Academic Literacy

Lecture Notes
By: George W. Sikaonga
Meet our team
Brooks Mutenge Michael Tembo George Sikaonga
Teaching and health Law and Management
Sciences Humanities and Business
Administration
 Definition
Academic literacy is the ability to understand and
contextualize the academic vocabulary required in post-
secondary education.
Academic literacy practices are used and assessed in
classrooms and may require students to analyze, summarize,
compare, contrast and synthesize ideas and related
information from a wide variety of sources.
 Why think about your learning?
An individuals capacity to learn can be improved by:
• Being motivated
• Having a clear purpose
• Analysing how you do things
• Being willing to try new things
• Recognising what works best for you.
 The Value Of Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes can help an individual to be clear about what they will be
learning on a course, and the kinds of skills that they will develop. These skills are
usually categorised into four groups:
• Knowledge and understanding. Gaining specific knowledge related to a particular
subject (e.g. facts and concepts in scientific areas).
• Cognitive skills. Thinking skills, such as problem solving and analysis.
• Practical and professional skills. Skills related to a vocational area (e.g. web design
or lesson planning).
• Key skills. Skills gained as a result of study, such as communication skills and time
management.
 Differentiating Active Learning From
Other Types Of Learning
• In active learning you engage with the subject matter or topic areas, and think
through the course themes, methods, ideas and concepts.
• It is sometimes too easy to simply get out your materials and read, rather than
working out ways to understand the course material.
Take an active approach by:
• Building on your existing knowledge.
• Continually asking questions about the topics to be learned.
• Doing things, such as taking notes that help make the topic meaningful to you.
 Differentiating Active Learning From
Other Types Of Learning Cont’
• There are theories that suggest that we tend to adopt particular approaches to study or
learning styles.
• You may find that you prefer to learn from a ‘hands-on’ approach by, for example, visiting
a museum to help you with a topic in science.
• Some students find that they are good at remembering information visually and benefit
from using mind maps or learning posters that they can pin on the wall. Other students
find it valuable to listen to a recording from their course materials as it’s easier for them to
process information in this way.
• It can, therefore, be useful to recognise your preferred style of learning and then re-think
how you might use study techniques effectively.
 The Importance Of Feedback
Learning from feedback is an important activity in developing as a learner.
• A great deal of learning takes place through completing course activities
and assignments, and getting feedback on them.
• For example, during the course you may use online discussion forums for
a course activity where you work with other students.
• This provides an opportunity to get feedback on your ideas or
understanding of a topic.
 The Use And Effectiveness Of The
Learning Skills
• Learning skills are also often called study skills or key skills.
• These key skills, which are needed for study and can be gained as a result of study, are
included in the learning outcomes for your course.
• Examples of these skills include:
• Organisational skills (e.g. planning and scheduling how to complete an assignment)
• Communication skills (e.g. reading and understanding different sources, and writing in a
style that is appropriate to the task)
• Numeracy skills (e.g. constructing graphs and applying statistical techniques).
 Reflective Writing

• Reflective writing is an analytical practice in which

the writer describes a real or imaginary scene,
event, interaction, passing thought, or memory and
adds a personal reflection on its meaning.
 The Role Of Reflection In Learning And
Personal Development
• Reflective writing provides an opportunity for one to think critically about past events and
their own learning journey.
• Reflective writing offers the opportunity for you to challenge yourself about what you do.
• It also gives you the objectivity to do things differently and better, without seeing problems as
a result of personal inadequacy.
• Keeping a reflective journal is challenging, but can help you to develop a scholarly approach
to your practice and to learning.
• This is an essential feature both for being effective as a workplace professional and for
studying for your degree.
A Reflection On Personal Development
• A journal could provide a critical reflection on your learning at work, development
activities or on the degree itself.
• It can be very helpful to focus on feedback you have received on your assignments.
• Subiratha suggests you ‘write down your thoughts and feelings after each session,
and about anything new you learn in your workplace or from your reading.’
• If you go through a performance review or appraisal at work, reflect on the
perceptions of others.
 What could your reflective writing include?
There are many ways of structuring a reflective journal. However, in all cases your
tutor is likely to want to see:
1. An analysis of what went well, why it worked and what you achieved.
• They will not want a straight description of what happened with no analysis.
• However, you may need to be descriptive to briefly set the context
2. What could have been better and how you would achieve this.
• Here you are expected to be honest, knowing what went wrong shows that you have learned
from the situation.
