Writing Tutors in the Economics Classroom: A Case Study

This paper reports on a pilot study that involved introducing writing tutors or writing fellows into a compulsory, third-year economics course with the intent of incorporating both writing across the curriculum and writing intensive elements. The connections and inter-relationships between writing and writing intensive courses are set out briefly first of all; the connections among writing, critical thinking, and knowledge acquisition are emphasised. The course and the writing tutor system are both described, along with their connection to the Writing Centre at the university, and then comments from the tutors and the students in the course are presented. The study appears to be successful and some thoughts to consider when introducing this system elsewhere are given.