Integrating academic skills development and content delivery: a case study of a first year humanitie

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Integrating academic skills development and
content delivery a case study of a first year
humanities unit. Linda Thies Language and
Learning AdviserGeoffrey Robinson Lecturer,
Faculty of Arts and Education
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Objectives

• To highlight some examples of attempts to embed
  tertiary literacy skills development into
  discipline content delivery.
• To consider possible collaboration between
  Language and Learning Advisers and discipline
  specialists.
• To commence discussion on the integration of
  tertiary literacy skills and content in other
  units of study.

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Some starting points . . .

• Generic skills
• Valued by employers
• Marketing point of generic programs
• Connected knowing as generic skills of history
• Disconnected from teaching?
• Seen as irrelevant by vocationally focused
  students?
• 2007 survey of a first-year Australian studies
  unit 2 identified improving communication
  skills as an objective of tutorials
• Reference Booth A, 2003, Teaching History at
  University, Routledge, NY.

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Some starting points . . . (cond)

• Theme of Deakin Policy statements
• Language and Learning Review
• Recommendation 2
• Collaborative development of a range of skills
  modules including study skills, referencing,
  writing, library and research skills, oral
  presentation and number, table and diagram skills
  
• i.e. Embedding skills within discipline content

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The Unit

• AIA103 Australia New World Nation
• Assessment 2 essays, tutorial participation
  exam
• Participation component increased from 10 to 15
  in 2008
• Tutorial papers in the past discouraged
  participation
• Student feedback requests for more assistance
  with first essay

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Student Need Academic Writing Number of
consultations (all campuses)
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Integrating tertiary literacy

• Approach in previous years (add on workshop)
• New approaches in 2008
• Resources on DSO
• Model essays
• Resource sheets e.g. How to analyse the
  question
• One tutorial focused on assessment 1
• Working in groups students analysed a question
  and developed preliminary plan
• Mirrored guided group discussion process being
  adopted in all tutorials

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Action Research

• Our reflections
• First essay marks
• Student feedback on the Unit
• Focus groups (held after the first essay was
  distributed to students)
• References
• Elliot, J 1991, Action Research for Educational
  Change, Open University Press, Melton Keynes.
• Kemmis S Mc Taggart, R 2003, Participatory
  Action Research, in NK Denzin and YS Lincoln
  (eds) Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, Thousand
  Acres, CA.
• McNiff, J 1997, Action Research Principles and
  Practice, Routledge, London.

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Feedback from focus groups

• Use of resources on DSO
• I didnt access the resources. I might have
  looked quickly at one essay.
• Its finding the time to go through these. Im
  here because I learn face to face.
• I didnt know resources were up there. You need
  to click on all the folders its pot luck if
  you happen to see them.

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Markers feedback

• I would like feedback to help with the next
  essay. The feedback needed to be more specific. .
  . Where did I go 63 right and 37 wrong. I need
  to fix my mistakes.
• Im not conscious in this unit of acquiring
  other skills. Im here not just for content. I
  want to get better at writing.
• I think feedback is important, but each essay
  you write will be different. This feedback wont
  have any impact on the next one.

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Where to from here?
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The way forward

• Interactive literacy learning activities during
  tutorials (drip feed approach rather than one
  tutorial)
• eg. analysing an example introductory paragraph
• paraphrasing a direct quote
• using a paraphrase to support point of view
• Resources used and developed during tutorials to
  be posted on DSO.
• eg. annotated essay based on student analysis
  exercise
• Tutorial questions to include focus on literacy.
• eg. In reading one, what was the main point in
  the second
• paragraph, and how was it developed?

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Discussion

• What do first year students need to know to
  successfully complete their first assessment
  task?
• How do we/can we embed development of tertiary
  literacy skills in course delivery?