| Semester 2, 2020 Online | |
| Short Description: | Math & Comp Literacy - Level A |
| 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 will require access to e-mail and have internet access to UConnect for this course.
Rationale
Students entering into Business, Education, Law or Psychology need to apply their A level mathematical and communication skills to think critically in order to participate in lectures and tutorials and to successfully complete assessment tasks. Students also need to be numerate and have a basic understanding of functional relationships, computer skills and clarification of data if they are to operate successfully at the tertiary level. This course also introduces students to independent study and learning skills that are vital to successful completion of a tertiary level programme. This course is designed to allow students to: practice using both academic English and academic numeracy in the macro skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking; develop confidence and reduce anxiety in both academic English and numeracy; develop critical thinking through a variety of problem solving sessions.
Synopsis
The course consists of a series of group oriented problem solving sessions where students at the Maths A level practice reading, writing, listening, speaking, academic numeracy and computer skills. Students will submit reports, worksheets and learning activities appropriate to A level Maths designed around the degree students wish to enter.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- organise and present information in a variety of forms and translate from one to another such as oral, written, symbolic, pictorial and graphical; Problem solving quizzes, computer skills activities, written activities, Class Survey and Analysis.
- select and use appropriate problem solving or mathematical procedures in a range of situations.
- demonstrate an understanding of selected academic numeracy topics essential for tertiary study.
- demonstrate an ability to select and use appropriate technology such as calculators and computers with selected software.
- communicate quantitative terms and symbols accurately and appropriately.
- use accepted spelling, punctuation and grammar in written grammar.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Interpreting and writing about charts, tables and graphs using computer. | 17.00 |
| 2. | Introduction to computing literacy in practice. | 8.00 |
| 3. | Reading and writing about quantitative information. | 33.00 |
| 4. | Critical thinking (interpreting and solving logic problems, computing activities and computer skills). | 17.00 |
| 5. | Everyday statistics and probability (language of probability and statistics, data collection, classification, interpretation and display. | 25.00 |
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=02&subject1=EAP7381)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 22.00 |
| Directed Study | 55.00 |
| Private Study | 80.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem Solving Quizzes | 40 | 24 | 14 Aug 2020 | |
| Class Survey and Analysis | 24 | 12 | 28 Aug 2020 | |
| Computer Skills Activities | 100 | 24 | 04 Sep 2020 | |
| Revision exam | 50 | 10 | 11 Sep 2020 | |
| Final Exam | 50 | 30 | End S2 |
Important assessment information
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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:
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:
RESTRICTED: Candidates are allowed access to specific materials during the examination. The only materials the candidate may use in the restricted examination for this course are: writing materials, a non-programmable scientific calculator and one (1) A4 sheet of notes prepared by the candidate. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
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
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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鈥檚 referencing guide. This guide can be found at .
Evaluation and benchmarking
In meeting the University鈥檚 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.