• Try to explain the issue rather than offering excuses or blaming others.
 What Could Your Reflective Writing
Include? Cont’
3. Any links you can make between the theory you have been studying
and what happened in practice;
4. What you have learned and will do differently in the future.
• This could be in the format of a formal action plan.
• It could be a brief informal note about the changes you would make and
how you will know if you have improved.
 Personal Development Plan (PDP)
• A personal development plan is a guideline for your life and your future success.
• Personal development is the process of improving oneself through conscious habits and
activities.
• It is the pursuit of personal growth to enhance your quality of life and to achieve your
dreams and aspirations.
• When you create a personal development plan, you start to define the kind of person you
want to be, skills you want to have, and accomplishments you want to achieve.
• And then you map out your long-term and short-term goals to realize these aspirations and
set timelines for when you want to reach them.
 Personal Development Planning (PDP)
• Some ideas for developing your own PDP
• Complete a SWOT analysis
• SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Carry out an initial diagnosis of your strengths and areas for further
development.
• What opportunities exist for you to resolve weaknesses and demonstrate
your strengths? What threats are there to prevent your development?
 Producing A Professional Development
Portfolio
Different types of portfolio
• For assessment purposes a portfolio might be defined as a structured collection comprising
labelled evidence of your learning and critical reflection on it.
• Yet the situation is complicated, and David Baume (2003) identifies a number of different
types of portfolio.
• You may have already produced a portfolio for a National Vocational Qualification or
put together a Record of Achievement (RoA) while you were at school.
• However, it is important that you are clear about the kind of portfolio you are required to
produce for your course
 The Portfolio As Repository
• This is a portfolio at its simplest level: a collection of materials preferably
with a structure and an index.
• This could be as simple as a course file, or kept online with the materials
stored digitally.
• If your portfolio is going to be assessed, it is unlikely that a repository
style portfolio will be what is required, although you may need to keep
some sort of course file.
 The Portfolio For Assessment
• This form may well make use of the contents of the development
portfolio and the repository portfolio, but will extend them by
commentary and reflection.
• Your lecturer will expect to see additional annotation of the contents.
• This may include reflection on feedback from your academic staff on
assessed work, mentors, line managers and peers, to demonstrate how
knowledge and understanding have been advanced.
How To Manage Your Time And Space
• When it comes to effective learning, it is not just about finding time to study,
but about making the best use of that precious time.
• To study and learn successfully you need to master three main areas relating
to time management.
i. Getting organised and finding appropriate places to study.
ii. Planning and prioritising on an ongoing basis.
iii. Dealing with distractions.
 Getting Organised and finding study
places
• You need somewhere to study, and somewhere to keep your course materials,
files and books. You’ll also need access to a computer. It is not always
possible to have a room to yourself that is always available.
• You could regularly use the kitchen or dining room table.
• Boxes or bags can be used to store materials you are currently using to say,
prepare for an assignment. A bag can even have its own filing system and
you can take it wherever you need to go – on the train to work, in the garden
if you feel like some fresh air, or to the local library.
 The Different Patterns Of Work And Study

There are a number of reasons why students work at the same time as studying:
• some are intending to change their careers or advance their chances in the workplace;
• some will be hoping to gain skills and knowledge which will be useful in their present
role;
• some want to improve their personal and professional practice in the place where they
are already employed;
• some will be learning in order to improve the effectiveness of their workplace;
• others will be using employment to fund their studies.
 Auditing Your Support Network
• Research has shown that students identified making friends as a crucial element of a
positive higher education experience: something that is more difficult to achieve for
those who are ‘commuter students’ (Yorke and Longden, 2008).
• Our personal circumstances are unique and varied, but few of us choose to be totally
alone. Most of us have family and friends.
• These people who are closely connected to you are your support network; similarly
the students working alongside you and your workmates can also give support.
• Forming a study network with students on your course is crucial.
• It can be informal and may happen as a result of taking a coffee after the lecture.
 Understanding Your Learning Style
• An important part of preparing for any kind of study is to identify how you
learned what you already know. In that way you can build on success and learn
from any failure.
• More recently there has been a specific interest in adult learning.
• We also have to be careful not to assume that theories about adult learning apply
equally to everyone.
• Differences of class, culture, ethnicity, personality, cognitive style, knowing and
understanding, learning patterns, life experiences and gender among adults are
more significant than the fact that we are not children or adolescents.
