Unit Outline

In this unit you will develop your ability to communicate in written form in a university environment. You will gain the skills and develop strategies to plan and write academically. In particular, you will analyse assignment tasks, learn how to structure an essay, draw on your critical thinking skills, and synthesise multiple academic sources and reference these in-text.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Identify and apply critical components for academic writing.
2.	Plan and write in academic formats in accordance with university standards and principles.
3.	Exercise critical thinking to evaluate, analyse and integrate sources into academic writing.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Changes to this unit as a result of student feedback have included an updated range of research essay topics to cater to a variety of discipline areas; increased guidance around the peer-review assessment process to promote clarity and ease-of-use; and the increased use (with permission) of samples of past student’s work.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Essay Plan	Week 3	15 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Integrating Evidence Quiz	Week 4	10 %	LO1, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Short Essay: Part A (due week 7) & Part B (due week 9)	Week 7	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 4:	Long Essay	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Essay Plan

Task Description:

Compose an essay plan for your first short essay, including a thesis statement, provisional topic sentences, and at least one item of academic evidence allocated to each body paragraph.

Task Length:

No set word count; however, a typical plan will be between 100-300 words. The plan should include a thesis statement, provisional topics sentences, and at least one academic source allocated to each body paragraph. A conclusion is not required. An example essay plan will be provided for guidance.

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Locate academic sources to support an argument.	LO1, LO2
2	Organise ideas according to the conventions of an academic essay.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Integrating Evidence Quiz

Task Description:

Complete a ten-question, multiple-choice quiz on MyLO on the use of academic evidence. This quiz will ask you to identify the correct protocols for integrating source evidence into essays and will address introducing evidence, paraphrasing, using quotations, and referencing. Once commenced, the student has 24 hours to complete the quiz.

Task Length:

Ten multiple choice questions.

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	N/A. Quiz is aligned to ILO 1 & 3.	LO1, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Short Essay: Part A (due week 7) & Part B (due week 9)

Task Description:

This assessment task focuses on the completion of a short essay; however, it is in two parts, with different due dates. For the first part (Assessment Task 3a: Peer Review) you will complete a draft of a 500-word essay, drawing on and demonstrating skills practised in class, and providing feedback to a peer on their essay draft based on the principles of essay-writing addressed in the unit. In the second part (Assessment Task 3b: Short Essay), after the peer-review feedback process, you will submit your refined and completed short essay for assessment.

PART A:

Prior to submission of this work for assessment, you will complete a peer review which includes identifying key components of an essay and providing feedback to another student (10%).

Week Due: WEEK 7

PART B:

You will complete a 500-word essay drawing on and demonstrating skills practised in class (25%).

Week Due: WEEK 9

Task Length:

500 words (25%), plus a peer review (10%)

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Present information and ideas in academic format	LO1, LO2
2	Use evidence to support arguments and conclusions	LO3
3	Communicate persuasively through the conventions of academic English	LO1, LO2
4	Demonstrate critical thinking and analysis around subjects of enquiry	LO3
5	Provide recommendations for improvement and change	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 4: Long Essay

Task Description:

You will complete a 1500-word essay in response to a topic chosen from an approved list of essay questions. This essay should incorporate and demonstrate your learning in areas of academic writing, including style, structure, argument, and evidence.

Task Length:

1500 words (+/- 10%)

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Present information and ideas in academic format	LO1, LO2
2	Use evidence to support arguments and conclusions	LO3
3	Communicate persuasively through the conventions of academic English	LO1, LO2
4	Demonstrate critical thinking and analysis around subjects of enquiry	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.