This online course is run by the Researcher Academy

The Researcher Academy courses are very popular and the majority are run in both semesters to give you the opportunity to attend at a time of the year that suits you. 

Target Audience: PGRs/ECRs


Are you trying to get to grips with your academic writing?

You are not alone!

Come and hear some tips and strategies that might work for you too.

Previous attendees confirm boosted confidence & renewed energy levels, refreshed motivation & willingness to successfully engage with their writing again.

Take back control, banish procrastination and signup for this course! 


Course Description:

This practical workshop helps postgraduate students get to grips with their academic writing by exploring some of the common problems they face with the process and practice of academic writing. The session will consider some of the specific problems faced by attendees such as ‘wordiness’, vagueness, fear of writing, trouble with starting to write, procrastination, and structural challenges. The workshop will explore a range of techniques to overcome a range of common problems and enable students to share tips and practices they use in their own writing practice.

Pre-requisite task:

This course includes a short task that you are required to complete prior to the webinar. The task involves contributing to a group Moodle forum to:

1. Introduce yourself to the group.
2. Identify specific problems you are facing with the writing process.
3. Share one of your academic writing “top tips”. What motivates you when you are struggling with academic writing?

You will receive further instructions on how to do this with your course joining instructions and associated Moodle page.

Process: 

This course is run via Moodle and Microsoft Teams.

It involves a short pre-requisite task in Moodle and a two-hour interactive webinar accessed via the Moodle course site.

Students need to ensure that they self-enrol on the Moodle course and request access to the Team prior to the webinar date. Step by step instruction on this process are included in Moodle.

Session will involve small group discussion as well as viewing and sharing information on screen. If possible, we recommend that the session is accessed on a device with a large screen (i.e., a laptop or computer not a phone or other smaller device).

You will also need:

• access to speakers (and, if possible, a webcam and microphone) which can be built into your laptop or computer, or externally plugged in to those devices.
• to use different technologies: Moodle, Microsoft Teams and Padlet (Padlet will be accessed via a web browser and no account or login is necessary).

Course Accessibility

The following table shows a summary of what is needed to participate in the course. 

If you feel you will experience any difficulties participating, please let us know via the ‘special requirements’ tab, providing as much information as possible. The special requirements tab can be completed when you book your place. Alternatively, you can contact us directly at ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk.

Access and/or complete self-study/ pre-course tasks prior to main session
Access Moodle
Access MS Teams
Attend the course at the specified date and time
Participate in several online platforms at one time
use MS Teams chat box function
Participate in forum discussions on Moodle
Engage with online materials
Watch and listen to the course tutor(s) and/or other attendees
Follow presentation slides during the course

Booking Conditions 

Our webinars/ online courses are very popular, especially in the current period and we are experiencing large volumes of people on our waiting lists.  

Please do let us know if you would like to cancel your place on this course so we can offer your place to another delegate. 

Please note, attendances for webinars/ online courses will still be recorded and corresponding training points, when shown as available, will be awarded.   

 

Pre-Requisites This session may be recorded. If a recording is kept of the session, then please note, that it may be made available to the wider University of Nottingham researcher community.

Pre-requisite tasks

This course includes a short task that you are required to complete prior to the webinar. The task involves contributing to a group Moodle forum to:

1. Introduce yourself to the group.
2. Identify specific problems you are facing with the writing process.
3. Share one of your academic writing “top tips”. What motivates you when you are struggling with academic writing?

To complete the task you will need to log in to the course Moodle page by following the link and instructions provided.

Access to the Moodle page will be possible 4 days before the course starts.

The task must be completed at least 48 hours prior to the course start date.

Please complete the short pre-requisite task prior to the course webinar date. 

This is an important element of the course and will form the basis of the discussions during the webinar. Completing this task will enable you to get the most out of the course and ensure that discussions are relevant to your own writing issues.