Student writing retreats: spaces to actively enable the production of academic w
Student writing retreats: spaces to actively enable the production of academic work
Dr Chris Little
What is the idea?
Structured writing retreats have become a staple of academic development provision across UK higher education, offering academics and research students a space to work productively, consolidate their identities as writers and build collaborative networks amongst peers (Casey et al., 2013; Moore, 2003; Murray & Newton, 2009; Papen & Theriault, 2018; Swaggerty et al., 2011). However, as yet, they are rarely, if ever, offered to undergraduate and postgraduate-taught students.
This idea will explore provision I worked on from 2016-2021, while working at Keele University. Within the learning development team I worked in, I piloted writing retreats for undergraduate and postgraduate-taught students. We found them to provide an active and safe space for students to construct knowledge and make academic progress.
Why this idea?
The learning development team had attempted to provide a range of provision to support undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate-taught (PGT) students with their dissertations. These students tended to be frequent users of the university’s individual academic practice tuition service and the team wanted to find a way of connecting them and supporting them in a different way. Despite our best efforts, the various workshops and café drop ins we provided had virtually no engagement.
Structured writing retreats are often provided by central academic development units across the UK HE sector. They provide spaces for staff and research students to make progress towards substantive writing projects, whilst providing a space to network too. Writing retreats range in their format from single day on-campus retreats, to multi-day residential provision. The retreats break down a day of writing into a small number of writing blocks, with discussion amongst peers before and after these blocks where colleagues share goals for the session and review progress. Research around writing retreats has found many benefits to attending them, from improved productivity, efficiency and motivation, through to more complex consolidation of colleagues self-identification as ‘writers’ (Casey et al., 2013; Moore, 2003; Murray & Newton, 2009; Papen & Theriault, 2018; Swaggerty et al., 2011). Despite writing retreats offering so much to staff and researchers, they are rarely, if ever, offered to UG and PGT students.
Fortuitously, I happened to attend a structured writing retreat provided for staff by the university’s academic development team and found the experience to be eye opening and rewarding. In one day of structured writing time I was able to achieve my writing goals and network with colleagues from across the university, many of whom have remained friends to this day. Then I decided that students deserved to have these opportunities too and began providing them for undergraduate and PGT students.
In direct contrast to our previous variety of wo