UOWD Hosts Workshop On Academic Writing And Integrity
Over 25 academic teachers and counsellors from UAE schools attended an interactive workshop on academic writing and integrity organised by the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) at its campus in Knowledge Village recently.
The workshop, the first of its kind to be hosted by a University, was facilitated by UOWD faculty member Ms. Zeenath Reza Khan, who has been working on the topic for the past six years as part of her thesis and research interest.
The workshop covered a range of areas from definitions of key concepts to looking at student bad practices, to shocking statistics on cheating and plagiarism from both abroad and within the UAE.
“We need to start recognising the importance of academic writing as this is posing a major challenge and problems for many schools and universities in the UAE because people just don’t write any more. They tweet, sms, email, but they don’t really write,” said Ms. Khan.
A counsellor, Ms. Sudha Srivastav from Our Own Fujairah, commented, “The whole topic was of great relevance to the present scenario.”
Another teacher said, “The shocking statistics of plagiarism and cheating as well as the lack of preparation that the students are receiving are alarming, to say the least.”
With fast-paced curricula, students often find themselves in situations where they do not have the tools to achieve the required marks and ultimately try anything to get those sought-after grades. Ms. Khan’s workshop shed light on some of the key areas of deficiency that students face, particularly when they arrive at University from high schools.
“We need to start catching them young,” Ms. Khan commented. “That is the only way to combat poor English writing capabilities and academic dishonesty”.
The workshop attendees expressed satisfaction over the workshop and showed great enthusiasm in increasing awareness among students, parents and schools on the topic.
Another attendee commented, “The most interesting part of the workshop was the discussion and the opportunity to share our experiences.”
Emirate: Dubai
Date: Nov 14, 2012
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