SSD 2013/17
University of Glasgow
Student Support and Development Committee: 10 January 2014
Annual Report for the Student Learning Service
Cover Sheet
Dr. Carol Collins, Senior ELA, Student Learning Service
Brief Description of the Paper
This provides the annual report of the Student Learning Service 2012/2013
Action Requested
The Committee is asked to note the report of the year to date and support the
objectives for 2013/2014/
Recommended Person/s responsible for taking the action(s) forward
Dr Carol Collins
Resource Implications (where appropriate)
N/A
Timescale for Implementation (where appropriate)
Next annual report sequence
Equality Implications (where appropriate)
N/A
2
Contents
1.
Overview of the work of the Student Learning Service (SLS) from 1 August 2012 to 30
April 2013. ............................................................................................................................... 4
2.
Service Usage 2012-2013 .............................................................................................. 6
3.
Development of provision within individual Colleges ....................................................... 7
Arts: ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Social Sciences: .................................................................................................................. 8
Science and Engineering .................................................................................................... 8
MVLS................................................................................................................................... 9
Maths and Stats support ..................................................................................................... 9
4.
The Writing Centre......................................................................................................... 10
Advanced Academic Writing Moodle (AAW) ..................................................................... 11
Academic Writing Skills Programme (AWSP) ................................................................... 11
5.
Feedback ....................................................................................................................... 12
6.
Observation of emerging trends in the student experience ........................................... 12
7.
Future Directions ........................................................................................................... 13
Appendix 1 ............................................................................................................................ 15
Appendix 2 ............................................................................................................................ 17
Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................................ 23
Appendix 4 .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3
1. Overview of the work of the Student Learning Service (SLS) from 1 August
2012 to 31 July 2013.
There has been a major sea change in the Service in terms of structure, staffing and
practice over the 2012/2013 session. In the midst of this change, SLS have not only
maintained their previous level of service under challenging circumstances but have
also extended their reach through the recruitment of 8 GTAs, the expansion of
teaching provision and the adoption of two LTDF writing projects to mainstream
across the University as core work of the Writing Centre. This change has also been
made more attainable through a greater level of contact and collaboration with
College Deans of Learning and Teaching, Learning and Teaching committees, the
First Year Course Coordinators Network and with the Disability Service and the
Counselling and Psychological Services. It has been noted by College staff that the
Service has become a more dynamic force with a raised profile across the campus.
The Service internally restructured to map provision to Colleges (Fig 1).
Fig 1. Re-organisation of the Student
Learning Service to reflect Collegefacing structure, new management
post, and new staff.
4
Following the SLS Review report, published January 2012, and the subsequent ‘Way
Forward’ document presented to the Learning and Teaching Committee, 5th April,
2012, the opportunity was taken to effect the following changes and developments:
•
SLS was restructured to map to College-facing.
•
A Senior ELA was appointed from 1 October 2012.
•
Two new ELAs were appointed to MVLS (01/10/12) and Science and
Engineering (1/09/12) due to staff leaving or moving.
•
The Writing Centre was established as a core component of SLS.
•
A 0.5 FTE Writing Centre Co-ordinator was appointed from 29 October 2012.
•
SLS took on responsibility for the Academic Writing Skills Programme
(AWSP – see Section 4), previously run by the College of Arts, with the aim of
mainstreaming across the University.
•
SLS took on responsibility for maintaining and extending the Advanced
Academic Writing Moodle (AAW – see Section 4).
•
8 Graduate Teaching Assistants, two for each College, were appointed from
1/09/12 - 29/03/13 to assist in delivering the AWSP and other SLS activities.
GTAs were line-managed by the Senior ELA and mentored by the ELA for the
relevant College.
•
SLS maintained and developed provision to Colleges, through in-course
sessions, workshops and one-to-ones, during a transitional year due to
restructuring.
•
SLS took over organising and running the First Year Course Coordinators
Network allowing a collaboration that informs practice.
•
All ELAs consistently and collegiately reviewed and collaborated on teaching
materials.
•
SLS developed the Service’s profile through use of social media.
•
With one existing member of SLS staff and the new appointment to Science
and Engineering, SLS is now responsible for the established Facebook PAL
with a view to expansion into other Colleges.
•
SLS invited a speaker from Goldsmiths University to speak on their success
in face-to-face PAL with a view to developing PAL across the GU campus.
This was also attended by external visitors, so creating links with staff in other
universities and promoting SLS work.
