helmut gruber markus rheindor birgit huemer institut für sprachwissenschaft e-mail:...

Helmut GruberMarkus Rheindor

Birgit HuemerInstitut für Sprachwissenschaft

E-mail: [email protected]

“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose…” On the advantages and disadvantages of developing a writing course for students in a research project.

Helmut Gruber

Markus Rheindorf

Birgit Huemer

Helmut GruberMarkus Rheindor



Overview

• Introduction: institutional framework, previous research

• „Translational research“• Course design

–Entry module

–Module 1

–Module 2

–Designing course materials

• Concluding remarks

Helmut GruberMarkus Rheindorf



Introduction

Institutional framework at Vienna university – part I• No institutionalized writing centre

• „Introduction to academic skills“ courses in the first year of the BA program of some study programs (less than in the soon obsolete „Magister“ study programs)

• Opportunity of developing applications for results produced by previous research in the framework of the “translational research” program of the Austrian Science Foundation FWF




Introduction

Institutional framework at Vienna university – part II• fundamental change of the way study programs are structured: from

„Magister – Doktorat (– Habilitation)“ system to BA-MA-PhD system

• „Magisterium“: 4 year study program (somewhat structured programs in the Arts and Humanities)

• „Doktorat“: 2 year study program (with rather undefined course requirements)

• BA: 3 year study program (highly structured programs; 180 ECTS, 120 ECTS major study; 60 ECTS „supplementary modules“)

– Written requirement for graduation: 2 so-called „BA papers“ of unspecified

length

• MA: 2 year study program (highly structured programs; 120 ECTS major study only)

– Written requirement for graduation: MA thesis




Introduction

Previous Research:• Academic Writing at the University (1999/2000, University of

Economics Vienna, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Department of Linguistics – both University of Vienna, funded by the Austrian National Bank)

• Genre, Habitus and academic Writing (2001-2004, University of Vienna, Department of Linguistics, funded by the Austrian National Bank and the Austrian Science Foundation)

– Theoretical background: Academic literacies and Writing in the Disciplines

approach

Current Research Project:• Developing a Writing Course for Austrian Students (2006-

2008, University of Vienna, Department of Linguistics, funded by the Austrian Science Foundation as project L179-G03, http://www.univie.ac.at/linguistics/Schreibprojekt




Translational Research: The didactic Implementation of linguistic categories of analysis

Newly formulated didactic domains: • General criteria of academic writing• Differences between everyday language and the language of

science/academia• Structure/make-up of a seminar paper• Connecting text segments• Perspective (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, referencing,

evaluating)• Explication and argumentation




Linguistic categories’ contribution to didactic domains in terms of results

Linguistic categories Didactic domain

Macro structure (SFL, RST) Structure of a seminar paper, connecting text segments, argumentation

Metacommunication Structure of a seminar paper, connecting text segments, general criteria of academic writing

Intertextuality Perspective

Argumentation Explication and argumentation

Modality Differences between everyday language and the language of science/academia, argumentation

Lexis Differences between everyday language and the language of science/academia




The initial course design: a modular approach

Entry module

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Evaluation

Differences between everyday language and the language of science/academia, writing process, writing techniques / web-based

Focus on writing: discipline-specific aspects of text structure, perspective, argumentation / face-to-face and web-based, i.e. blended

Writing workshop: accompaning a seminar / face-to-face and web-based (discussion forum)




The adapted course design: a modular compromise

Entry module

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Evaluation

Differences between everyday language and the language of science/academia, writing process, writing techniques / web-based

Focus on writing: discipline-specific aspects of text structure, perspective, argumentation / face-to-face and web-based, i.e. blended

Writing workshop: accompaning a seminar / face-to-face and web-based (discussion forum)




Entry module

• PurposeAllows the evaluation of students’ previous writing experiences and competence and on this basis also allows the recommendation of specific parts of Module 1 in case of shortcomings

• Content:– general questions: demographic information, academic and non-

academic writing experience, general academic skills (literature research,

compilation of bibliographies, taking notes and writing excerpts)

– specific academic skills: work process, structuring a paper, group work

skills

– academic writing: language of academia, connecting text segments,

perspective, argumentation




Entry module

• Content:– general questions: demographic information, academic and non- academic

writing experience, general academic skills (literature research,

compilation of bibliographies, taking notes and writing excerpts)

– specific academic skills: work process, structuring a paper, group work

skills

– academic writing: language of academia, connecting text segments,

perspective, argumentation

– academic writing: genre knowledge, features of academic style, author’s

voice in academic texts, citing and referencing of sources, explaining and

arguing in academic texts




Entry module

• Design/ Implementation:–open questions

–multiple choice questions

–short assignments

–Implementation on the eLearning platform of Vienna University,

Blackboard-Vista, as a “test”




Module 1 (online module)

• http://www.univie.ac.at/linguistics/schreibprojekt/Grundlagen/

• Content:

– What is academic work?

