Dear Peter,

Thanks for sharing this with the list. I really just wanted to write and let you know we have a mutual fried in David Alexander. I was visiting David and his family about 10 days ago, which I usually do on the rare occasions I visit Britain, and in the course of the conversation he mentioned the same resource you mentioned here and gave me a copy of your card. Small world, eh?

All the best,

John
>>> Peter M Wilson <[log in to unmask]> 1/2/10 13:50 >>>
Thanks, Lisa, for the welcome to the new EATAW listserv, + invitation to use.  

Dear All,

Here is some shameless self-publicity, which I tried to circulate in a previous incarnation of the site - alas, with no perceptible results.  It may do some good for our students/clients/whatever; and it is not profit-making.

AWE (I have noted the coincidence, with EATAW and with AWESOME at Leeds, and corresponded about it) is an on-line resource for students (and teachers) who are struggling with the petty details of writing acceptable Academic Writing in English.  It is aimed at those studying in Higher Education in Britain.  It has currently had some 965000 hits, and they are coming at a rate of over 2000 per day - so it can't be entirely useless.

Its special points are:

1)  It uses the power of ICT to organize and link material so that it is much easier to use than a printed book;

2)  It aims to give each piece of advice on one screen, so making it easier to find a rapid answer to a question;

3)  It uses wiki software (as in wikipedia), and so is comparatively familiar to all;

4)  Although it is a wiki, It is NOT a source "that anyone can edit" - it is controlled by an English teacher (me), and thus is authoritative - including such remarks as "this is a matter of taste", and "Here, the langugae is changing.  Choose the word that is most comfortable for your subject."

To see what it is like, click on hull.ac.uk/awe  Those of us who work with individuals, and teachers who are amrking, may like to use the ability to print off a page of advice (~ a single screen), e.g. on apostrophes (http://slb-ltsu.hull.ac.uk/awe/index.php?title=Apostrophe_%28possession%29) or the spelling of 'where' (http://slb-ltsu.hull.ac.uk/awe/index.php?title=Where_-_were): these can ge handsed to a student in the office, or clipped to a feedback sheet.

I hope you find it useful.  If anyone wants to join in editing AWE, contact me at [log in to unmask] using AWE Application in the Subject field.

Peter

Peter Wilson
quondam Academic Writing and Study Skills adviser
formerly of Study Advice Service
University of Hull