"Opening Doors Early to Academic Integrity" – aiding the transition to and managing expectations of academic practice at University

The Geography Department at Durham University has long recognized that Freshers/newly arrived undergraduate students are suddenly asked to juggle a whole new skills set on arrival at University, often without the level of assistance they have previously experienced at school. As Smith states: The first year is widely acknowledged as a critical period in determining a students? success at University. However, the period immediately prior to commencing University is also critical. (Smith, 2010, p. 1) This pilot project was designed to help new undergraduate students understand the differences between studying at school and reading for a degree (this British-English term is useful in this context as it refers to a requirement for students to read widely and engage critically with their "major" discipline) and to becoming active participants in a community of practice while at university. Collaboration between the Geography Department, English Language Centre, Learning Technologies and University Library developed a set of discipline specific study skills exercises, based around the concept of Academic Integrity. The study skills packages were launched within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) on September 1, 2011 with an expectation that students would have completed the tasks by mid-October. Answers were collected using the test canvas and students received comprehensive online feedback after they submitted their responses. Postgraduate tutors and module convenors monitoring answers were able to identify areas of concern in terms of student comprehension, powers of analysis and identifying which students had not engaged with the tasks. Using data from focus groups with tutors, student surveys and comparison of essay writing performance over past years, we were able to show that cases of recorded plagiarism had fallen to zero saving staff time on plagiarism panels, whilst there was a marked improvement of marks from 2:2 to 2:1 grades.

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Using a Virtual Learning Environment to Promote Autonomous Language Learning for Chinese Students

Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2821-2.ch009 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 140-158

Author(s):

Eoin Jordan ◽

Mark Coyle

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Study Skills ◽

English Language ◽

Chinese Students ◽

Virtual Learning Environment ◽

First Year ◽

Participation Rates ◽

Self Study ◽

Usage Patterns ◽

Students Attitudes

This chapter examines a semester-long Moodle-based programme of monitored quizzes designed to encourage first-year Chinese students at an English medium university in China to engage in English language self-study and autonomous learning. Usage statistics and questionnaire data were collected and analysed in order to investigate overall quiz participation rates, usage patterns across the semester, and the extent to which the programme affected students’ attitudes towards self-study. The results indicated that participation rates in the quizzes were high, although activity on the programme pages did decline as the semester progressed. Students also reported via the questionnaire that the programme had helped them learn how to organise their own self-study. However, statistics from Moodle revealed that many participants were not taking the quizzes on a regular, weekly basis, as had been intended, suggesting that the programme may have only been partially successful in fostering autonomous study skills.

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Longitudinal Study of EFL Students Using the Systemic Functional Linguistics Method

International Education Studies ◽

10.5539/ies.v10n11p47 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 47 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Akiko Nagao

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Systemic Functional Linguistics ◽

First Year ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Functional Linguistics ◽

Genre Awareness ◽

Efl Students ◽

Study Participants

This study examined the progress of English as a foreign language (EFL) writers using the instructional framework of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and the communities of practice (CoPs) model. The study participants comprised 11 first-year undergraduate students in Japan with intermediate-level English proficiency who were exposed to SFL in a single EFL classroom (CoP). The participants’ genre understanding and meaning-making decisions when writing discussion essays were studied over two semester-long courses. To do so, their developmental changes were analyzed using pre- and post-instructional writing tasks. In particular, their ability to convey interpersonal meaning, such as through the use of modal verbs, was examined and compared between the pre- and post-tasks. To triangulate the findings, participants’ genre awareness in relation to discussion essays was also examined using in-depth qualitative analysis of their self-reflective texts and peer assessments, based on a grounded theory approach. In the pre-writing task, it was apparent that the learners lacked understanding of the components of discussion essay writing. However, analysis of their post-instructional tasks revealed that most had begun to apply the language components required to convey interpersonal meaning in their discussion genre texts. These results suggest that the changes in learner’s genre awareness and knowledge affected the lexicogrammatical features they used when writing discussion essays. Thus, this study concludes that applying the SFL framework to writing instruction enhanced EFL learners’ awareness of textual meaning and their understanding of the function of discussion essay texts.

