UCT Medical School – Health Sciences Education (FHS Writing Lab)
Over the last few years, the upper campus Writing Centre has been so well utilised by students across the university, that the need for satellite writing centres has become apparent. In response to this need, the Faculty of Health Sciences Writing Lab officially opened its doors on the 9th of February 2015. The Writing Lab provides FHS students and staff with convenient access to specialist writing support on their own campus.
Our aim is not to improve the writing, but to improve the writer.
For many people writing does not come naturally, and while great writing is hard to learn, good writing is not. We believe that with the appropriate guidance and support anyone can become a proficient academic writer. We want to empower writers by helping them develop the awareness and skills needed to produce good writing within their discipline.
At the Writing Lab we aim to provide a safe, collaborative space where you can brainstorm and discuss ideas and challenges with a consultant who is both a trained writing specialist and a postgraduate science student themselves. Our consultant’s science background gives them the technical knowledge to access your writing with ease and understanding, while their specialised training allows them to help you identify your writing challenges, and to show you practical ways to overcome them and become a better writer.
To support you on your journey to becoming a better writer, the Writing Lab offers one-on-one consultations, group consultations, workshops by request and paper-based resources. From our interaction with students, we are also in a unique position to mediate with departments about the challenges that students are facing. In this capacity we are able to advocate on your behalf, facilitating the processes of justice and social redress at UCT.