Poster

Title: An Individual Approach

Clare Power

Abstract

Academic Skills support is offered through a range of modes in Australian Universities. Evaluative research was conducted into the effectiveness of a program which provided academic writing assistance through individual consultations to 1st year Humanities students. The program arose in response to the persistence of poor written expression and lack of clear structure in many 1st year students’ assignments. Using student evaluations, a teacher’s log book and four case studies, the evaluation focused particularly on the effectiveness of the individual consultation process. Students who participated in the program perceived significant improvement in their writing skills as well as feeling increased confidence in their overall academic abilities. Many shared the view that the support and assistance they received in the individual consultations could not have been possible in a group situation. This was commonly expressed as due to feelings of great discomfort at sharing or discussing their work in a group.