ENG 7057 - Communication & Critical Thinking

North Terrace Campus - Trimester 3 - 2022

Communication and Critical Thinking provides strategies and practice in developing skills to enable students with English as an additional language to maximize their capacity to learn and to interact effectively in an English speaking academic and professional environment. This course explores communication in a cross cultural setting, and provides strategies for effective academic and professional writing and seminar presentations, taking into account communicative purpose and audience. Workshops and assessment provide practice in locating, analyzing and evaluating appropriate sources of information, and and are designed to develop critical thinking and logical argumentation skills.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ENG 7057
    Course Communication & Critical Thinking
    Coordinating Unit Centre for STEM Education and Innovation
    Term Trimester 3
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Course Description Communication and Critical Thinking provides strategies and practice in developing skills to enable students with English as an additional language to maximize their capacity to learn and to interact effectively in an English speaking academic and professional environment. This course explores communication in a cross cultural setting, and provides strategies for effective academic and professional writing and seminar presentations, taking into account communicative purpose and audience. Workshops and assessment provide practice in locating, analyzing and evaluating appropriate sources of information, and and are designed to develop critical thinking and logical argumentation skills.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Ms Catherine Irving

    Course Co-ordinator
    Catherine Irving
    catherine.irving@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

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

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
    1. recognise the role of high level communication skills in professional and research practice
    2. recognise the effects of cultural background on communication idioms
    3. communicate effectively in English in multi-cultural professional and academic contexts
    4. present, effectively, complex technical information in a seminar format
    5. analyse and critically evaluate information obtained from diverse sources
    6. evaluate technical solutions, taking into account environmental, societal and ethical considerations
    7. initiate and make original and informed contributions to group discussions
    8. contribute to and, when necessary, lead team meetings
    The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer.
    The course is designed to develop the following Elements of Competency: 1.3  1.4  1.5  1.6  2.1  2.2  2.3  2.4  3.1  3.2  3.3  3.4  3.5  3.6
    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)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    5, 6

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    5, 6

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    1, 2, 3, 6, 7

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    1, 4, 5

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    1, 2, 3, 7
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    REFERENCE BOOKS
    Students are expected to own and use a dictionary and a grammar book suitable for their level. If you do not already have these, some options follow. Check for more recent editions.

    Dictionaries
    Macquarie dictionary, 4th edn, 2005, Macquarie Library, North Ryde, NSW.
    Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary, 7th edn, 2005, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Grammar Books
    Alexander, LG 1990, Longman English grammar practice, Longman, Harlow.
    Hewings, M 2005, Advanced grammar in use, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
    Murphy, R 2007, Essential grammar in use, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press Melbourne.
    Murphy, R 2004, English grammar in use, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press, Sydney.
    Peters, P 1995, The Cambridge Australian English style guide, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
    Raimes, A 1990, Grammar troublespots: an editing guide for students, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
    Swan, M 2005, Practical English usage, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
    Recommended Resources
    Beer, D & McMurrey, D 2005, A guide to writing as an engineer, 2nd edn, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken.
    Cargill, M & O'Connor, P 2013, Writing scientific research articles: strategy and steps, 2nd edn, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK.
    Copi, IM & Cohen, C 1998, Introduction to logic, 10th edn, Prentice-Hall International, London.
    Eunson, B 2005 or 2006, Communicating in the 21st Century, John Wiley and Sons, Milton.
    Girle, RA 2008, Introduction to logic, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Rosedale.
    Hart, H 2005, Introduction to engineering communication, Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River.
    Huckin, T & Olsen, LA 1991, Technical writing and professional communication for nonnative speakers of English, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.
    Ingre, D 2008, Engineering communication: a practical guide to workplace communications for engineers, Thompson, Toronto.
    Mohan, T, McGregor, H, Saunders, S & Archee, R 2008, Communicating as professionals, Thomson, Southbank.
    Munson, R and Black, A 2007, The elements of reasoning, 5th edn, Thomson, Belmont.
    Penrose, AM & Katz, SB 2004, Writing in the sciences: exploring conventions of scientific discourse, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, New York.
    Rudinow, J & Barry, VE 2007, Invitation to critical thinking, 6th edn, Thomson Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont, CA.
    Swales, J & Feak, C 1994, Academic writing for graduate students: A course for nonnative speakers of English, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
    Weissberg, R & Buker, S 1990, Writing up research, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.
    Online Learning
    An extensive range of resources is available through our MyUni course. Students are expected to check their email and MyUni daily for information, announcements, resources and learning tasks.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures, workshops and tutorials are the primary means of delivery in this task-based course.To learn successfully in this course students need to interact with each other in English in workshops, listen to and absorb material in lectures and supplement their learning in tutorials. Thus, students are required to attend and actively participate in both workshops and lectures and strongly encouraged to attend tutorials. Through discussion, negotiation and other formative tasks during workshops, students will have the opportunity to develop and hone their English language and critical thinking skills. Written and oral assessment tasks and assignments will provide opportunities for students to expand and refine their communication skills in English.