5
•
Developed contact with Disability Service and Counselling and Psychological
Services to establish best practice in collaboration.
•
Established SLS events as part of the Learning and Teaching Centre’s Event
Programme.
•
ELAs established contact with College Deans and Learning and Teaching
Committees to work more closely on developments.
2. Service Usage 2012-2013
The following three figures illustrate the increased reach and impact of SLS, including the
Writing Centre.
Student Attendances at SLS ‐ Year‐on‐year Growth
10000
2000
**
Students
1600
8000
*
1200
6000
800
4000
400
2000
2011/2012
0
2012/2013
0
Generic workshops
1:1s
Maths
AWSP Online Exercise
In‐course sessions
Fig 2. Attendances at SLS Activities Itemised by Activity Type The total number of
attendees present at each type of SLS activity has increased in the year 2012/2013. For
a breakdown of attendance at sessions, please see Appendix 1.
* The AWSP Online Exercise in 2011/2012 was administered by the College of Arts.
Contact Hours Offered ‐ Year‐on‐Year Growth
600
rs Offered
500
400
300
6
2011/2012
*
Fig 3. Contact Hours Offered The number of small group sessions offered has
increased in the year 2012/2013 and will continue to rise over the coming summer
months. The AWSP was only mainstreamed under SLS in 2012/2013. For a College
breakdown of attendance, except AWSP, please see Appendix 1.
*The AWSP Online Exercise in 2011/2012 was administered by the College of Arts.
Attendance at AWSP Workshops
300
250
200
Students
150
Attended
100
Completed
50
0
Total
Total
2011/2012
2012/2013
Arts & SocSci Arts & SocSci Compulsory Volunteers Semester 1
Semester 2
Sciences
2012/2013
Fig 4. Impact of AWSP The programme was mainstreamed under SLS in 2012/2013
and attendance increased upon figures for year 2011/2012 (section A). The programme
was extended in Semester 2 on a voluntary basis to Level 1 courses in the Colleges of
MVLS and of Science & Engineering (section B).
3. Development of provision within individual Colleges
In response to the restructuring of the Service, where ELAs had previously been
Faculty, then School, facing significant reorganisation of workload and response took
place. ELAs continued provision from previous years and developed as follows.
7
Arts:
•
The Senior ELA, previously ELA to Schools of Medicine and Education, took
over responsibility for the College of Arts after the previous adviser retired.
•
New generic workshops were established for PGT and for Level 2 prehonours students.
•
English Literature Level 2 exam workshops were expanded to meet huge
demand which was due to competition for entry to honours.
•
A new session was developed with academic staff to facilitate change in the
first assessment for Level 1 students in Celtic Civilisation to address a
problem that emerged from markers’ feedback in the previous year.
•
A new session on presentation skills was provided for the Level 4 travel
assessment in Classics.
Social Sciences:
•
The permanent ELA for the College of Social Sciences has been on sick
leave since September 2012.
•
Cover is provided on a 0.5 FTE basis by one of the Writing Centre GTAs.
•
Provision has been expanded by the GTA to incorporate more generic
sessions for undergraduates, particularly in the area of writing. This is in
response to an ever-expanding demand from, particularly overseas, students.
•
New sessions on dissertation writing have also been developed for
undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, to continue over the
summer months.
•
As the restructuring brought Education under the duties of this ELA, the
covering GTA liaised with academic staff in the School to organise provision,
both in one-to-ones and workshops, and to organise expanding future
provision.
Science and Engineering
•
Due to restructuring and staff changes, the post of ELA for Science and
Engineering was a new one.
•
The challenge for this year has been to develop links to expand SLS provision
in this College where, historically, there has been less usage of the service.
8
•
The new ELA used their already established links, having worked previously
within the College as Retention Officer.
•
The ELA brought in to SLS the already established Facebook PAL, in
conjunction with the SLS Maths Adviser.
•
New generic workshops on study skills were devised and expanded in
conjunction with the ELA for MVLS.
•
New sessions on academic and writing skills were devised for Geomatics, in
conjunction with a GTA.
MVLS
•
Due to restructuring and staff changes, the post of ELA for this College was a
new one.
•
The challenge for this year has been to incorporate provision for the School of
Medicine, already a consistent user of the Service, into College provision
where Life Sciences already had a high input from the Service.
•
New generic workshops on study skills were devised and expanded in
conjunction with the ELA for Science and Engineering.
•
New provision was developed for PGT Evidence-Based Medicine in the
Clinical Sciences MSc.
