From physical to online spaces in the age of the #Feesmustfall protests: A critical interpretative synthesis of writing centres in emergency situations
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Date
2019
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Writing centres play a vital role in guiding students in their academic writing. Central to this
role is their physical location at tertiary institutions, where students usually walk in and
schedule appointments with writing tutors. The recent #FeesMustFall protests saw the
temporary closure of universities across South Africa. As a result, the functionality of the
writing centres as physical locations was disrupted to the detriment of student development.
This article evaluates the application of the principles that underscore the operation of physical
writing centres as online spaces. First, it evaluates the writing centre as a physical space, and
the resulting shift to an online space as a result of the #FeesMustFall protests. Secondly, with
the methodological aids of Critical Interpretative Synthesis and my personal reflections as a
tutor, I analyse the possible application of the principles that guide physical writing centres to
the online environment.
Description
Keywords
#FeesMustFall, Academic writing, Online learning, Higher education, South Africa
Citation
Nanima, R. D. (2019). From physical to online spaces in the age of the #Feesmustfall protests: A critical interpretative synthesis of writing centres in emergency situations. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, 57, 99-116. 10.5842/57-0-812