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Take your studies to the next level, by enrolling on one or more of the free courses on the Academic English Programme (AEP).
If you are a fee-paying international or EU student at Reading, you can take any of our courses to help you get the most from your degree.
Our online courses are designed for independent learning and contain a mix of short video input and guided independent tasks, which you can work through at your own pace.
Teachers are available to answer your questions via weekly live slots. However, if you cannot attend these live sessions, do not worry - there will also be regularly monitored Discussion Forums where you can ask questions.
These courses are open to all international/EU University of Reading students studying at campuses in the UK and beyond (e.g. Malaysia and South Africa).
In Summer Term 2024 we will be running the Dissertation and Thesis Writing course in a fully independent mode without live sessions. To accompany this we will be running a live on campus Dissertation and Thesis Writing course and live Academic Language Webinars focused on dissertation writing.
For more information about these options, go to the Academic English Programme Hub Blackboard Organisation If you do not already have access to the AEP Hub, you can request access by filling in this form. You will need to be logged in to your University account.
If you have problems or questions, please contact aep@reading.ac.uk or attend one of our Ask the AEP team sessions.
Develop the understanding and skills to write about your research clearly, effectively and appropriately.
Each lesson of this six-week course will involve analysis of extracts from successful research writing texts. You will explore the organisational patterns and linguistic features distinct to each section of the text.
To enrol for the Dissertation and Thesis Writing course, sign into Blackboard then click on this link and follow the self-enrol instructions. If you have any issues, please email aep@reading.ac.uk
"As the sessions progressed, I was no longer anxious or worried about how to begin my dissertation."
Agriculture, Policy and Development Student, Spring 2020
Master the key elements of effective written academic communication.
This six-week course develops your skills and language to effectively incorporate sources (by summarising, paraphrasing, and synthesising), write cohesive and coherent texts, respond critically, and employ a range of phraseological patterns and sentence structures.
This course will run again in Autumn 2024.
"I have learnt how to write logically and coherently."
Literature & Languages student, Autumn 2019
Better understand what is expected in the most common written assignment genre at university, the essay.
This six-week course demonstrates what "having a clear voice" and "being critical" mean within this written genre. You are also provided with vital tools for developing an effective argument and coherent overall structure.
This course will run again in Autumn 2024.
"I attended the Essay programme about critical thinking and structure and I keep receiving compliments from my lecturers about my clear and well-formatted structure."
Law student, 2018
One-hour webinars designed to help you with the language needed in a range of academic communication contexts. Attendance can count towards the Training and Development component of your RED Award.
Meet with our experienced academic language tutors, on a one-to-one basis, for individual advice and feedback on your academic writing or speaking,
We work with many of the academic departments at Reading to provide subject-specific modules and workshops. Please check with your own Department to find out if this is an option for you.