Guidance for Assignment Submissions Sustainable BuildingsThe Assignment ❖ Remember to work to your objectives ❖ Ensure you do answer theseOriginal Advice • Introduction and methodology (brief) • Selective, critical review of relevant technical literature • Identification of areas of current good practice and issues requiring further work • Identification/analysis of issues • Summary of main findings and conclusions reached • BibliographyMarking of the Assignment ❖ Remember the assignment marking criteria ❖ Use it to inform your submission ❖ The headings used in the module guide are as follows: ❖ selective and critical review of relevant literature ❖ identification of areas of good practice and further work ❖ identification of key issues ❖ summary of main findings ❖ bibliographyWord length ❖ 5000 words maximumStudy Skills ❖ Refer to the University “skills for learning” pages athttp:// skillsforlearning.leedsbeckett.ac.u k/local/research/ analysing_and_presenting_data/ index.shtml ❖ Specifically research methods, analysing and presenting data and academic communication ❖ Do not forget about advice on referencing !Research Methods ❖ invaluable guidance and self learningAcademic Communication • When writing English we choose which point of view (or "person") to write from. The choices are: • First person singular or plural (I or we) • Second person singular or plural (you) • Third person singular or plural (he, she, it, they, or any noun) • Third person is used when the writer is referring to someone or something outside of himself. It is also used in most academic writing The effect of parental influence on educational outcomes has been demonstrated by researchers, such as Roth (1996) and Taylor (2003). Children of middle class parents are better able to…Academic Writing and the Third Person • Your lecturer may tell you to use third person, never the first. • What does this mean for your writing at university? • Academic study is meant to be impersonal and observational. This is the influence of the scientific tradition. • In a report of a science experiment, would you expect to read: • 'I mixed the two solutions; then I added the catalyst' OR • 'The two solutions were mixed together; then the catalyst was added.'Advantages Most of us would know that the second sentence is more likely to appear in a scientific report. Using the third person gives: • An impression of impersonal objectivity • A focus on what happened outside of the experimenter What is important is the process, not the opinions, experiences, or feelings of the experimenter. This objective (or scientific) tone in writing has carried over into other subject areas such as the social sciences and the arts. This impersonal tone allows you to: • Go beyond your own subjective experience • Show more breadth of thought • Consider complex issues which attract differing views • Work out your own position on complex issuesOpinion ❖ You should never have to resort to pinion or thought ❖ Your work is based upon observation of facts ❖ Process ❖ Data ❖ Thus the first person but be avoided as it shows poor method ❖ This is why method is important to your presentationAnalysis ❖ using case studies ❖ example these carefully ❖ compare across different examples ❖ use engineering principles to confirm observations ❖ remember to work widely as it is difficult to make the sustainable case if we work only from basic financial terms or use traditional unsustainable methods ❖ compare data, tabulation and categorisation allows for a clear quantifiable method to be adoptedGetting it Right • Editing your work involves looking at it critically, with a view to improvement. Most people would understand that editing means you should end up with less, and this is a sensible way to approach the task. But it is also your chance to ensure you have achieved the aims of your assignment, to try and get the best mark you can. • Proofreading is about checking your work for errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. • With academic assignments, you also need to check the citing and referencing of sources. • There is usually some overlap between the two. • Wait for a while.Or 'First - Do nothing'. Or do something else instead. • While you are absorbed in a piece of writing, it can be hard to review it critically or see mistakes. • Try to finish your assignment with time to spare. Ideally, enough time so that you can wait for a day or two before editing and proofreading. • You might discover some things about your work which surprise you - such as: • That paragraph you laboured over for an hour does not make sense. • The whole assignment would read better if you changed the order of your main points. • One of the sentences in your conclusion could be moved to the introduction. • Some of the sentences in the middle sections are much too long. • You have capitalised some headings and not others. • That little bit of 'breathing space' can really help. Try and plan for it.Some students do a lot of editing and re-writing as they go along. If you work like this, you should have less to do at the end. But it is still worth reviewing the piece as a whole.Proof Reading ❖ Checking your spelling and grammar ❖ Print out your work ❖ Read it out aloud ❖ Check for errors ❖ Check citations and referencesCollusion & Plagiarism • Some students ask a friend or family member to check their writing for mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Another person might spot things you have overlooked. • But be careful. There are rules about collusion and plagiarism between students. Your work should be your own and no-one else's. You make a declaration about this when you submit your assignments. • In some subject areas, your writing skills might be part of the assessment, and getting help with your English would be cheating. • You might also be taking the risk of another student using some of your ideas, or even copying part of your work. • The Leeds Beckett University regulations include this example as unfair practice: • "…collusion, involving collaboration with another student in the completion of work which is submitted as that other student's unaided work." • (Leeds Beckett University, 2014, C9.1.9) • Plagiarism is a term used in academia for passing off other people's ideas as your own. This includes ideas from any sources, written, internet or audiovisual media, even ideas from other students or members of staff. • Leeds Beckett University defines plagiarism as "the substantial unacknowledged incorporation in a student's work of material derived from the work (published or unpublished) of another. 'Work' includes internet sources." • An example of plagiarism which might arise from students proofreading each other's work would be, "…copying or printing the work of another student, with or without that student's knowledge or agreement." • (Leeds Beckett University, 2014, C9.1.8)Avoid Potential Problems • Check whether you are allowed to have work proofread - and whether you need to declare it • Never show your work to another student doing the same assignment • Never use a commercial proofreading service without the express agreement of your tutor or dissertation supervisor.The Presentation ❖ 15 minutes to 30 (maximum) duration ❖ marking is based upon: ❖ delivery and timing ❖ content ❖ logical structure ❖ clarity ❖ outcomesInform ❖ provide information ❖ overview ❖ clarify ❖ there is no need to repeat your written assignment ❖ maintain attentionStructure ❖ logicality ❖ state clearly the issues and objectives ❖ main points of the argument - show the method of analysis ❖ use visual aids to demonstrate ideas and issues ❖ concludeUploading your Submissions ❖ Upload either word or pdf file to turnitin ❖ Similarly upload your presentation file. ❖ The presentation should be a recorded movie with your voice over. ❖ This can be achieved by recording your presentation, then sharing it to a movie if you are using Powerpoint or exported to Quicktime in MACGood luck !13, no. 2, pp.37-48. .