    All lectures will be delivered online. To encourage participation, lectures will be timetabled, and watching and participating live is encouraged. Workshops and tutorials will be held in person each week, with arrangements in place to make them as safe as possible. While students are encouraged to attend workshops and tutorials in person, the option to participate in those sessions remotely is also available. The course will comprise:

    o 1 hour lecture per week
    o 2 hour workshop per week
    o 1 hour tutorial per week
    Workload

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

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

    Contact time per week:
    o Lecture: 1 hour x 12 weeks (online)
    o Workshop: 2 hours x 12 weeks (face to face and online)
    o Tutorial: 1 hour x 12 weeks

    Students are expected to spend a minimum of four hours per week actively following up material and tasks presented in lectures, workshops and tutorials, and online through MyUni and email.
    Learning Activities Summary
    This course consists of a series of lectures, workshops and tutorials. The teaching topics will be drawn from the following:

    o professional competencies of engineers and computer scientists and the role of communication
    o argument and critical thinking
    o research skills
    o writing clearly, analytically and persuasively
    o professional reflective discussion
    o oral presentation skills - formal and informal
    o team work skills
    o ethics and professional practice
    o sustainability

    Communication and critical thinking competencies are developed through the use of materials that focus on issues related to professional practice.
  • 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

    Assignment % weighting   Individual/Group   Formative/Summative   Due Date  Hurdle  Learning Outcomes  
    Short oral presentation - recorded  12 Individual Formative/Summative   Week 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
    Discussion paragraph 15 Individual Formative/Summative   Week 6 1. 2. 3. 5. 6.
    Research summary 15 Individual Formative/Summative   Week 8 1. 2. 3. 5. 6.
    Oral presentation - live 15 Individual + Group    Summative   Week 11  1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.  
    Position paper 20 Individual Summative   Week 13   40% 1. 2. 3. 5. 6.
    Online quizzes 17 Individual Formative/Summative   various 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
    Pre-class preparation 6 Individual Formative/Summative    various 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    The final paper has a hurdle requirement of 40%. If this mark is not obtained for the final paper, one of the following options will apply.
    1. If the overall grade without the final paper is 49 or greater, a grade of 49F will be recorded, and you will be eligible for an additional assessment. In this case, the maximum grade that can be obtained for the course is 50P.
    2. If the overall grade without the final paper is greater than or equal to 45 and less than 49, your actual F grade will be recorded, and you will be eligible for an additional assessment. In this case, the maximum grade that can be obtained for the course is 50P.
    3. If the overall grade without the final paper is less than 45, your F grade will be recorded and you will not be eligible for an additional assessment.
    Assessment Detail
    Details of all assessment tasks will be provided during the course.
    Submission
    Written assignments are submitted electronically. Selected assignments may be submitted electronically to Turnitin or other plagiarism software. All assignments must have a signed student declaration. By submitting an assignment via MyUni students are agreeing to the following statement:

    'I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work, except where there is clear acknowledgement and reference to the work of others. I have read the University of Adelaide's Academic Honesty Policy. I give permission for any assessed assignments to be reproduced and submitted to other academic staff for the purposes of assessment and to be copied, submitted and retained in a form suitable for electronic checking of plagiarism.'

    Late submissions are penalised at the rate of 10% of full marks of the applicable assignment per day.
    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 feedback in Semester 1 2019 indicated that some students considered more instruction and time were needed to develop presentation skills to enable them to present at Masters level. We addressed this issue by rearranging the course timetable to give more time to presentation skill development, with the aim of achieving the Engineers Australia Stage 1 competency standard upon graduation from the Master of Engineering program.

    Additional information for Trimester-based course participants:
    • A similar approach to one described above has been implented to allocate instruction and time to develop presentation skills at Masters level for computer science students.
    • In 2022, you are participating in the first iterations of this course held in a trimester, and so your feedback throughout the course will be integral to its success. We will actively seek your input and look forward to engaging with you about the course.
  • 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.