Course Coordinator: Dr. Chad Habel (chad.habel@adelaide.edu.au)

Lecturer and Tutor: Ms. Amy Kay Robinson (amy.k.robinson@adelaide.edu.au)
                               

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:                

1. Critique materials and follow assignment instructions.                 
2. Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral formats.
3. Use the Internet to find academic materials, through the library and elsewhere.
4. Demonstrate argumentation and critical thinking skills in both writing and orally.
5. Work together in groups and informally, discuss work on the MyUni discussion board and interact with academic staff.
6. Use relevant information/communication technologies and online learning applications effectively and confidently.
7. Practice academic integrity as a core part of their study, and be familiar with different referencing systems.

All required resources wil be provided to students in class or via MyUni.

Faigley, L 2011, The Little Penguin Handbook, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

Bretag, T, Crossman, J & Bordia, S 2009, Communication skills, revised, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited, North Ryde, NSW.

Murphy, R 2004, English grammar in use, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

MyUni will be used extensively in this course for presenting information as well as the submission and return of assignments.

The Turnitin software application will be used for students to learn more effectively about referencing and citation conventions at university. Turnitin will be explained in class, but for further information please visit http://www.adelaide.edu.au/learning/staff/plagiarism/. 

It is also strongly recommended that you view the following video: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/onlinelearning/learningmodules/avoidingPlagiarism/player.html  


The University of Adelaide’s Learning Guides are excellent resources for all aspects of learning and study: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/learning_guides/ 

Lectures and problem-solving tutorials based on material covered in lectures

1 x 1 hour lecture per week (x 12)	=   12 Hours
1 x 2 hour workshop per week (x 12)	=   24 Hours
Independent study	= 120 Hours
Total:	= 156 Hours

Week 1:       Course Introduction: What is Academic Literacy? Identification of skills. 

Week 2:       Writing and building a paragraph and general essay structure

Week 3:       References, Citations and Evidence

Week 4:        No Class - Good Friday

Week 5:       Research session for assessments (Computer/Library Session). 

Week 6:       Organising Research and Reference Management: EndNote (Computer/Library Session).

                                   MID-SEMESTER  BREAK

Week 7:       Keeping to the Word Limit

Week 8:       Critiquing Literature

Week 9:       Surviving acadmic Jargon with the AWL

Week 10:     Mid-ish Semester Reflection and assessment planning

Week 11:     Proof-Read and Editing Skil Development

Week 12:     Final assessment question, planning, development and drafting. 

Week 13:    Semester and Course Review: Where to from here?         
                    (Week 13 is due to the missed lesson in Week 4 from a public holiday).

 
For clarification on which dates correspond to which weeks, please visit: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/dates/

To pass this course, students must attend at least 75% of tutorials; in cases of absence for medical or compassionate reasons, documentation must be provided and students must still attend at least 50% of classes. If students fail to attend the minimum required number of tutorials, they will be considered to have not completed an assignment (see below).

The University of Adelaide has committed to a pedagogical approach termed the “Small Group Discovery Experience”, indicating that the SHDE will be a core component in a credit-bearing course of every undergraduate program, and that it will be part of every first-year level from 2014. Since the UPP is not an award-based program, it is not strictly required to include an SGDE in the UPP.

However, since the UPP is designed to prepare students for first-year study, and the SGDE will be a core component of all first-year study, it is important for the UPP to provide some preparation in Small Group Discovery. These should be of a scaffolded, preparatory nature as befits each course within the program, and the philosophy and program objectives of the UPP. The Program has been designed to include preparation for small group work and research activity in many of its courses.

More specifically, this course aims to prepare students for their small-group discovery experience by…

Task	Task Type	Due Date	Weighting	Learning Objective	Learning    Outcomes
Introduction Paragraph	Formative/ Summative	Friday, Week 3 5pm	10%	Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral formats.	1,2,3,4,6
Mini Essay	Formative	Monday, Week 8 5pm	20%	Demonstrate argumentation and critical thinking skills in writing.	1,2,3,4,6,7
Annotated Bibliography	Summative	Monday, Week 11	20%	Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral formats; Use relevant information/communication technologies and online learning applications effectively and confidently.	1,2,3,4,6,7
Mini Essay 2 and TurnItIn Analysis	Formative	Friday Week 11 5pm	50%	Demonstrate argumentation and critical thinking skills in writing.	1,2,3,4,6,7

Students must attempt all assessment tasks to pass this course. Since the University Preparatory Program is designed to prepare students for success at University, completing and submitting all assignments is central to the intended learning outcomes of the program and each course within it. Often, at least attempting and submitting assignments in the face of difficulty or adversity is enough for success at University and the UPP encourages this resilience by employing this policy in select courses. Please note that the absolute last date for the submission of assignments in Semester 1 is the end of Swot Vac week, which is one week after the final assignment is due.

