Female undergraduate students and their teachers in the Department of Science at Najran University, Saudi Arabia face many challenges when it comes to producing high-quality academic writing, such as gaining access to the knowledge-based resources required for academic writing, learning the conventions used in academic writing, and acquiring and applying knowledge and skill sets within different contexts. The results suggest that the primary concerns for addressing the challenges are aligning the views of the students and teachers on the potential problems of essay writing and integrating academic-writing skills and practices into the curriculum through informal activities. To improve the teaching and practice of academic writing at Najran University, short essay assignments and literature reviews could be incorporated into existing courses, and a new intensive course on academic reading and writing could be established. Any strategy should, however, consider the value and impact of the proposed measures and the whole scope of problems faced by the students.
Keywords: Academic Writing, Higher Education, Self-learning, Teaching practices, Undergraduates, Writing essays
