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Writing
at University
In writing university
assignments, students are required to think clearly and critically, use valid
evidence and produce well-structured and coherent pieces of writing. This
applies broadly in all academic fields of study (disciplines).
Writing at university is
different from some workplace writing. For example, at work a concise listing
of points may be required but, at university, students are expected to
elaborate on points with argument and explanation.
Tertiary writing
requirements also differ from the writing students are expected to do in
secondary school. University students are usually expected to research more
widely and in more depth. Assignments set at university also tend to be longer.
As well, university students may be expected to take a more critical and
questioning attitude to knowledge than may have been required in secondary
school.
The writing university
students are required to do for their subjects can involve a range of text
types - essays, reports, papers based on case studies, literature reviews and
short answers/problem solving of tutorial questions.
Writing at university must
be based on reading and investigation. It is expected to present more than the
writer's 'opinion' based solely on past experience and general knowledge.
Though all academic
disciplines share a common core and require intellectual rigour and skills,
they have different traditions of scholarship. Writing and research in business
subjects is quite different from writing and research in psychology, for
example.
In addition to the
differences in research and writing between disciplines, there may be
differences from course to course within a discipline and you may encounter
different expectations from subject to subject within the same course. Even
lecturers teaching the same subject may emphasise different aspects.
What is expected of you in
a particular assignment? Remember that as a university student:
- Your purpose for writing is
usually to display competence.
- Your audience is your
marker.
It is vital to carefully read the assignment description and any
explanatory notes provided. Also, be alert for any comments that the lecturer
may make about the assignment. Try to work out why a particular assessment task
has been set. Can you figure out how it relates to the goals of the subject, as
set out in the unit guide?
Another useful strategy is
to determine what the assignment is
designed to evaluate. Some assessment tasks are
planned to develop your problem-solving skills; others are devised to judge how
well you can relate theory to practice; others to ascertain whether you have
read deeply and critically on a topic.
After having read the
assignment description and the unit guide, if you are still not quite clear
about what is expected of you in the assignment, ask
your lecturer or tutor. Discussion with other students can also be
helpful.
Some lecturers provide detailed marking criteria,
indicating how many marks are allocated to particular aspects of the
assignment. You should spend your time accordingly.
Your lecturer or tutor may
be willing to discuss or look at a plan of your assignment to let you know
whether you are on the right track; they are unlikely to read your entire paper
before you submit it however.
A possible source of
confusion can be the use of terminology and the blurring of distinctions
between different types of texts - for example, essays and reports. For some
essay-type assignments you may be required to use headings (a characteristic of
reports, not of standard essays). Also, such assignments may be referred to as
'research reports', 'research papers’, ‘literature review reports' or 'research
assignments'.
A 'case study' assignment,
for example, does not automatically imply that a particular type of writing is
expected. Case studies require the analysis of a particular case, that is, an
event, an organization, a process, an object, and so on. After analyzing the
case, you may be required to write an essay that discusses the issues arising
from the scenario. Alternatively, you may be required to write the assignment
as a report, using headings and subheadings and making recommendations to deal
with a problem in that setting.
It is essential to clarify
what individual lecturers expect in assignments. It is often the unstated and
taken-for-granted assumptions that are the most difficult to uncover and
address.
Have you ever wondered why
written assignments are such a popular way of assessing student learning? It is
because writing is both:
- a product of learning - your
finished assignment displays your learning
- a tool for learning - through the
process of writing, you can clarify your thoughts and refine your
understanding.
Have you noticed that it is
not possible to explain anything - even orally - if you do not really
understand it? Similarly, the requirement to present work in writing forces the
writer to think through a topic.
Did you know that beginning
to write is often the hardest part of writing an assignment?
Writing university
assignments is a challenging task. Sometimes students get stuck. They just
cannot get started or they cannot seem to move on from where they have stopped.
Remember that you are not alone if this happens to you - even published writers
experience this. It is important to have some strategies for dealing with this.
- Make a preliminary plan but be flexible about it.
- However inadequate you think your
first attempts at writing will be, do make a
start.
When you return to your work, you will at least have something to work on,
rather than a blank page or an empty computer screen.
It is helpful to think of
writing as a 'messy' circular process, not a neat linear process. Reading,
thinking and writing overlap. Once you have started writing it does not mean
that you will not need to do any further research. In fact, after beginning to
write, you may realize you need to read further because you can better identify
what you do not yet know.
Writing is not easy and it
takes time, but it is worth the effort.
What do you think is the
most common reason for assignments failing? It is not plagiarism or lack of
knowledge. Though plagiarism is an important issue in student assignments, it
is not the main reason for assignments failing. Also, students generally have
sufficient knowledge of their subject.
Lecturers point out that if
an assignment is unsatisfactory it is often because the student did not answer
the specific question asked and did not limit the topic as they were required
to.
Spending
too long on the research stage
It is difficult to give
specific rules on how long you should spend researching and when you should
begin writing. Also, as noted earlier, these processes will overlap.
How long you spend
researching and reading should be related to the complexity of the assignment
and how many marks it is worth. Sometimes lecturers specify how many references
they expect. Mainly, though, you will have to judge when you have read enough
to tackle the assignment.
Learning what not to read
is an important skill. You can use the textbook or the study guide as a
starting point to gather basic background information. Follow references listed
in these texts to branch out to areas related to your specific topic.
When researching for your
assignment, you may find that you are making lots of photocopies and collecting
a lot of material that you are not going to have time to read. You can tend to
feel you are doing something worthwhile because you are researching for your
assignment and this can give you a false sense of security. In fact, you may be
putting off having to start writing.
Putting
off doing any work on the assignment until the deadline is close
If you leave your
assignment until the last minute it will not have the substance, depth or focus
it needs. You need time to allow the process of writing and thinking to take
place.
Proofreading
at an early stage of writing
Proofreading (correcting
errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation) at the early stages is not a good
idea because:
- it can hinder the flow of your
thought
- you may later decide to delete
parts of your writing and may have to discard segments you spent time
proofreading.
Perfectionism
Remember that it is better
to hand in an assignment that is less than perfect than hand one in late or not
at all because you are trying to make it 'perfect'. You might complete 80% of
an assignment in 12 hours and then spend six hours perfecting it. It may be
more worthwhile to hand in the assignment on time rather than spend that much
time on fine-tuning if this leads to late submission.
Read the marker's comments!
Of course, you are first interested to know what your mark is. However, do not
look only at the mark. Take note of the marker's comments and use the marker's
feedback to improve your next assignment.
