Monthly Archives: July 2017

UIN Academic Writing Retreat

Universities in Southeast Asia are under tremendous pressure to network and collaborate at an international level, and the state Islamic University in Riau, Indonesia (UIN SUSKA) is no exception. One critical component for UIN SUSKA becoming an institution with relevance beyond their immediate context is to have its lecturers be able to publish their academic research in international English-language journals. In late April Doug Evans, a SEEDS consultant currently working with UIN SUSKA, was able to help facilitate an academic writing retreat for lecturers from the campus who had been selected for the quality of their English language ability and commitment to the goal of publishing their research. Sequestered for 1 week at an island resort, participants learned about the foundations of academic writing in English and then put their learning into practice, sometimes working late into the evening on their journal articles. Doug spent many hours providing group and one-on-one consulting with the lecturers on their writing, as well as encouraging participants with their goal of publishing their research internationally. It was amazing to see how eager and motivated each participant was to grow and excel in their English writing skills! On the final day of the retreat, participants committed to submit their journal articles within several months of this activity, with regular meetings in the meantime to hold each one accountable to achieving this target. Doug looks forward to seeing how this investment will pay dividends for not only the lecturers involved but also UIN SUSKA as a whole in the time to come!