ILMAINFN-Academic Writing for Informatics

Module Provider: International Study and Language Institute
Number of credits: 0 [0 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Ms Gill Kendon
Email: g.b.kendon@reading.ac.uk

Module Co-convenor: Mrs Gemma Peacock
Email: g.peacock@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module focuses on the academic language and writing skills needed to perform more effectively at post-graduate level in Informatics. It is primarily designed for Informatics students whose first language is not English. The module utilises Informatics-specific written texts to develop a range of reading and writing skills needed for successful completion of coursework tasks. The module is non-credit-bearing and designed to support students’ disciplinary study, the expectation being that  students will apply the skills they have learnt on ILMAINFN in their credit-bearing work.  Therefore, for the module itself there is no assessment or expectation of independent study hours.

Aims:

This module aims to support Informatics students with their transition to the UK HE context and academic culture, with a specific focus on the key academic language and skills needed to successfully complete a master’s degree in Informatics.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module, students will be better able to read disciplinary texts through employing appropriate reading skills and strategies to further critical engagement, and use task and discipline- appropriate note-taking and writing skills to communicate more accurately.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

• Reading skills and strategies for dealing with a range of Informatics texts and reading purposes, e.g.
  
  
  
  • careful reading to build gradual understanding of ideas and relationships between them at sentence and paragraph level
  
  
  • strategic reading to identify:
    
    
    
    • specific sources or concepts (search reading)
    
    
    • individual words or phrases (scanning)
    
    
    • overall nature and structure of text (skimming)
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Key skills useful to all academic writing within Informatics
  
  
  
  • incorporating sources using paraphrasing, summarising and direct quotation
  
  
  • ‘information flow’ in English-language texts
  
  
  • employing linguistic features of textual cohesion to clearly signal relationships between parts of a text
  
  
  • accurately apply the referencing conventions for the discipline
  
  
  
  


• Grammar for academic/professional communication, including such items as: verb tense and form, nominalisation, clause and sentence structure, question forms, punctuation and definite/indefinite article use.

Global context:

This module supports internationalisation at Reading by facilitating successful and equal inclusion of students whose first language is not English in UK degree programme study

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The module will utilise written texts from Informatics to develop students’ receptive and productive disciplinary language knowledge

Teaching will be learner-centred, taking a task-based approach to:

• guided ‘noticing’ of key linguistic features in context


• exercises practising use of relevant lexical/grammatical items


• scaffolded reading-to-write exercises


• scaffolded written-la nguage tasks with teacher feedback given

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars	16
Guided independent study:	0	0	0
Total hours by term	16	0	0
Total hours for module	16

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method

Percentage

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy £Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes£, which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

Reassessment arrangements:

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 22 September 2022