Key Issues in Academic Written Communication

Course Timetable: Trinity Term 2024

For Learners without an Oxford University SSO, or who are not members of the University, enrolment information can be found here.

  Mode of Delivery Duration Day and time of classes Date of first class Date of final class
ENROL  ONLINE  7 weeks (TT24 Weeks 2-8) Monday 17:00-19:00 29 April 2024

10 June 2024

 

  • Enrolment will close at 12 noon on Wednesday of Week 1 of term (24 April 2024).

  • To ensure that we have time to set you up with access to our Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas), please make sure you have enrolled and paid no later than five working days before your course starts. 

  • MT = Michaelmas Term (October - December); HT = Hilary Term (January - March); TT = Trinity Term (April-June)

Course overview

This course is designed for international postgraduate students who are looking to improve their writing for their degree course. Each lesson focuses on a specific aspect of academic writing that commonly presents difficulties for advanced writers. These include issues connected to conventional language patterns and collocations, verb choice, as well as stylistic differences between disciplines and genres of writing (e.g. reports vs. essays etc.). Throughout the course, students will have a chance to look at and discuss extracts from academic writing in different disciplines, while identifying and understanding the way in which the grammatical choices they make affect the meaning of their text. While this course focuses primarily on writing at a postgraduate level, undergraduate students, post-docs and visiting academics are all welcome.  

This course is our most popular Michaelmas offering, as it offers a solid basis for our Thesis and Dissertation course. Students joining the Online course will access materials and take part in seminars using Oxford’s VLE system, Canvas, and videoconferencing software. 

Learning outcomes

  • Increased awareness of the key features and conventions of academic writing  
  • Learn the importance of information order and how to link ideas
  • Be able to choose suitable tenses and express different levels of certainty in your writing 
  • Have a better understanding of the appropriate register, and expected style of writing, within the different subject areas
  • Learn to use online resources (such as concordance software) for proofreading your own work

A certificate of attendance is available upon request if you have attended at least 80% of the course.

Enrolment Information

For Learners with an Oxford University SSO (Single Sign-On) simply click on the enrol button next to the class that you wish to join. 

For Learners without an Oxford University SSO, or who are not members of the University, once enrolment opens, please email admin@lang.ox.ac.uk with the following details:

  • Full name
  • Email address and phone number
  • The name of the course you wish to study
  • The start date and time of the course
  • Your connection to Oxford University, if any (to determine course fee)

We will then provisionally enrol you onto the course and send you a link to the Oxford University Online Store for payment. Once payment is received we will confirm your place on the course. Please note that we will be unable to assist you until enrolment has opened, so please do not send us your enrolment details in advance.

Course structure


  • Taught in weeks 2-8 of term
  • Number of classes per week: 1
  • Length of class: 2 hours
  • Individual feedback and one to one tutor support is available

Intensive course structure


  • One week intensive course
  • Taught in week 9 of term (Monday - Friday)
  • Number of classes throughout the week: 5
  • Length of class: 2-3 hours
  • Total hours of tuition over the week: 14

Course fees


VIEW THE COURSE FEES

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