Academic Writing Programme description

Emne1:

• SP16100 - Kartlegging, analyse og individuelle opplæringsplaner, 15 stp
• Eksamensform: Semesteroppgave og muntlig fremlegg i gruppe
• Vurderingsuttrykk: Bestått/ikke bestått

Emne 2:

• SP16200 - Spesialpedagogiske tiltak og arbeidsmåter, 15 stp
• Eksamensform: Individuell skriftlig hjemmeeksamen, syv dager
• Vurderingsuttrykk: Gradert karakter A - F

Godkjent av styret for Høgskolen i Akershus 25. september 2001

Revisjon godkjent av dekan 11. april 2012

Siste revisjon godkjent av prodekan LUI 24.mars 2014

Redaksjonelle endringer 19.november 2018

Redaksjonelle endringer 15. mai 2019

Endringer vedtatt av Utdanningsutvalget 14.12.2020

• A completed Master¿s Degree.
• Employment at OsloMet.

Admission of PhD candidates and academic staff employed at other higher educational institutions and/or research institutions in Norway can be considered subject to the available places on the course.

Admission of internal and external candidates is based on individual application approved by the applicant¿s Head of Studies or Head of Division.

Participants should be reasonably fluent in written and oral English and familiar with academic conventions and requirements.

Ranking

• PhD candidates and academic staff at OsloMet.
• PhD candidates and academic staff employed at other higher education and/or research institutions in Norway.

After completion of the course, the student will have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate has in-depth knowledge of:

• the writing conventions and rhetorical patterns needed for international publication in their field
• revision, editing and development strategies needed for international publication
• principles of applied  textual analysis for writing development

Skills

The candidate can:

• formulate academic texts in English intended for international publication
• transform awareness of textual features into specific writing strategies
• analyse and describe trends and features of their field¿s academic English

General competence

The candidate can:

• can identify and establish connections between writing practices, writing conventions and research traditions in their fields 
• discuss and give feedback on a range of academic texts and issues
• can reflect on and document their current practices and how these can be developed

Participants will develop a sophisticated awareness of the conventions of academic writing, and how they vary between different disciplines. Participants throughout the course will apply this awareness to their own projects, refining their writing and increasing their likelihood of publication. Moreover, the analytical tools each participant develops during the course will keep on working after the course: each participant will continue to develop their awareness of academic writing and improve their own writing long after the course has finished.

Among the topics covered by the course are:

• Variations in academic style
• Audience, purpose and style
• The writing process
• Disciplinary identity
• Academic language
• Vocabulary, grammar, sentence, paragraph and text
• Coherence and cohesion
• Directness and formality
• Avoiding common errors: e.g. digression, lack of thesis statement, misunderstanding one¿s audience
• Analysing, discussing and responding to academic texts
• Article structures, including IMRAD

The course is held each semester.

• The course language is English throughout.
• The course will include task-based teaching, focusing on problems typical for Norwegian writers of academic English.
• In each session the group will work on two draft documents submitted by participants. The group works together on improvements.
• The rest of the session will focus on analytical and short writing and thinking tasks, aimed at rooting writing conventions in participants¿ disciplinary knowledge

Participants are expected to work on their papers between sessions, assimilating into their own work topics raised during class. 

Participants will be responsible for distributing their manuscripts to the group at least a week before the session dealing with their work. 

-       Attendance:

• In order to take the exam, and be eligible for study points, the participant must have attended at least five of the six sessions.[1]

-       Compulsory tasks:

• A completed needs analysis form, and an academic text (an unedited manuscript, approx. 5 pages, double spaced font sized 12) must be submitted prior to the first course session.
• Active participation in all group sessions.
• Resubmission of the academic text in progress for discussion in the group.
• Final resubmission of this text, revised further, for the exam.
• A reflective statement, describing the candidate¿s experience of and responses to the course. 

[1]Minor amendment 20.02.2017.

Course Code: AWC6000.

Individual oral exam consists of a 15 minute presentation, containing a visual element (e.g. a PowerPoint or Prezi), describing how the participant¿s article has developed over the course and how they expect it to develop subsequently, followed by a 15 minute discussion with the examiners, testing the reasoning behind the participant¿s writing decisions, their understanding of concepts covered, and their ability to further develop the text.

The exam will be assessed by two internal examiners.

Grading scale

Pass/Fail.

New/postponed exam

In case of failing the exam or in case of valid absence at the time of the exam, the student is entitled to make a renewed attempt. The re-examination will be arranged in the same manner as the regular exam. The students are themselves responsible for registering for the re-examination within given deadlines.

Course Description for Academic Writing Course (6 ECTS)

Approved by the Academic Affairs Committee 11 October 2016. Minor amendment 13.11.2018.