Make the Grade: Achieve Your Potential

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Make the Grade Achieve Your Potential!
School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Dr. Steven Green
• Lecturer in Classics
• School of Humanities

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Faculty of Arts
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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Aims of todays sessions
• To help you understand the fundamental difference
  between University and school
• To help you understand University Assessment.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• What is a University?

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• What is a University?
• The place in which the intellect may safely
  range and speculate, sure to find its equal in
  some antagonist activity, and its judge in the
  tribunal of truth. It is a place where inquiry is
  pushed forward, discoveries verified and
  perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and
  error exposed, by the collision of mind with
  mind, and knowledge with knowledge.
• John Henry Newman

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS
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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Why is academic research important?
• Intellectual Duty the contribution of research
  to culture, medical and knowledge advancement for
  the benefit of society as a whole
• Financial Considerations research translates
  into substantial amounts of money for
  Universities (cf. RAE 2008)
• Enhancing Status of the University
• Translating it into Teaching and Learning
  Opportunities for Students

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• What is research-led teaching?

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Q1. I am taking several modules this year. Who
  sets modules up, decides on the content, devises
  the assessment and marks it?
• A. All Departments are subject to a national
  University Curriculum. A national body organises
  modules and decides upon appropriate assessment
  for a particular subject. This body also has the
  final say in all marks awarded for assessed work,
  in order to ensure consistency of marking across
  the country.
• B. Modules are set up and administered by the
  individual lecturer. Assessed work is marked and
  moderated by members of the Department it is not
  seen by anyone outside the University.
• C. Modules are set up and administered by the
  individual lecturer. Assessed work is marked and
  moderated by members of the Department. External
  examiners are appointed from other Universities
  to oversee the entire process, in order to ensure
  consistency of marking across the country.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Answer C
• Therefore
• This is not like school where there is a national
  curriculum or syllabus (A)
• There is no one formula for success in assessed
  work it is not about writing what you think will
  please an outside body.
• Modules are designed and implemented by
  lecturers. Assessments are marked by staff in
  departments.
• A sense of perspective and fairness between
  Universities is maintained by the appointment of
  external examiners.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Lectures
• Convey basic introductory material for a
  particular topic
• Show you how the lecturer approaches the various
  texts and topics on a particular module
• Put you in touch with the cutting edge research
  on the topic.
• Do not give you all the answers!

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Tutorials/Seminars
• Provide you with an opportunity to test out your
  views and your critical skills
• Allow you to listen and respond to what your
  fellow students or the lecturer are saying
• Are very much part of the module and not
  add-ons. The skills involved in these sessions
  esp. presenting information/ an argument in a
  clear and structured manner, responding to/
  critiquing the views of others in the group are
  excellent practice for written assignments.
• You must make sure you prepare thoroughly before
  a seminar in accordance with the lecturers
  instructions.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Independent Learning
• Importance of time management.
• Dont leave everything to the last minute
  deadlines will sometimes clash.
• Set aside c. 4-5 hours of private study a day.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Assessment
• Subject-specific skills
• (e.g. knowledge of a particular topic/
  argument)
• Broader/ Transferable intellectual skills
• (e.g. critical judgement, the ability to build
  and sustain an argument, IT skills, working as
  part of a team)

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Assessment
• According to Criteria
• E.g. focus on the question, be mindful of
  overall structure, coherence of argument, depth
  of reading, use of evidence, accuracy, and prose
  style.
• Each department in the School of Humanities has
  its own Marking Criteria/Grade Descriptors. Find
  these in the Student Handbook and/ or on the web
  and familiarise yourself with them!

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Assessment
• What are your tutors looking for in your written
  work?
• Awareness of the complexity of the issues
  presented in the essay question
• Detail, backed up with primary/ secondary
  evidence
• Structured and clearly-expressed argument
• Taking on board and arguing for/ against the
  views of others
• Originality
• Teamwork (where appropriate)
• Time Management there are usually mark penalties
  for lateness without good reason!

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Q2 To get a very good (first class) mark for an
  assessed piece of work, I may need to show
  originality. What does that mean?
• A. Originality is about saying what other people
  have said before but in a slightly different way
  anything that is not word-for-word copying is
  original.
• B. Originality is a personal and wide-ranging
  discussion of a particular problem or issue. It
  involves taking on board the views of others and
  assessing their merits.
• C. Originality is about saying something that
  nobody else has said before. It is independent of
  the views of others.

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Assessment
• It is certainly not A. This comes very close to
  plagiarism, the passing off of another persons
  work/ ideas as your own without due
  acknowledgement
• It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself
  with proper referencing and note-taking styles to
  avoid plagiarism.
• For more details, see
• Your Departmental Handbook
• http//www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/studyskills/referencin
  gandplagiarism/index.htm
• http//www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/plagiarism/
• Various University Workshops (see below)
• B is more likely to be the case than C

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Right and Wrong Values in Higher EducationHarry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

• The Wrong Way Dolores Umbridge
• As newly-installed Headmistress of Hogwarts,
  Prof. Umbridge (from the Ministry of Magic)
• bans free thinking and active/ practical
  learning
• instructs students simply to read from an
  externally-approved textbook for the sole purpose
  of passing exams

The Right Way Harry and Friends Harry and
Hermione react against this style of education,
setting up their own lessons which encourage
active and creative learning from practical
experience.
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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Feedback
• With feedback, it is very important that you do
  not simply look at the numerical mark
• Feedback, whether given orally or in writing,
  should be read carefully, understood and applied
  to your next piece of assessment. Only that way
  will you improve your marks.
• If you do not understand what a lecturer is
  saying in their feedback, ask them for
  clarification!
• Is the feedback module-specific (e.g. advice on
  particular details of the essay topic?)
• Is the feedback generic (e.g. advice of general
  essay writing style or structure)?

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School of Humanities FACULTY OF ARTS

• Follow-up Session
• Induction to Assessment Workshops
• Wed, 17th October, 1-2 p.m.
• for students in PHILOSOPHY
• Wed, 24th October, 1-2 p.m.
• for students in TRS or CLASSICS
• In Michael Sadler, Lower Ground 15 and 19
• These sessions will invite you to mark former
  students work against the grade descriptors, to
  give you a good idea of what lecturers are
  looking for in assessed work

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School of HumanitiesFACULTY OF ARTS
For further advice on assessed work, visit The
Skills Centre 15 Blenheim Terrace (Opposite
Parkinson Steps Down from banks.)