Dr Claire Aitchison

• Biography
• Areas of Research
• Teaching Expertise
• Grants
• Awards
• Publications
• Selected Conference Presentations
• Other Presentations/ Major Workshops/ Facilitation 
• Editorship and Reviewing
• Contact Details (opens in a new window) 

Biography

I received my BEd., in 1980 from the University of South Australia. As an educator I have taught in a variety of formal and informal sectors, including preschool to tertiary education and in the developing world. I completed my MEd from the University of Sydney in 1988 and my PhD from the University of Technology, Sydney in 2007. I joined the University of Western Sydney in 1991 to establish the academic and welfare support for the UWS Macarthur’s International Student Program.

As a Senior Lecturer (Postgraduate literacies) in the Student Learning Unit I am responsible for devising, teaching and coordinating programs which support the development of postgraduate writing and literacy skills. In this capacity I work primarily with higher degree research students teaching a variety of courses, on-line, face-to-face workshops and writing group programs. During my employment at UWS I have also taught in the School of Education and Social Sciences, School of Aviation and School of Language and Linguistics.

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Areas of Research

Doctoral writing; writing group pedagogies for doctoral education, educational transitions and marketisation of education

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Teaching Expertise

Research writing including; thesis writing, writing for publication, grant writing;

Practical application of the pedagogy of peer review in research education and writing

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Grants

UWS LTAP Project 2007 A scoping investigation into the writing needs of research students in CHS

UWS Equity Project. 2004 Supporting students in transition from AQF5 to university study

UWS Equity Project.  2001 Supporting mature aged Arabic speaking women students without prior Australian educational experiences

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Awards 

ALTC Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning 2008

Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Special Commendation for Research in Education 2008

Institute for Educational Research, New South Wales Doctoral Thesis Award 2008

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Publications 

Lee, A., & Aitchison, C. (2011). Working with tensions: Writing for publication during your doctorate. In T. Rocco & T. Hatcher (Eds.), The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing. San Francisco: Wiley and Sons.

Aitchison, C. (2010). Good mothers go school shopping. In S. Goodwin & K. Huppatz (Eds.), The good mother: Contemporary motherhoods in Australia. Sydney: Sydney University Press.

Aitchison, C., Kamler, B., & Lee, A. (Eds.). (2010). Publishing Pedagogies for the Doctorate and Beyond. London: Routledge.

Aitchison, C. (2010). Learning together to publish: Writing group pedagogies for doctoral publishing. In C. Aitchison, A. Lee & B. Kamler (Eds.), Publishing pedagogies for the doctorate and beyond. London: Routledge.

Aitchison, C., & Lee, A. (2010). Writing in, Writing out: Doctoral writing as peer work. In P. Thomson & M. Walker (Eds.), Doctoral student's companion: Getting to grips with research in education and the social sciences. London: Routledge.

Aitchison, C. (2009). Writing groups for doctoral education. Studies in Higher Education, 34(8).

Aitchison, C. (2009). Research writing groups. In J. Higgs, D. Horsfall & S. Grace (Eds.), Writing Qualitative Research in Practice. Amsterdam: Sense Publishers.

Lee, A. & Aitchison, C. (2009) Writing for the doctorate and beyond In D. Boud and A. Lee Changing Practices of Doctoral Education pp 147- 164.Routledge: London

Aitchison, C. & Lee, A. (2006). Research writing: problems and pedagogies. Teaching in Higher Education 11 (3), 265 - 278.
 
Aitchison, C., Catterall, J., Dockett., S., Perry, B., (2006) Making it mainstream; engaging students who articulate from Vocational Education and Training (VET) , Referred paper in Conference proceedings of the 9th Pacific Rim Conference, Griffith University, Gold Coast.

Aitchison, C. (2003). Thesis writing circles Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics 8 (2), 97 - 115.
 
Aitchison, C. (2000). Learning Centres: From calling the fixer to building a better product. Referred paper in Proceedings of  Language and Academic Skills Conference Melbourne: La Trobe University.
 
Ninnes, P. M., Kalos, S. & Aitchison, C. (2000). Dominant and Subjugated Knowledges in Indian Higher Education: A Preliminary Analysis. In G. R. Teasdale & Z. Ma Rhea (Eds) Local Wisdom, Global Knowledge: New Directions in Higher Education. Pergamon, Oxford

Ninnes, P. M., Aitchison, C. & Kalos, S. (1999). Challenges to Stereotypes of International Students’ Prior Educational Experience: Undergraduate Education in India.  Higher Education Research and Development 18(3)

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Selected Conference Presentations 

Abrandt-Dahlgren, M. (Linköping University, Sweden), Aitchison, C., Lee, A. and Paré, A. (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) (April 2010). Symposium: Student Publishing in Doctoral Education: Pressures, Promises and Pedagogies Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR) BiAnnual Conference: Adelaide .

