Establishing an Online Writing Center for Health Professions Education

Afsaneh Dehnad; Shirin Mohamadzadeh; Shoaleh Bigdeli; Leila Nemati-Anaraki; Hamed Shirazinezhad; Rafat Bagherzadeh; Nasrin Sayfouri; Ahmad Ghashghaee

doi:10.61797/ijbca.v3i1.178

Afsaneh Dehnad Professor, Department of English Language, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5731-8894
Shirin Mohamadzadeh PhD, Department of English Language, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Shoaleh Bigdeli Professor, Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences (CERMS), Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9672-2726
Leila Nemati-Anaraki Associate Professor, Department of Medical Librarianship and Information Science, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9436-2533
Hamed Shirazinezhad MSc of Health Informatics, E-Learning Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Rafat Bagherzadeh Assistant Professor, Department of English Language, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Nasrin Sayfouri Associate Professor, Department of English Language, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2467-5382
Ahmad Ghashghaee Senior Researcher at Glasgow, Healthcare Management, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61797/ijbca.v3i1.178

Keywords: Online writing centers, Writing, English for academic purposes, Health professions education, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the commonly-used modules of Online Writing Centers worldwide to establish the first Online Writing Center in the context of health professions education in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach: This observational study was conducted during 2019-2021. In the initial round of search, we identified 61 eligible OWCs whose websites comprised 14 common modules. Then, we searched the top universities according to 2021 Times Higher Education World University Ranking. We probed the modules of the writing centers of the included universities by using a Google form. We identified the modules repeatedly appearing on the websites of the writing centers, and then reviewed the content of each module in order to find a common label which could later be used for constructing our online writing center.

Findings: Our final search yielded 26 universities with 22 common modules. The researchers came to a consensus about the modules to be included and the labels assigned to them. Finally, a website was created, and the modules were included.

Value of paper: Online Writing Centers scaffold students by giving feedback on word choice errors and assist them in producing grammatically accurate texts. The Online Writing Centers being designed based on the findings of this study can assist many researchers who intend to publish their scientific findings in English.