We support students’ academic English language development through several initiatives including Studiosity, Academic Confidence Essentials and myEnglish Week.
Please direct students to our student-facing website: student.unsw.edu.au/english
How can we help you and your students?
We provide two free tools that can be embedded in your course to support academic English language and literacy:
We do the work of tailoring these tools for your course and embedding them in Moodle along with guides and support for students.
The tools are useful for all students, but particularly helpful for first year students (UG, PG or HDR) for whom English is an additional language (EAL).
Please get in touch using the EOI form below. An initial 30-minute meeting will provide us with all the information we need to tailor the implementation for you. (If the embedded form does not load for you, please access the form here or send us an email via [email protected].)
Feedback Hub: Studiosity
UNSW has recently partnered with Studiosity to deliver online writing support to students. The service is available 24/7. Students receive formative feedback on their written drafts on various aspects of writing, including grammar, vocabulary, structure and use of sources, by subject specialists. The feedback is personalised, ethical and quick, as students receive it within 24 hours of submission. Other features include personalised referrals to UNSW services, a range of learning resources and early alerts.
Our team does the work of embedding Studiosity into your Moodle site. We also assist with any questions about the service and its use and can deliver guest presentations in lectures.
Please contact us via the form above to integrate Studiosity into your course.
Academic Confidence Essentials (ACE)
Academic Confidence Essentials (ACE) are online self-study modules on various academic language and skills topics. Each module can be used on its own or in combination with other ACE modules. The modules contain essential information on specific academic literacy concepts, examples and interactive activities, which quiz the students’ understanding of the concept discussed. Each module takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. ACE currently contains the following modules, but more will be added to the list:
- unpacking assessments
- critical thinking
- appraising evidence
- integrating evidence (quoting, paraphrasing and summarising)
- principles of report writing
- paragraphs for essay writing
- assessment structure
While the ACE modules can be used for independent learning, they can also be seamlessly integrated into the course's Moodle page, situating each skill in relation to the assessment task they contribute to. These embedded modules allow students to effortlessly transition between their course materials and interactive lessons, allowing for a cohesive and integrated approach to learning. You can request embedding of all or specific ACE modules into your Moodle course site(s).
Please contact us via the form above to integrate ACE into your course
myEnglish Week: language and communication workshops
myEnglish Week is a series of interactive workshops held in the week prior to O-Week. It is designed to build students’ English language confidence and connect them to the range of programs and services available at UNSW to continue their ongoing communication development.
What do participants say?
- “Lovely teachers and classmates. All of them offered helpful advice and tips.”
- “myEnglish Week gave me an opportunity to practice my oral English. During the training, we were free to have group discussions … which I found very useful.”
- “Lots of useful links, good presenters, good audience engagement via breakout rooms.”
Let’s CommUNIcate: peer-led discussion groups
In 2021, we partnered with the Peer Connections team to develop the curriculum for Let’s CommUNIcate. The program aims to support international students’ speaking confidence and discussion skills in a supportive peer-led environment. We worked with students as partners to develop the discussion activities and facilitator guides for the sessions.
We are open to opportunities to partner with others across the university who are working to support academic language and communication development initiatives. Please get in touch.
About us
The English Language Support Initiative team is part of the Student Success theme within the Education Pillar of the PVCESE portfolio. We apply our shared expertise to partner with teaching staff across all faculties and provide tailored support for you and your students.
- Dr Neda Chepinchikj is a linguist and educator with over twenty years of experience in English language teaching. She is the Implementation Manager for English Language Support at UNSW.
- Lucy Neville is an Academic English Facilitator with over 15 years experience teaching Academic English and English as an Additional Language. She has recently completed a Master of Educational Psychology and has a deep interest in the role that emotions and wellbeing play in the language learning process.
To contact us, please email [email protected]
Other useful contacts at UNSW
A number of teams provide relevant support for communication and academic literacies.
- Academic Skills provide one-on-one consultations and workshops for students, as well as teaching and curriculum design in enabling programs and other academic skills courses.
- Peer Connections run various peer support programs, including the Cultural Mentor program, Peer Mentor Connect and Let’s CommUNIcate.
- Student Support advisors provide personalised advice and information about university life, student visas, wellbeing and academic performance.
- EF Communities of Practice: several CoPs are interested in questions around supporting language development, including Teaching for Equity and Diversity, Student Wellbeing and Enhancing First Year Experience.