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Academic Writing Online
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: Aug 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

According to the European Agenda 2020 only one third of the students between 25 and 31years graduate at European universities while in the USA 40% and in Japan even 50% of the students succeed. The lower rate in Europe is caused not only by difficult admission exams or missing access to universities but by failure in completing the studies. For many students writing a Bachelor or Master thesis turns out to be a major hurdle. This is caused by many reasons as students have to cope with certain requirements during their studies (part time studies, studies aboroad) which demand a more flexible and independent way of studies. The objective of the two years’ EU funded project within the Erasmus+/Strategic Partnerships is to develop an online course for Business Studies which provides all necessary skills and tools for writing a final thesis to overcome these obstacles. The approach will be a practical one, following the College Writing Programs in the US where Academic Writing is seen more as a practical ability than a supernatural gift. The online course with open access will enable mainly regular part time and incoming students to write an academic paper or thesis by providing all necessary tools and skills in a flexible way. To reach this objective the online course will include 6 modules for students and 1 module for teachers in the field of Academic Writing and tutors of students’ work. The 6 modules will include topics like key items of scientific work/use of scientific language, the composition of a paper/quotation rules, ICT-based administration of literature, research methods for Business Studies, the publishing procedure within the scientific community and the proper management of work/motivation/time management. Module 7 is dedicated to teachers and tutors to improve their communication skills by giving feedback in a motivating way and to be advisory without making any harsh judgments. Every module will be composed of text including exercises and videos with teachers who give explanatory advices. The online course will be developed in German and English by the UAS Burgenland and translated into the five CEE languages Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian by the partner organisations. The translation work will be accompanied by cultural adaptions concerning each country. The work will be carried out by a consortium of 7 institutions, each of them having certain tasks within the project management and the delivering of the course. The University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Austria is the applicant organisation, working together with the UJOP of the Charles University Prague (Institute for Languages and Preparatory Studies), Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Esterházy Károly College in Eger, University of Maribor and the College of Business and Management in Zapresic. An English translation will also be provided. The technical support and the e-learning platform will be delivered by the WWEDU (worldwide education), a company located in Wels which is a provider of online MBA studies together with the AIM (Austrian Institute of Management), a subsidiary of the UAS Burgenland. The results and impact of the project/course will enable mainly three groups of students to complete their studies to transfer knowledge from science to economy which otherwise would get lost: part-time Master students who need a flexible time management and a brush up of their Academic Writing after having left the University for a longer period of time; incoming students or students who intend to study abroad for one semester to support them by an online course in their native language when writing their final thesis and students who need additional support during their studies, e. g. when entering the studies without a regular school leaving exam on level A. Furthermore the project claims to establish a network of experts on the topic of Academic Writing which is essential to enhance the ability for scientific work and to raise the awareness for intellectual property in the internet. The long term benefits will emerge on different levels. Firstly, the number of students who complete their studies, will increase as stated in the objectives of the project; as well as the number of exchange students. Due to this fact, the project contributes to the increase of the mobility rates within the EU. Secondly, students and teachers get acquainted with the didactics of e-learning which is not that widespread as assumed. Influenced by the MOOCs (massive open online courses) the development in Austria and the CEE countries is yet in its beginning. Thirdly, teachers and students will acquire new forms of learning and didactics on to their way to more individual studies. The Academic Writing course will be enlarged after the end of the project to give the students the chance to compose their own one out of the modules and languages. This course should be accredited at the institutions (suggested: 6 ECTS).
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