If a student fails to submit all assessment tasks and would otherwise have received a grade greater than 45, they will be given a nominal grade of 45 (Fail) for that course in that semester. This will permit them to undertake additional assessment (formerly called academic supplementary assessment) at the Course Coordinator’s discretion, as per policy at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/supps.html


It is not necessary to apply for additional assessment; this assessment will usually consist of the missed pieces of assessment, but the course coordinator may require more. As per policy 9.1.3.3, if the student passes the additional assessment to the Course Coordinator’s satisfaction, the maximum grade they can get for the course is 50 (Pass). If a student’s raw grade is below 45, regardless of whether all tasks have been attempted, this score will stand unless exceptional, documented circumstances apply as per the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html

Please note that there are two assessment items in this course which absolutely require attendance at a particular class: the In-class Test, and the Peer Review of First Essay. Non-attendance without documentation as per the MACA process will result in a zero for that assessment.

Substantial non-engagement in this course (evidenced by repeated non-attendance at tutorials and failure to submit assessments) may result in students being withdrawn from the University Preparatory Program and being required to apply for reinstatement if they wish to continue.

Assessment at university can be formative or summative. While all feedback helps you to review and develop your skills, formative assessment aims to help you develop your skills within a course, with further opportunities for improvement on a certain assignment, whereas summative assessment aims to give you final feedback on your performance.

Assessment 1: Paragraph  Due: Friday 5pm Week 3           Word Limit: 100 - 300 Words

Submission via MyUni

Due on Friday 5pm so last minute assitance can be provided during class that week.
 
Building a paragraph can be achieved in a step-by-step basis. This assessment will provide you an opportunity to practise writing a stand-alone paragraph. The components or elements of a paragraph and how they link or flow is what is being assessed, rather than your use of advanced vocabulary or knowledge on a particualr topic.

An introduction is the most important part of an academic piece of writing. It not only orientates your reader on the chosen topic, but acts as a map for how your intended audience should read your work.

You can chose any topic you like - perhaps something you are interested in. Other topics and approaches for this assessment will be discussed in the first lecture and tutorial.

You will not need to use in-text citations for this assessment. Although if you wish to, you may. How to do so will be introduced in week 2's lesson.

Assessment 2: Mini Essay     Due: Monday 5pm Week 8       Word Limit: 700 - 900 words (including in-text referneces)

Submission via MyUni

Due on the Monday so feedback can be returned by class on Friday.

Academic essays allow you to express an argument and persuade the reader of your views. They also help you to demonstrate your skills in referencing and selecting good academic sources. This essay will require you to answer a set question.

The minimum word count is 700 words, not including the reference list or the title, but including in-text references. The maximum word count is 1000 words, not including the reference list or the title, but including in-text references. 

Choose from one of the following:

Essay questions:

1. What conclusions, if any, can be drawn on the health effects of omnivorous, vegetarian and vegan diets?

Sources:

1) Campbell, T.C., Parpia, B, Chen J., (1998) Diet, lifestyle, and the etiology of coronary artery disease: the Cornell China study. The American Journal of Cardiology 82 (10 s2) 18-21

2) Campbell, W.C., Barton, M.L., Cry-Campbell, D. Davey, S.L., Beard, J.L., Parise, G., & Evans, W.J. (1999) Effects of an omnivorous diet compared with a lactoovovegetarian diet on resistance-training-induced changes in body composition and skeletal muscle in older men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 70, 1032-1039

3) Le L.T., & Sabate J. (2014) Beyond Meatless, the Health Effects of Vegan Diets: Findings from the Adventist Cohorts. Nutrients 6 (6), 2131-2147

4) Wyness, L., Weichselbaum, E., O'Connor, A., Williams, E.B., & Benelam, B. (2011) Red meat in the diet: an update. Nutrition Bulletin 36 (1), 34-77
(NB - not all of the last article (article 4) is relevant to the essay question)


2. How can foundation, preparatory or remedial programs prepare students for university study?

Sources:

1) Habel, C (2012) 'I can do it, and how!' Student experience in access and equity pathrways to higher education'. higher Education and Research Development 31 (6), 811-825

2) Wells, E.A., 2009. 15. Whose Music? Diversity in a First-Year Foundation Course. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 2, pp.89-92.

3) Bettinger. E, Boatman. A, Long. B.T, 'Student Supports: Developmental Education and Other Academic Programs' The Future Children 23 (1) 93-115.

3. What influence do video games have on aggressive behaviour in children?

1) Hasan. Y, Begue.L and Bushman.B.J (2013) 'Violent Video Games Stress People Out and Make Them More Aggressive' in Aggressive Behaviour 39, pages 64-70.

