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Estimated 8 weeks

2–3 hours per week

Self-paced

Progress at your own speed

Free

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About this course

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This MOOC takes you through the basics of academic writing step by step. From structuring and organising an academic text to avoiding common pitfalls that can negatively affect your credibility, this 6-week course offers a guide for those who want to improve their writing. It looks at various components that will make your academic writing stand out for all the right reasons, including paragraphing, style, tone, paraphrasing and punctuation. Using samples of student writing it also gives you tips on what to avoid and explains why. Each week is comprised of video lessons, followed by exercises and peer-review tasks, taking you through various aspects of academic writing.

The course requires upper-intermediate (B2) to advanced English (C1).

At a glance

Institution: TUMx
Subject: Language
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites:
Upper-intermediate to advanced knowledge of English.

Language: English
Video Transcript: English

What you'll learn

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You’ll learn:

to understand the basic tenets of academic writing
to identify the different genres and the expectations of each one
to overcome writer's block
to structure your ideas cohesively
to write reader-friendly sentences
to use appropriate tone to gain credibility
to avoid plagiarism and
to ensure your text respects the rules of general punctuation in English.

Syllabus

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The MOOC “Academic Writing Made Easy” covers the following topics to help you improve your writing:

Week 1 Rhetorical Preferences: Meeting the expectations of your target group

Week 2 Genre: Differentiating between types of scholarly texts

The Writing Process: Overcoming writer's block

Week 3 Cohesion: Making your ideas flow logically

Week 4 Sentences: Writing reader-friendly sentences

Week 5 Credibility: Convincing your peers to accept and believe what you write

Week 6 Punctuation: Polishing your text

Putting it all together: Overcoming the last hurdles

Learner testimonials

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"The course was extremely well-designed and useful. I have been writing academic papers for several years and yet, in each video, there was something new to learn. Thank you, teachers. I am presently doing a report for the World Bank and I find that the entire course has been extremely helpful, especially the sections on genre, cohesion, nominalisations, active and passive voice, credibility and formal writing. A huge thanks to those who designed the course, presented the videos and planned the exercises."
- Previous learner

"Dear Academic-Writing-Made-Easy team,
Thank you for the course!
I am not a student at uni. I took part in this course out of interest in English writing in all its forms. However, I can say that I am happy to have completed this MOOC. I am taking many interesting concepts and helpful ideas with me. Thanks again for the interesting course. All the best to all the team!"
- Previous learner

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