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Introduction
The Learning Centre has been working collaboratively with Departments
and Schools on developing student-centred approaches for integrating writing
skills into the curriculum. What were originally paper-based teaching
materials for learning about writing laboratory reports in Biology and
Chemical Engineering, have now been adapted for online learning. Students
can access programs at their own pace, in their own time and according
to their own needs.
Program
Design
The report writing programs aim to make explicit to students the genre
and discourse requirements of the laboratory report within the disciplinary
context. The typical stages of a laboratory report are used to create
the macro-design of each program. Within each stage, explanations, examples
and interactive exercises followed by feedback are used to help students
understand the appropriate content, structure and language features of
that stage. Although each program is designed to stand-alone for self-directed
learning, the integration of the program into a relevant course is a more
effective way of using the program.
Evaluation
An early version of Writing a Laboratory Report in the Biological
Sciences was evaluated in 1999. On a student questionnaire, the majority
of students who used the program rated it highly in all design areas and
90% rated the exercises and feedback as excellent. The program had made
students more aware of their problem areas and more knowledgeable about
writing laboratory reports. Similarly, the report writing program for
Chemical
Engineering has undergone extensive evaluation using questionnaires,
focus groups and pre-and post-tests. Questionnaires and focus groups indicated
that most students found the module to be useful ('it's a great program'
and 'I learned a lot'), particularly for learning about the structure
of a report and the appropriate content for each stage.
Students
also developed an appreciation of the importance of laboratory reports
('It showed me how [chemical engineers] pay attention to detail without
waffling on about unimportant information'). NESB students found the sections
on language to be very helpful ('[they] guided me in areas where…I
was really weak and most importantly, in the kind of language that's appropriate'').
A literacy analysis of students' writing is currently being carried out.
Future
Directions
Because the report writing process is germane to many scientific disciplines,
providing an online format is, as Anne Forster notes, also about designing
resources that can be efficiently maintained and managed. This semester,
we continue to work with the Department of Biochemistry but hope to extend
this work across the University. With ongoing student evaluations incorporated
in each stage of the program, we expect this will encourage staff to consider
an online approach to teaching report writing in their disciplines.
Chemical
Engineering package
Biological
Sciences package
Helen
Drury and Peter O'Carroll are lecturers in the Learning Centre. Both have
an interest in teaching academic literacy online.
Email:
hdrury@mail.usyd.edu.au
poc@mail.usyd.edu.au
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