in higher education. Moving away from a ‘skills approach’ to writing, this article argues that the writing centre serves as an intermediary between students and academic lecturers. The article discusses how the current practices at the writing centre promotes the development of writing as a key construct that spans a number of spaces in higher education. The article draws on the collaborative initiatives with two different disciplines. The data collection on stakeholders’ responses indicates that a more structured, purposeful writing-intensive approach needs to be undertaken within the disciplines in order to address institutional objectives of access and success in higher education.

Keywords

collaborative partnerships; academic writing development; writing centres; disciplinary writing; academic literacy; epistemological access; higher education

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