•
Re-established sessions for PGT Public Health on critical analysis.
•
ELA support for the use of PeerWise was extended to the School of Dentistry
and the School of Nursing.
•
Writing support was expanded to MSc in Biotechnology and Level 3 Vet
Bioscience.
•
New sessions on writing and on presentation skills for Level 3 and 4 Anatomy
were established.
Maths and Stats support
•
Stats one-to-one provision was withdrawn due to lack of funding from June
2012.
•
The Maths Adviser expanded one-to-one provision and drop-in sessions due
to a very high demand.
9
•
Some stats support was given on an ad hoc basis due to some availability of
one GTA with stats experience.
•
The GTA provided some one-to-ones and developed two stats lectures and
two tutorials for level 3 Anatomy, along with the Maths Adviser and a member
of staff from Anatomy.
•
Workshops were introduced to address common difficulties encountered in
preparing for the Level 1 Maths Skills Test.
4. The Writing Centre
The Writing Centre is an exciting new expansion of the Student Learning Service that
will enhance academic writing provision to ensure that students can not only
maximise their ability while at this institution, but will also be able to compete in the
jobs market and be recognised as excellent University of Glasgow graduates. The
Writing Centre will also enhance the reputation of the Student Learning Service and
the University as a whole by being forward thinking in developing the profile of the
Centre and in providing both online and face-to-face provision that leads the sector.
To this end, and working with the already established staff of SLS, a Writing Centre
Coordinator was in place from 29 October 2012 with responsibility for expanding the
Advanced Academic Writing Moodle (AAW) and collaborating with ELAs and GTAs
to administer and mainstream the Academic Writing Skills Programme across
campus. The adoption of the AWSP, in particular, was a major shift in practice for
SLS. SLS staff took over in August 2012 with the need to deliver the Programme by
Induction in September. SLS staff worked at short notice: to learn about how the
Programme functioned; to understand how to use the home-grown technology which
no longer had technical support; to, for the first time, advertise, recruit, train and
mentor GTAs; to advertise and administer the Programme in a timely manner. The
Programme was successfully delivered with no drop in uptake. To begin the process
of mainstreaming, the Programme was piloted in the Sciences and agreements have
been reached for expansion in the 2013/2014 session. A Writing Centre Steering
Group has also been established to oversee the development of the Centre, chaired
by the Dean L&T (Arts) and attended by representative staff from all Colleges and a
member of the SRC. Initial funding for the Centre runs for 3 years from September
2012 and evaluation is ongoing. As funding to SLS for the Centre is only confirmed
for 2 years more, consideration of funding to maintain the Centre and to expand will
have to be considered within the 2013/2014 session based on ongoing evaluation
which already indicates success in expanding the AWSP.
10
The following is a brief overview of this year’s activities. Please see Appendix 2 for
details of the AWSP diagnostic exercise and class content for 2012/2013.
Advanced Academic Writing Moodle (AAW)
•
Previously an LTDF project, this course is an interactive writing resource with
subject-specific, real student examples which currently sits in Computing
Science’s Moodle.
•
SLS and the Writing Centre have taken on the development of AAW with the
aim of expanding into more subject areas over 3 years from October 2012.
•
Staff and students in Computing Science are currently moving AAW to the
SLS area of Moodle 2.
•
A deadline for this move has been agreed for summer 2013.
•
The Writing Centre Coordinator is planning new subject sections within the
course for Education and for Life Sciences. Discussions are also underway
for a future section for Law.
Academic Writing Skills Programme (AWSP)
•
Previously an LTDF project, the AWSP is an online diagnostic exercise for
Level 1 students followed up with 6 weeks of classes for those whose
performance indicates a need for writing support.
•
SLS took over responsibility for the AWSP from the College of Arts with a
three year timescale to mainstream.
•
In semester one, having just taken over the AWSP, SLS maintained the
delivery from the previous year, with the online diagnostic exercise being
compulsory for Level 1 Arts students and optional for Level 1 MA Social
Sciences students.
•
Statistics remained constant from previous years under Arts (see Appendix).
•
8 GTAs, two for each college, were recruited to mark the AWSP and deliver
subsequent classes.
•
In semester two, the classes were advertised as optional to the Colleges of
Arts and of Social Sciences and attracted School of Education students to the
AWSP for the first time. This precipitated an interest from the School of
Education which has led to adoption of the Programme for all Level 1
Education students in 2013/2014.