 Understanding Your Learning Style Cont’
Research suggests that there are three levels of learning:
• Cognition: knowing and understanding. For example, you watched the
demonstration and now know how to create tables and charts in a spreadsheet
package.
• Conception: deep understanding which can be recalled. For example, three weeks,
or even a year later, you can still create tables and could do it again unaided.
• Application: understanding and use of the knowledge. For example, not only have
you learned this skill, you have added to that knowledge and are able to explain it to
someone else.
 The Barriers Of Learning
• It has been identified that there are two potentially strong
influences likely to make students consider withdrawing from
their courses theses are;
1. Difficulty in balancing academic and other commitments and
2. Inadequate knowledge of their programme before enrolling
• These two factors alone can constitute a significant barrier to
your learning.
The Importance Of Time Management
• It is really important to organise your time.
• Development of effective learning skills
• It keeps your work organised
• No last-minute cramming of syllabus
 The Value Of Managing Morale And
Motivation
• Research suggests that our adult learning is quite different from when we
were young.
• Making a success of what is an exciting opportunity is very important for
you.
• There is nothing more damaging to your studies than a low morale.
• Worse still you cannot concentrate on your studies and look for more
pleasant things to do; or even decide not to continue your degree.
 The Value Of Managing Morale And
Motivation Cont’
• The following is a list of things identified which can uplift the morale of students. Sometimes it is only a case of
changing perspective and looking at the same thing in a different way. Think positively:
• Having the satisfaction of finishing a set task or a difficult text, especially if you finish before the deadline;
• Being proud of a result which was better than expected;
• Getting your work organised and planning your time;
• Focusing on what you have achieved so far;
• Learning about something which is really interesting;
• Realising you know enough to express a point of view, and feeling confident enough to do so;
• Being brave enough to present a paper and then being praised;
Using The Learning Resources Centres
• A learning resource center (LRC) is a facility within a
school, staffed by a specialist, containing several
information sources to facilitate education for students
and staff.
• It differs from a regular school library in its additional
focus on multimedia resources and information
technology.
 Using The Learning Resources Centres
Cont’
• It is one of the most useful ways to support your
learning
• Showing proficiency in communication, which includes,
speaking, listening, reading writing and discussing and
finding information, is one of the key skills which all
programmes in higher education must include.
 What can you usually expect to find In
Learning Resource Centres?
• Books for reference and loan, newspapers, journals and reference sources in print and electronic format
• Past exam papers
• Slides, videos, DVDs and audio collections
• Sound and recording equipment
• Video studios, video conferencing and playback facilities
• Multimedia production and coursework preparation facilities
• Open-access computing suites, offering a range of software, courses and an online learning environment
• Archives and special collections
• Media services for photocopying, binding, laminating and equipment loan.
 Reading effectively
• Hints to help identify and select useful information
• Is the book one of the key texts recommended to you?
• Has the author or editor been recommended in your book list?
• Is the publication recent or the most up-to-date in the field of your study? You can usually find the
date that the book was printed on the reverse side of the title page.
• Read the publisher’s ‘blurb’, often situated on the back cover; look for information which is
relevant to the essay or assignment.
• Check the bibliography. Is the author/editor citing authors you know are important in your field?
• Are there diagrams, tables, illustrations that seem to be relevant?
 Skimming and Scanning
• Skimming and scanning are ways in which people quickly gain an overview of a written piece without
actually reading.
• When you skim you let your eye wander over the page quickly to pick out key words or phrases, with
scanning you are taking in the words quickly to gain an overview. They are useful skills to gain; with
practice you will develop your own techniques.
• Scan the contents page(s) as you would look for an entry in a tele- phone directory; about three times your
normal reading speed. Do the headings look like the areas that are relevant to your topic? Are they the
right level for you?
• Quickly scan the introduction and conclusion of chapters that seem relevant, or the abstract and
conclusion of a journal article. This will tell you whether it is worth reading. For a short piece of work it
may be all you need.
• Look up your key words in the index and find the relevant pages; skim the pages or paragraphs to find
your words. Does it look useful?
 Skimming and Scanning Cont’
• Keep thinking about the meaning of what you are reading.
• Mark useful pages with a Post-it flag, if the information you need is contained
on a few pages only, photocopy them; but do not forget to photocopy the title
page and make a note of the date of publication and publisher. Make a note of
the chapter title and page numbers if a different person wrote it. This
information will be essential when you write your bibliography.
