Hi, I'm Sally and I'll be leading this new column on achieving mastery in academic writing and on stepping up to level 7 masters-level writing. I joined the ambulance service in 2003 as a technician and became an Institute of Healthcare Development (IHCD) paramedic in 2007. I've been a Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Practice since 2011 and have taught both face-to-face and distance programmes from level 4 (cert HE) to level 7 (Masters) in that time. I hold an M. Med. Sci. and a PGCert HE and am currently working towards an MSc. I still practise as a paramedic while juggling my main role at the University of Cumbria, and all the usual chaos that a house of children and pets brings.
Finding time to study for myself has made me look at learning from a different perspective and I am in a fortunate position to be able to learn from my students' mistakes as well as their highlights. I want to spend the next few issues helping you to learn from them too, and support you to improve your own academic writing, grades and outcomes.
I see the same mistakes time and time again (sometimes with the same student through different modules). A lot of them are quite simple to fix and will help you to improve your grade.
Please remember that this is my take on level 7 writing and what I look for when marking. It does not mean that other points your own educators make are not valid and there will probably also be aspects that I don't cover.
Further guidance can be found through your university student support, and I am sure you will be signposted to their pages on registration for your own module or programme. I always signpost my students to a short module run through the university on academic writing for post grads and ask them to reread it if they have already done it as there are always points they have forgotten or overlooked the first time. It is worth asking if your university has a similar study-skills module and, if so, engaging with it. Remember, different institutions may use different referencing systems and have different expectations so be sure to familiarise yourself with these when you first begin your academic journey.
As paramedic practice continues to develop, so the academic expectations on paramedic staff also increases. There are so many pathways that paramedics can take moving away from frontline ambulance practice. Many of these pathways require the individual to have or be working towards a level 7 qualification. As frontline paramedics, we are most definitely a ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’ profession, but as we diversify into specific pathways, our practice becomes more specialised, and we are required to demonstrate greater depth of understanding in a certain field. In short, we are required to become a Master of this subject.
Over the next few months, I will address key points that will help you to improve your academic writing skills – from how to be critical and avoid being descriptive, reflection and reflexion, being honest with yourself and engaging with feedback, to top tips you wish you had known ages ago.