Student Spotlight: Dr. Olawunmi Obisesan on Strategies for Multilingual Speakers, Finishing Her Dissertation, and Advice for New Students
Capstone Writing
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International/Multilingual Students
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Student Spotlight
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Olawunmi (Ola) Obisesan, one of our former Administrative Writing Assistants, is graduating this May with a PhD in Public Health (Epidemiology). (Congrats, Ola!) We caught up with Ola during her last days with us at the Writing Center:
You hold a bachelor’s degree in English language and literacy studies, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and a master’s degree in public health. What motivated you to pursue your PhD?
I decided
to pursue my PhD because I wanted to be an expert in my field, being able to
make significant but original contributions to public health, when and where it
mattered, especially with issues that concern the health of immigrant
populations. Getting a PhD is not as
cool as it looks or sound; it is a lifelong commitment to critical thinking and
learning. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it, especially
because I knew I would enjoy the intellectual freedom that comes with working
on research studies that interested me.
Tell us a little about your language background and your experience learning American academic English.
I speak two
languages: English and Yoruba. Though English is my country’s (Nigeria)
official language, it is the British English, which is very different from the
American English. Many words are not pronounced the same way and there are
other words which do not even mean the same thing—for example, car trunk (boot),
car hood (bonnet), pants (underwear). It was hard, and I had my dictionary on
me always so that I could look up certain words. By listening to people speak
and not being afraid to ask questions when I was confused, I was able to learn
fast. I also watched a lot of TV just to understand the context in which to use
certain unfamiliar words.
We know you are passionate about helping other writers navigate language and grammar. What resources, activities, or strategies do you think are particularly helpful for multilingual speakers and writers?
Because
multilingual speakers have a tendency to communicate more in their native
language, especially when they are with friends and family members who speak
the same language, one thing that will help is to consciously communicate in
English as this will help enhance your mastery of the English language. It
helps to set the language on your computer to English (U.S.) as this will make
writing your papers easier for you. Grammarly,
though not perfect, is a very useful tool as it helps in picking out minor
mistakes in your papers. I found that watching television, whether my favorite
TV shows or the news, also helps because it helps you pick up the use of
certain words and the right grammar. I also found it helpful to read storybooks
that were written in American English and at a lower reading level (5th-7the
grade level) because it is a fun and engaging tool for learning the English
language; this will also strengthen one’s understanding of the English language
structure. One of the problem areas of international students is the use of
verbs and prepositions. The Writing Center has helpful resources on Preposition Basics and Verb Tenses.
Editor's note: We're always looking for ways to improve our resources. If you're a current international and/or multilingual Walden student, please take our brief survey to help us improve our services for you. The survey link will remain posted here as long as the survey is active. Thank you!
Tell us a little about your dissertation experience.
My dissertation process was stressful, but I went overboard. The truth
is that if you want to finish, and on time, too, you have to put in the work. I
set aside two to three hours every day to write! People say I make it sound
easy but the truth is that it was not! What helped me was to inform my family
and friends that I needed to devote one year to my dissertation and to excuse
me from many miscellaneous activities. I am so glad they listened, because with
their help and support, I was done in four semesters!
Also, the dissertation process is such that you have to be your own advocate and on top of your case. If you don’t hear back from your
chairperson or committee member, you need to reach out to them. I heard of
people who didn’t hear back from their chair for a month and did nothing about
it. It was even harder for me because my chairperson was based in Taiwan
working for an international NGO and communication was hard because there was a
12-hour time difference. When I was sleeping, he was awake and vice versa.
Guess what? I learned not to sleep and also wake up at odd hours, just to make
it work! You have got to do what you have got to do (legally of course) to
make it work.
My advice for students approaching or working on their capstones is this: WRITE every day. If you write one page a day, you’ll have seven pages in a week and 30-31 pages within a month! Don’t look at the total number of chapters you have to write, just take it one page at a time!
What are your plans for after graduation?
Right now,
I work in general public health but I made the decision to focus on infectious
diseases epidemiology. I interviewed for three positions as an Infection
Control/Prevention Practitioner, and just officially got an offer that would
mean having to relocate to another state. I just want to encourage everyone not
to stop at your degree; if having certain certifications in your field gives
you an advantage, go for it. I became a Certified Health Education Specialist
(C.H.E.S.) and a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C), and I have to sit for my Certification
in Infection Control (CIC) in a few weeks; these are all national
certifications, which over the years, have alerted prospective employers that I
know my stuff!
