| Semester 1, 2020 Online | |
| Short Description: | Critical Reading Skills |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | USQ College |
| School or Department : | USQ College |
| Student contribution band : | Band 1 |
| ASCED code : | 091501 - English Language |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Other requisites
Pre-requisite: Successful completion of EAPI or English Proficiency equivalent to IELTS Band 5.5 plus completion overseas or in Australia of Senior High School or Post-secondary diploma or first year degree or equivalent work experience.
Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .
Rationale
A need has been recognised to prepare students from non-English speaking backgrounds to gain skills in English for academic purposes and develop strategies to equip them for University study prior to entering an Australian university. The course will develop reading skills in an academic context and will provide opportunities for students to increase their ability to comprehend, critically analyse and use a range of texts.
Synopsis
This course assists students to transition to an Australian Academic culture via explicit instruction and the cultivation of independent and ethical practices. It develops both intensive and extensive reading skills required for university studies. These include: previewing, predicting, applying pre-existing knowledge, contextualisation, vocabulary development and the capacity to critically analyse and evaluate text. The course encourages students to gain the confidence and capability to access, classify and utilise academic text.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should have:
- enhanced their ability to reflect upon and review their activities in order to use self-awareness to foster independent and sustainable learning strategies.
- developed a raised awareness and appreciation of the value of extensive reading and the relevant strategies required
- developed critical analysis skills including the evaluation of a text's purpose, content and argument, and its relevance for future use.
- acquired active reading skills such as prediction, recall and knowledge of textual layout to improve their intensive reading proficiency
- demonstrated competency in understanding and responding to typical university assessment tasks requiring independent work and a level of thought appropriate to an Australian university culture.
- displayed evidence of an increased range of vocabulary, including familiarity with frequently used words from the Academic word List.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Text analysis: analysis of type, style, purpose, audience, structure and layout. Identification of academic text style, formality, objectivity and credibility. |
20.00 |
| 2. | Active reading strategies applied to comprehension of text: prediction, recollection, transference of existing knowledge and reflection | 10.00 |
| 3. | Extensive reading: choosing a book, efficient reading strategies, discussion and reporting. | 10.00 |
| 4. | Vocabulary building: strategies for acquisition, accessing AWL, strategies to understand unfamiliar words (grammar, prefixes, context). | 10.00 |
| 5. | Cohesive patterns of organisation in text: addition, sequence, cause/effect and comparison. | 10.00 |
| 6. | Critical reading: evaluation, assessing credibility and identifying main point or argument, purpose, point of view | 10.00 |
| 7. | Intensive reading - reading to study: engaging with text, annotating text, diagrammatic notes and summary of main points. | 10.00 |
| 8. | Application of Academic reading skills to a range of texts: essay, journal article, book chapter, newspaper article | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=EAP7340)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 54.00 |
| Private Study | 109.00 |
| Test | 2.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEST | 30 | 20 | 27 Mar 2020 | |
| EXTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT | 50 | 20 | 03 Apr 2020 | |
| ONLINE EXAMINATION | 100 | 60 | End S1 |
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4). -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1 2020:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 50% of the marks available for that assessment item.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.
Requirements after S1 2020:
CLOSED: Candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into a closed examination. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date
Requirements after S1 2020:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period. A supplementary exam may be awarded, at the discretion of the Examiner, to students who do not pass the final exam. It is expected that such students have gained at least 45% of the total weighted marks available for the course. -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment notes
-
Referencing in assignments must comply with the Harvard (AGPS) referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (APGS) style to be used is defined by the USQ library's referencing guide. This guide can be found at
Evaluation and benchmarking
In meeting the University's aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course:
1. conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement.
2. forms part of the English for Academic Purposes Program and is benchmarked against the
internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.
Other requirements
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Computer, e-mail and Internet access:
Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at . -
Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in this course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect the same grades as those students who do possess them.