Using Academic Writer to Develop Students’ Writing and Research Skills
Abstract: Developing students’ writing and research skills is among the demanding tasks for both professors and students. Writing effectively is a challenging but important aspect for individuals’ employability and career success. To improve students’ writing and research skills, Purdue University Global (PG) integrates Academic Writer into the courses on Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS). Academic Writer is American Psychological Association’s complete digital environment for learning and teaching. This tool is particularly essential for Composition I and Composition II courses, which prepare students for writing in their disciplines. It also teaches students to think critically about research and writing. Academic Writer contains three major centers: Learn, Reference, and Write. In this article, the authors also draw a connection between the application of the Activity Theory to the use of the Academic Writer in online Composition courses.