EDUC 1010PA - Academic Literacy for University

Port Augusta - Semester 2 - 2016

This course is designed to introduce students to the literacies required for academic study at a tertiary institution. Language use at university differs from 'generic' language use in many ways, and these differences will be explored through discussion and practice. Students will consider the contextual use of language in academic settings, extend their skills and capacities in listening and reading a variety of texts for a variety of purposes, and practice these skills in a supported process. The course will explore the genres of written texts at university, and the differences between different types of assignment. There will be a particular focus on developing students' research literacies. This is not a course designed to address specific English language expression; students requiring this should undertake EDUC 1009 English Literacy for University. The course is geared toward providing students with skills in negotiating the complex linguistic terrain of tertiary study.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 1010PA
    Course Academic Literacy for University
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s Port Augusta
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 36 hours
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions This class is only open for students in the University Preparatory Program or Wilto Yerlo Preparatory Program.
    Assessment Personal development plans x 2; Annotated bibliography; Multiple-choice questionnaires; Wikipedia research activity; Oral presentation
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Chad Habel

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    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.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 4
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    2, 4, 5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    3, 4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    5, 7
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    4, 5, 7
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    All required resources wil be provided to students in class or via MyUni.
    Recommended Resources
    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.
    Online Learning
    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/
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures and problem-solving tutorials based on material covered in lectures
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    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
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week 1:       Course outline, Teamwork, Grammar & Punctuation: apostrophes 

    Week 2:       Planning an essay: Intro, body, conclusions & outlines

    Week 3:       Writing Paragraphs

    Week 4:       Keeping to the word limit; Basic word types  

    Week 5:       Writing in the academic genre

    Week 6:       Reading strategies & reading for research; Library research & Managing files – endnote/papers  

    MID-SEMESTER
    BREAK

    Week 7:       Citations and references & reference management (Papers, Endnote)

    Week 8:       Critiquing the literature

    Week 9:       Introductions and conclusions Part B

    Week 10:     Editing your essay; Academic integrity: Plagiarism & Turnitin

    Week 11:     Grammar focus

    Week 12:     Grammar focus       

     
    For clarification on which dates correspond to which weeks, please visit: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/dates/
    Specific Course Requirements
    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).
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    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…
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Task Task Type Due Date Weighting Learning Objective
    Multiple Choice Questionnare 1 Formative/ Summative Friday
    Week 4 5pm
    10% Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral formats; Use relevant  information/communication technologies and online learning
    applications effectively and confidently.
    First essay Formative Friday Week 6 5pm 15% Demonstrate argumentation and critical thinking
    skills in both writing and orally.
    In-class test on citation and referencing  Summative In class, week 9 15% Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral formats; Use relevant information/communication technologies and online learning applications effectively and confidently.
    Final Essay Summative Friday Week 11 5pm 40% Demonstrate argumentation and critical thinking
    skills in both writing and orally.

    Multiple Choice Questionnaire 2 Summative Friday Week 12 5pm 20% Follow the conventions of academic presentations in written and oral
    formats; Use relevant  information/communication technologies and online
    learningapplications effectively and confidently.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    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 Detail
    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.

    Multiple Choice Questionnaire 1 & 2

    Word count: N/A

    Completion via MyUni

    The use of Multiple Choice Questionnaires (MCQs) will help you become more familiar with different
    features of MyUni. It will also give you an opportunity to practise the grammar and punctuation features which have been covered in class.

    First Essay

    Word count: 300-400 words

    Essay topic:

    Making _________.

    Examples: making friends and influencing people, making a cake, making an Ikea furniture project.

    The aim of this essay is for you to practice writing in an academic, logical format that follows a structured outline. You will need to select an object or process in collaboration with your tutor - make sure your tutor is aware of your decision.

    You will present your essay to your peers for feedback and review in class, and this process will be assessed by your tutor in class.

    Final Major Essay

    Word count: 700 - 1000 words, excluding reference list and title

    Submission via MyUni

    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.

    Essay question:

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

    Readings:

    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)

    In-class Test

    The in-class test is designed to give you practical experience of citing sources in a live test environment. You will be allowed to bring in referencing guides and other resources to help you format your references correctly.
    Submission
    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.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.