Authoring online materials for academic writing: issues and opportunities

This chapter describes a materials development project at Middlesex University to support students in writing and other academic skills. The project was devised and designed by ELLS (English Language and Learning Support), a team of EAP specialists which delivers EAP and provision in study skills and academic writing skills to Middlesex students. In this chapter, we begin by describing the context in which a highly collaborative authoring model has been established to develop materials on WebCT, the university's virtual learning environment. We then focus on key elements in the development of the materials - authorship, audience and medium. These have interacted in complex and problematic ways which has had an impact on both the process of writing and the final product. We explore some of the tensions and conflicts arising from this interaction and will provide some concrete examples of how we have tried to resolve them. Finally, we will briefly mention the opportunities that have arisen from the project, both for the team and for individual members of staff.