BDIC2015J Academic Writing and Communication Skills

Academic Year 2021/2022

BDIC2015J (‘Academic Writing and Communication Skills’) is designed for Stage 2 students who are undertaking a dual undergraduate degree programme at Beijing-Dublin International College (BDIC). The module aims to help students develop their general academic English language, and particularly the skills of textual analysis, note-taking from lectures, spoken interaction, and writing in response to sources. The module encourages them to become effective independent learners.

The content introduces topics specific to the students’ own academic disciplines. Students explore these topics from different perspectives.

Classroom tasks and activities allow students to replicate the processes they go through in their academic studies. More specifically, students develop their spoken interaction skills through active participation in seminar discussions and their spoken production by taking extended turns. Meanwhile, the academic writing classes are designed to take students through the different stages involved in the process of producing written academic assignments. As well as helping students to develop their writing skills incrementally from sentence, to paragraph, to the larger discourse patterns of a full essay, students learn to use appropriate language and structures for key academic functions (eg. comparison, argumentation, and evaluation). They also learn how to integrate sources into their own writing and to use reporting language effectively. Students also concentrate on their listening, with an emphasis on effective note-taking, paraphrasing, and summarizing from lectures. Through extended reading, they learn how to read long and complex texts expeditiously, to respond critically, and to annotate, paraphrase, and summarize texts. Through their reading, students also have the opportunity to expand the range and improve the accuracy of the academic language they use in written and spoken texts.

In addition to language-related skills, academic competence and critical thinking are integral parts of the course. Classroom activities support students’ development of: (a) academic study competences (e.g. conveying meaning successfully in speaking and writing, etc.) and (b) independent language learning strategies (e.g. finding, analyzing and recording useful language, creating key word lists, etc.). Critical thinking is practised in relation to all aspects of learning (e.g. evaluating information, making conceptual links and supporting ideas with relevant evidence, etc.).

Materials and assessments for the module are designed with reference to B2 and C1 descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and The British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP)’s ‘can-do’ framework for EAP syllabus design and assessment.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Participate in seminar discussions on topics of general academic interest
- Plan and deliver short academic presentations and respond to questions and comments
from the audience
- Demonstrate an understanding of the stages involved in the academic writing process
(generating ideas, creating an outline, synthesizing information, revising, editing, etc.)
- Produce short academic texts (e.g. summaries, argumentative essays, cause-effect,
problem-solution) integrating sources
- Use appropriate language for different functional purposes (e.g. expressing opinion,
giving reasons/explanations, comparing and contrasting, etc.)
- Apply critical thinking skills in oral interaction and written production for academic
purposes
- Use effective strategies to enhance their academic language knowledge and skills
independently

Indicative Module Content:

The content will be based around authentic academic sources on topics relevant to all students taking the module.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

0

Small Group

16

Specified Learning Activities

64

Autonomous Student Learning

48

Total

128

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Task-based learning; peer and group discussions; critical writing; reflective learning; student presentations. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: Continuous Assessment: based on activities (including note-taking from listening) completed in class. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

20

Examination: Reading into writing examination 2 hour End of Trimester Exam No Graded No

25

Essay: Coursework essay comparing and contrasting the main ideas in two discipline-specific articles. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

30

Oral Examination: Seminar Discussion based on a discipline-specific article. Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

25


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.