Assignment Brief
Course/Programme:
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BA (Hons) Business Studies with Foundation
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Level:
Foundation Year 0 (Level 0)
Year 2 Level 4
Year 3 Level 5
Year 4 Level 6
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Foundation Year
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Module Title:
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Study Skills for Higher Education
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Module Leader:
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Assignment title:
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Study Skills for Higher Education
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Assignment number:
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Weighting:
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Individual Essay (Review Articles) Reflective writing – 30%
Individual Essay – 70%
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Date given out:
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December 2020
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Submission date:
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Individual Essay (Review Articles) – 30%:
Individual Essay – 70%:
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For late submission, please check CCCU Taught regulation (page 28 on late submission) and Extenuating Policy:
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CCCU Taught regulation
CCCU Extenuating Circumstances Policy
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Method of submission:
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ü
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Online only
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Online and paper copy
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Special instructions for submission (if any):
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Date for results and feedback
(please note the final grade is subject to the main CCCU assessment Board)
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Learning outcomes assessed:
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1. Set short term and long range goals and to design an appropriate plan of study;
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2. Identify techniques for building comprehension and retention;
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3.Acquire knowledge of learning strategies and techniques to improve memory retention and understanding how people learn;
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4. Use of library information and media services
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The penalty to be applied to late course work, which will include course work where the work is graded on a pass/fail basis and it is possible to give a numerical mark, will be 5 per cent (of the eligible marks) per day, for up to seven days, after which a mark of 0 will be recorded.
TASK DESCRIPTION – Assignment 1 (30%)
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Assessment 1 - Individual essay (1000 words maximum)
Read the article below and do further research to answer the questions that follow:
Listening skills in an academic context
Students need good listening skills to interpret what people are saying in various academic situations. For example, they need to be able to understand the content of a lecture at the speed it is delivered. Presentations also require good listening skills, as do seminars, where students are expected to understand and build on the contributions of others. Other events include tutorials, discussions, meetings with tutors and supervisors, group projects, and informal social interactions. In addition, students need good listening skills to interact with administration staff in the local context. In short, students exchange, discuss and apply critical thinking to a considerable amount of knowledge in oral/aural settings.
What are the challenges?
A lecture, for example, can present many linguistic challenges. These include speed of delivery, accent, academic and specialist vocabulary. There is also grammatical complexity such as false starts, long sentences, and complex noun phrases. An extract from a university medical lecture on stroke contains the following examples:
- False starts and repetitions: an honour– honorary
- Unnecessary words: So if I’d like to just go, go...
- Long sequences with a number of items, including run-on sentences with multiple clauses which pile up layers of information: Furthermore, it’s the third commonest cause of death, with a third of strokes being fatal; one in six people in the world will have a stroke in their lifetime, it’s unlikely to get through life without knowing somebody, a first-degree relative or very close friend, who will not have a stroke.
- Technical terms which can be difficult to hear, understand, pronounce, and spell: hemicraniectomy, thrombolysis
- Words with dependent prepositions which express specific relational meanings: the impact on, of, of stroke on people
- Embedded references to items mentioned before/after in the text: as I’ve said
- Complex / convoluted structures such as noun phrases: the very exciting acute treatment which has now emerged over the past ten years as I’ve said with thrombolysis and hemicraniectomy
- Abbreviations and acronyms: AIDS, EU, TB
There are other challenges too, including culture, dealing with the content of the lecture, the cognitive processing of numbers and statistics, working out detail from the main points, and visual challenges such as the use of PowerPoint slides. Students also need to know why they are listening, and be able to make a record of the content for future use.
Chazal, E. (2014) ‘Prepare English Language students for academic listening’, British Council, 24 February. Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/prepare-english-language-students-academic-listening (Accessed 12 March 2021).
Questions:
1. Discuss three of the listening challenges mentioned in the article above.
2. Suggest three strategies teachers can use to help students improve their listening skills.
3. Describe some listening challenges you have experienced and the strategies that have helped you become a better listener.
marking criteria – Assignment 1
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Marks will be awarded for answering the following questions and your ability to provide a well-written essay with references. You are advised to support your discussion with at least six sources published during the last ten years.
Assessment Criteria Applied - This assessment addresses the following learning outcomes:
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Marks available
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Discuss three of the listening challenges mentioned in the article above.
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25
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Suggest three strategies teachers can use to help students improve their listening skills.
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25
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Describe some listening challenges you have experienced and the strategies that have helped you become a better listener.
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20
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Essay style and academic writing
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15
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Referencing
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15
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Essay Structure:
Ensure that the essay has the following structure and contains the details outlined:
- Cover page: essay title, student ID, name of course and university
- Introduction
- Main body – consisting of well-written paragraphs
- Conclusion
- In-text citations throughout (Minimum 8)
- Reference List (minimum 6 references)
- Academic writing throughout
TASK DESCRIPTION – Assignment 2 (70%)
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Assessment 2 - Individual essay (2000 words maximum)
The job market is competitive but having a degree can help students to achieve higher paid jobs when they graduate. This is because the skills learned at university are known as transferable skills and are also valued by employers in the workplace.
1. Identify six skills that students require to be successful at university and discuss why they are also important in the workplace.
2. Provide six recommendations that could help students improve the content of their CVs.
You are advised to support your discussion with at least ten sources published during the last ten years.
marking criteria – Assignment 2
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Marks will be awarded for answering the following questions and your ability to provide a well-written essay with references.
Assessment Criteria applied - This assessment addresses the following learning outcomes:
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Marks available
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Identify six skills that students require to be successful at university and discuss why they are also important in the workplace.
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35
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Provide six recommendations that could help students improve the content of their CVs.
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35
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Essay style and academic writing
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15
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Quality of referencing
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15
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Essay Structure:
Ensure that the essay has the following structure and contains the details outlined:
- Cover page: essay title, student ID, name of course and university
- Introduction
- Main body – consisting of well-written paragraphs
- Conclusion
- In-text citations throughout (minimum 12)
- Reference List (minimum 6 references)
- Academic writing throughout
FORMATTING AND LAYOUT FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
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Please note the following when completing your written assignments:
- 1. Writing: Written in academic English
- Focus: Focus only on the tasks set in the assignment.
- Document format: Essay
- Cover sheet: For each assignment provide a clear title, course, and name or ID number on a cover sheet
- Reference List: using Harvard referencing throughout.
- Research: Research should use reliable and relevant sources of information e.g. academic books and journals that have been peer reviewed. The research should be extensive.
- Text: Size 12, Times New Roman font
Assessment 1: 1000 words (+/- 10%).
Assessment 2: 2000 words (+/- 10%).
These assignments address the following Learning Outcomes:
- LO1: Set short term and long-range goals and to design an appropriate plan of study
- LO2: Identify techniques for building comprehension and retention
- LO3: Acquire knowledge of learning strategies and techniques to improve memory retention and understanding how people learn
- LO4: Use of library information and media service