Aitchison C. Haas, S. (June 2010). Establishing and maintaining successful writing groups for research students. Workshop at WDHE Conference. London Metropolitan University: London

Aitchison, C., Catterall J., Ross, P. and Burgin, S. (2010). Learning doctoral writing in the sciences: Pain and pleasure. Presentation at WDHE Conference. London Metropolitan University: London.

Aitchison, Kamler and Lee (December 2009). Publishing pedagogies for doctoral education Presentation at AARE Conference. Canberra.

Aitchison, C. (2008)  Learning to write by critiquing: Harnessing the pedagogies of writing groups Paper for  Writing Development in Higher Education Conference. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

Aitchison, C. (2008) How and why research writing groups work: An Australian story Paper for Writing Research Across Borders Conference.  University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.

Aitchison, C. & Lee, A. (July 2007). Writing groups for doctoral students.  Workshop at HERDSA Conference. Adelaide

Aitchison, C & Lee, A. (November, 2007). New agendas for doctoral writing. Presentation at Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Annual Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia.

Blackmore, J., Griffith, A., Aitchison, C., & Andre-Bechely, L. (November 2007).  Symposium presentation Families, education and school choice. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Annual Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia

Aitchison, C., Behrend, M. & Pinder, J. (2007). Enhancing research candidates’ written communication using writing circles. Paper for Association for Academic Language and learning (AALL) Biennial Conference, LaTrobe University, Melbourne.

Lee, A. & Aitchison, C. (2006). Writing for doctoral education: Questions of theory and pedagogy. Presentation in Symposium on New Questions for Research Writing Coordinated by A. Lee at QPR Biennial Conference, Adelaide University.

Aitchison, C. & Martins, R. (2006). Co-authorship: Workshops for staff and students. Presentation in Symposium on Publication skill development: Interdisciplinary approaches for transferable research education outcomes Coordinated by M. Cargill at QPR Biennial Conference, Adelaide University.

Aitchison, C. (2004). Thesis Writing Circles: Supporting doctoral writing Presentation in Symposium on Research Writing, Support and Plagiarism Coordinated by B. Kamler at Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR) Biennial Conference, Adelaide University.
 
Aitchison, C & Lee, A. (2004). Research Writing: Problems and programs Presentation at Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference, University of Melbourne.

Aitchison, C.  (2002). Mothers and school choice: Managing risk. Refereed paper. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference http://aare.edu.au/02pap/ait02103.htm (opens in a new window) Brisbane, Queensland.

Aitchison, C. (1998). Plagiarism and International Students
Proceedings of the ISANA Conference (International Student Advisers Network, Australia)

University of Western Australia 2007
Supporting supervision for writing: A feedback focussed workshop for supervisors

Murdoch University 2007
Making writing work for women postgraduates in times of ‘fast supervision’ and ‘hyper-efficient candidature’

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Other Presentations/ Major Workshops/ Facilitation

Facilitation and Workshop Presentations: Summer School Writing Retreat, Centre for Research in Education, University of South Australia. 18 - 22 January 2010

Keynote and presenter: HDR writing groups colloquium Australian National University September 2001

Facilitator and Presenter: UWS Doctoral Candidates' Writing Retreat 2009

Facilitator and Presenter: Social Justice Social Change Research (SJSC) Doctoral Student Writing Retreat, 2009, 2010

Facilitator: Student Learning Unit Writing for Publication Retreat, November 2010

Facilitator and Presenter: Doctoral Student Writing Retreat, UWS School of Psychology, November, 2010

Facilitator and Presenter: UWS Early Career Researcher Writing Retreat, November 2010

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Editorship and Reviewing 

Editorial Board member: Journal of Academic Language and Learning (JALL) (2006 - present)

Member of review board: International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (IJTLHE) (2007 - present)

Guest reviewer: Studies in Higher Education 2009, 2010; English for Specific Purposes Journal 2010; Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (IDERN Special Edition), 2010; Studies in Continuing Education 2010; The Australian Educational Researcher 2009, M/C Journal, 2007.

Reviewer for AARE Biennial Conference (2004 - present) and AARE Annual Conference (2005 - present)

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