Introductory description

The Pre-sessional module for postgraduates is designed to acculturate students into the conventions, demands and expectations of their future discipline. Students work in subject-specific groups, and there is a focus on the particular texts and genres that students need to cope with to engage effectively in discipline-based study. During their work on the module, students will practise the skills of searching for appropriate source materials, integrating their reading into structures of exposition, argument, and discussion, using the norms of citation for their discipline. Students will also practise discussion of issues arising from listening or reading material. This module focuses on collaborative work as a way of developing key postgraduate skills such as ‘critical thinking’.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Text and Genre skills

• Selecting and evaluating source material
• Identifying relevant information in a text
• Citation and referencing practices
• Paraphrasing and academic integrity
• Text structures and the organisation of source texts
• Discipline-specific genre writing development
• Coherence and cohesion in writing
• Effective reading skills for longer texts
• Critical reading

Spoken skills

• Note-taking techniques
• Developing the macro-strategy of predicting listening and summarising /reproducing
  main ideas
• Taking part in small and large group discussions
• ‘Active’ listening
• Reflective listening
• Active participation in seminars
• Demonstrating evidence of critical thinking
• Making an effective, well-structured and evidence informed contribution to a
  discussion
• Language for referring to sources in a spoken context

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Read critically and demonstrate this through note-taking, using a range of techniques to select, extract and analyse relevant information, perspectives and arguments, for the intended purpose.
• Make appropriate and principled use of general and specialised language to write effectively, demonstrating an awareness of written academic genres.
• Recognise and apply key linguistic and structural features of a number of academic texts relevant to the discipline
• Demonstrate an understanding of the academic culture, practices and expectations of UK Higher Education Institutions.
• Communicate ideas clearly in interaction with others
• Listen effectively to spoken texts, demonstrating this through appropriate note-taking, and respond appropriately

Subject specific skills

• Critical engagement with complex texts
• Identifying and using relevant information from academic source texts to incorporate into academic assignments
• Linguistic knowledge of academic texts: vocabulary and academic style; grammar and sentence/paragraph structure
• The writing process: generating ideas, planning, drafting and editing
• Reading strategies and comprehension skills: navigating texts, getting the gist, identifying key points
• Paraphrasing, summarising and synthesising from sources
• Follow conventions of citing and referencing
• Conduct guided research effectively
• Listen effectively to longer spoken texts and be able to reproduce main arguments
• Take effective notes from spoken input
• Use pre-, during and post-listening techniques to develop comprehension of a spoken text
• Orally summarise key points of a spoken text
• Be an active, reflective and critical participant in small and large group discussions
• Use language appropriately to refer to sources, visuals and to signpost

Transferable skills

• Note-taking
• Library skills (e.g. finding and evaluating sources)
• Referencing
• Academic reflection
• Time management
• Self-evaluation
• Presentation skills
• Self-reflection
• Interpersonal and seminar skills
• Team working