Outline writing projects with a clear, structured approach
Writing Helper guides students through the writing process step-by-step. It allows them to organise their thinking and focus on creation instead of presentation.
Why choose Writing Helper for DSA students?
Reduce the overwhelm and build strong academic writing skills.
Supports students with dyslexia to structure written work
Writing Helper is recommended for students who face challenges structuring and organising their research and discussion in written work. It supports a linear approach to assignment planning, which is helpful for students who struggle to plan their assignments because of comprehension difficulties. Writing Helper breaks down assignment objectives. The tool enables students to focus on the structure and content of their assignment by supporting critical thinking.
Helps students with ADHD to focus
Frequent disruptions in workflow can make assignment planning difficult. Writing Helper keeps students on track by breaking assignments into manageable, self-contained steps. This is helpful for students with ADHD who struggle with attention and focus. Students can use Writing Helper to break down their assignment into smaller chunks, supporting their natural workflow.
Helps students with Autism to interpret assignment briefs
Students who struggle to interpret information and can often misunderstand assignments, particularly if the instructions are long or complex. This can mean they hand in assignments that don’t meet the brief. Writing Helper guides students through the writing process step-by-step. They will benefit from the seven-step structure in Writing Helper allowing them to become familiar with the process and give them the comfort of knowing they can use the same structure with any written task.
Features
Create an easy-to-use writing structure.
Breakdown the question, and focus on the key steps
Before a student can begin any writing assignment, it is important that the student knows exactly what they are being asked. The question step gives students two ways to do this. The first is to look at the discussion word. This could be things like discussion, analysis, debate etc. Writing Helper will show them the definition of these words. Secondly, Writing Helper will encourage them to look at "open concepts"- any specific word or phrase within the question that they would like to discuss throughout their assignment.
Manage citations and create a bibliography
Managing sources, referencing and bibliographies are some of the biggest pain points for students when completing a writing task. Writing Helper allows the student to have all of their resources, regardless of format in one place. They can cite these sources with the help of Writing Helper, and then take information directly from them to quote or paraphrase within their own work. Writing Helper also adds any resources used into a fully referenced bibliography.
Add tasks and reminders
Students can add tasks and reminders for themselves which will be flagged throughout the Writing Helper journey to ensure nothing is missed if they get distracted.
Structure writing in a clear format
Before a student begins any writing, they are supported in designing a structure to ensure they have a clear focus on what way their assignment is going to look. This allows them to have ideas clear in their head, and not start writing aimlessly.
Use anytime, anywhere
Students can use Writing Helper on their laptop, Chromebook or MacBook. Writing Helper is available for Windows, ChromeOS and macOS.
- We have been supplying our tools through DSA for more than 25 years.
- In 2019 - 2020 75,900 students from England and Wales received DSA.
- In the last five years, 17,000 Writing Helper licenses have been used through the DSA.
Naturally, we want to promote independence, and for many people with inefficiencies in their organisational and sequencing abilities, we will want to find tools that scaffold their independence. Writing Helper helps to create independence in planning and writing after an initial support/training intervention. The straightforward user interface is easy to navigate, and the process feels exceedingly intuitive. This is my go-to recommendation for people that find organising the writing process impacts on their work. In fact, I use it myself!
Pete Jarrett, Assessor and Trainer (DSA and Workplace), Tutorum
Frequently asked questions
How does Writing Helper work?
Academic writing comes in many forms, from essays to reports, dissertations or theses. Each one is different when it comes to content, structure, tone, audience and the themes it explores. The creation of these types of academic papers can be said to follow a consistent and well-established structure. Writing Helper breaks down this writing process, and presents it to the student step by step, allowing them to focus on each stage separately, to build a strong piece of writing from the foundations upwards.
What is the process that Writing Helper uses?
There are seven steps in the Writing Helper process. We start by helping students to set goals, such as the word count. Next the question is broken down into key words and then the structure is mapped out. Step 4 is to add the sources, followed by snippets that add weight to the students’ work. Then finally Writing Helper will help students to review work and make any corrections before publishing.
Is there a final check process within Writing Helper?
There are a number of useful health checks in the Publish tab, and you will be able to see your word count and how it has been broken down by section. Hover over the different bars in the “Words” graphic to see more information. Click the “Publish to Word” button to create the Word document. This document will be created using proper Microsoft Word standards, including proper Styles (e.g. title, heading 1 etc.), References, and Navigation.