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Dr Skye Krichauff

As the Course Convenor for the first year History course ‘Empires in World History’, and being aware that many new students are daunted by the task of writing their first essay, I reached out to the Writing Centre to see if it was possible to get a staff member to come and provide essay writing tips to the students. 

Dr Kym responded to my enquiry and very kindly agreed to work with me to deliver essay writing workshops to the full cohort of students. Because I contacted the Writing Centre during the summer teaching break, we had plenty of time to schedule the workshops and brainstorm content and activities.

We scheduled the workshops for Week Six to sync with the students’ preparation for their Research Essay. Kym and I collaboratively designed practical research and writing activities in a way that incorporated the students’ essential reading for that week. Reviewing our PPT slides, I am reminded that we covered a great deal in the workshops, including activities designed to teach students how to interpret essay questions, search for suitable journal articles, structure essays, and provide correct referencing.

In this way we were able to combine our experience and expertise.

I particularly appreciated how Kym was able to clearly enunciate how to break down the process of researching and writing an essay, beginning with the oft overlooked instruction of how to read and understand the question itself. Skye Krichauff

Kym had a clear delivery style and provided relatable examples which resonated with the students. Tutor Mitch Thompson came up with the excellent idea of incorporating a footnoting activity into the workshop that taught students how to reference using the conventions of the discipline of History. I was impressed with Kym and Mitch’s insights and ideas, and really enjoyed the collaborative process.

The whole process of co-designing and co-delivering the workshops powerfully served to remind me that course convenors should not implicitly assume or take for granted first-year students’ prior knowledge and skills. From the feedback and outputs of students who attended the workshops, it is clear that time and effort invested in teaching foundational skills early is time well spent.

Dr Kym Teh

At the start of the first semester, Skye reached out to the Writing Centre to collaborate on delivering tutorials for the first-year course Empires in World History. We met several times to design a series of sessions aimed at deepening students’ understanding of academic English in a highly practical and course-relevant way. The tutorials focused on essential academic skills such as interpreting assignments, effective referencing, source integration, and editing strategies—all grounded in the rationale behind academic conventions to help students maximise the outcomes of their efforts.

Working alongside Skye and the principal tutor, Mitch Thompson, was central to creating and delivering tutorials that were both engaging and impactful. We functioned as a cohesive team, continuously sharing feedback and refining our approach throughout the week. As the Learning Advisor and Writing Centre coordinator, I deeply appreciated the collaborative and dynamic nature of our work together. Over the course of seven tutorials, we supported around 200 students.

The experience was not only warm and collegial but also genuinely rewarding. Students have since expressed their appreciation for the tutorials and the ongoing support of the Writing Centre—sharing their feedback with us on campus, and even during chance encounters at the supermarket! Their comments affirm the real and lasting value of this collaborative teaching effort.

Contact the Writing Centre at writingcentre@adelaide.edu.au, or for more information /writingcentre/.