Thanks to those of you who voted on our poll. We are keen to 'open the floor', as it were, to our fellow lecturers who are immersed in papers (your papers!) as we speak. As Learning Advisers, we see some students who want to take their work up to the next notch of excellence. Some students have studied in another country and find the strategies used at home don't seem to work as well in Oz. Others have come from secondary school and have a similar experience.
Is there a magic ingredient to writing a distinction level paper? If you are already a good student, what does it take to shift to the next grade? How can students get extra marks in exams?
Share your thoughts with us by posting a comment.
6 comments:
What I look for is:
Engagement beyond the set readings (a must)
Interpretation of the literature with your own 'voice' (not just regurgitation - that's a P1!)
The 'X factor' - a strong argument, backed up in the literature, but with critical engagement.
Be brave - as long as you can back up your position, you don't have to agree with everything.
Your reasoning needs to be logical, ethical and supported!
What I look for includes:
•Original ideas
•Good planning based on recent, relevant readings
•Strong, sequenced structure and argument
•Readings used purposefully and judiciously that are connected to the question.
•Reference to the question throughout the assessment
•Writing that is so clear that someone outside of the field of study can read it and follow it.
•Correct in-text referencing and reference list
What I value in student writing is:
1. The whole idea and the flow of the assignment. The idea must be good and cohesively expressed. The idea should be exressed clearly at the beginning and in the conclusion - I need to see the whole picture.
2. While the paper should be academic in tone, it should also be interesting and eye catching. I quite like intelligent humour, use of proverbs and wisdom.
For example 'Not every group is a team and not every team is effective' (Parker) If the student can use the quotes such as this one to express their argument, then apply theory and examples, it makes for a more interesting paper.
Use a diversity of papers - journal articles, industry websites, technical papers.
3. Students who are able to relate the academic to real-life situations. Students who can provide everyday examples and apply the theoretical. I reward students who can show how engineering has relevance in real life.
What I reward in your work includes:
A clear introduction which shows you know where you're going.
A logical progression of ideas.
A clear conclusion that draws from you have has actually said in your paper. In other words, the conclusion should reflect what you said you were going to do.
The 'evidence' and supporting material needs to be of good quality. That doesn't mean just getting any old website. If you are using any web resources - you need to use the same critical judgement that you would in choosing material from academic journals.
I prefer to see a mix of resources - academic works and, where appropriate, more newsy-type things like web resources.
I encourage people to read newspapers and look at websites in addition to standard literature.
Students should not just use material that they've done a Google search for. You need to put thought into the kinds of material you use and make sure it supports the kind of research you are doing in your assignment and that it is used in an academic way.
Currency and interest are really important - this is the only way you are really going to keep up.
Whatever you are using, you must use a consistent referencing system!
You will move up a grade level if you can demonstrate:
* Logical layout and logical thinking. This one's pretty high up on the list. Even if the language is not up-to-scratch, a logical progression of ideas is of prime importance. If I can't understand what you are trying to tell me, you don't stand a chance in terms of getting a high grade.
* Referencing is the next most important thing. If you can show that you are able to research and are aware of what's 'out there', this will impact on your mark in a positive way. At the end of the day, you'll be rewarded if you can use other people's information in a way which isn't just copying. This shows that you have thought about the information in some way.
* Good technical language. The ability to express things in a technical away using technical terms is an asset in engineering. Also, if you know that your language is not that good, make the most of using diagrams, pictures or graphs to get across what you are trying to say.
* With regard to performing well in exams, find out what the lecturer wants!!! I really don't like going through three or four pages of exam and not being able to give any marks. Either the student hasn't read the question OR asked the right questions in a tutorial. "What are you looking for in this question?" is a good one to ask tutors.
I think that a student's work deserves to go to the next level if a student:
* Proofreads their work carefully
* Tells a story. So often, I get lost on the first page and if I get lost on the first page it's difficult to follow and as a marker I lose concentration.
* Formatting is really important. If it's an unattractive, chaotic and unstructured piece of work then it's really difficult to follow and read.
* Use pictures and make sure you REFERENCE your pictures.
* Try not to use fancy words without explaining them.
That's my two pence worth!
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