Being far away from home for the first time and being overwhelmed by the new university environment, first-year students are mostly at risk of giving up their studies (Ruswa & Gore, 2021). One approach to nurturing academic success is to provide opportunities for unprepared students to develop their academic literacy skills (Van de Poel & Van Dyk, 2015). Academic literacy is defined as having competencies such as academic language abilities alongside reading and writing for academic purposes (Van Dijk, 2015). For non-native English speakers, academic literacy is especially important for academic success in transitioning to university effectively (Lear et al., 2016; Van Zyl et al., 2020). Adjusting to university can be very stressful as students negotiate the new freedoms of young adulthood in a big city like Johannesburg. At the same time, students stress about issues such as a lack of money and feeling overwhelmed by the academic demands of tests and assignments (Van Wyk et al., 2022). Sadly, reaching out for help is often the last priority as stressed-out students start skipping classes, missing deadlines, losing interest in their studies and becoming even more isolated (Octasya & Munawaroh, 2021). While welcoming systems such as the Academic Development Centre (ADC) provide academic literacy classes alongside a range of other orientation and support services to help students bridge the gap between school and university, many stay away. Unfortunately, those who need it the most often undervalue academic literacy classes as tedious, optional extras (McWilliams and Allan, 2014). Considering just some of the challenges already discussed, we developed a browser-based web application to teach academic literacy as a blended learning game. During tutorials, first-year students complete authentic, work-based learning tasks within the public relations discipline. Here are our considerations for a blended learning approach to learning academic literacy within the meaningful context of a discipline: One approach to nurturing academic success is to provide opportunities for unprepared students to develop their academic literacy skills Seamless convenience of blended tutorial classes Learning environments are effective when students are engaged and feel a sense of belonging in supportive, peer-to-peer social groups such as tutorial classes (Lave, 1991). Since first-year students can easily feel isolated at university, having the tutor guide students to navigate the online platform, enhances the enjoyment of learning academic literacy skills. In this way, no student is singled out or stigmatised for lacking certain skills. Also, students do not have to make any additional efforts because tutorials are already booked in their timetables. Ease of access and navigation of a browser-based web application Many first-year students are still learning to use computers for academic purposes (Adjin-Tettey, 2020). Therefore, the academic literacy web application is designed to be easily accessible on any standard browser like Chrome and Edge, regardless of the device being used. A browser-based application does not require students to download yet another data-intensive application on their phones. To further help students who perhaps need guidance to navigate an application, tutors provide help during tutorials. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 65
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