If you could go back in time, what advice (writing or otherwise) would you offer your first-year-at-Walden self?
If I could go back in time, I would advise myself to use the Writing Center. I did not use the Writing Center in my first few months at Walden and
so by the time I had to learn APA, I found that there was so much to learn in
so little time. That said, the truth is that it is not too late to learn APA.
Once you get a handle on how APA works, you will be fine. The Writing Center writing
instructors are your friends; please don’t make them your enemy, just because
they sent your paper back with lots of feedback. Unless you are a professional
editor (an expert in the field of editing and APA), your paper will need some
kind of edit, and once you are able to learn from the feedback and edits, you
can continue to use them in your future work.
Ola Obisesan is a former Administrative Writing Assistant at the Writing Center. She graduates this month with a PhD in Public Heath.
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Learning the Rules of the Game, Part 2: Meeting Your Readers' Expectations
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In the Writing Center, we talk a lot about following an
academic rhetorical style; we typically call it scholarly writing or academic
writing. Basically, scholarly writing includes a number of norms and
guidelines, some of which are often not explained as requirements in assignment
prompts. In an academic setting, readers expect that the writing will follow the
rules of scholarly writing. The reader may be confused or have a hard time reading
and understanding a written work if it does not follow what is typical and
expected for the genre. Following these
rules means you will be more successful at effective communication in an
English academic environment. It might also help your grade. Nice perk,
right?
So, if you’re wondering where to start, let me give you a
few of the norms and guidelines. You can
find a lot more about how to effectively follow the rules of academic writing
in English in our website section on scholarly writing.
Norms and guidelines of scholarly writing
1. Organization
In English academic writing, readers expect to see an introductory
paragraph or section in which the
writer discusses the main idea of the paper and includes a thesis statement
that is concise, specific, and arguable. Academic writing in English is very
straightforward. In the introduction, the writer should tell the reader about the
main idea of the paper and what she or he is going to discuss in the paper.
Each body paragraph within the paper should have one clear
focus that relates back to the purpose of the paper, as stated in the thesis
statement. Within each paragraph, there should not be any extra information
that does not relate to the purpose/focus of the paragraph.
Finally, it is common to include a conclusion paragraph or
section that sums up the ideas from the paper and also may relate the
information in the paper to a larger purpose, such as the current research in a
field or possible future implications.
2. Tone
Use clear language that will easily be understood by the
reader. Using casual wording and contractions may make your draft sound
informal. Also, avoid metaphors because they may not be universally
understood.
3. Audience
When writing in an English academic context, as a general
rule, do not assume that the reader has the same background knowledge as you
do. It is the writer’s role to fully explain ideas so that the reader, who may
have little contextual or background information about the topic, can
understand the ideas in the paper. Including an introduction that addresses the
overall topic of the paper is one important step in providing some background
information for the reader. Also, as you mention ideas, theories, or
terminology for the first time in a draft, explain what they are or what they
mean to the reader. For more discussion about how and why to consider your audience when you write, check out Hillary's blog post.
4. Giving credit (aka citing sources)
In English academic writing, readers will expect that you
will often use evidence and ideas from other writers, researchers, and
organizations to support your arguments. When doing so, you need to always
explain where you read about or found the information. Citing sources is a way
to acknowledge the hard work of the people who researched a topic before you. Also,
it builds your credibility as an author and researcher if you can show that
there is evidence to support your arguments. If writers do not accurately cite
sources, they commit plagiarism, which can have harsh consequences. You can
learn more about effectively citing sources by viewing our archived webinar Using and Crediting Sources in APA.
By making sure that you have clear organization, a scholarly
tone, an idea of the audience for your draft, and citations for your sources,
you will be on the right track to ensure that you meet the expectations of your
readers, effectively communicate your ideas, and be successful throughout your
academic career.
We're always looking for ways to improve our resources. If you're a current international and/or multilingual Walden student, please take our brief survey to help us improve our services for you. The survey link will remain posted here as long as the survey is active. Thank you!
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Amy Lindquist is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. She enjoys working with students from around the world on academic writing and the English Language. She's a bit of a grammar nerd. When not working, she spends time practicing yoga, sewing, and playing with her new puppy, Bauer.
