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Supervising and Assessing Student Writing

 

Speaker Date Time Format Subject
Dr. Mark Kyburz Wednesday, 4 June 2025 14.00-18.00 face-to-face Fair and efficient supervision & assessment

Course Description

Supervising and assessing student writing (e.g. seminar papers, bachelor's and master's theses, PhD dissertations) can be challenging. Although supervisors realise that students need support, their lack of experience or tools (or work pressures) may hamper the supervisor-student relationship. This workshop introduces various strategies (coaching techniques, academic writing resources, grading rubrics, etc.) to help supervisors cope effectively with the demands of their role. It also explores a related challenge: supervising and assessing students writing in English as a second language.

Workshop Aims

  • to offer participants an opportunity to reflect on their role and responsibilities as supervisors
  • to develop and strengthen their skills and confidence in supervising and assessing student writing
  • to introduce tools and strategies for effective academic writing supervision and assessment
  • to explore the specifics of supervising and assessing students writing papers in English

Course Content

  • Supervising and assessing student writing: Challenges and opportunities
  • The student-supervisor relationship: Roles and responsibilities
  • Communicating goals and expectations
  • Supporting students during the writing process
  • Supervising and assessing papers written by second-language users
  • Useful resources (including the HSG Writing Lab, Centre for Academic Writing)

Target Groups

Teaching assistants, lecturers and other faculty interested in developing or expanding their ability to supervise and assess student writing.

Instructor

Dr. Mark Kyburz

Dr. Mark Kyburz

is Team Leader English at the University of St. Gallen’s HSG Writing Lab (Centre for Academic Writing). He has almost 30 years of experience as an editor, translator and writing coach. Mark has taught academic and business writing for over 30 years at universities in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and West Africa. His work has appeared with renowned publishers and in top-ranked journals. He has also run his own language agency since 1990 and has completed basic and further training in solution-focused coaching.

Voices of participants

What should be maintained in the course?

  • The super engaging and friendly lecturer.
  • I love the tips on how to answer questions from students.
  • Everything!
  • Definitely the tools and the peer exchanges

 

 

For employees of the University of St.Gallen, the course fee is covered by the University. External participants will be charged CHF 180.- for a half-day course and CHF 300.- for a full-day course.

The face-to-face courses take place on the campus of the University of St.Gallen. The exact course location will be announced after registration about one week before the course starts.

If you have any questions, please contact the Centre of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (HDZ-HSG) at Dufourstrasse 40a, 9000 St.Gallen via hdzhsg@unisg.ch or call +41 71 224 2630.

Further Links

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