ATWP 110: Academic Writing Support and Development

Since its debut as a pilot course in Fall 2022, this year-long “stretch” writing course has moved from strength to strength. It was officially approved as a new course by the UVic Senate this year and two sections of ATWP 110 will be open to students for Fall 2024. This 3.0 credit course combines a first term that prepares students for university-level writing with a second term that allows them to meet the AWR (UVic’s Academic Writing Requirement).

In this video, the instructor introduces the ATWP 110 and its benefits.

There will be two sections of the course this year, both taught by the same instructor, Andrew Murray. Both sections will be capped at only 27 students. Students who complete the year successfully will meet UVic’s  Academic Writing Requirement.

This student-centred learning opportunity is designed to meet the needs of students who have one or more than one of the following characteristics:

  • Anyone who enters UVic unsure about their academic writing skills;
  • Anyone whose high school marks in grade 11 or 12 English courses were 75 or lower;
  • Anyone who is the first member of their family to pursue a university degree;
  • Indigenous students;
  • International students whose first language is not English;
  • Mature students who have been out of the education system for some time.

This “stretch” course experience will allow the instructor and those enrolled to create a distinct, supportive learning community that interconnects the learning outcomes of two academic writing courses (ATWP 101 and ATWP 135). In the fall term, students will begin with shorter, simpler readings and tasks; essentially, the fall focus is on sentence-level writing and paragraph-length assignments. Having built up their skills, in the second term students will be confident about undertaking the more difficult and multifaceted tasks an AWR course asks of them.

ATWP 110 Section A01 meets TWF at 9.30 AM-10.20 AM through Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.

ATWP 110 Section A02 meets TWF at 11.30 AM - 12.20 PM through Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.

Please note that this is a year-long course, and so students should check their schedules for both Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 when registering. Note also that students who drop the course in December will not receive partial credit for the course.

Is This Course Right for Me?

These additional materials will help you make an informed decision:

  • Complete this short quiz to further inform your choice. If you find yourself choosing answer 4 or 5 frequently, ATWP 110 might be a good option for you; if you find yourself choosing answer 1 or 2 frequently, you are ready for a typical one semester Academic Writing Requirement course. (If a question does not apply to you, choose option 3.)
  • Watch the above video, where the instructor introduces the course and its benefits.
  • In this video, the instructor explains a typical first term ATWP 110 assignment, the Argumentative Paragraph.
  • In this video, the instructor explains a typical second term ATWP 110 assignment, the Persuading Skeptics Assignment.

For more information, please contact:

Andrew Murray, Course Instructor: admurray@uvic.ca

Amogha Halepuram Sridhar, ATWP Program Administrator:  atwpadmin@uvic.ca