Learn to write like a pro

18 November 2019 - Wits University

Wits University has added a new course to its free, online WitsX/edX learning platform.

Starting in October, the course, Academic writing for clarity and meaning - Learn principles and practices to improve your academic writing, is aimed at students at tertiary institutions, and contributors to academic publications.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to write in a complex style to express complex ideas. In fact, complex writing styles can obscure meaning and tire your readers. This course aims to help academic writers articulate complex ideas with clarity and meaning. 

The first week of the course focuses on developing a structured writing process, appropriate for your intended readership. We discuss when to write, the importance of a golden thread, the main principles of drafting a research report, and different abstract patterns. 
 
The second week zooms in on the principles of paragraph and sentence construction. You will learn ways of writing that enhance clarity and engage your readers. 

Learning aims include: 

• Writing practices relevant to your writing project and your intended readers. 
• Academic writing principles to improve clarity in your writing. 

Course information:  

• The academics Peter Alkema, Doctoral candidate, Wits School of Electrical and Information Engineering; Nomusa Mazonde, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wits Business School; and Terri Carmichael, Associate Professor of Management Education at the Wits Business School. 
• The two-week course starts on 9 December 2019.
• Additional information is available at: https://www.edx.org/course/academic-writing-for-clarity-and-meaning-2 

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In 2014 Wits University became the first African University to partner with edX, the online learning destination founded by MIT and Harvard to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) to a global learning audience.  

To date more than 83 000 students have enrolled on the WitsX platform that has 13 courses on offer. More courses are in development.