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Short Course

Academic Writing Basics Course

01 October 2024

Are you new to the world of academia? Learn the strategies you need to evaluate and analyse written texts so you can write academic essays that show what you know as clearly and logically as possible.

HOW TO APPLY

Price

Domestic learners

$129 NZD incl GST where applicable

International learners

$267 NZD incl GST where applicable

Qualification

Short course

Duration

50 hours over 9 weeks*

*Around 6 hours of study per week, with a one-week study break

Entry times

2 February - 5 April 2026
27 April - 28 June 2026
13 July - 13 September 2026
28 September - 29 November 2026

Enrolments open for February

Stay updated

Overview


Prepare yourself for academic success. Developed by Dr Bradley Rea and Rebecca Morris.

Academic writing uses a specific style and tone. It's formal, structured, and backed up by evidence. Learning to write academically is a foundational skill for any university programme.

This course introduces you to the skills required for academic writing. You'll learn to use a range of reading and research strategies to evaluate and analyse your sources. You'll also learn how to structure the information you've gathered in a concise, logical way.

Throughout the course your facilitator will provide guidance and feedback to help you improve your academic writing skills whilst you build the skills needed to write a complete, academic essay. This style of research, planning, and writing sets you up for academic and professional success.

This course is ideal for

  • Anyone looking to improve their academic writing
  • School leavers and secondary students looking to upskill before university
  • International students with English as a second language

What you'll learn
 

  • A range of reading strategies to find key concepts in academic resources.
  • Ways to evaluate the quality and credibility of academic resources.
  • The difference between formal and informal writing styles.
  • How to write, edit and proofread to improve academic style and ahere to formal writing conventions. 

This course aims to support learners’ academic and professional success through the development of effective writing and critical thinking skills. This has been shown to improve learners' capability to undertake courses and exams, resulting in higher academic grades, and skills to enhance employability.

Testimonials

How it works

 

Academic Writing Basics is flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments – provided you meet assessment deadlines. You can choose to study online when it suits you during the nine-week learning period, with a one-week study break in the middle of your course to take a break, or catch up. 

We recommend completing around 6 hours of study a week during the learning period (excluding the study break). After the course ends, there will be a two-week period for marking and feedback.

Nervous about studying online?
You'll start your course with an optional UC Online Essentials course, giving you a chance to get familiar with the learning management system (LMS). Learn more about how online study with us really works.

Online, not alone
Study anywhere, feel supported everywhere. Our courses have been designed to enable a cohort community so you can learn and grow from each other's experience. We also have a facilitator for this course who is there to offer support as you work through your learning, in addition to our Enrolment Support and Learner Support teams.

Qualification
This is a standalone course that recognises the achievement of specific skills, experience, or knowledge. There are no academic points associated with this course.

Recognition
Upon successful completion of the course you will be issued a digital badge to recognise your learning achievements. This can take up to 2 months to be delivered after the marking and feedback period.  

Course outline


The course is divided into three modules that you'll work your way through over the nine weeks of learning. Each module includes specific learning objectives, educational content across a range of media, activities to apply what you've learnt, plus a 'temperature check' survey to make sure you're getting what you need as a learner.

Module 1: Essay structure and secondary research
Learn how to use a range of reading strategies to evaluate written texts for academic purposes.

Module 2: Essay structure and paragraph unity
Understand the basic structure of an academic essay and how to write a unified, coherent paragraph.

Module 3: Formal writing, editing, and proofreading
Understand the differences between formal and informal writing styles and learn effective editing and proofreading strategies.

Assessments
You'll complete three written assessements during this course, one for each learning module. 

  • Module 1 written assignment (30%)
  • Module 2 written assignment (30%)
  • Module 3 written assignment (40%)

Your course total grade is calculated based on the weighting of each assessment. To pass the course you need a course total of over 50 out of 100. You may attempt each assessment up to two times. You do not need a passing grade for every single assessment, but you do need to engage with/complete all assessments.

Ready to start learning?

Enrol now for February, or sign up for enrolment updates.

Enrol now
Stay updated

Requirements


There are no prerequisites for this course – it is open to anyone who has confidence listening, reading and writing in English. It’s recommended for anyone looking to understand what academic writing is and improve their skills to support their future academic pursuits.

It's ideal for secondary students, school leavers, those with English as a second language, and anyone who wants to hone their academic writing skills. 

Technology requirements 

  • We recommend a laptop or desktop computer and a reliable internet connection.
  • A PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC) to download PDFs with assessment instructions.
  • Word processing software (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs) to complete your assignments.

Course fees
Course fees must be paid before learning can begin, either via online credit-card payment, or by contacting info@uconline.ac.nz to request an invoice. Please note: fixed invoice payment dates apply, so we recommend getting in touch with us as soon as possible to request an invoice, as this option is subject to availability.

Group discounts
Get your colleagues together to take advantage of our group discounts: 

  • 10% for 3 - 6 learners
  • 15% for 7+ learners

Contact our Enrolment Support Team to learn more and enquire now.

Withdrawals and refunds
Once learning begins, you are eligible for a withdrawal with refund up until the end of week 2. After this date, refunds may be available if your circumstances are exceptional, for example if you've experienced a serious medical event.

Cap & minimum enrolment threshold
A minimum number of learners is needed for effective interaction and feedback, while a maximum cap of learners ensures high quality learning and support. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course isn’t met, or the maximum cap is exceeded, learners will be given the option to defer their study or receive a refund.

Our people

Headshot of Rebecca Morris, Transition Programme and Academic Writing Teacher at the University of Canterbury.
Rebecca Morris
Transition Programme Teacher

Rebecca has taught academic writing at the University of Canterbury since 2019 and loves teaching this skill to adults.

She believes strongly in the value of being a lifelong learner. There’s something wonderful about being surrounded by individuals embarking on this journey for themselves and being able to offer a bit of support along the way.

Mā te kimi ka kite,
mā te kite ka mōhio,
mā te mōhio ka mārama.

Seek and discover,
discover and know,
know and become enlightened.

Read more
Headshot of Bradley William Rea, Academic Writing Educator at the University of Canterbury.
Bradley William Rea
Academic Writing Educator

Bradley is an academic writing educator in UC's Transition Programme. After majoring in Education and English, his love of Sci-fi resulted in a doctoral thesis titled 'Science and Fiction: The Narrative Representation of Evolutionary Theory'. This was likely inspired by repetitively watching Return of the Jedi as a child.

Read more

Please note: our academic team develop and present video content within their courses, but are not always the course facilitator. The course facilitator will engage with learners in the course forums, answer queries and mark assignments.

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