2) Gentile, D.A., Lynch, P.J., Linder, J.R. and Walsh, D.A. (2004) 'The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance' in Journal of adolescence, 27(1), pp.5-22.

3) Anderson, C.A. and Bushman, B.J. (2001) Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature' in Psychological science, 12(5), pp.353-359.


Assessment 3: Annotated Bibliography     Due: Monday 5pm  Week 11      Word Limit: 20 Entries, 150-200 words each entry (approx. 3000 words)

Due on the Monday so feedback can be returned by class on the Friday.

An annotated bibliography allows you to not only keep track of useful research, but enables you to describe, comment and criqiute on its usefulness for your assessments.

You are to log 20 entries - that is, 20 different articles. For each article, you will write a 150-200 word annotation. This should not be pure description but critique on the article as well. 150-200 words is not long, so use your words wisely and get to the point and critique quickly.  

Your articles are to be about the discipline or field of study you wish to enter for your degree once you finish the UPP. If you are usnure, then you can make one up. For example - if you are planning on studying History in your degree when you finsih the UPP, you would find 20 articles about History, perhaps a specific type or area of History, and annotate them accordingly. Similarly, if you plan to study Nursing when you finish the UPP, you can research a variety of articles about Nursing, types of Nursing etc.

This assignment is assessing your research skills, fine reading skills as well as description and analysis of sources. Reading and understanding a variety of academic sources is a key skill in Academic Literacy.

*Important: This research will help you with the final Mini Essay 2 assessment as you are required to use this research to write the Mini Essay 2.


Assessment 4: Mini Essay 2 and TurnItIn Analysis      Due: Mini Essay Monday 5pm Week 13           Word Limit: 1000 words max.
                                                                                                TurnItIn Analysis Monday 5pm Week 13

Part 1: Mini Essay 2

Submit Via TurnItIn

This is due on the Monday so you have the week to read the similarity report and write the Analysis.

Using the research from assessment 3, you are to write a three paragraph essay about the discipline or field of study you wish to enter after the UPP. What you want to focus on (type of field, interest in field or what the field is) is entirely up to you. The level and integration of research and sources is what is being assessment here.

You submit the Mini Essay 2 via TurnInIt. Once you have done this, you will receive a TurnItIn report which will show you a percentage of text matching for possible plagiarism or similarity to other sources and texts.

Part 2: TurnItIn Analysis

Submit via MyUni

Once you have the TurnItIn report you are to consider the following questions to write an reflective analysis on how your approached your research and the effectiveness of TurnItIn:

1) How did you approach your research? Did you have a clearly defined topic in mind? How does having a clearly defined topic beforehand influence research?

2) What does your TurnItIn percentage indicate about the apparent originality of your essay and research?

3) Consider the integration of source/evidence material in your mini essay. How could you have altered it to change or improve your TurnItIn similarity percentage?

4) Do you consider TurnItIn an effective means of stopping or checking for plagiarism? Explain your answer.

5) Knowing the percentage and level of text matching in your work, how would you approach the research process differently?

6) What other reflections do you have about this assessment, research and pratise of adacemic writing?

To further develop the coherence of your writing, you can answer each of these questions as a paragraph. It would be helpful if you have the question clearly written above each paragraph.  

Where specified, written assignments must be submitted using the “Assignments” submission function on MyUni. Your submission of an assignment via MyUni will be taken to indicate that you abide by the University’s policy on plagiarism. You can read the policy here: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/elc/policy/plagiarism.html. Please consult your lecturer if you have any concerns about academic integrity or plagiarism.

All assignments will be electronically submitted via MyUni, except for tests and in-class assessments.

Students may be granted extensions to assignments on medical or compassionate grounds;  documentation to support these ground will be required. Requests for extension must be made before the due date; requests for extension submitted after the due date will not be considered. All extension requests must be submitted to the Course Coordinator (Chad Habel: chad.habel@adelaide.edu.au); any extensions granted by the lecturer or tutor will not be considered valid.

All extension requests will be administered according to the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/

For a concise information sheet on this policy, please visit
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/pdfs/maca_medical_compassionate_info.pdf
 
Penalties for Late Submission

Unless the Course Profile states otherwise when an assessment is submitted after the due date, and without an extension, 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5%  deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard  copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised 5% per day for every day including weekend days and public  holidays.  This penalty may be increased where the assignment is to be completed in a period of less than a week.

This course aims to return assessed work within 2 weeks of its submission, although this cannot be guaranteed. The resubmission of assignments is not possible for this course, except in exceptional circumstances as approved by the Course Coordinator.