Undergraduate Course: English for Education and Social Sciences (EESS) (LLLG07145)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 0 |
ECTS Credits | 0 |
| Summary | EESS is a six-week full-time course for international students aiming to develop their academic language and literacy in preparation for entry to postgraduate degree programmes, usually within Social Sciences and Education at the University of Edinburgh |
| Course description |
1) Academic Description
Key aims of EESS are to develop and improve students' confidence along with their academic language and literacy skills to a sufficient level required to participate successfully in their future postgraduate programmes. It aims to raise awareness of what they should expect on their future programmes. EESS provides opportunities to carry out in a supported environment academic tasks typically required across a range of master's programmes in Education and Social Science fields.
2) Outline Content
Writing: guided work on Specialist Written Assignment; sessions on Annotated Bibliography and Discipline Specific Writing focused on genres common in Education and Social Sciences;
Reading: engagement with and critical evaluation of discipline specific source texts;
Speaking: a range of opportunities to practise seminar and presentation skills involving research output in various formats;
Listening: Education and Social Sciences academic lectures delivered by University of Edinburgh subject specialists.
Much of the above will involve preparation and practice for the end-of-summer pre-sessional assessments in all four skills.
Introduction to living and studying in Edinburgh: input from and interaction with Course Organisers, Edinburgh University lecturers and students; exploring Edinburgh locations.
3) Student Learning Experience
EESS provides extensive opportunities for working with peers, ELE teachers, University of Edinburgh students and academics. The course is a mix of lectures, self-study and classroom-based learning with intensive small group and whole class activities. Each student participates in small group and 1:1 tutorials with their class tutor to discuss their progress. Students receive written and spoken formative feedback from both tutors and peers; they also have ample opportunities for developing transferable skills and autonomous learning strategies.
The course is expanding from 4 to 6 weeks, in line with other summer pre-sessional specialist courses. It is being redesigned to allow for greater focus on key skills and knowledge required for successful participation on Education and Social Sciences programmes.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students need to have a laptop or tablet computer in order to access course materials and online elements in class. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Reading-into-Writing
1400-word piece of source-based academic writing; choice of questions appropriate to students¿ disciplines. Students demonstrate their ability to combine reading and critically evaluating academic texts in their disciplines (ILO 1), with writing clearly and appropriately in genres common in their discipline, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to create their argument (ILO 2). Reading and Writing aspects of this integrated task will be assessed through discrete and equally weighted elements of the criteria, and separate scores for each skill will be reported.
Formative feedback loops including both reading and writing tasks are built into the writing process. Formative stages include a draft plan and a sample paragraph, and a reading task in which students use a CRAAP analysis (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) of source texts to evaluate potential sources for the assignment. Individual and group tutorials are scheduled for discussion of formative feedback.
Listening
A time-limited online test based on a recorded lecture in which students demonstrate their ability to understand and respond critically to academic lectures (ILO 3). The lecture recording is released online for a limited time, together with an editable test paper which students submit by a given deadline.
Speaking
Through delivery of a short (7-8 minute) individual live oral presentation to their class group, and responding to audience questions / participating in a follow-up Question-and-Answer session, students demonstrate their ability to use clear and appropriate English to deliver an effective presentation in their disciplinary field and participate effectively in academic discussion (ILO 4).
Students need to meet their degree programme English Language requirements in all four components and overall in order to progress. |
| Feedback |
Informal feedback is given on language - spoken and written - in every class.
Spoken and written feedback from tutor and peers on formative submissions.
Progress is discussed in regular tutorials (small group tutorials and 1:1 tutorials).
Students also receive general feed-forward comments on their performance on summative assessments of Reading and Writing.
Teaching staff receive training in appropriate formative feedback during induction and are monitored throughout the programme.
Marking of the summative assessments is carried out following standardisation exercises led by Course Organisers, and is moderated by Course Organisers in accordance with University of Edinburgh guidelines.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Read academic texts in Social Science and Education fields, making critical use of genre knowledge and strategies appropriate to their purpose
- Write clearly and appropriately in genres common in Social Science and Education fields, synthesizing and critically evaluating content from sources to create their argument
- Understand and respond critically to academic lectures in their discipline
- Use clear and appropriate English to respond critically and contribute meaningfully to group discussions and deliver academic presentations in their disciplinary field
- Reflect on and make autonomous decisions regarding their learnin
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Reading List
All the materials used for delivery of the course are provided electronically, and there is no need for students to buy any books. We will also give you advice on useful online resources. However, you may find the following publications helpful as additional resources for your studies:
Swales, J. & Feak, C. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students (Michigan)
O'Dell, F. & McCarthy, M. (2016). Academic Vocabulary in Use (Cambridge University Press) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry and lifelong learning; aspiration and personal development; outlook and engagement; research and enquiry; personal and intellectual autonomy; personal effectiveness; communication |
| Keywords | english,language,academic skills,literacy,pre-sessional,writing,listening,speaking,reading |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Kenneth Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9424
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: |
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