Guidelines of writing an assignment. DET.
How to write an assignment.
Background: we have recently read number of assignments, submitted by several learners towards their level 5 qualification in Teacher Training. There were some fundamental flaws in all. Flaws were too many to list or an address an individual students concern. We have compiled this handout to assist in writing this important piece of work. Please forgive us, if we can be direct. The assignment submitted, were rushed, there were many examples of shortcuts and it did NOT reflect of what have been covered in the lessons.
I asked you what is an assignment?
You provided many different answers. We also looked at the dictionary and web definition. There were common theme in all-
· an undertaking that you have been assigned to do ( by a tutor), require investigation, collecting relevant evidence, analysing it, formulating conclusions and then writing it in the suitable format for the client.
The above highlighted words were explored. It was clear that assignments are written by:
Newspaper journalist- go out and interview people, take photographs, study some text, collected evidence is then analysed. Journalist then write a report in the most suitable format which will meet the approval of its pay master and the wider audience. This poor individual might spend one week in investigating an incident, and then write a 500 word report. This is what Police officer, lawyer, estate agent, builder surveyor, university researcher and YOU had to do. Any professional worth it soul will follow the guidelines, take ownership and pride in his/her work. This is where professional and personal development start. You will Not achieve anything , if you resort to professional cheating- Mr &Mrs Google, deliberate delay in submission, and then finally handed to J*** or S*** when they are very busy, hoping they will not detect plagiarism . This approach might get you certificate, but it will NOT advance your career prospect.
Assignment can be an essays, reports or dissertations. Which ever format is, you will address the possible materials/outcomes. In an essay, you have an introduction, where you communicate with the reader. You explain what you intend to explore, and what limitation are being imposed-time, word count etc. In the main body of text, you explored the ideas, using paragraphs and subparagraphs. Finally in conclusion, you summarised what you have said and make recommendations. Essay can be 1000-5000 words long. On a lengthy essay you will also write an Executive Summary or in the academic field it is called an Abstract. This is where skills of précis come handy. Summarise whole of your work in NO MORE THAN 200 WORDS. It is often written on front page, just below the title of an assignment. A research student will ONLY read the abstract, and make a judgement if this article/book/journal worth reading. Therefore give some credit to your work, bring all salient points in this abstract. HENCE ALWAYS WRITTEN AT THE END, even after the conclusions, and bibliography. Please only use Harvard system of citation and referencing.
Reports: This form of assignment becoming more popular. Business, commercial and scientific committee tend to go for this approach, because of its highly structured, more focused, tightly defined, containing graphs, tables and pictures. It can be shorter than an essay. The structure is similar to essay:
Introduction/aims/objective- clear statement what is the purpose of this assignment, you may also include terms of reference (business/commercial), Investigation and evidence gathered, analysis/evaluation of findings, your explanation and finally conclusion.
Dissertations: This is a major assignment. It can be part of or sole part of a qualification; PhD. Many first and second degrees have thesis. Format is same as a report. Here you will have many appendix, and tables, especially if it were research piece of work.
Assessment.
Your assignment will be assessed for:
· Knowledge
· Skills
· Understanding.
· Analysis and synthesis of evidence gathered.
Therefore study the assessment criteria very carefully. Be critical as you can, think from many perspectives. Remember who are you writing this assignment for? So select the best format, which will meet approval of assessor. DET assignments are about 3000 with 10% margin words count.
Preferred Learning style: many social and educational scientific view that assignment writing is an art and science. The good scientist or artist has to know their own DOMINANT preferred learning. By knowing you can make objective judgement of what you have read, because at the back of your mind you will be critical of your own decision making process. It is possible to change the week aspect to strong aspect of your learning style, however it will require effort. For example if you are activist, you are more likely to get bored with lengthy assignment, so why not practice and practice writing long assignment. Eventually you will be activist and theorist- big gain with little effort. C ** K** and M** –you are all strong activist, therefore you need to practice and practice writing assignments!
Time management: Too many learners complained that they are pushed for a time to make a good job on an assignment. However research have proved that many of us not managing our valuable time effectively. Please do an exercise. Make a log of all your daily activity for a week. Then analysed. Ask your self, why did I wasted so much time doing this? What were alternatives ? Get into the habit of keeping a diary. Write down –
THINGS TO DO (TTD)- Must, Should, Could activities. Delegate and learn to say “NO”- sorry, I can not do that, I have assignment to complete. You may wish to study further about time management technique, please refer : J.Adair (1983) and P.Drucker (1968) resources in this subject. C** you need to read this book.
