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AW1006: ACADEMIC WRITING FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (2019-2020)

Last modified: 25 Sep 2019 09:58


Course Overview

This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve.  It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it.  If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Session First Sub Session Credit Points credits (0 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Hazel Hutchison

Qualification Prerequisites

  • Either Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Academic writing is one of the cornerstones of university study. In all disciplines, students (and their teachers) need writing to express their ideas clearly. If things like paragraph structure, verb tenses, or spelling and punctuation are not as they should be, your reader may well be distracted or even confused by these surface problems and may not understand what you are trying to communicate. This short course is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide additional support to allow you to do well. There are no timetabled classes for this course but it is compulsory and if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your academic transcript. You will be given clear instructions both within MyAberdeen and by email on how to complete the course.

The course is structured in the following way:

Teaching Week 1

All students will complete an on-line evaluation. This involves writing a summary of a passage of prose (approx. 600 words) in no more than 150 words. The test must be completed in one sitting and within one hour. The summary is marked both on how accurately students summarise the text and how correct they are in their use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Summaries that are longer than 150 words will lose marks.

If you pass the first test you have completed the evaluation.

Teaching Weeks 2 – 4

Students who have not passed the first test must work through the on-line, interactive resource ‘Improving Your Writing’.

Teaching Week 5

Students who have not passed the first test must take the second test.

If you pass the second test you have completed the evaluation.

If you do not pass the second test you will be required to attend a series of three writing workshops with the Student Learning Service during Weeks 8-10. Details of the workshop schedule will be found on MyAberdeen.  

By attending these workshops you will have completed the evaluation. Registers will be taken at the workshops.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

Summary

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

The Academic Writing for Social Sciences (AW1006) test is 150 words, i.e. students are asked to summarise an 800-word test into 150 words.  For those who fail or to not take the first test there is a resit with exactly the same format, i.e. 150-word summary of a bigger text.  Those who fail or do not do the send test can pass the course by attending workshops.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

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