 Making Notes And Effective Summaries
Of Texts
• Making effective notes is an essential part of reading; it will increase your
reading speed and is an essential resource for essays or assignments.
• The way we make notes and store information is an individual preference,
but having a system is essential.
• Always start by dating your notes and including bibliographic details:
author/editor name(s), initials, title, date, publisher and place of publication.
• Students with other commitments will find that developing effective note-
making skills can make a fundamental difference to their success
 Making Notes And Effective Summaries
Of Texts Cont’
• Before you start, be clear about why you are making the notes. There is a
temptation, particularly when you are inexperienced, to copy great chunks of text.
This is not only time wasting, but is not helpful and could lead you to
unintentional plagiarism.
• There are a number of different forms of note-making; familiarise yourself with
all the strategies so that you can select the one most suited to the task you have at
the time.
• Whatever system you use, make sure it is organised and easy to access.
• Simplify your writing by using abbreviations.
 Reasons For Making Notes
• To enable you to understand the forthcoming lecture;
• To enable you to consolidate your learning from a previous lecture;
• To help you clarify your understanding of a text;
• To prepare for a set topic or assignment;
• To identify a potential topic for investigation;
• To compare different views on a topic.
 Techniques For Note-making
• Notes on handouts or texts
• This method can only be used if you own the text. Although it is useful to make notes on the text
while you are skimming and scanning as a firststage, these notes are only useful for a short while
• Headings and bullet points
• This is a very common method of note-making and is particularly useful if you are working straight
on to the computer.
• heading refers to the subject matter of the text, with all the key points identified and bulleted.
• Because it is quite difficult to learn how to do this at first, try reading each paragraph and identifying
the key point it is making.
 Techniques For Note-making Cont’
• Double notes
• With the page divided into two, use the first column to identify the key points and summarise what you
are reading.
• The second column is your commentary on the notes.
• This is useful for separating your ideas from those in the text
• Linear notes
• This method involves identifying the key points and ideas. Using your own style it can be easy to revise
from and allows for in-depth analysis.
• You can use arrows and dotted lines to link points, boxes, underlining or other visual markers to make
important points stand out. Highlighters or a different coloured pen can also be used.
 Identifying Key Points From Lecturers
• Listening is one of the most important skills we have. How well we listen has a major impact
on our effectiveness as students or employees and on our relationships with others.
• We listen to obtain information.
• We listen to understand.
• We listen to learn.
• Given the amount of listening we do, you would think we would be quite skilled at it, but we
are not.
• Depending on which research you read (Petrass,1999; Goby and Lewis, 2000) it is claimed
that we only remember between 25 and 50 per cent of what we hear.
• Improving your listening skills is going to be an excellent way to support your learning
 Learning In Tutorials, Groups, And
Seminars
• Most universities use a model which intersperses key lectures with
group work and seminars. Others may allocate students to a
personal tutor who may not be an authority on the subject matter
of the module.
• Seminars, tutorials and groups are usually much smaller than
lectures to encourage student interaction and participation.
 Seminars
• Know in advance what the topic of discussion will be. This will most often be found in the
module handbook or may be announced at the full lecture. Alternatively, you may have been
given a specific topic to prepare for.
• Have annotated notes or handouts from the lecture ready.
• Have notes from your reading of at least one of the recommended texts to hand.
• Be aware of the topicality of your lecture, there may well be information or discussion in the
media which you could usefully contribute.
• Do not take criticism of your ideas personally. In some seminars or discussion groups the
tutor uses the time to ensure understanding and will go over the key points of the lecture
with you
 Tutorials
• There are two types of tutorial. Those most common in the arts,
social sciences and law will discuss a preset topic. Some are one-
to-one, others may be in small groups.
• The second type is more common in scientific, numerical and
engineering type subjects where students will be working on
problems or tasks related to the lectures.
 Group Work
• Depending on the qualification you are working towards group work will often form part of the
formal assessment or learning process. You may be allocated a group or allowed to select one in order
to prepare a presentation, lead part of a lecture, or complete a task.
• Group work is also an invaluable aid to support your learning because as you work together you can:
• Discuss issues;
• Share points of view and improve understanding;
• Clarify any misconceptions;
• Generate new ideas;
• Re-energise your motivation for study;
• Unblock problems or misunderstandings which are getting in the way of learning.