11
•
In semester two, a pilot AWSP was offered in Level 1 Biology and Level 1
Chemistry, so beginning an expansion into the two Colleges that had not
previously had access to AWSP.
•
After the Dean of L&T (Arts) and the Senior ELA spoke at the College of
Social Sciences L&T Committee, the School of Law have decided to
participate in AWSP in September 2013, bringing an estimated 600 more
students to the online diagnostic.
5. Feedback
Structured feedback for semester one 2012/2013 has been garnered online for oneto-one appointments and generic workshops. There is also a feedback facility on the
Service’s website. A key objective for 2013/2014 is to harmonise how we elicit
feedback across activities and Colleges. This will include a system to collect incourse feedback which has been historically difficult where numbers are large and
the event usually organised by College staff. Due to the timing of the report, feedback
is still being gathered for semester two. A harmonised system, using Moodle
Feedback, will be used in 2013/2014 for all SLS activities as a pilot feedback
questionnaire for Science & Engineering/MVLS generic workshops showed a higher
rate of return when using Moodle. Please see Appendix 4 (to follow) for feedback
data.
6. Observation of emerging trends in the student experience
•
The growth in PGT numbers continued to increase overseas students’
engagement with SLS, particularly in the College of Social Sciences.
•
Some very anxious students sought advice from the Service when they were
unable to contact their Adviser of Studies.
•
Some Level 1 Physics students attending Maths Support indicated that they
were unaware that Maths was compulsory prior to arriving at the University of
Glasgow.
•
There was a great deal of anxiety among Level 2 Arts students about entry to
Honours, particularly where their marks indicated they would not be admitted
and they had no contingency plan in place or had not considered the
implications in choosing their other subjects.
•
It was noticed that many Eastern European students expressed anxiety about
economic pressures, particularly in terms of returning home to earn for their
families.
12
•
It was also noted that some students, where they were taking subjects in
different Colleges, were confused by which College they were in.
•
In the Maths unit it was noticed that, whereas previously there had been
particular pressure points within the academic year related to students
starting University and to assessment timing, the Service was now busy all
year round, perhaps due to continuous assessments.
7. Future Directions
The Service had an away day in late May to develop a two year strategic plan to
encompass the period for which the Writing Centre currently has funding. Depending
on the possibility of further funding, this plan will feed into a five year strategic plan.
Bearing in mind the above trends in the student experience and other strategic
observations, the SLS consider the following to be priorities for the year 2013-2014:
•
Bringing in new Writing Centre staff. A 0.5 FTE PGT adviser is to commence
work in September 2013 on a two year contract and a 0.5FTE PGR adviser is
being sought to start in September 2013 on a three year contract.
•
Mainstreaming of the Academic Writing Skills Programme. The participation
of the Schools of Education and of Law for 2013/2014 will bringing an
estimated 600 more students to the AWSP online diagnostic and further
support. This will necessitate developing a range of responses, through oneto-one and online resources, to deliver the Programme with the currently
available staffing levels.
•
Developing new online diagnostic materials and new teaching materials for
AWSP.
•
Establishing the Advanced Academic Writing Moodle as an SLS/Writing
Centre resource and expanding to provide materials for more subject areas.
•
Harmonising feedback from all activities across the Colleges.
•
Working with Student Lifecycle Support and Development and the Equality
and Diversity Unit to monitor and analyse service users.
•
Compiling an assessment timetable for each College to facilitate
understanding of when interventions would be useful.
•
Expanding Facebook PAL, with the possibility of running a pilot subject area
in Arts.
•
Continuing to organise the First Year Course Coordinators Network, including
providing a visiting speaker on the Curriculum for Excellence and its impact.
13
•
Developing and analysing SLS use of social media.
•
Exploring new ways of advertising the Service and activities to maximise
usage.
•
Developing records management.
•
Expanding analysis of SLS impact, particularly in the area of retention, by
setting up focus groups.
•
Identifying back-up for the Maths Adviser to allow time to develop the Maths
service and resources.
•
Identifying ways of expanding the Service to Science and Engineering and
addressing retention, perhaps through targeting at-risk students.
•
Continuing to work with College and School level Learning and Teaching
committees to expand the reach of the Service.
