Overview

In this module you will learn about the institutional culture at the Business school and understand the school's expectations of students. This module will prepare you to read effectively and use scientific databases in order to produce academically appropriate texts. You will also develop your presentation skills.

Topics studies in this module include:

• Institutional culture, practices, norms and expectations • Academic style • Research skills • Reading and listening effectively • Taking good notes • Paraphrasing and summarising • Referencing and avoiding plagiarism • Academic discourse • Critical thinking • Academic writing and speaking • An academic skills portfolio

Assessment Strategy

Threshold (40-49% / D- to D+) Can understand the main ideas of texts within their discipline, take simple notes and employ summarising and paraphrasing skills. Can deliver an academic presentation and participate in an academic seminar and generally be understood. However, at times ideas may be confused. Can write an essay synthesising information and arguments from different sources. However, there are some weaknesses with structure and clarity of argumentation and several factual or computational errors.

Satisfactory (50–59% / C- to C+) Can understand the main ideas of texts within their discipline, take effective notes and employ summarising and paraphrasing skills effectively. Can deliver an academic presentation and participate in an academic seminar and be understood throughout. Can write an essay synthesising information and arguments from different sources. The essay has a clear overall structure but there may be weaknesses in coherence at paragraph level, argumentation, and some factual or computational errors.

Good (60-69% / B- to B+) Can understand ideas, arguments and implied meaning within a variety of texts and take highly effective notes. Can employ summarising and paraphrasing skills highly effectively. Can confidently deliver an academic presentation and participate in an academic seminar in an appropriate manner. Can write an essay synthesising information and arguments from a variety of sources and comment on these. The essay has a clear structure and logical argumentation. The work is mostly free of factual or computational errors.

Excellent (70%-100% / A- to A*) Can understand at ease ideas, arguments and implied meaning within a variety of texts and take highly effective notes. Can employ summarising and paraphrasing skills effortlessly. Can confidently deliver an academic presentation and participate in an academic seminar in an appropriate and skilled manner. Can write an essay synthesising information and arguments from a variety of sources comment and expanding on multiple perspectives. The essay has a clear structure, logical argumentation and precise language. There are no factual or computational errors.

Learning Outcomes

• Source and evaluate a range of academic texts

• Take notes from written and spoken texts

• Use academic style effectively in oral and written work.

• Use critical thinking skills to analyse ideas and arguments

• Use paraphrasing, summarising and referencing skills