University Students and Assignments
One of the main things I enjoy about academic proofreading is the variety. In most jobs there will be a fair bit of repetition, but I have never encountered this in academic proofreading.
Individuality
The variety exists because of range of different things, as each student is completely different to another and (s)he comes with an individual set of factors. For example, some students have used proofreaders before, while others have never done this, so there can be differences in expectation or a feeling of being unsure on how the proofreading works. Additionally, some students may be apprehensive about using an academic proofreading service, especially with the amount of disreputable and unscrupulous organisations on the internet. There may also be an anxiety about using an academic proofreading service, as if it is something that many people do not need (believe me, it is more widespread than people think!). Therefore, being open, friendly and knowledgeable is extremely important, and it’s a pleasure to meet new people all the time.
Academic Subjects
Related to the above, it is great to be able to work with students from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds. I have a lot of professional proofreading experience with Middle Eastern, Asian and South American students, and each student brings his/her personality to the different interactions we have. Again, this is something I have always valued throughout my teaching, and to have it as part of the proofreading I undertake is something I treasure.
Then there is the area of subject and, within this, specifics of the academic work. This means that I need to be able to proofread work from students across a range of disciplines. So, it helps that I have worked in higher education for over ten years and been a teacher for over twenty! The experience means that I do not need to be a subject specialist to undertake academic proofreading (or academic tuition) because I know what an essay, dissertation, thesis or article is expected to contain and how it is expected to do this.
However, it is also useful/important to ask the students who contact me to forward information about grading criteria, learning objectives and any feedback they have received. This can then be used alongside their own personal preferences on what they would like me to do to improve the work. All this information is not just useful for me, it also helps me to learn more about different subject and topic areas, so it increases my knowledge which in turn gives me immense enjoyment.
The Ability to Connect
Connected with the previous area, is that of degree level. Once again, using an individual approach, it’s interesting to learn about the different expectations students may have on their degree programmes. These expectations may come from dissertation supervisors or module leaders, as much as from the students themselves.
There may also be aspects of their degree programme they are finding difficult, but are not getting enough help from their teachers with. This then means my academic tuition experience can then help my proofreading .So, I can make suggestions on approaches or different ways of undertaking aspects of a student’s academic work. The ability to be able to help students and “meet them” where they are is something I look forward to.
As an academic teacher, this ability to help and see progress in a student is a key part of teaching. Fortunately, this is also what proofreading gives me. I never know what a student is going to contact me about, and it is this “not knowing” that keeps me on my toes and always ready to help.
Proofreading – Academic Proofreading and Academic Tuition