14
Appendix 1
Breakdown of Service demand 2012/2013
Induction
College
Arts
Science and
Engineering
Social Sciences
2
Medical,
Veterinary and
Life Sciences
3
ELA Induction
sessions for UG
ELA induction
sessions for PG
4
3
0
0
1
1
Science and
Engineering
Social Sciences
8
6
3
4
In-course sessions
College
Arts
In-course
sessions for UG
In-course
sessions for PG
35
Medical,
Veterinary and
Life Sciences
65
4
8
Generic academic skills workshops
College
Arts
88
Medical, Veterinary and Life
Sciences/Science and Engineering
(combined sessions)
71
Total number of
generic
workshops
Total number of
attendances
Social Sciences
98
318
141
873
One-to-one appointments
College
Arts
Science and
Engineering
Social Sciences
91
Medical,
Veterinary and
Life Sciences
146
Total number of
appointments
for UG
Total number of
appointments
for PG
80
44
8
10
9
22
Maths Support
Inductions
15
College
Number of inductions
for maths UG
Number of inductions
for stats
Medical, Veterinary
and Life Sciences
1
Science and
Engineering
28
Social Sciences
2
0
2
0
Appointments, drop-ins and classes
Number of 1:1 appointments
Number of email appointments
Number of drop-in attendances
Number of maths skills revision classes
Attendances at maths skills revision classes
272
3
1359
10
88
Academic Writing Skills Programme (AWSP)
Total number of students completing AWSP
online diagnostic exercise
Total number of AWSP classes run
Number of students attending
1479
194 (comprising of 6 and 4 week courses)
186
16
Appendix 2
Arts and Social Science AWSP diagnostic exercise 2012/2013
The following three sections are taken from the diagnostic exercise completed by
students in the Colleges of Arts and of Social Science in order to identify students
who needed further help. They were then invited onto the course of classes.
Section1(Multiplechoice)
Irvine Welsh is a controversial Scottish writer, many readers find his work shocking.
Irvine Welsh is a controversial Scottish writer; many readers find his work shocking.
The course book includes all the information you will need, full reading lists, information on
assessments and deadlines, contact details for tutors, and as list of essay questions.
The course book includes all the information you will need: full reading lists, information on
assessments and deadlines, contact details for tutors, and as list of essay questions.
It’s important to work on improving your writing skills.
Its important to work on improving your writing skills.
Their are dozens of critical works on Shakespeare in the library.
There are dozens of critical works on Shakespeare in the library.
You will soon grasp the basic principals of good academic writing.
You will soon grasp the basic principles of good academic writing.
There is much critical debate about the various causes of World War One. The Scramble for
Africa is usually cited as a major factor.
There is much critical debate about the various causes of World War One the Scramble for
Africa is usually cited as a major factor.
Among the major Post-Impressionist painters are Paul Gaugin, Paul Cezanne, and Henri
Rousseau.
Among the major Post-Impressionist painters are Paul Gaugin Paul Cezanne and Henri
Rousseau.
17
Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnet 10’ opens with bravado: Death, be not proud.
Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnet 10’ opens with bravado: ‘Death, be not proud’.
A wide range of student acommodation is available in the Glasgow area.
A wide range of student accommodation is available in the Glasgow area.
Andrew Marvell and John Donne. Are both often described as metaphysical poets.
Andrew Marvell and John Donne are both often described as metaphysical poets.
The Department welcomed its new member of staff.
The Department welcomed it’s new member of staff.
The students really enjoyed their first semester at University.
The students really enjoyed there first semester at University.
Section2(Paragraphcorrection)
QuestionBank
The Renaissance
The Renaissance isn’t just Italian but its a French word so I don’t think its fair to say it was
happening in Italy all the time. The Renaissance is when you think antiques are the best art
and try to copy it. They tried to break with the medieval age in their pictures though it wasn’t
that easy as they couldn’t get about like we can very easily. Some of the best artists are
Michelangelo and Giotto I really admire them they both liked the old roman stuff and worked
for the pope though he wasn’t always in Rome at that time. The Pope is the bishop of Rome
though he was sometimes french and lived there. They liked a lot of art in their palace. Its
called the Vatican, nero had a stadium there where there’s an obelix, and Constantine built it
on top of it but his isn’t there any more because of it was pulled down and a new one was
put up it has Michelangelo’s dome, though he died someone else built it. They think it’s
bigger than the one in Florence.
