Tartu - Why we joined the STARS project

Teaching writing has become more of a mission than a formal component of our workload as lecturers and professors at the University of Tartu. Through our teaching and engagement with writers, the formal component of “how to write” needs a larger understanding about “why we write” and “what is a text and what is writing?”. The concept of literacy, composition, rhetoric do not carry the same weight as they do in more anglo-centric contexts, and we are constantly battling how we can carry a resonant message across to students and the institutions to give our work meaning and academic street cred. Over time, we have understood that teaching writing alone will not ensure validity; validity is obtained by working together with partners outside of our own institutions on developmental and research projects.

Daire and Niamh at South East Technological University in Ireland reached out some 3 years ago with a proposal to collaborate on a project which would highlight and if accepted, investigate more fundamental pedagogical issues which needed to be tackled to support writing across the university and for our own teaching. Together, we observed our students grappling with basic issues such as planning, goal setting, time management, and self-review mechanisms. As such, many struggle to navigate the emotional landscape of the learning process primarily - which is such a foundational skill when it comes to developing expertise in writing. In essence, our students require support in learning regulations–the ability to plan, monitor, reflect on their writing journey. The absence of these regulatory capabilities often manifest in counterproductive behaviours that deprive students of essential learning and writing experiences. These experiences further extend into the utilisation of GenAI tools that circumvent rather than enhance the writing process.

As our discussions around these topics expanded, STARS emerged and with our shared experience teaching writing, and self-regulation research, we quickly jumped on board with our courses. Together with a great team, we can work on further expanding the value and long term impact our writing mission will have for our students. Our ultimate aim is to discover how through the “how we write” interventions, we will instill a much better understanding and love for “why we write”.