The document summarizes the Academic Literacies Writing Programme (ALWP) at Mandela University. It discusses how the ALWP supports students by providing feedback on draft assignments online through writing respondents. It also outlines upcoming workshops on referencing styles and a project to integrate the Grammarly software to provide automated feedback alongside human reviews. Additionally, it introduces the Open Education Influencers programme which aims to promote open educational resources and practices among students and staff through advocacy and skills development. Plans are discussed to offer open textbook fellowships to support staff in adopting and creating open content for teaching.

1. LT Collab Strategic Planning Report Back
Gino Fransman
1. Academic Literacies Writing Program
2. Open Education Influencers
Programme

2. What Academic Literacies Writing Programme (ALWP) does
Support and strategies to improve academic writing,
including online draft reviews, workshops and consultations.
The support is available for students, staff and researchers.
Andile – Orientations/ Linda with student interest groups/ Shann
with George campus. Gino – Respondents, events, funding.
How ALWP operates (M2M, online or hybrid)
Students submit drafts and receive guiding feedback to help them develop their
own academic writing
Trained writing respondents undergo consistent upskilling of skills for supporting
academic writing development, as well as for professional development.
Regular workshops and consultations are offered for academic writing, facilitating
the use of appropriate referencing and academic writing styles (Harvard, APA,
Obiter, etc)

3. Introduce and clarify
the process of students
submitting draft
assignments via the
Academic Literacies
Writing Centre portal
Request a draft review:
http://forms.mandela.ac.za/writingcentre/registration/
Writing Respondents and draft
writing reviews
• Submit writing document for feedback online.
• Give at least 4/5 working days turnaround time, plan
before the due date.
• You will need to spend some time revising your writing
afterwards as you follow the feedback you will receive.
Respondents do not proofread or edit work.
They provide constructive feedback to help with self-editing.

4. How ALWP supports draft reviewing online

5. Grammarly Project 2021 – 2023
UCDG Funding
• Grammarly is a cross-platform cloud-based writing assistant that reviews
spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery
mistakes. It uses AI to identify and search for an appropriate
replacement for the mistake it locates. (http://www.grammarly.com/).
2021 will be year 1 of 3 years’ renewable purchase, and a case study
exploring cost benefits of adopting the software, and user experiences
thereof. If year 1 is positive, Year 2 and 3 purchases may well increase.
• The software is intended to support adding an AI-generated facility
alongside human level summative feedback, integrating into the practice
of writing respondents on the Gqeberha and George campuses.

6. • The Writing Respondents provide a
personal feedback and summative
response to each reviewed draft,
including the AI review as pdf in
each returned review.
• Training is provided before and
during implementation, and
mandatory for any license holders.
Further support will be scheduled
and on offer across license duration,
which is 1 year. Staff with
premium/full access licenses are
supported to pass the Grammarly
User Certificate, and to actively
integrate this support facility into
their academic writing support
practices, workshops and reviews.
• A Writing Respondent: Online
Support will be appointed.

7. Date Session Facilitator
29 and 30
September
Obiter Referencing Ntemesha Maseka
5 and 6 October Harvard
Referencing
Sonja Mac Lachlan
20 and 21 October Obiter Referencing
(Repeat)
Ntemesha Maseka
25 and 26 October APA referencing
style
Sonja Mac Lachlan

9. #OpenMandelaUni aims to activate and increase student-
and staff-driven engagements and experiences with
Open.
OpenEdInfluencers, or OEIs (say it out loud: Oh-wees), are
ambassadors for Open who increase awareness of Open
Educational Resources and Open Education Practices.
OEIs facilitate the adoption, creation and licensing of OER,
and support the attainment of the UNESCO Sustainable
Development Goals.
#OpenEdInfluencers energetically advocate for the use of
Open Textbooks
across purpose, faculties and schools.
OEIs do, they don’t just say.
http://openedinfluencers.mandela.ac.za
Gino.Fransman@mandela.ac.za

10. OpenEdInfluencers Media Collaboration and
student advocacy and empowerment
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO WATCH VIDEOS
About the OEI Project
OEI COLLAB
Traditional vs Open Textbooks
Becoming an Open Education Influencer:
The online student empowerment course
The objective of the BOEI course is to develop awareness, skills, and
experiences in advocacy and facilitation for Influencing Open education
actions.
Course design:
6 modules
Ubuntu, Open, Facilitation, Advocacy, Influencing, The SDGs

11. Here are the steps for enrolling into BOEI.
Step 1: Go to http://engage.mandela.ac.za.
Step 2: Sign in with Gmail or register using a google account. If you have an account then
Opt in.
Step 3: Confirm registration of your account by clicking on the confirmation link.
Step 4: Send your name, surname and Gmail account to Gino.Fransman@mandela.ac.za
Step 5: Once registration is complete, you will be notified once enrolled.
Step 6: Welcome to BOEI. Enjoy!

12. 6 modules

14. Staff Development into focus: #OpeningUpTeaching21
The Open Textbooks Fellowship Project
2 x R20,000 support grants as pilot in 2021/ R200,000 cache in 2022 for 10 fellowships
Primary Aim in 2021
Awareness raising and empowerment for academic staff to adopt and create OER into
praxis of LT @MandelaUni, within a pilot initiative
Activity aims
1. Recruit 2 x academic/support staff willing to explore and integrate Open content into
curriculum 2022. [September 2021]
1. Empower staff with BOEI (2 weeks, paid)
a. additional support via OEIs project and
b. facilitating and guiding toward suitable OER
1. Generate LT materials in specific disciplines for definite pedagogical use within 2022
curriculum [Sept to November 2021]
If you want to collaborate and jointly create: reach out.

21. CC BY SA
http://openedinfluencers.mandela.ac.za
Gino.Fransman@mandela.ac.za