Module Information
Module Identifier
IC07620
Module Title
Academic Skills for Computer Science 1
Academic Year
2018/2019
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 20 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Academic Practice Assignment Annotations and evaluation of case study material (600 words) | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | Critical Review Essay On identified comparative resources (1500 words) | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Reflective Report On own learning strategies (900 words) | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Academic Practice Assignment Annotations and evaluation of case study material (600 words). Assignment structure will be the same, but new or revised questions/content will be identified. | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Critical Review Essay On identified comparative resources (1500 words). Assignment structure will be the same, but new or revised questions/content will be identified. | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Reflective Report On own learning strategies (900 words). Assignment structure will be the same, but new or revised questions/content will be identified. | 30% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Identify and use appropriate academic language in writing and speaking.
Identify and use strategies for selecting peer reviewed reference material and how to assess the critical value of non-peer reviewed and web-based material.
Develop strategies for listening, note-taking and synthesising information towards development of critical discussions and critical writing.
Develop strategies for reading, summarising, paraphrasing and appropriately referencing acadmic work.
Aims
Academic Skills for Computer Science 1 is designed as an entry level study skills course for foundation year students. Through a series of critical scenarios, students engage in a range of academic tasks, from organisation and time management of tasks, through to academic speaking and writing assignments.
Brief description
In this module students will engage with formal academic discourse in spoken and written contexts. The emphasis is on understanding how critical arguments are developed and how they are supported by a range of published academic and professional texts. Through the learning activities students will need to identify strategies for reading, note-taking, writing, listening and speaking through a series of different media platforms.
Content
The themes covered in the module will include the following. Some components of the course will receive more extensive coverage (e.g. academic practice) according to how important it will be in current and continuing studies.
Each week will consist of two seminars that follow two main themes that work together in both seminars. Themes work on a cumulative basis to integrate skills development. There is a strong emphasis on how the development of skills is forward looking towards the development of assignments in this module and other modules.
Week 1: Seminars 1 & 2
Identify specific interests in subject area and establish rationale for how study of academic skills may impact career and further development of personal interests. Rational and strategies for learning how to learn and identifying how skills development is a forward-facing activity.
Week 2: Seminars 3 & 4
Develop skills and strategies for using online and physical library resources, including (but not limited to) Primo, Google Scholar and other relevant networks. Identify and access a specific set of peer reviewed materials for comparative analysis of content and communication styles.
Week 3: Seminars 5 & 6
Work with strategies for reading selectively among an extensive range of published materials. Extending reading into note-taking and organisation of study materials.
Week 4: Seminars 7 & 8
Identify essential aspects of good academic practice, including citation, quotation, referencing, bibliographies, paraphrasing and summarising. Assessing a range of sample texts for variable aspects and critique of academic practice, suing positive and negative text samples.
Week 5: Seminars 9 & 10
Continue work from week 4 with essential aspects of good academic practice, including citation, quotation, referencing, bibliographies, paraphrasing and summarising. Continue work from week 4 on assessing a range of sample texts for variable aspects and critique of academic practice, using positive and negative text samples.
Week 6: Seminars 11 & 12
Analysing aims of specific assignments, including essay questions and report scenarios. Identifying similarities and differences in content and language style when writing or speaking on one topic fro a range of formats and audiences.
Week 7: Seminars 13 & 14
Compare styles of spoken and written communication in a variety of academic and professional contexts, and identify appropriate patterns of language for specific audiences and readers. Work on approaches to listening for specific information, note-taking from listening and synthesising and prioritising information.
Week 8: Seminars 15 & 16
Continue work from week 8 on analysing critical arguments of published writers and identified public speakers to assess the critical value of those arguments in relation to the students' own perspectives and the requirements and responsibilities of academic assignments. Continue work from week 8 on developing strategies for leading and mediating critical discussions in seminars.
Week 9: Seminars 17 & 18
Analyse critical arguments of published writers and identified public speakers to assess the critical value of those arguments in relation to students' own perspectives and the requirements and responsibilities of academic assignments. Develop strategies for leading and mediating critical discussions in seminars
Week 10: Seminars 19 & 20
Review all aspects of weeks 1-9. Work on development of personal learning action plan with presentations (formative, non-assessed) and peer review on learning development.
