There are five components to this preparatory assessment:
1) Complete a Library 'Scavenger Hunt' - Students must go to high use area in the HaSS library, locate a pre-designated book, and evidence their successful search by taking a photo/photocopy of the book. This task is designed to familiarise students with the library and the process of locating sources.
2) Choose and summarise a research topic – Once students have chosen a research topic they must develop a search strategy (E.g. identify keywords, synonyms) and identify key discipline specific databases. This task provides students with and understanding of online library search functions and introduces them to pertinent journals and databases.
3&4) Locate 1st and 2nd quality sources – Students create a bibliography of 1st and 2nd quality sources and demonstrate their relevance using the 'C.R.A.A.P test', (Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, and Purpose).
5) Create an argument map - Using an argument mapping tool (E.g. CMap, Inspiration, MindMup), students construct an argument map of their developed argument in response to their topic question. Argument Maps must be uploaded as a pdf to the Blackboard learning module. This task allows students to understand the structure of an argument and develop the structure of their major assessment item.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 100-500
- CLASS LEVEL
- First year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Medium security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Medium time
- GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
- Independence and creativity, Critical judgement
- CONDITIONS
- Sequence
- FEATURES
- Authentic, Problem based
- TAGS
- written, essay preparation task, research skills
Advantages
This five part assessment task (presented in a Blackboard learning module) is designed to build foundational research skills, provide meaningful engagement with library resources, and prepare students for a major assessment item.
Challenges
First year students can become easily overwhelmed by multiple assessments so it is important to be mindful of avoiding 'cognitive (over)load'.
Tips for implementation
In the case of PHIL1002, there was some initial pushback from students who said these tasks amounted to too much work for too little credit (particularly for time-poor students). As a result of this feedback the weighting of these tasks was increased to 10%.
How it supports academic integrity
Tasks are scaffolds and students are able to prepare early for their major assessment. As a result students may be less likely to feel last minute pressure that leads to instances of academic misconduct.
Associate Professor Deborah Brown
deborah.brown@uq.edu.au
Research Interests: Early Modern Philosophy, including early modern and medieval theories of mind, action, metaphysics and epistemology, as well as social and political thought. Key figures of the early modern period include Descartes, Hobbes, Malebranche, Hume and the Cambridge Platonists and of the later medieval period, Aquinas, Ockham, Scotus, Buridan and Suárez; and Logic and the Philosophy of Science, including the emergence of the notion of force and theories of inertia, causation, emergent properties, functions and mereology. Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland; Master of Arts, University of Toronto; PhD, University of Toronto. Find out more