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Learning the Rules of the Game, Part 1: English Academic Writing
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Games have specific rules--rules about taking turns or what
you can and cannot do when it is your turn. Sometimes, a game has different rules depending on who you play with. For
example, when I play golf with my friends, we’re rather lenient with the rules;
however, if I were to ever play in a professional tournament (which is very
unlikely), I would need to follow every rule.
In some games, if you don’t follow the rules, you might get
penalized or kicked out of the game. Likewise,
by knowing the rules, you have a much better chance of succeeding in the game.
You can better strategize and play when you know what you can, cannot, should,
or should not do in a game.
The writing game
You might be thinking, well, what does this have to do with
writing? Quite a bit, actually. It has
to do with rhetorical styles and expectations. If rhetoric is a scary word to you, don’t worry! I’ll explain.
Rhetoric refers to speaking or writing that is typically meant to persuade or influence listeners or readers; it includes things like tone and organization of ideas. Different
rhetorical styles and writing contexts have different rules, which are actually
more like guidelines or norms. However, these rules are often not explicitly
stated. They might be learned with time and experience, or they might be
learned through observation or instruction. A lot of writers follow these
rules, but some of those writers may not even realize that they are following
them or that they exist. When writers do not follow the norms or guidelines for
a specific context, it may cause confusion, turmoil, and chaos. Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic, but the
reality is that it could cause reader confusion, which may translate into
ineffective communication of ideas and a poor grade on an assignment.
Considering your writing context, purpose, and audience
Before we discuss some of these rules, let’s consider two
different writing contexts and the possible similarities and differences: an e-mail to my friend and this blog post. In an e-mail to my friend, like the example below, I will probably use rather casual language. I
may not use well-organized paragraphs, or even full sentences for that matter.
I might refer back to a previous experience without clearly explaining the
context. I might joke around and discuss various topics within a short e-mail.
Hey Monica,How's it going? I finally finished my final paper. Done! How was Jeff's birthday party? Hannah said she couldn't make it--did you guys all have fun? Oh, and did you two finally plan your trip to San Diego? So wish I could come!
Miss you, Amy
On the other hand, in this blog post,
I have one clear purpose. I created a title that captures the overall idea of
my post, and I am making sure that all of the content in my post revolves
around a main idea. I am intentionally crafting paragraphs with a single focus.
I use somewhat casual language, but the language is more formal than in my
e-mail to my friend. In the two different contexts, there are differences in my
tone, organization, focus, writing purpose, and audience. Also, I give much
more explanation and background information in the blog post than in the
e-mail.
Now, think about how these two writing contexts might differ
from an academic paper or capstone study. Writing in English, and in all other
languages, looks different depending on the purpose or the context of the
writing. Readers actually expect the
writing to be different depending on the context. Imagine if you wrote a paper for one of your
courses using the style, language, and organization that you use when writing
an e-mail to a close friend: abbreviated words and contractions, short or
undefined paragraphs, informal language, and/or humor. It likely wouldn’t seem
like an academic paper, because it wouldn’t be following the norms of an
academic rhetorical style.
Check in next week for my post with some specific tips to
help you meet your readers’ expectations for an academic paper.
We're always looking for ways to improve our resources. If you're a current international and/or multilingual Walden student, please take our brief survey to help us improve our services for you. The survey link will remain posted here as long as the survey is active. Thank you!
Amy Lindquist is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. She enjoys working with students from around the world on academic writing and the English Language. She's a bit of a grammar nerd. When not working, she spends time practicing yoga, sewing, and playing with her new puppy, Bauer.
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WriteCast Episode 21: Writing Expectations at U.S. Colleges and Universities
We're starting off the month with our 21st WriteCast episode: Writing Expectations at U.S. Colleges and Universities. Beth and Brittany talk about different styles and expectations within and outside of the U.S. rhetorical tradition (as well as what that means).
To download the episode to your computer, press the share button on the player above, then press the download button. Visit the Writing Center's WriteCast page for our episode archive and transcripts. Happy listening!
We're always looking for ways to improve our resources. If you're a current international and/or multilingual Walden student, please take our brief survey to help us improve our services for you. The survey link will remain posted here as long as the survey is active. Thank you!
WriteCast: A Casual Conversation for Serious Writers is a monthly podcast written, produced, and published by staff in the Walden University Writing Center. Join us each month for a dialogue between two experienced and trained writing instructors. Possible episode topics will always be considered from listeners--share your questions and suggestions in the comments.
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