The successes and challenges of collaboration between faculty academics and academic literacy advisers when embedding academic literacy skills into core undergraduate units

Despite vast research around the embedded literacy approach to supporting a broadening higher education demographic, there is little written about the collaboration that occurs between faculty academics and academic learning advisers to ensure the successful delivery of these embedded literacy skills. An Australian regional university has evaluated the collaborative approach taken by these two groups when providing academic literacy skills to an increasingly diverse student cohort. The university is uniquely placed to research this area as it has the highest percentage of students from low socio-economic backgrounds across Australia (51%) and the second highest percentage of regional students in Australia (DET, 2016). In addition, the university’s student cohort has an approximate fifty percent uptake of online learning as well as a high rate of international students. In 2016, a pilot project was established to embed academic literacy skills into three core first-year units as a way of supporting first year undergraduates. The units were selected based on the high enrolment of students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Since 2016, the pilot has increased to sixteen units with the assistance of a Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program grant. Analysis of the project, through staff surveys and focus groups, reveals two areas of interest when examining the successes and challenges of the collaboration between faculty academics and academic learning advisers: staff comprehension around building of resources to suit an increasingly diverse student cohort and understanding of staff background and skill levels when managing students and staff. This poster is part of a growing body of research on collaborative approaches to embedding academic literacy skills in undergraduate study. Through examining the collaboration between faculty staff and academic learning advisers, the poster aims to highlight the successes and challenges of the academic literacy pilot project by identify key strategies that may contribute to future research on similar topics.