Ghost in the Machine: AVATAR, a Prototype for Supporting Student Authorial Voice.

This case study reports the results of a newly developed academic writing software for developing an authorial voice for first-year undergraduates in Fiji. The AVATAR prototype is a student-facing learning dashboard designed to help first-year university students become aware of and reflect on the concept of authorial voice in English argumentative essays. This study asked 23 non-native speakers of first-year English university students to use AVATAR. Pre- and post-use authorial confidence data was captured via questionnaires. Key findings reveal that students’ use of AVATAR significantly increased their awareness of the value of authorial voice. The results have implications for academic writing and the development of student authorial voice.