Studiosity:
online writing feedback tool for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students

Studiosity is a free online external study help service for all undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Waikato, available 24/7 to provide guidance and feedback on their academic writing skills. Students have a maximum of ten submissions per trimester.

Students access Studiosity via a link embedded under the introduction section on all undergraduate and taught postgraduate Moodle papers across the University.

You can point your students to Student Learning's Studiosity information for students.

Studiosity FAQs for Academic Staff

What is Studiosity?

Studiosity is a third party service offering students 24-hour access to online writing support and feedback from professionally trained tutors. The introduction of Studiosity to all undergraduate and taught postgraduate papers extends the support provided by the Student Learning team in the Centre for Tertiary Teaching and Learning (CeTTL).

Who can access Studiosity?

All students enrolled in undergraduate and taught postgraduate papers across the University have access to Studiosity.

How does Studiosity benefit students and staff?  

Studiosity is designed to offer focused feedback on students’ writing. The service also provides teaching staff with data and insights (on usage etc) into students’ work to improve learning outcomes. After hours, on weekends, and during semester breaks – when teaching staff are less likely to be available – are all critical times when Studiosity is available for students to use.

How is Studiosity accessed?

Students access Studiosity via a link embedded into the first section of Moodle papers, on all undergraduate and taught postgraduate papers across the University.

How does the 24/7 Writing Feedback service work?

Writing Feedback allows a student to upload their own piece of writing, and receive constructive feedback in under 24 hours. Students receive a confirmation email once their file has uploaded successfully, and a notification once the feedback is ready for them to review. They must log back into their Studiosity account to view, download, or print their annotated file.

Students can select the type of writing they are submitting (e.g. essay, speech, report), the areas they’d like the most help with (e.g. spelling and grammar, structure), and also have a free-text field to write comments to the Subject Specialist about their draft. If students need help understanding the feedback provided by Studiosity, they can make appointments with a Student Learning tutor for additional help.

Does the service deliver course content?

No, Studiosity’s online Subject Specialists do not deliver course or curriculum content. The service addresses the need for formative writing feedback and provides timely help to facilitate independent and critical thinking. The help provided is strictly focused on improving students’ academic literacy.

Where can I tell students to find the service?

Studiosity is accessible via Moodle and there is no additional sign-in required. Students can find a link to Studiosity under the introduction section of their papers in Moodle.

How does Studiosity monitor academic integrity?

Studiosity is committed to academic integrity; they have a rigorous recruitment and accreditation process for Subject Specialists and enforce an academic integrity policy. There is zero tolerance for any type of academic dishonesty.

Will I know if my students have used Studiosity?

Yes, the University receives regular reports, which identify student users. It is important to let students know in advance that Studiosity is not an anonymous service, and their use of the service is monitored.

Does Studiosity replace face-to-face contact with students?

No. Student Learning at Te Puna Ako the Centre for Tertiary Teaching and Learning (CeTTL) continues to deliver individualised learning through in-house student learning development drop-in sessions, workshops, and individual consultations. Studiosity complements Student Learning by extending accessibility outside normal working hours. Students will also find a link to Student Learning on the Studiosity dashboard and in the Studiosity feedback blurb so that students can refer to Student Learning, if they need additional help to understand the feedback provided by Studiosity. Research from other institutions has indicated that most students use Studiosity as supplementary support, and that increased engagement with Studiosity does not decrease engagement with existing services.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

Please contact Maryam Mariya, Programme Lead Studiosity, if you have any further questions.