Online reading and writing tools to support English language use in an academic environment

This presentation will introduce a set of free online tools, created by the presenter and a colleague, that are designed to assist students with reading and writing in an English language academic context. The tools were created with a Chinese student user base in mind, but should also be useful for students from other first language groups. A brief overview of all of the tools will be provided first, followed by a detailed explanation of the most widely accessed of them - “Marking Mate”. Students can use Marking Mate to check their written work for common stylistic and linguistic issues before submitting assignments. It is hoped that academic staff will consider promoting the use of the tools discussed to their students