Rembrandt
The reason Rembrandts the best of Dutch painters is because he was very unique and
painted only what he wanted not like most of them. Other artists in Holland were very good
but due to there working for money they could’nt express what they felt, I think that is why
they aren’t as good as Rembrandt is. Though Vermeer was also very good from Delft but his
pictures were to small and nobody really liked them until much later on like Van Gogh. He
only sold one painting. Now his paintings are worth millions. you couldn’t buy one. But then
you could pay like zilch. I like girl with a pearl earing best its been made into a film.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont to fight the king of Persia. There are lots of
reasons. He was born in 356 B.C. Aristotle was his tutor, he taught him lots. Including great
admiration for democracy and philosophy. His father Philip was assasinated, he became
king of Macedon. He founded lots of cities when he had defeated the Persians, these are
18
often called Alexandria. They had Greek architecture. His army won battles because they
had better equipment and used the phalanx. He took his army east because he was
ambitious. Also his father had conquered Greece. He got as far as India but his army was
unhappy, they mutinied. His death was very important, it was the end of his empire.
Kelvingrove Museum
The Kelvingrove Museum was closed for refurbish. Now it has opened again. The gallery’s
are much more crowded. There are things to do in the middle, this is good if people come
more. Things are hung together, it tells a story so you get pictures and objects and other
things altogether. There are lots of pictures from one country altogether, in other places they
are put together by theme. Such as children or portraits of the artist. In some rooms there
are quotes on the walls, this is helpful because it tells you what an artist thinks. There are
lots of visitors so its difficult to see. There is a cafe in the main hall, this is wrong because it
says that visiting a museum is like going out to enjoy yourself. But its not.
19th Century Art
To look at 19th century art the norm was narrative. Impressionism symbolises when an artist
puts reality into the artwork. As they saw it. Thats my own definition of it as I see what they
were doing. It was a radical break in the 19th century because everyone that was making art
was just copying what there teachers were doing. There was’nt a whole lot of imagination
really in art until a French painter called Manet came along and it was him who told them all
what to do. He was very unique because he got it together without teachers, anyway they
wouldn’t of known what to do. Which he did. The battle pictures were all gone. Now it was all
about light. They really had changed what art was all about. It was new then but everyone
likes it now. Other ones were Renoir and Degas. Seurat was post-impressionist like Van
Gogh, he was the one with all the dots. Which took him so long he didn’t do enough
paintings like Monet.
Section3(Freehand)
Question bank:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Should all university students study a second language?
Is alcohol more dangerous than some drugs?
Has sexual equality been achieved in the Western world?
Is there an argument for penalising people who have more than two children?
Should the state pay money to the Arts?
Should everyone have to carry an identity card?
19
Science and Engineering and MVLS diagnostic exercise 2013
The following questions are taken from the diagnostic exercise offered to science
students.
20
21
22
Appendix 3
Academic Writing Skills Programme – Outline of course objectives
for tutors, compiled by the College of Arts
Class 1: Introduction
1) Introduction to programme: student recognition and acceptance of why they are attending the classes. 2) Syllabus outline: in the context of ‘the essay’ as the main vehicle for
academic writing in Arts and LBSS
3) Analysis of the online diagnostic exercise and recognition of problems.
Class 2: Words and Sentences
1. WHAT IS A SENTENCE?
2. COMMON SENTENCE STRUCTURE ERRORS TO AVOID.
i) Subject-verb disagreements
ii) Run-On Sentence/Fused sentence
iii) Comma splice
iv) Sentence Fragments
3. SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION ISSUES TO CONSIDER.
i) Rhetorical Questions:
ii) Active and Passive voice
[4. SENTENCE STRUCTURE TIPS: TO IMPROVE CLARITY – optional] [5. ADVANCED SENTENCE STRUCTURE – LANGUAGE DELICACY –
optional]
Class 3: Punctuation
1. Ending a sentence: full stops, question marks and exclamation marks:
2. Apostrophes [including it’s and its] 3. Commas (six uses)
i) Punctuating linked main clauses
ii) Setting off the introductory element of a sentence
iii) Additional and subordinate clauses at the end of sentences
iv) Subordinating and parenthetical elements inserted in a sentence
23
v) Around appositives
vi) Lists: between items in a series, and between two or more
adjectives that equally modify the same word.
