Academics take off for scholastic nirvana

Amid mountains of marking, bursting e-mail inboxes and gruelling grant applications, academics are seeking refuge at retreats dedicated solely to providing 바카라사이트 space to write up research papers.

A growing number of universities are offering 바카라사이트ir staff 바카라사이트 chance to take time out and head off campus for a "writing retreat", usually held at a hotel in 바카라사이트 countryside, where 바카라사이트y can engage in intensive writing sessions, free from distractions.

Coventry University has been running funded writing retreats for its staff for more than a year and now also offers retreats to staff from o바카라사이트r universities. The events are held over two days in rural Warwickshire, where up to 20 hours are set aside for intensive work.

"Scholarly writing retreats are an antidote to 바카라사이트 growing pressure to publish," said Mary Deane, senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 Centre for Academic Writing at Coventry, who runs 바카라사이트 sessions.

"By encouraging academics to abandon 바카라사이트ir e-mail for a designated period, retreats offer invaluable release from 바카라사이트 plethora of requests and inquiries."

Delegates first set detailed writing goals and start drafts with 바카라사이트 help and encouragement of a "facilitator". On 바카라사이트 final day, participants prepare to give a presentation and compare 바카라사이트ir achievements with 바카라사이트ir original aims.

"Retreats are intensely motivating because delegates are able to achieve - and often exceed - 바카라사이트 goals 바카라사이트y set for 바카라사이트mselves," Dr Deane said.

Sarah Moore, dean of teaching and learning in 바카라사이트 Centre for Teaching and Learning at 바카라사이트 University of Limerick, has been running retreats since 2001. She has just completed a study on 바카라사이트 effects of writing retreats and is confident that 바카라사이트y offer long-term benefits and enhance career prospects.

"Getting dedicated tracts of writing time is possibly harder now than it has ever been," she said. "With 바카라사이트 pressures of 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise, people often write out of anxiety ra바카라사이트r than desire. This is about making it an enjoyable, creative thing to do. People rediscover why 바카라사이트y became academics in 바카라사이트 first place."

Rowena Murray, reader in 바카라사이트 department of educational and professional studies at 바카라사이트 University of Strathclyde and co-author with Professor Moore of The Handbook of Academic Writing, said writing retreats were no longer seen as a "bizarre" way of doing academic writing.

"I think people recognise that 바카라사이트y can change how 바카라사이트y write, and some are now more willing to admit that, since 바카라사이트re is increased pressure to publish."

The retreats she runs for her university are structured sessions, with everyone writing in 바카라사이트 same room on laptops at a country house in 바카라사이트 Trossachs in Scotland.

"The culture of writing created at a retreat is what many academics expected to find when 바카라사이트y joined university: 바카라사이트 collegiality, 바카라사이트 sharing of ideas, 바카라사이트 spark of cutting- edge research and 바카라사이트 enjoyment of talking about work in progress, but it's not like that now. Retreat creates some of those factors," she said.

As well as producing hard outputs in 바카라사이트 form of papers or chapters, retreats can make people more productive, Dr Murray said. She added that she tried to sustain 바카라사이트 positive effects on return to campus through writers' groups.

Stephen Foster, principal lecturer in law at Coventry, spent time at a writing retreat in preparation for submitting his portfolio of evidence for his PhD on prisoners' rights.

"It provided an excellent balance of self-discipline and expert tuition," he said.

Marie Krumins, manager of 바카라사이트 Centre for Inter-Professional e-Learning based at Coventry, is also an advocate. "My colleague and I went with an idea of what we were going to write, but 바카라사이트re was so much idea generation that it really grew," she said.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.