Akademisches Schreiben lehren und lernen – Spektren einer prozessorientierten Schreibdidaktik

Abstract

Instructors expect students to submit academic texts that do not contain any traces of the writing process and that conform to disciplinary and stylistic conventions. These conventions and the practices of student writers are at the core of writing center work. We work closely with faculty staff to understand professors’ expectations concerning student work in particular and academic writing in general. The results of this collaborative effort can be used to improve the quality of instruction in and outside of the classroom, to develop new instructional formats, or to provide high-quality feedback on disciplinary writing. Here, we discuss three dimensions of this kind of writing: writing as a means to develop critical thinking and facilitate active learning; an understanding of writing processes and the ability to design the processes; and an understanding of conventions and the ability to apply this kind of knowledge. Discussing several successful approaches taken at German writing centers, we show that it is possible to work both across and within disciplines. Key elements are a close cooperation with faculty, individual consultations and workshops and peer tutor and writing fellows programs. All of these programs can, we suggest, be beneficial to universities. We conclude by discussing the potential contributions of writing centers to higher education.