Study Guide

Objective

The aim of this course is to activate and develop the students’ writing for academic purposes, namely, thesis-writing. The students will also learn about and practise using and citing sources. Additional course objectives are to demonstrate understanding of and apply effective paragraph structure, employ academic and professional language, evaluate sources for relevance and reliability.

Content

Writing academic texts:
• the process of writing
• principles of academic writing
• sentence structure, sentence clarity and sentence problems
• paragraph structure paragraph unity, paragraph coherence
• essay structure and maturity test
• evaluating sources
• avoiding plagiarism
• using and citing sources
• abstract-writing and evaluation

Materials

teacher’s own and web-based material

Teaching methods

teacher-directed classroom activities, independent work, pair work, group work, project work, online activities (quizzes, meetings)

Exam schedules

No exam. There is continuous assessment.

International connections

The contents and the assessed outputs of the course are designed to provide the students with English language written communication skills they need in writing their thesis as well as spoken communications skills they will need to present their thesis. . In addition, the students have to complete tasks individually, in pairs and as a group which enhances their communication and interpersonal skills. The assessment is continuous and teacher and peer assessments are provided after the completion of each task.

Completion alternatives

A: The student can complete the Basic Academic Writing (5ECTS) and complete Accreditation of Prior Learning based on Competence (not a transfer of credits):
Within two weeks of the course start, the student submits a written report showcasing competence in academic writing and demonstrating the skills this course aims to achieve. If the submission fulfills the assessment criteria (i.e.: no plagiarism, demonstration of well-composed paragraphs, use of references, appropriate register etc.-see evaluation criteria below), the student can attain the credits. If the submission does not meet the criteria, the student joins the course.
B: The student can complete the Basic Academic Writing (5ECTS) and complete Transfer of Credits within the first two weeks of the course if the student has completed a course with the same credits and similar content at a same level (higher education) educational institution within the last 5 years. The student will also need to provide an official transcript and course content description.

Student workload

classroom activities: 24 h
individual work: 56 h
pairwork work: 25 h
group work: 20h

Content scheduling

January - March 2023
Theme 1: Writing Process & Academic Writing (w2 - 3)
Theme 2: Sentence structure (w 4 - 5)
Theme 3:Paragraph structure (w 6 - 7)
Theme 4: Essay Structure (w 9)
Theme 5: Abstract & Thesis structure (w10)
Theme 6: Citing & Referencing, Evaluating sources (w 11)
Theme 7: Presenting your work (w 12 - 13))

Further information

Course Requirement: The students need to have completed the English Professional course.

We will be using Itslearning for this course.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

The student needs to complete all the tasks/assignments in order to pass the course.

Assessment criteria, fail (0)

The student has insufficient attendance (has been absent in more than 4 classes or less than average activity in Itslearning ). The student has not completed all the tasks. The student has completed tasks but they are not of an acceptable standard.
The student has committed plagiarism. The student has submitted work with a high percentage (20% +) of similarity to other sources.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student can describe and identify features of academic writing, elements of paragraph and essay structure, unity and coherence, and is aware of ways to avoid plagiarism.
The text contains several grammatical and use of language mistakes and several instances of informal writing.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student can produce text that contains some features of academic writing, has some elements of paragraph and essay structure. The student can produce text that displays a degree of unity and coherence. The student can reference sources and compile a reference list although there are inconsistencies in the format and style.
The text contains some grammatical and use of language mistakes and some instances of informal writing.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student can produce text that contains most features of academic writing, has well-developed elements of paragraph and essay structure. The student can produce text that displays unity and coherence consistently throughout the essay. The student can reference sources and compile a reference list in a consistent format and style.
The text contains few grammatical and use of language mistakes and few instances of informal writing.

Qualifications

English Professional Skills, B2 or level B2 according to European Framework of Reference for Languages