Learning Advisers

Learning Advisers are highly trained and experienced academic writers who are available to assist all students, with a focus on students undertaking research projects. An appointment with a Learning Adviser can give you in-depth feedback on your writing from a non-disciplinary perspective, providing a fresh view of your argument, structure, paragraphs and sentences. You can chat to an Adviser about other aspects of your work, such as project milestones, research proposals, reading strategies, thesis structuring, chapter writing, seminar presentations and journal article preparation.

Appointments with Learning Advisers are 45 minutes, and are primarily for research (HDR) students or students with long and complex written tasks (Honours theses and ANIP reports, for example). Appointments with Learning Adviser are made through our online booking system and are available throughout the year.

To book an appointment:

Zoom appointments (synchronous)- Just before the appointment time your Adviser will send you a link for the Zoom meeting to discuss your assignment and provide study and writing skills strategies. All you need do is click on the link and enable your microphone and camera. We ask that you upload your draft to our dedicated Wattle site before the appointment (by 8:30am on the day of the appointment) so the Adviser has time to review it.

Written feedback (asynchronous) - During your 45 minute appointment time, the Learning Adviser will read your submitted draft and provide feedback via Wattle. The feedback will be available at the end of the appointment. Use the instructions on our "Upload your draft" page to upload your draft and view your feedback. The focus of our feedback will be on the argument and structure of your draft.

If you have any particular information you'd like your Adviser to know, or any specific questions you'd like answered, you can include that message at the top of your draft. Also, it would be helpful if you included the assignment instructions. Please try to combine your assignment instructions and your draft into the one document that you then upload for your appointment.

If you are in the early stages of drafting and only want advice on a structure for your essay / report, or only have some questions, or only want to run a few ideas by an Adviser, please upload those questions / outline / ideas in a Word doc, and we'll do our best to give you helpful feedback.

Note: Even if your draft is incomplete, it can still be useful to go ahead with the appointment. You can submit some dot points and some questions for the Learning Adviser or Writing Coach. The appointment will still assist you through the writing process, and often save you valuable time.

What to expect

Booked appointments with Learning Advisers are for 45 minutes and typically start on the hour. If you are seeking feedback on a draft, submit your work before 8:30am on the morning of your appointment.

We have a few rules to help share appointments and to give you time between appointments to apply some of the feedback.

If you have any problems making an appointment, don't hesitate to get in touch. We operate a waitlist during busy times and can usually accommodate requests.

Booked appointments are limited to a maximum of one per week and three per calendar month.
We will see a full draft of an assessment piece only once (but you can show us an outline, and then a full draft in another appointment).
We cannot see an assessment piece that is due on the day of the appointment.
We do not edit, proofread or grammar check.
We do not advise on the disciplinary content of your work. Your tutors, lecturers and supervisors are the best resources for content-specific advice.
We cannot estimate a likely grade for your work.
We will only see work directly related to an ANU course of study. For example, we do not advise on IELTS tests, CVs or resumes, job applications or applications to university programs
We do not see take-home exams.
We ask that you do not record the consultation.

Cancellations

Our services are very popular. In order to provide a fair system for all students, we have some guidelines around appointment cancellations.

If you are no longer able to attend a booked appointment, please cancel as soon as possible. You can cancel online through the link provided in your confirmation email when you book an appointment. It is best to cancel yourself, but if you are having trouble, please email academicskills@anu.edu.au to cancel your appointment.

We have a zero tolerance policy for abusive or threatening behaviours directed at staff or students. This includes shouting, swearing, threats, name calling, racist comments and inappropriate gestures. Without exception, those who abuse will be required to leave our offices immediately and will no longer be able to access this service.