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Avaliação de um Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem de Imunologia

EAD em FOCO ◽

10.18264/eadf.v6i2.381 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Adriano Theodoro ◽

Gerlinde Agate Platais Brasil Teixeira ◽

Claudia Marcia Borges Barreto

Keyword(s):

Learning Environment ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Virtual Learning ◽

Virtual Learning Environment ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Classroom Teaching ◽

First Year ◽

Face To Face ◽

Teaching Concept

Descrevemos o processo de criação colaborativa de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA) de acordo com os princípios das metodologias ativas de ensino e a sua avaliação. O ambiente virtual foi usado no apoio ao ensino presencial. Participaram dessa experiência híbrida de aprendizagem estudantes da disciplina Imunobiologia, oferecida no primeiro ano de um curso tradicional de graduação em Medicina. Ao término da disciplina, foi aplicado um questionário para avaliar a facilidade de uso e a percepção dos estudantes sobre a qualidade do aprendizado adquirido. A maioria dos estudantes que avaliaram a intervenção pedagógica afirmou que o ambiente foi fácil de usar, atendeu às expectativas de apoio ao ensino presencial e as atividades didáticas foram importantes para o aprendizado de habilidades como reflexão, pesquisa e discussão. Portanto, o ambiente virtual desenvolvido foi bem-sucedido e bem-aceito pelos estudantes.Palavras-chave: Educação a distância, Moodle; Ensino de Imunologia, Mapa conceitual.? Evaluation of a Virtual Learning Environment of ImmunologyAbstractWe herein describe the process of collaborative creation and evaluation of a Virtual Learning Environment of Immunology according to the principles of active learning. The Web-based platform was used in support of face to face classroom teaching. First year Medicine undergraduate students attending Immunobiology? course participated in this blended learning experience. At the end of the course, a questionnaire was applied to evaluate the ease of use and the students' perception of the quality of the acquired learning. Most students assessed the educational intervention said that the environment was easy to use, supports the classroom teaching and the educational activities were important for learning skills such as reflection, research and discussion. Therefore, the developed virtual environment was successful and well accepted by the students. Keywords: Distance learning, Moodle, Immunology teaching, Concept map.

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Discipline-Based Study Skills Support for First-Year Undergraduate Students

Active Learning in Higher Education ◽

10.1177/1469787402003001003 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 24-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Kathy Durkin ◽

Andrew Main

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Study Skills ◽

First Year

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Gender and Language

Futuristic and Linguistic Perspectives on Teaching Writing to Second Language Students - Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-6508-7.ch010 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 161-177

Author(s):

Didem Koban Koç

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

The Other ◽

First Year ◽

Teaching Program ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

The Social ◽

Social Meanings

The present study investigated gender differences in the use of linguistic features as well as the social meanings attached to those differences. Academic essays, written by 44 (22 male, 22 female) first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the English Language Teaching program at a government university were analyzed with respect to the use of linguistic features (adjectives, empty adjectives, intensifiers, linking adverbials) as well as the number of words and sentences used by the students. The results showed that, in comparison to males, females used more adjectives, intensifiers, and words. Males, on the other hand, used more empty adjectives and linking adverbials than females. Based on the results, pedagogical implications are discussed, and recommendations are provided in order to increase teachers' awareness of gender differences and improve students' writing skills.

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Metaphorical competence in EFL

AILA Review ◽

10.1075/aila.23.09mac ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. 155-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Fiona MacArthur

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Cognitive Linguistics ◽

English Language ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Effective Feedback ◽

Metaphorical Language ◽

Linguistic Resources ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Using Data ◽

Communication Demands

Although there exists a number of studies that have shown the benefits of applying the cognitive linguistics notion of motivation to foster comprehension and retention of conventional English metaphors, relatively little attention has been paid to EFL learners’ productive use of metaphor in speech and writing. Using data gathered in a post-intermediate English language classroom, I describe and explore the metaphorical language used by undergraduate students in their writing. The data show that learners use metaphor to express their ideas on complex, abstract topics, but that the resulting metaphorical usage is not always conventional or felicitous. Since metaphor is deployed by EFL learners in response to particular communication demands, teachers need to find ways of providing appropriate feedback on learners’ efforts to make use of their limited linguistic resources to express their own meanings. However, how effective feedback is to be given is not always straightforward. I discuss some of the problems involved and suggest areas that are in need of further research.

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Observing the Effectiveness of Task Based Approach in Teaching Narrative Essay at a Private University

International Journal of English Linguistics ◽

10.5539/ijel.v10n2p128 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 128

Author(s):

Hina Manzoor ◽

Sahar Azhar ◽

Fouzia Malik

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

Private University ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Qualitative Research Design ◽

