Write in online universities: students' training and difficulties

Abstract

Teaching to write in the university is a challenge that those responsible for higher education have to face: university professors and academic managers. This is a challenge not only in the face-to-face universities but, and for different reasons, in online universities. For this, knowing the opinion on the academic writing of the students of these universities and on the training they have received to learn to write is fundamental to be able to make decisions. This is the objective of the study presented. To this end, an online questionnaire was carried out for 160 students from five Spanish online universities. Some of the aspects that have been addressed are related to the importance given to written expression, the difficulties they have at the time of writing, the functions of the university, the training in text composition strategies and in academic genres as well as the initiatives carried out by teachers to teach them how to write. The results show that despite the importance given by teachers and students to writing, the problems still have to be solved. Likewise, it shows how in general a more theoretical than practical training predominates. Consequently, it is suggested the implementation of initiatives that enjoy a positive perception by students as they are, in the framework of an online writing center, writing tutorials by specialist teachers and the systematization of resources didactic in an institutional repository.