WriteWISE peer writing support program

WriteWISE is an academic writing support program that connects undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students with peer writing leaders (PWLs).

"This activity has been approved to be recognised on AHEGS as of September 2020. No retrospective recognition will be made prior to this approval date."

WriteWISE leaders are qualified senior Macquarie students who are trained to help students by sharing the skills and experiences that have made them successful academic writers.

AHEGS qualification criteria

WriteWISE is delivered from Week 2 to 12 (inclusive) in Sessions 1 and 2 of each academic year. A reduced program of hours is offered in the mid-session break and a minimum commitment of one session is required.

Students are required to work a minimum of three hours per week during this period. Total time commitment may vary between individual PWLs according to their availability across session weeks. The majority of PWLs will work an average of 33 hours per session.

Completing compulsory training and, attendance at team meetings and ad hoc training sessions is essential.

Skills required or developed

After working with the WriteWISE program, PWLs will be able to:

  • Explain the key steps in the academic writing process (cognitive capabilities; critical thinking)
  • Identify different genres of academic writing and explain their key features (cognitive capabilities; critical thinking)
  • Listen actively to clients* (cognitive capabilities; social and emotional capabilities; respect for diversity; career development learning)
  • Analyse client problems with academic writing (cognitive capabilities; critical thinking)
  • Guide clients through strategies for improving their writing and provide action-oriented feedback (cognitive capabilities; critical thinking; social and emotional capabilities; career development learning)
  • Engage respectfully with clients from our diverse learning community (social and emotional capabilities; respect for diversity; cross-cultural competence; global perspectives; career development learning)
  • Work effectively as a member of a team (social and emotional capabilities; respect for diversity; commitment to ethical behaviour; career development learning)
  • Problem-solve issues relating to service delivery (cognitive capabilities, social and emotional capabilities; respect for diversity; commitment to ethical behaviour; career development learning)
  • Reflect on their experience as a PWL in order to improve their own academic writing (cognitive capabilities; critical thinking)

*clients = student peers seeking academic writing support