IL1APDN: Academic Skills and Language for Agriculture, Policy, and Development

Module code: IL1APDN

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Mrs Gemma Peacock, email: g.peacock@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Mr Daniel Devane, email: d.devane@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This non-credit bearing module focuses on the academic language and literacy skills needed to perform more effectively at undergraduate level in Agriculture, Policy and Development. It is primarily designed for international students, including students new to studying in the UK and students whose first language is not English. It aims to support their transition to the UK HE context and academic culture by enhancing their academic skills and English self-confidence. The module recognises the need to focus on criticality and utilises discipline-specific texts to develop a range of writing skills needed for successful completion of assessed assignments. This developmental enhancement has been designed to be transferrable to other modules, both concurrent and future, and thus help facilitate the students' assessment task and overall performance in their undergraduate studies at the University of Reading. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of written and spoken genres in Agriculture, Policy and Development (e.g., essays, reports, presentations) to interpret assignment tasks and employ appropriate organisational patterns in their completion; 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of academic integrity through appropriate use of referencing conventions, including the paraphrase and summary of source material;
3. Employ task-appropriate language (grammar and lexis) in written and spoken texts;
4. Demonstrate critical evaluation of their own and others’ written and spoken texts through completion of guided tasks. 

Module content

Classes will focus on:

• Recognising and responding to the key written assignment genres in Agriculture, Policy and Development, e.g., essays, including:
  • Expected structural & argumentation patterns
  • Reading-to-write and source use and synthesis processes
• Grammar for academic communication, including verb tense and form and sentence structure
• Building discipline-specific vocabulary for Agriculture, Policy and Development
• Reading skills and strategies for dealing with a range of Agriculture, Policy and Development texts and reading purposes, e.g., strategic reading to identify:
  • Specific sources or concepts (search reading)
  • Individual words or phrases (scanning)
• Speaking and oracy skills and strategies for dealing with Agriculture, Policy and Development presentation tasks, e.g.:
  • Organising and signposting spoken language communication/texts
  • Pronunciation, including sentence stress and intonation
  • Non-verbal communication (e.g. eye contact)

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will adopt an overall ‘genre’ approach, taking the social purpose of texts as the starting point to explicate organisation/structure and key discourse and language features.   

It takes a discipline-specific approach to language and literacy development using example student texts and published Agriculture, Policy and Development sources in classroom tasks.  

Teaching and learning is facilitated in a generally task-based approach, through a combination of reflective and productive activities, guided analysis of texts and peer and tutor feedback. The guided analysis of texts involves 'noticing' of key organisational and linguistic features in context and exercises to practise the use of relevant language. 

Interactive tasks are regularly included and are appropriately scaffolded to build students’ confidence in participating in discussion. The in-person delivery of the module will be supported by digital tools in the classroom where appropriate (e.g. short interactive learning tasks and/or quizzes). 

Study hours

At least 8 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

There is no assessment on this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

There is no assessment on this module.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Sessions will take a task-based approach, enabling students to receive feedback from the instructor and from other students during class discussions.

Reassessment

Additional costs