Writing Mentoring: Information for SPL
What is Writing Mentoring?
Writing mentoring is an extracurricular program and supports students as early as possible in their Bachelor's degree in academic writing, primarily in group but also in individual settings. Skills are taught in the following key areas:
- Strategies for academic writing and revision
- Reading strategies and research
- Giving and receiving (peer) feedback
Writing mentors are students trained as part of the extension curriculum "Akademische Schreibkompetenz entwickeln, vermitteln und beforschen – Ausbildung von SchreibmentorInnen" who organize a weekly writing mentoring unit for their fellow students at your institute.
Why establish Writing Mentoring at your own institute?
Participation in the writing mentoring program offers many advantages for students and the department:
Students as mentees:
- develop skills in academic writing in academic language, text production, dealing with literature, text revision, structuring, argumentation and much more,
- develop meta-skills, plan their writing projects and reflect on their development as writers,
- communicate as equals in the peer setting and have the opportunity to ask questions that they might not want to ask teachers,
- can receive feedback on short text passages.
Writing mentors as student multipliers:
- receive training as peer mentors on academic writing as a writing craft,
- gain experience in leading (heterogeneous) groups,
- develop lecture and presentation skills,
- strengthen their ability to work in a team,
- can gain publication experience (see zisch magazine).
The department benefits from the fact that students from its own institute
- finalize writing tasks or write better texts because academic writing skills are developed.
- are trained as student multipliers and experience academic socialization. This develops a corresponding habitus and skills that are relevant for academic careers.
What is necessary to offer Writing Mentoring at your own institute?
In order for the program to take place at the institute, we need
- a room at the institute where the Writing Mentoring group can take place during the semester,
- a printing/copying facility at the institute so that the Writing Mentors can reproduce materials for the units,
- a contact person who is responsible for the internal coordination and promotion of the program to teachers and students. You can be this contact person yourself. The workload is approximately 8 hours per semester.
- You can find details of the contact person's duties on the intranet.
How are Writing Mentors selected?
Students who would like to become writing mentors are now invited to apply. The call for applications can be found on the CTL website.
Nominate students
Writing Mentors are usually appointed from outside the discipline so that they can concentrate on their writing process skills and are not perceived as competition for teaching staff. Therefore, study programs that do not nominate Writing Mentors can also have Writing Mentoring groups.
If you would like students from your institute to supervise the Writing Mentoring group, you can nominate interested students (e.g. tutors or student assistants):
Please write us the name and matriculation number of the interested students so that we can take them into account when admitting and assigning them.
If the nominated students complete the training, a group can be offered at their own institute in any case (the room booking is then made in consultation with the writing mentors and their possibilities).
- Benefits for the institute: Further qualification of the institute's own students as writing mentors and a good professional connection to the students.
Kontakt
We will gladly answer your questions
If you are interested in participating in the program, simply send an informal e-mail to ctl.schreibmentoring@univie.ac.at, in which you
- express your interest and
- name a contact person at your institute.
We look forward collaborating with you!
Isabella Ollinger
Coordinator of the Writing Mentoring program