4. Colons and Semi Colons
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
Colons and explanations
Colons and explanations
Semi-Colons and lists
Semi-Colons and sentences
Class 4: Structure: Paragraphs and Essays
1. The paragraph
i) Definition
ii) Basic paragraph structure: a) The topic sentence. b) The elaborating, more specific sentence. c) Supporting evidence/development d) Discussion/Interpretation e) Topic sentence 2/Conclusion/link to following paragraph iii) Common paragraph issues:
a) Too short
b) Too long
c) Coherence and Unity
i) Paragraph Development by Detail
ii) Paragraph Development by Comparison and Contrast
iii) Paragraph Development by Process
iv) Paragraph Development by Combination
2: The essay
i. What is an essay; or, what are tutors looking for?
ii) Essay structure and planning:
iii) The Introduction:
iv) The Conclusion:
Class 5: Academic Style and Referencing
1: CITATION AND REFERENCING
i). Introduction – plagiarism, citation and referencing
ii) What is plagiarism?
iii) Handling external material: quotations, paraphrases, summaries
24
iv) How to introduce a reference in the text.
2. WORD CHOICE AND WRITING STYLE
i) The reader
ii) To use ‘I’ or not to use ‘I’?
iii) Tone and vocabulary
Appendix 1 – exercise in quoting, paraphrasing and summarising:
Appendix 2: Examples of referencing systems: Appendix 3: The Paramedic Method of clarifying prose
Class 6: Conclusion
One-to-one feedback for each student on final exercise; completion of course
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Appendix 4 – Feedback
1:1 Feedback (Semester 1 2012/13)
1:1 Satisfaction Survey – Quantitative Data
Link to feedback webform was sent to 183 students, of whom 25 responded (13.6%).
The results are summarised as follows:
Legend:
1.SD = Strongly Disagree
2.D = Disagree
3.NS = Not Sure
4.A = Agree
5.SA = Strongly Agree
9.NR = No Response
1:1 Satisfaction Survey – Qualitative Data (Selection)
What did you learn from the session you attended?
‘How best to prepare for my exam which I was very worried about, and also got a
better understanding of some areas of the subject.’
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‘I learned how to adjust to the new learning style at University, I also learned how the
different subjects had different types of exams along with the methods to be effective
in them and the most effective methods to write lecture notes.’
‘Solving maths questions that were not made clear during the lectures.’
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Reasons Students Gave for Seeking Help in 1:1 Appointments
Students are asked to reflect on why they have sought help. Often behind the primary
reasons shown below there are also secondary personal or health reasons not
recorded here. Effective Learning Advisers (ELAs) do advise students on using other
Services.
Reasons for Visits (1:1 Appointments)
60%
% of Respondents in College
Dissertation writing
50%
Essay writing
Exam technique
40%
Learning styles
Oral presentations
30%
Note‐making
20%
Revision
Time management
10%
Plagiarism
Other
0%
Arts
MVLS
Soc Sci
Sci Eng
No. of Students
Advice to use other GU Services or external agencies
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
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Generic Workshop Feedback (Semester 1 2012/13)
Generic Workshop Satisfaction Survey – Quantitative Data
Feedback was sought from 256 students, of whom 56 responded (21.9%). The results
are summarised as follows:
How many workshops did you attend? (All colleges)
18
16
14
12
10
Respondents
8
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
No. of sessions attended
How helpful did you find the workshop(s)? (All colleges)
30
25
20
Respondents 15
10
5
0
0
1
2
3
4
Likert Scale (0 = Not helpful at all 5 = Extremely helpful)
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5
Generic Workshop Satisfaction Survey – Qualitative Data (Selection)
Comments:
‘I liked that for the essay & report writing skills we were given examples of essays at
different grades to show us the different levels. More examples & more time to break
them down & analyse them would be good, but I know time is limited because of the
amount of people at university.’
‘I think making the adjustment from school to university, or in my case, having been
away from education for a while, is difficult. Thus I think it is important to have a
support structure for student who are finding it difficult/too much.’
‘The workshops were informative and very useful for my degree. I attended a
workshop on presentation skills and this was extremely helpful when presenting my
final dissertation project. I would recommend these workshops.’
‘Everything was explained in detail and the pace was good. The workshops are always
interactive so I always left feeling like I've learnt many valuable things and achieved
the purpose of going to the workshop.’
‘**** responded patiently to all my questions from how to learn effectively to how to
arrange my brand new life abroad.’
‘Really appreciated the info I got. At first I thought it was pretty basic, but I’ve been
amazed how many of my fellow students had questions about the issues made clear a
these sessions. I felt well-informed!’
‘I found the sessions useful and **** was very knowledgeable and approachable.’
‘I did not think I could write a well-structured essay, presenting a coherent argument in
a thoughtful and analytical way. Who would have thought? Anyway, thanks for your
input which obviously was very useful and gave excellent results.’
