This module aims to help you develop and practise a set of essential academic skills that will be employed when you progress on to the degree in your chosen subject area. You will embed these skills within your chosen subject area and will extend your subject specific vocabulary and research concepts in your chosen subject area.

You will have opportunities to learn how to present information in oral and visual forms, such as infographics, which will be an essential employability and study skill in your chosen area of Accounting and Finance.

Those essential academic skills include opportunities to develop and follow the appropriate academic conventions used in the UK, such as Harvard Referencing and understanding what is meant by plagiarism and how to avoid it.

There will be opportunities to reflect on your learning and improve spoken and written skills for employability and for study.

1. An infographic which demonstrates research carried out and how you have carried the research out in a given topic in Accounting and Finance (This is a semester one hand in). LOs 2 & 4

2. An Academic assignment (1,500 words) which demonstrates academic writing skills by summarising, paraphrasing and analysing information from given research and academic articles relating to Accounting and Finance, with Harvard Referencing. LOs 1, 2 & 3.

3. A 5 minute PowerPoint presentation (plus 5 minutes for questions)
During this presentation you will reflect on the process of doing your research and writing up your findings. You will demonstrate your ability to communicate a topic to others and to respond to verbal questions. You will also include an explanation of what is meant by plagiarism and how to avoid it. With a reference list (Harvard Referencing). LOs 2, 3 & 4.


Formative assessment:
Peer assessment of infographic and reflective feedback

Reasonable adjustments in assessment can be applied in line with Staffordshire University guidelines:
https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/docs/pdf/ra-guidance-students.pdf

An overall pass grade can be achieved from the three tasks, where at least 20% has been achieved in any failing task

The module will be delivered using a blended delivery including classroom, face to face sessions, synchronous online sessions, asynchronous online sessions and directed and independent study including flipped learning.

There will be many opportunities to engage in large and small group discussion and independent work, reflection questions, and formative, ongoing assessment, to enhance understanding and assess for learning. There will be regular opportunities for interaction with the lecturer and other students and regular feedback from the lecturers, peers and encouragement to self-assess.

The teaching approaches will include presentations, group discussions, case studies, forum discussions and critical exploration of journal publications. There will be a strong emphasis on activity-focused learning and learners are expected to actively engage in all sessions.

The teaching approaches will include presentations, group discussions, case studies, forum discussions and critical exploration of journal publications. There will be a strong emphasis on activity-focused learning and learners are expected to actively engage in all sessions.

In addition, learners are required to engage in independent study to consolidate and build upon their learning in taught sessions. Opportunities to listen/engage with people speaking English will be encouraged, through the media and the internet.

A variety of multi-media resources will be employed, such as: Teams, Zoom, Padlet, Socrative, Kahoot! WeChat, Blogs and Forums. These multi-media resources will also form part of the formative, informal assessment for learning. They will sit alongside other formative tasks such as: mini-WebQuests to hone research skills, quizzes and gamification. Peer assessment and self-assessment will be employed as part of formative assessment.

There will be regular tutorials including tutorial with the academic mentor to ensure that engagement and motivation are promoted.

There will be many opportunities to engage in speaking and listening, reading and writing activities. Incidental learning opportunities will be utilised in the classroom. Learners will be expected to develop independent learning skills, including self-assessment over the duration of the course.

All opportunities to embed the chosen subject area, employability and an understanding of the culture of the UK will be utilised.

In the event of any restrictions to face to face delivery learning will delivered online.

1. Demonstrate knowledge and formulate judgements of simple concepts within the chosen subject area. Knowledge, Understanding and Learning.

2. Communicate information accurately and reliably in oral, written and visual forms within the chosen subject area.
Communication.

3. Demonstrate and apply the academic conventions used in the UK.
Application.

4. Reflect on the activities involved in selecting, researching and planning an assignment and a presentation. Reflection.

University and GXUN library

IT facilities

Presentation facilities

Graham, D (2018), English for Academic Purposes. Critical Publishing, St Albans

Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook, Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan

Scott, R. & Adams, J. (2018), English for Accountancy in Higher Education Studies. Reading Garnet Education.

Online resources will be used, as appropriate, such as:
English for Accounting: Vocabulary, Phrases & Classes
https://preply.com/en/blog/english-for-accounting/

This module aims to help you develop and practise a set of essential academic skills that will be employed when you progress on to the degree in your chosen subject area and progress into your chosen career.