 The Internet And Electronic Resources
• The World Wide Web (www) is increasingly part of our everyday lives, affecting us at
work, at home and when we study.
• Sometimes people use the terms ‘internet’ and ‘world wide web’ interchangeably, but they
do refer to two different things.
• The internet is about the interconnection of computer networks across the world;
accessing the web is just one way of using the internet, just as sending an e-mail is
another.
• The web lets you browse pages with text, pictures and sound and so be a useful source of
information for work and study.
• It is quite unlike library catalogues and databases in that it is not so neatly organised, and
the information varies greatly in its quality and usefulness.
 Finding The Right Search Tool
• Search engines
• When you are using a search engine you are using a tool which searches millions (if not billions) of
websites on every subject imaginable.
• Search engines are handy if you want to find a specific piece of information.
• ‘Google’ (www.google.com) is the largest search engine and searches many other websites including
other types of web documents.
• These include blog posts, wiki pages, group discussion threads and document for- mats such as
PDFs, Word or Excel® documents and PowerPoint® presentations.
• However, because not all the web is searchable in Google, it is worth trying the other major search
engines such as Ask.com (www.ask.com) and Yahoo! Search (search.yahoo.com) to get a second
opinion.
 Finding The Right Search Tool Cont’
• Subject gateways
• These are also called subject guides, subject directories and subject portals.
• In general these are the best starting points for exploring what is available on the
internet to support academic work.
• Subject gates are trustworthy, too: they are tools, often built by experts from
universities and colleges, to enable you to browse good-quality lists of subject
resources.
The Importance Of Anti-virus Software
And Backups
 Backing Up Your Pc
• In addition to saving your work frequently, using the manual and auto save
functions, you should make multiple copies of your important data files as a
precaution against the original being corrupted or destroyed.
• This is essential; hard disks fail, systems crash and, if you are not careful,
viruses can infect your files.
 Backing Up Your Pc Cont’
• There are various options in addition to your hard disk at home or at work:
• Assured storage: your data on your work or university server either in a shared area or personal work
area. Again, if you are not storing sure how to access this then speak to IT services staff at work or your
HE institution.
• CD-ROM: you need to be aware of the difference between CD-R and CD-RW disks. CD-R (read-only)
disks are ideal for permanent storage or archiving of information, but the information stored on them
cannot be changed. CD-RW (read/writable) disks allow you to add and amend storage information. For
both you will need access to a CD writer/driver or CD burner.
• A USB flash drive: or pen drive, is a simple solution for backing up and transporting files as it just plugs
into the USB port of the computer. Many fit onto a key ring so they are easy to transport, but also easily
lost or stolen. Data can also be corrupted if you do not use the correct procedure to withdraw a flash
drive from your pc.
Learning Online In The Virtual Classroom

• What is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)?

• This is an integrated environment of all the online tools you will need for
studying, and may include course information, online resources, e-mail and
discussion boards, blogs, wikis, podcasts, instant messaging and video
conferencing.
• You may be able to submit your work for final assessment over the VLE and
you will usually find your tutor will give you feedback on your ongoing work
through the VLE
 Learning Online In The Virtual Classroom
Cont’
• Podcasting
• The term ‘podcast’ is derived from the words iPod and broadcast, and refers to a
sequence of digital audio files which can be downloaded from the internet,
transferred to a mobile device, such as an iPod or MP3 player, and listened to at
your convenience.
• You need to subscribe to receive a podcast, rather like you might subscribe to a
magazine, and it is delivered at regular intervals.
• Podcast technology also allows you to publish audio content onto the web yourself.
 Learning Online In The Virtual Classroom
Cont’
• Blogs
• The work ‘blog’ is a contraction of the word ‘weblog’.
• Blogs are different from other websites in that they are often the comments of an individual on a topic of
their particular interest. They are updated frequently, encourage readers to contribute their views by
leaving comments, and can be subscribed to.
• Wikis
• Your VLE is also likely to enable you to use a wiki, a website that can be built collaboratively by a group.
• With a wiki you can share and collaborate on documents without any special software and with the
minimum of training.
• A wiki can be considered as work-in-progress; one person might post a rough document online and then
all the others in the group can read, correct and contribute to it in real time.
Learning Online In The Virtual Classroom
Cont’
• Discussion boards
• Online discussion groups can be a valuable source of information and
advice, and you will be able to explore ideas and common interests.
• Discussions are either synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous
discussions take place in real time where a number of students log on at the
same time
END