‘Just wanted to say thanks to **** for her help with the [Maths] Skills Test questions. I
finally passed it on Friday!’
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Academic Writing Skills Programme (AWSP) Feedback
AWSP (Arts & Social Science, Semester 2) Satisfaction Survey – Quantitative
Data
Students were asked to respond to the following statements on a Likert scale of
1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree):
Overall, I was satisfied with the course
The course was well organised
It was made clear to me what I was expected to learn in this course
Teaching staff made this subject interesting
The teaching on this course enhanced my understanding of the topic
I feel more confident than I did at the start of the course about my academic
writing skills
I would like to be able to stay in touch in case I have any queries about academic
writing
AWSP Voluntary Feedback ‐ Semester 2
14
Respondents
12
10
8
Strongly Disagree
6
Disagree
4
Neutral
2
Agree
0
Strongly Agree
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AWSP (Arts & Social Science, Semester 2) Satisfaction Survey – Qualitative Data
(Selection)
Comments: ‘The tutor was very approachable and explained every detail which made the course
very enjoyable.’
‘There was no pressure to answer out or feel silly if you asked a question. It was a very
relaxed atmosphere to learn in.’
‘Very specific – explained common errors and how to fix them. Comparison between
beginning and end of course.’
‘It’s an enjoyable and helpful way to improve writing skills.’
‘The hand-outs were clear and had plenty of information on them.’
AWSP (MVLS and Science & Engineering, Semester 2) Satisfaction Survey –
Quantitative Data
35 students attended the course; 7 students responded with feedback (20%).
Did you find the initial diagnostic exercise useful?
Did you find the workshops useful?
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0
Yes
Slightly
No
0
Yes
Should it be compulsory ?
Slightly
No
Were 4 sessions enough time for the material?
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
Yes
Optional
No
Enough
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Just right
Too much
AWSP (MVLS and Science & Engineering, Semester 2) Satisfaction Survey –
Qualitative Data
Did you find the initial exercise useful?
‘Allowed me to find out what areas I struggled with.’
‘Yes, but if the extended response questions (Olympics) were more biology-based, it
would have made more sense.’
‘The multiple choice questions were not helpful as it was quite east but the paragraph questions were good practice.’
Do you think you have benefitted from the course?
‘I think it will help me to improve my writing.’
‘Especially with the help on referencing.’
‘Particularly on the style of writing.’
What could be improved?
‘Would have been better if it was in semester 1 before coursework started.’ (All 7 said
this.)
‘Add in more about lab reports / analysing data / ways to represent data / evaluation of
data.’
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In-Course Feedback (Semesters 1& 2 2012/13)
As detailed in Section 5, formal in-course feedback has not historically been sought
due to the size of classes and to avoid duplicating a feedback process already
performed by subject areas. However, a system is being developed for 2013/14. The
following are examples of unsolicited feedback from academic staff on in-course
sessions.
Comments: ‘Hi **** - i just received the qa scores for first term for first years and thought you
should know you received highest scores for your presentations on the course. And
you received a couple of 'interesting' (in a good way .. i think !) comments in the
returns ! .. so whatever you're doing it's going down very well - thanks for your efforts!’
‘Thanks for taking time out of the conference for us today. I think the students felt more
confident after the session. I’ll let you know if anything else crops up.’
‘Thank you very much for the session you did with the TRS students. It was very
interesting, and the students found it very helpful. Your advice about planning is
something I’ll keep talking to them about as they go through the process: it’s really
useful to think about it throughout the final year. ‘
34
In-Course Feedback (Semesters 1& 2 2012/13)
As detailed in Section 5, formal in-course feedback has not historically been sought
due to the size of classes and to avoid duplicating a feedback process already
performed by subject areas. However, a system is being developed for 2013/14. The
following are examples of unsolicited feedback from academic staff on in-course
sessions.
Comments: Hi **** - i just received the qa scores for first term for first years and thought you should
know you received highest scores for your presentations on the course. And you
received a couple of 'interesting' (in a good way .. i think !) comments in the returns ! ..
so whatever you're doing it's going down very well - thanks for your efforts !
Thanks for taking time out of the conference for us today. I think the students felt more
confident after the session. I’ll let you know if anything else crops up.
Thank you very much for the session you did with the TRS students. It was very
interesting, and the students found it very helpful. Your advice about planning is
something I’ll keep talking to them about as they go through the process: it’s really
useful to think about it throughout the final year.
35