Personal Reflection on Academic Writing Course and Gained Skills

There exists a vast array of fields of knowledge across the globe. These fields exist because people read topics on the specific fields of study. For the authors in the different fields of study to write, they had to indulge in some form of research to obtain knowledge. After the research the ideas obtained are organized in a logical manner that allows the reader to digest and apply the information. Organizing the collected ideas in a presentable manner requires the application of academic writing skills. Academic writing is not applied in academics only, it can also be applied to solve problems in other areas. This paper seeks to discuss ways in which I can use the skills learnt in the course of Academic Writing introduced in class to solve problems Kenya face today.

Communication Tool

Kenya is a country that has more than forty-two tribes. If every one was to speak in their own language in school and at work, there could be less understanding among people. However, this problem has been solved by the adoption of Swahili and English as the official languages. However, the adoption of the language alone is not enough. There is need for people to understand how to articulate their messages using these different languages. This is where academic writing comes into play.

Students, cannot understand what their lectures are communicating unless the lecturers frame their messages appropriately. For the lectures to convey their messages effectively they have to apply academic writing in writing their lecture pamphlets. Academic writing equips us with the skills required to arrange our writing content in a logical manner. Instructors use this skill to make their content to flow logically. This facilitates understanding of the subject matter.

In some cases, students are referred to books which help them in gaining additional knowledge. For students to understand the message conveyed in these books, they need to have academic writing skills. In the same way the writers also need to have academic writing skills in order to put together competent information.

After going through the lectures and reading books, students ought to give a feedback of what they have learnt. This is mainly done through evaluation. When answering questions in evaluations, the students are required to give the references for their responses. Academic writing equips us with the skills required to give the correct references for the sources of information.

Academic writing also helps student s to package their messages appropriately. Academic writing course equips learners with the required grammatical skills that are essential in ensuring effective communication). Complex subjects call for competent academic writing skills in explanation of content and phenomena. The skills attained from academic writing helps the students in communicating what they have understood during the course.

Stimulating Creative and Critical Thinking

People go to school to attain knowledge. In most cases, students tend to think that they go to school to attain good grades. These good grades are expected to catapult the students to their expected dream jobs. In most cases, this phenomenon works. Though some students end up with better jobs, they still lose the job on account of creative thinking.

Writing entails pooling knowledge from various sources and then arranging the information in an orderly manner. This cannot be possible or effective if the writer cannot apply competent academic writing skills. Putting the ideas in the writer’s mind begin from the thinking stage. The writer has to think about the subject matter. The student then accompanies this with collection of information. The collected information is then analyzed and a meaningful conclusion developed. It is hard to go through process without indulging in thinking.

By continuously indulging in academic writing, a learner is able to grow his or her thinking capacity to handle complex subject matter. In writing solutions to the complex problems, students have to think creatively and critically. Doing this repeatedly makes the students good thinkers. It is believed that good thinkers are good writers.

The academic writing course required that students should articulate their ideas to facilitate continuity of ideas. The course helps students to avoid writing a one-sided paper. There are several authors of ideas or phenomenon. These authors have different ways that they adopt to relay the message. A student can see the difference or similarities in the ideas by considering the vast array adopted by various authors.

The essence of collecting ideas from different authors is facilitating creative thinking. How another person understands a matter is totally different from how another person understands the same thing. Creative thinking developed in writing can be applied in reaching different audiences optimally without distorting the information.

Alleviating Unemployment

After schooling, each student is expected to get a job. These jobs have requirements that shortlisted persons must meet. Among these requirements is effective communication and creative thinking. The academic writing course equips the learner with effective communication skills required at work. By putting academic writing to task, students are able to think critically and creatively.

Creativity and effective communication are among the skills that employers look for in an interview. While at work, students can also apply these skills to enhance their relationship at work and productivity. Current employees are future employers. One essential skill required by effective managers or employers is effective communication. The academic writing course is thus effective in equipping employees and employers (Leki, 2008).

Institutions offering academic writing as a course also require trainers and other support employees to make the training effective. When an institution begins to offer this course, it requires a cadre of employees to make the endeavor successful. By virtue of offering the course, the institution creates employment opportunities for people with skills in this area and the support staff.

Research and Development

Without a pool of knowledge in a particular field of study, it would be difficult to train or even lean. A field of study is developed by assembling information from different authors in a logical manner to facilitate conveyance of understanding to the learner. The learner draws knowledge from the different sources written by different authors. The knowledge gained can then be applied to respond to academic and practical queries in the area of study.

Through research, experts have been able to put together useful information that have been used in different areas of study. For instance, the processes applied in medical procedures were learnt via scientific research and natural experiments. The procedures were then recorded and preserved in books. Current medical students and practitioners have gained experience from reading these books and applying the knowledge to solve problems in the medical field.

Development of new fields of study have also been based on the existing research papers. By identifying gaps or linkages in previous research papers, new fields of study are developed to cover the uncovered areas. The new studies can also link the previous studies to express the relationship and define the application of the interaction. Applying academic writing to research and development is instrumental in defining solutions to previous and current research problems in Kenya.

Conclusion

The application of academic writing can be seen in may areas in Kenya. Since academic writing entails the use of a particular language, the writer gains better understanding of the language used in academic writing. By understanding the language well, the writer can effectively express his ideas to the receiving audience. This implies that academic writing helps a student to develop competent communication skills in writing. This helps in bridging the gap that exists among different people in Kenya which is caused by belonging to different tribes.

Academic writing also involves collection of information, analysis and presentation of the information. The analysis stage entails engaging creative thinking to determine the sources that make more sense in the particular subject area. By continuously indulging in academic writing, a learner is able to grow his or her thinking capacity to handle complex subject matter. This has helped in churning out creative scholars in Kenya.

Academic writing is an essential tool that is applied in creating employees and in creating employment. In creating employees, academic writing equips the learner with the skills evaluated during interviews. The skills attained in this course also equip the learner with the skills to become an effective employee and manager. In addition, institutions offering academic writing courses also provide opportunities for persons with academic writing skills to serve as lecturers. This has helped in reducing unemployment in Kenya

Another important application of the academic writing course can be seen in research and development. Knowledge is passed from one generation of scholars to the next through books. These books were written by scholars in the previous generation. The information was used to solve problems in the previous generations and it is also applied to solve problem in the current generations. The research conducted by John Snow on cholera was recorded and it helped the health officers in London to identify the cause of the problem and define the source. To date, natural experiment has been used to find solutions and define phenomena in the scientific and other fields of study.