Alistair Morey, Head of Library Learning Support and Engagement, in conversation with the Digital Education Studio, shares a new student support service Library Services offer that might help FMD students develop academic writing and study skills: Studiosity.
Studying at university presents a range of challenges: transitioning to Higher Education, academic integrity, engaging with written assessment formats that might be unknown, developing solid study skills, feedback literacy. More personalised, individually focused academic support is a way to assist students to achieve their full potential, but there are challenges to providing this level of support to more than 33,000 very diverse students, all with unique needs, living conditions and access to support networks.
Studiosity is a new one-to-one, personalised, online tutoring service managed by Library Services. Specialist tutors give academic writing feedback and academic skills support 24/7 to students. Students can submit an excerpt of their written assessment and, within 24 hours (often much sooner), receive formative feedback focused on the structure, language, argument and referencing. Proofreading, editing and academic content help is not given, so the focus is on developing core learning and assessment skills. Students can also arrange a live call or text chat to discuss their written work, or get advice on study skills issues.
Studiosity is offered as a complement to the existing support students can get at Queen Mary. The University has more than 33,000 students and equity in the level of support is key and hard to reach; many are the first in their family to go to university and don’t have an informal network to get advice. Some use cases might be a student who is new to Higher Education and needs help with their first assignment, or, say, a third-year student writing a scientific essay for the first time.
We have high achieving students who might not think to ask for help, commuter students whose availability for development sessions is limited and students with a full timetable, so being able to arrange a call for a convenient time, or submitting a draft and getting feedback quickly was one of the drivers to bring in Studiosity. The Library had a similar service in the past, and two thirds of interactions with it, for example, were between 5 pm and 9am. We expect that it might have an impact not only in students’ attainment and retention, academic integrity, NSS feedback, but also in their wellbeing.
Queen Mary also decided to partner up with Studiosity because they offer this support 24/7, delivered by a team of experts from all over the world. We talked to other UK universities about their experience and satisfaction was high. They have years of experience in the UK and Australia and proven impact here and here. They follow a “help-not-answers” approach, giving feedback on core aspects of academic writing and study skills, and directing students to the existing skills development offer by Queen Mary.
Beside this independent student use, we see it as a tool academic staff can incorporate in their teaching practice. Requesting that students get feedback from Studiosity before a summative assignment submission can help students engage with their writing in a constructive way, get feedback on it, improve their referencing and articulation of ideas, and produce a final essay that is clearer and addresses the substance of their learning better.
We have a Quick Guide for academics who are interested in incorporating it in their teaching practice including information on how Studiosity can added directly by teaching staff into any QMplus module. There is a Library Services web page with more information for students.
Anyone from Queen Mary can self-enrol on this QMplus course to gain access to Studiosity.