Introducing the WriteSite to students
Important features to show to students
You may find the following checklist useful as a basis for your demonstration of the WriteSite. It contains the major features students need to know about, with some additional details.
1. Access
WriteSite URL
- http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au
Where students can find a link to the site
- under the Student Resources tab in the learning management system (LMS)
- in MyUni > My Study > Learning Help
- in the university library skills website under the research and information skills page.
- from your faculty website (?)
- from your unit of study website (?).
2. The WriteSite homepage
The three modules
- grammar (commonly made grammatical errors)
- sources (how to use sources well, quoting and paraphrasing, referencing sources)
- structure (how to plan and structure a piece of writing).
Site map
- gives an overview of the site if you are 'lost'.
Help
Contains sections on:
- navigating the site
- system requirements
- troubleshooting
- where to get further help.
Glossary
- links to homepage, site map, glossary and help are available from any page in the site
- words in the site that are highlighted in brown link to the glossary (e.g. module 1, unit 1, section 1, page 1).
Link to student guide
Student guide contains (among other things):
- tips on using the WriteSite effectively
- strategies to help students improve their writing.
3. How to navigate the site
Choosing a unit from the homepage
- the current unit is always highlighted in the left-hand menu of any page
- you can navigate to another module via the tabs found along the top of every page.
The section index
- gives a short summary of what the unit is about
- allows you to go straight to practice, summary or any other section (good for revision).
The pages
- the section index is always available from the right-hand side of any page
- navigate through the pages of a section via the links at the bottom of each page.
4. Examples of practice activities
Randomly opening pages will not necessarily bring up the most engaging parts of the site for a demonstration. These screens display a range of activities that you can choose from.
- Example of drag and drop activity - choose the correct form of the verb
(Grammar; unit 3, Subject-Verb Agreement; section 3, Strategies; page 3). http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m1/m1u3/m1u3s3/m1u3s3_3.htm - Example of click for feedback activity - identify the reference words in the text (Structure; unit 5, Writing cohesively; section 5, using reference words; page 7). http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m3/m3u5/m3u5s5/m3u5s5_7.htm
- Example of mcq - select the verb that is weakest
(Sources; unit 4, Reporting evidence; section 4, Language strategies, strategy 1, Evaluative verbs; page 4).
http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m2/m2u4/m2u4s4/m2u4s4_1_4.htm - Example of animation - an active sentence is changed to a passive construction
(Grammar; unit 5, Passive; section 1, the Passive in English; page 3).
http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m1/m1u5/m1u5s1/m1u5s1_3.htm
5. The marking key
If giving a live demonstration of the site, discussion about use of the marking key can be based around the site map, which gives a good approximation.
6. Help for students
Emphasise that students should contact the Sydney eLearning Helpdesk if they are having trouble viewing or using the site. The link to email the Sydney eLearning Helpdesk (http://sydney.edu.au/elearning/student/trouble/email_us.php) is printed in the handout and is also in the Help pages of the site.
7. Distribute student handout
Information about the handout is on the previous page.