Additional work during all seminars
Participate in online learning activities in class and out of class. Participate in peer review activities in a number of the learning activities of the module. Appraise and evaluate own learning strategies and progress.
Each week will consist of two seminars that follow two main themes that work together in both seminars. Themes work on a cumulative basis to integrate skills development. There is a strong emphasis on how the development of skills is forward looking towards the development of assignments in this module and other modules.
Week 1: Seminars 1 & 2
Identify specific interests in subject area and establish rationale for how study of academic skills may impact career and further development of personal interests. Rational and strategies for learning how to learn and identifying how skills development is a forward-facing activity.
Week 2: Seminars 3 & 4
Develop skills and strategies for using online and physical library resources, including (but not limited to) Primo, Google Scholar and other relevant networks. Identify and access a specific set of peer reviewed materials for comparative analysis of content and communication styles.
Week 3: Seminars 5 & 6
Work with strategies for reading selectively among an extensive range of published materials. Extending reading into note-taking and organisation of study materials.
Week 4: Seminars 7 & 8
Identify essential aspects of good academic practice, including citation, quotation, referencing, bibliographies, paraphrasing and summarising. Assessing a range of sample texts for variable aspects and critique of academic practice, suing positive and negative text samples.
Week 5: Seminars 9 & 10
Continue work from week 4 with essential aspects of good academic practice, including citation, quotation, referencing, bibliographies, paraphrasing and summarising. Continue work from week 4 on assessing a range of sample texts for variable aspects and critique of academic practice, using positive and negative text samples.
Week 6: Seminars 11 & 12
Analysing aims of specific assignments, including essay questions and report scenarios. Identifying similarities and differences in content and language style when writing or speaking on one topic fro a range of formats and audiences.
Week 7: Seminars 13 & 14
Compare styles of spoken and written communication in a variety of academic and professional contexts, and identify appropriate patterns of language for specific audiences and readers. Work on approaches to listening for specific information, note-taking from listening and synthesising and prioritising information.
Week 8: Seminars 15 & 16
Continue work from week 8 on analysing critical arguments of published writers and identified public speakers to assess the critical value of those arguments in relation to the students' own perspectives and the requirements and responsibilities of academic assignments. Continue work from week 8 on developing strategies for leading and mediating critical discussions in seminars.
Week 9: Seminars 17 & 18
Analyse critical arguments of published writers and identified public speakers to assess the critical value of those arguments in relation to students' own perspectives and the requirements and responsibilities of academic assignments. Develop strategies for leading and mediating critical discussions in seminars
Week 10: Seminars 19 & 20
Review all aspects of weeks 1-9. Work on development of personal learning action plan with presentations (formative, non-assessed) and peer review on learning development.
Additional work during all seminars
Participate in online learning activities in class and out of class. Participate in peer review activities in a number of the learning activities of the module. Appraise and evaluate own learning strategies and progress.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Through note-taking, sequencing and prioritising ideas. |
| Communication | Developed through critical discussions in seminars, written assignments and teamwork activities, and online exercises through Blackboard. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students are required to reflect on development of skills as a reflexive process. They also take part in and respond to peer review activities. |
| Information Technology | Students use a range of networked word processing and presentation programmes. They also use Blackboard and identify value of online reference sources. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students indetify specific interests and some activities are developed by negotiation around possible career interest areas. |
| Problem solving | All classroom based exercised and assignments involve problem solving to provide contextually appropriate responses and to interpret structures with appropriate strategies. |
| Research skills | All work requires reading, analysing, planning and development strategies. Use of Aspire reading lists, Primo and other related and complementary resources is essential. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students lear and apply theoretical principles of writing, speaking and other skills. It provides students with a critical toolkit for strategic and spontaneous interpretation of communication situations. |
| Team work | Students are engaged in collaborative peer review activities, and other team based discussion and review activities. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 3