As an exercise in writing for a diversity of audiences, this task involves the condensing of arguments developed in an initial essay assessment piece into a briefer article suitable for the online platform, The Conversation. Developed as part of a holistic approach to assessment, this task is strategically delivered following a major essay assessment item in which students develop and mount an extended argument in some 2000-2500 words. In this task, students are to write a short (1000 word) article on the same topic as their major essay, but adapted for an open audience. This technique not only sees students actively build upon feedback from their essay piece, but also offers an opportunity to refine and reassert their approach in accessible language. As honing an extended piece of writing is often a difficult task, this activity introduces students to this complex threshold capability in a simplified (and potentially less daunting) way. Well suited to third or final year courses, this technique gives insight into just one of the variety of ways in which scholarly professionals engage with mainstream media to communicate their research, hence it is highly valuable as a form of authentic assessment.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 60-80
- CLASS LEVEL
- Third year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Medium time
- GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
- Effective communication skills, Critical judgement
- FEATURES
- Authentic, Online
- TAGS
- applied writing
Advantages
Allows for diverse learning styles in which some students thrive on scholarly writing tasks, while others excel at applied writing. Offers an important opportunity to develop a variety of written communication skills targeted at specific audiences. Useful within all HaSS disciplines, where communicating complex arguments to open audiences is valued.
Challenges
Some students may struggle with the challenge of communicating abstract concepts in an accessible way. Class time may be dedicated to strategies for achieving this.
Tips for implementation
Coordinators should emphasise the importance of creating a distinct piece of writing as part of responding to this task, so as to mitigate against students resubmitting elements of their original essay without alternation.
How it supports academic integrity
Students actively build on their previous assessment piece, so should ideally be drawing upon their own ideas. Orienting the task in this way potentially reduces the risk of outsourcing, and consolidates the importance of integrous attribution (including not resubmitting one's own previous work).
Dr Shushma Malik
shushma.malik@roehampton.ac.uk