Writing mentoring: information for directors of studies (SPL)

Do you want to make a lasting improvement to the texts of the students in your degree programme? Do you want to improve the writing competences of your students with an easily-accessible offer that starts already when they are doing their bachelor’s degree? The CTL will be happy to help you here!

Support with writing mentoring

Writing mentoring supports students in academic writing as early as possible during their bachelor’s programme, mostly in group but also in individual settings. As well as being taught writing, reading and (peer) feedback and revision strategies, students are encouraged to reflect on their writing competence.

Writing mentors are students who have been specially trained for this purpose and who, as a team of two, organise a weekly writing mentoring unit for their colleagues. Writing mentors provide support by teaching writing strategies, giving feedback and encouraging students to write. They work in teams of two in a total of 28 bachelor's programmes now, usually in disciplines other than their own in order to ensure distance from questions of content.

Writing mentoring in your department

The CTL is happy to provide you with a writing mentoring team (possibly in cooperation with other departments, depending on demand). If you are a director of studies (SPL) or a vice-director of studies and are interested in participating in the programme, simply send an informal e-mail to ctl.schreibmentoring@univie.ac.at in wh

  • you state your interest and
  • name a contact person in your department who will be responsible for the internal coordination and promotion of the programme for teachers and students (workload approx. 8 hours per semester).
  • Optional: You nominate students (e.g. tutors) you consider to be particularly suitable. 

 

 

 

How are writing mentors selected?

Students who would like to become writing mentors are invited to apply right away. Anyone wanting to apply can do this on the CTL website. 

Nominating students

If there are students in your department (and also tutors) who you consider to be particularly suitable, we would be happy to see you actively encouraging them to apply to be writing mentors.

Further information that you can give to your students and the current application deadlines can be found here.

We currently assume that both the training for writing mentors and the writing mentoring groups can take place face-to-face on site. Should this change, all writing mentors will be specially trained to run their writing mentoring groups digitally and will be supported by the CTL.

 What to consider when participating in the programme

  • Training and supervision of the writing mentors are carried out by the CTL in cooperation with the Department of German Studies, field of study German as a Foreign and Second Language.
  • Writing mentoring for medium-sized and larger degree programmes takes place at the departments, therefore one room (2 hrs, up to 20 persons) as well as paper and photocopying facilities are required for each writing mentoring team each week.
  • If necessary, we can merge writing mentoring for smaller degree programmes.
  • Writing mentors from the master's programme in German as a Foreign/Second Language are specifically employed to support students whose first language is not German. Since the number of German as a Foreign/Second Language writing mentors is limited, we will put them in a team with other writing mentors; this concept has already been tried out successfully.
  • Writing mentors are generally employed in disciplines other than their own. This means degree programmes that do not nominate any writing mentors can also be given writing mentoring groups. If you only want to use writing mentors from your own subject, please make sure you nominate a sufficient number of students (e.g. tutors) and let us know by the end of the application period.
  • Your department can also participate if no writing mentors from this field of study have applied. However, we will of course be happy if you distribute the call for applications among your students who might be interested in becoming a writing mentor.

Contact

We will be happy to answer your questions

Eva Kuntschner
via ctl.schreibmentoring@univie.ac.at