GCRF-CDT Supervisors Training Session

Supporting the development of academic writing in GCRF CDT students – DCAD- Steve Kirk

Workshop Description

The disciplinary writing needs of international students at doctoral level go beyond questions only of language. The academic cultural assumptions, disciplinary expectations and genre norms shaping valued practices are also fundamental to successful writing. Doctoral level writing can benefit from conscious understanding of these values and norms, enabling students to develop critical control over their language and structuring choices. This will be all the more important in interdisciplinary environments, such as the GCRF CDT, where doctoral researchers may be moving between two disciplinary cultures, supervisors, and perhaps differing expectations of written production.

Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD) works with doctoral students in various ways to support and enhance their writing practices. The broad aim of this workshop will be to raise awareness of the ways in which DCAD can work with GCRF students and their supervisors to enhance their student’s writing. Particular objectives will be to:

• Provide a view into the discipline-informed and genre-based pedagogy used by DCAD writing consultants;
• Collaboratively identify areas of perceived need for incoming GCRF students;
• Discuss and agree a collaborative model, such that supervisors and DCAD staff work most productively together to enhance GCFR student progress and Durham experience

The workshop will comprise a blend of interactive work, group discussion and plenary elements.

The facilitator will be Dr Steve Kirk, Head of Academic Development for Students in DCAD. Steve is an Associate Professor (Teaching) and specialises in curriculum, teacher development and pedagogies for EAP[1]. He has published most recently on academic reflective writing (Kirk, 2017).

[1] English for Academic Purposes

NOTE: Lunch will be provided!