Beginning:
Analyse the title and assignment brief very carefully. Decide What I have been asked to do? Before you can do that ANALYSE KEY words in the brief. Use the dictionary and Internet. Make sure you know the meaning inside out. Awarding organisations do have provide GLOSSERY of terms in its qualification specification- use it.
Process words a key to their meaningsKey words / Meaning
Account
Analyse
Assess
Comments
Compare
Contrast
Criticise
Define
Describe
Discuss
Evaluate
Examine
Explain
Extent
Illustrate
Interpret
Justify
Outline
Review
Summarise
Three steps to take:
1 First, look for the process word-discuss, plan, review, evaluate and so on. The sort of words (usually verbs) tells you how you must deal with the content of the assignment. Underline these key process words and check their meaning.
2 Next, look for and underline the content words-social class, leadership style, The Children Act 2004, and so on. These words tell you what you must focus on the assignment.
3 Finally, read and write out the whole title question or brief, trying to establish precisely what you are being asked to do. What is the content area? What must you do with the content? What sort of structure, style and audience is indicated? Use a mind map/spider diagram for this activity.
Tip- If you are still confused about a word, then ASK- peer or tutor.
As I said earlier use the dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, write it in your own words. Think of the opposite view.
Too many learners are writing assignment at level 3 or below standard.
Please use qualification descriptor as a guide to use of vocabulary and depth of your research for CET programme:
Level 4 descriptors By the end of the programme, candidates will be able to demonstrate: The relationship between theory and practice Evaluation of key concepts and principles in their area of study Application of their knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles to personal and professional practice Evidence of reading and research Concise, precise academic writing showing evidence of planning Clear formulation of ideas and arguments Utilisation of the Harvard bibliographical referencing system Effective communication of information and arguments to a range of audiences Accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling Analysis of and reflection on concepts and evidence to support a particular point of view Evidence of commitment to working within a professional value base
QCF level descriptor extract Level 4Level / Summary / Knowledge and understanding / Application and action / Autonomy and accountability
4 / Achievement at Level 4 reflects the ability to identify and use relevant understanding, methods and skills to address problems that are well defined but complex and non-routine. It includes taking responsibility for overall courses of action as well as exercising autonomy and judgement within fairly broad parameters. It also reflects understanding of different perspectives or approaches within an area of study or work / Use practical, theoretical or technical understanding to address problems that are well defined but complex and non-routine. Analyse, interpret and evaluate relevant information and ideas. Be aware of the nature and approximate scope of the area of study or work. Have an informed awareness of different perspectives or approaches within the area of study of work / Address problems that are complex and non-routine while normally fairly well defined. Identify, adapt and use appropriate methods and skills. Initiate and use appropriate investigation to inform actions. Review the effectiveness and appropriateness of methods, actions and results. / Take responsibility for courses of action, including, where relevant, responsibility for the work of others. Exercise autonomy and judgement within broad but generally well-defined parameters.
Level 5 DET Qualification descriptor:
QCF level descriptor extract Level 5Level / Summary / Knowledge and understanding / Application and action / Autonomy and accountability
5 / Achievement at Level 5 reflects the ability to identify and use relevant understanding, methods and skills to address broadly-defined complex problems. It includes taking responsibility for planning and developing courses of action as well as exercising autonomy and judgement within broad parameters. It also reflects understanding of different perspectives, approaches or schools of thought and the reasoning behind them. / Use practical, theoretical or technical understanding to find ways forward in broadly defined, complex contexts. Analyse, interpret and evaluate relevant information and ideas. Be aware of the nature and scope of the area of study or work. Understand different perspectives or approaches or schools of thought and the reasoning behind them / Address broadly defined, complex problems. Determine, adapt and use appropriate methods and skills. Use relevant research or development to inform actions. Evaluate actions, methods and results. / Take responsibility for planning and developing courses of action, including, where relevant, responsibility for the work of others. Exercise autonomy and judgement within broad parameters.
Generic Level 5 Descriptors By the end of the programme, candidates will be able to demonstrate: A critical reflection of the relationship between theory and practice Critical evaluation of key concepts and principles in their area of study Critical application of their knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles to personal and professional practice Evidence of detailed research and reading, including professional publications Concise, precise academic writing showing evidence of detailed planning Clear analysis and development of ideas and arguments Utilisation of the Harvard bibliographical referencing system Effective communication of information and arguments to a range of audiences Accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling Critical analysis of and critical reflection on concepts and evidence to support a particular point of view Accurate use of numerical calculations and interpretation of data Use of Information and Communication Technology Evidence of commitment to working within a professional value base.
© JSP/DR 2015 NTC Page 1 of 6