Lexical Resource ◽

Post Test

Writing is one of the most challenging skills of English language. Learners in Pakistan seem unable to master this skill even after years of using English as an official/second language. The focus of this research was to prove that within task-based learning (TBL) framework, language learners engage in purposeful, problem-oriented, and outcome-driven tasks that yield much better results as compared to traditional teaching methods which often fail to generate the desired output. The aim of this research was to prove that Task Based Approach is quite effective and successful in teaching narrative essay writing with an only disadvantage of time consumption. This study resorted to semi-structured interviews and post-test for data collection targeting the undergraduate students in Pakistan. This action research used purposive sampling and employed qualitative research design since the data comprised of both; final drafts of narrative essays and open-ended interviews. The data collected in the post-task phase i.e. the narrative essays were assessed via writing assessment rubrics presented in the IELTS guide for the teachers (2015). The bands were awarded on the basis of four parameters: task achievement, cohesion and coherence, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. The results delineated that majority of students achieved 5 bands and an overall improvement was observed in the narrative writing skills of students. In the same stead, the students in interview presented the view that Task Based Approach was much more successful in teaching them narrative essay writing.

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Indonesian EFL Students’ Proficiency in Writing and Ability in Speaking across Personality Learning Styles

Studies in English Language Teaching ◽

10.22158/selt.v4n2p168 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 168

Author(s):

Bambang Yudi Cahyono ◽

Ira Mutiaraningrum

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Cause And Effect ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Writing Course ◽

Scoring Rubrics ◽

Efl Students

This research aimed at examining Indonesian EFL students’ proficiency in writing and ability in public speaking across personality learning styles: extroversion and introversion. It involved 74 undergraduate students who took an Essay Writing course in the English Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, one of the leading universities in Indonesia. The students were distributed into three classes. They were taught how to write essays. Then, the students were made aware that they had to complete two tasks: writing and presenting a cause and effect essay on topics related to English language teaching. The students’ cause and effect essays were scored to know their proficiency in writing and their presentation was assessed to know their ability in speaking. Two scoring rubrics were used and two raters were involved in the scoring process for interrater reliability. The results of the research showed that the Indonesian EFL students’ proficiency in writing is strongly related to their ability in speaking for both groups of students. In addition, the Indonesian extrovert EFL students’ proficiency in writing is strongly related to their ability in speaking. The Indonesian introvert EFL students’ proficiency in writing is also strongly related to their ability in speaking. However, there is no significant difference of the proficiency in writing and ability speaking between the extrovert and introvert students.

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Changes in approaches to learning over three years of university undergraduate study

Teaching & Learning Inquiry The ISSOTL Journal ◽

10.20343/teachlearninqu.5.2.6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 65 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fiona McDonald ◽

John Reynolds ◽

Ann Bixley ◽

Rachel Spronken-Smith

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Study Skills ◽

Approaches To Learning ◽

First Year ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Strategic Learning ◽

Anatomy And Physiology ◽

Undergraduate Study ◽

Science Degree ◽

Surface Learning

This study aimed to evaluate and compare approaches to learning by a longitudinal cohort of undergraduate students as they progressed from their first to third years of study in anatomy and physiology. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) wascompleted at the beginning and end of their first year of university study, and in their final semester. At first year, a surface learning approach predominated; however, at third year, students showed a significant increase in their use of deep and strategic learning approaches compared to first year, although surface learning approaches were retained. The extent to which third-year students took both strategic and deep approaches to learning was positively correlated with their performance on assessment. As students progress through a three-year science degree, they develop deeper and more strategic learning approaches, and assessment and teaching styles probably promote these approaches to learning.

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Challenges of Short Sentence Writing Encounter 1st Year Uundergraduate Students in English Language Departments at Al-Baha University

Arab World English Journal ◽

10.24093/awej/vol12no4.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 118-131

Author(s):

Ahmed Ibrahim Alsalami

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Mixed Method ◽

English Language ◽

First Year ◽

Written Feedback ◽

Passive Voice ◽

First Year Students ◽

Verb Agreement ◽

Short Sentence ◽

English Major

This study aims to find out the most common challenges of writing short sentences encountered by first-year English-major undergraduate students of English language departments. A mixed method was used including quantitative and qualitative as data was obtained using student questionnaires and interview questions for the lecturers. About 122 first-year English-major undergraduate students (%50.4 female and %49.6 male) from the English Language Departments at all colleges of Al-Baha University were randomly chosen, including 30 lecturers, and were interviewed in the study (15 males and 15 females). The study revealed significant results which have shown difficulties in constructing short sentences, the distinction of active and passive voice, and the use of conjunctions, punctuations, quantifiers, and the correct auxiliary. Also among common issues, students find difficulties in using comparative and superlative degree, subject–verb agreement and the use of articles. Thus, the study recommends that first-year English-major undergraduate students should be given more written exercises as well as written feedback so that students can be able to write more effective short sentences. The study suggests that more studies could be conducted qualitative researches for first-year students of English language department to investigate and analyze the most common challenges and difficulties of the students’ written samples or documents.

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