– Academic skills:• finding a topic• contacting your supervisor• planning your work• finding literature• the writing process (drafting – writing – revising)• making a presentation

– Writing in the disciplines

– Differences between everyday and academic language




Module 1 (online module)

• Content:

– Structuring your paper

– Quoting and referring to secondary sources

– Explaining and argumentation in academic texts

• Design/ Implementation:

–Hypertext

–Examples from authentic students’ texts

–Aimed at students of Arts and Humanities in general

–Independent of eLearning platform




Module 2 (blended learning)

• Purpose and aimsNow the focus of our modular design, teaching and practicing of crucial writing competences

• ContentLanguage of science/academia, structuring texts, perspective (quoting, referencing, paraphrasing and summarizing, evaluation, hedged performatives), argumentation – 2 parallel versions (for Linguistics as well as Social and Economic History)

• Structure5 sessions of face-to-face teaching, web-based tasks in the intervals between sessions




General organisational structure of module 2

• ScheduleEvaluation (1-11/2 hours of work)Module 1 (maximum of 6 hours)Module 2 (2-hour seminar, workload split equally between face-to-face teaching and online work)

• Internal structure– Combining F2F with web-based teaching

Allows some elements and practice to be “out-sourced” so

as to leave more time for instruction and group interaction

– Individual / group work in both F2F and online phases

– Course is being taught in the current semester

– It will be evaluated and optimized in the following months




Activities aiming to explicate existent knowledge and competences

• Brainstorming

• Working with textso Describingo Discoveringo Modifyingo Writing

Activities aiming to practice newly acquired knowledge and competences• Brainstorming

• Working with textso Classifyingo Correlating, Grading or Sequencingo Abstractingo Fokused Variationo Writing

Due to the status quo at Vienna University, we anticipated mostly non-explicit knowledge and competences

Designing Course Materials and Content




Concluding remarks: liberating and constraining forces, prospects

•Liberating aspects:

–Project funding allows the development and evaluation of a course over a

period of 2½ years

–No limitations in terms of theoretical concepts and didactic approaches

–Rather broad database for choosing authentic examples and materials for

tasks and assignments

–course development in project context allows research assistants to test

and evaluate design and materials in various institutions

• Constraining aspects:

–Institutional:• Face-to-face sessions limited to a 1-hour course• No institutional background• Project funding is limited to 2 years – lack of sustainability




Concluding remarks: liberating and constraining forces, prospects

• Constraining aspects:

–Technological:• Limited funcationality of Blackboard-Vista for course requirements:

– Self-evaluation module has to be implemented as a „test“ in which points are assigned to each question/ assignment even if irrelevant for the task

– Difficulties of group management (assigning groups of students to certain tasks)

– General software problems (slow, frequent breakdowns)– Methodological: developing course material for other disciplines requires further research

(consequence of the WiD approach)

• Prospects:–Integrating the course into a „supplementary module“ for students outside the field of

Linguistics, offered by the Department of Linguistics

–Integrating writing assistance into the BA lecture accompanying the BA seminar in which

students can write their first BA paper in Applied Linguistics

–Pursuing a bottom-up approach




Module 2 – Schedule for “Structuring”

Time Duration Content Method Material

9:00 5 min Previewing content input ppt

9:05 15 min Task 1: Research questions & topics plenum Instructions:

How do you deal with these topcis?

What will your text look like?

Are you being asked to describe, define, evaluate, compare or summarize?

9:20 10 min Mind maps & the table of contents input ppt

9:30 15 min Task 2: Mind map & table of contents for your topic

single task Instructions:

Create a mind map and table of contents for your current topic

9:45 15 min Structuring framework; the functions of introduction, middle and concluding part

input ppt




Module 2 – Schedule for “Structuring”

Time Duration Content Method Material

10:00 15 min Task 3: Assinging text segments to Introduction, Middle Part, and Concluding Part; Identify actions in language

group work Instructions:

Assign text segments to their origin; what actions are realized by each segment?

10:15 10 min Break

10:25 15 min Task 4: Identify functional stages in Introduction

group work Instructions: identify functional stages in text sample.

10:40 10 min Connecting text segments (looking ahead, looking back, embedding tables and illustrations)

input ppt

10:50 15 min Relations between text segments plenum ppt

11:05 10 min Task 5: Connections between text segments

single task Instructions: how are the sections of your paper connected? Use your preliminary table of contents.

11:15 10 min Conclusion of session, preview online phase and next session

helmut gruber markus rheindor birgit huemer institut für sprachwissenschaft e-mail:...

Documents

year study program

vienna university

university of vienna

writing course

translational research

introduction previous

way study programs

ects major study