IAA Project Work Modules and Enquiry-Based Learning

  1. Introduction to Enquiry-Based Learning:

Enquiry-based learning is an approach in which learning is driven by a process of enquiry shared by students and staff. Enquiry-based learning enables students to take control of their own learning as they progress through their degree programmes. It encourages students to acquire essential skills for the highly competitive graduate employment sector, such as:

  • Creativity
  • Independence
  • Team-working
  • Goal-setting
  • Problem-solving

Such skills are key to IAA graduates’ personal development and enrich their capacity for ‘lifelong learning’.

Enquiry-based learning in IAA is the product of a partnership between our academic teachers and researchers and our students.

Some of the advantages of enquiry-based learning are that it:

  • is an interactive process between students and academic staff who support and enable their progress
  • places students at the centre of the learning process so that they learn through involvement and ownership and not simply by listening
  • helps students to learn independently and to take responsibility for their own learning.

2. IAA Project Work Modules

Contact hours: one hour a week;

Independent Study hours: five to six hours per week.

In the first year all IAA students take two research skills modules, one in each semester. In the first semester you will be assigned a topic which will normally be specific to your chosen degree programme. You will be able to choose from the full range of available topics, subject to availability and demand, in your second semester (look out for the notices in early December).

This module is designed to introduce you to the skills you need to complete an academic programme successfully. Some of these you may have already, others will be new to you, or will be presented in a way you may not be used to – they are all essential to your success. Some of the skills listed below will be presented as implicit in the content of your project, others will be more overtly explained and discussed.

Learning Outcomes

The project work module introduces students to the principles of enquiry based learning and equips them with the research and presentation skills that are required foruniversity level work, in all disciplines. These skills are centred on research and on the acquisition and evaluation of evidence and scholarly materials. Each module will equip you with the following skills (not necessarily in this order):

  • effective use of library resources
  • effective planning and organisation of essay/project/presentation
  • critical and theoretical perspectives on your topic
  • critical reading skills
  • evaluating web sites: e.g.
  • effective and critical use of web and IT skills
  • bibliographic skills
  • academic referencing skills
  • seminar participation/contribution to discussion
  • presentation skills
  • essay writing
  • working as part of a team

The Learner Independence Project

This is a valuable resource to accompany much of the enquiry-based work you do in this and other modules in IAA. It has a WebCT site to which you have access. We encourage you to explore the range of study skills, tips and ideas on offer on the site. It includes, for instance, a valuable section on effective seminar participation, excellent guidance on referencing and bibliographic skills, and guides to all sorts of subject resources for Ancient History, Classical Literature and Civilisation, Archaeology, and East Mediterranean History.

Library Induction Workshop

This special class will be led by the IAA subject specialist at the Main Library, Lisa Anderson, and is designed to help you develop good bibliographicand research skills, and enhance your academic presentation skills.In this class, you will learn hands-on using an individual networked computer. The instructor will take you through a series of common problems encountered during assignment writing and give you hints on how they might be addressed. Your project tutor will tellyou the time and place of the session.

Final assessment: 2500 word essay submitted for the January deadline.

This is important, please note the following prerequisites for being entered for the assessment:

Attendance: Attendance at all classes is compulsory. If you fail to attend 70% (i.e. miss 3 sessions) without good reason you will be deemed to have failed to show due diligence, and may be debarred from assessment. (You will have the opportunity to re-sit in the August/September exam period for a capped mark of 40.)

Submission of assessed work: Essays handed in without references and bibliographies will not be marked – they do not even get on the starting grid for assessment. As with attendance, you will have a chance to re-sit at the appropriate time.

Students should note that work handed in without following the correct IAA guidelines, as published on Pandora, is also likely to suffer penalties.

Assessment Criteria:

Please consult the table below.

MH; revised and updated by ET 22.09.08

MARKER INITS
& DATE / SUBJECT
(brief) / SRNS

Assessment Grid for Project Level C Year 1 Revised December 2007

Marker: do not use half marks / Fail
0-13 / III
14-16 / II.2
17-19 / II.1
20-23 / First
24-26 / High First
27+ / Mark given
Relevant knowledge
33 / Very limited, inaccurate and/or very thin / Limited amount of accurate information, but little evidence of effort / Provides a reasonable quantity of accurate information / Provides substantial information, displays a solid knowledge of mainstream material / Clear and full knowledge of what the module includes under aims and objectives / Goes significantly beyond module aims and objectives.
Interpretation, analysis and construction of argument
33 / Understanding/
interpretation very patchy or misguided.
Illogical, ill considered and poorly constructed. / Limited understanding of material and its significance and some attempt to draw conclusions from it / Has a competent (if dependent or incomplete) understanding of the material and its significance.
Presents general outline of an appropriate argument / Has a clear understanding of the material and its significance
Argues in an assured and orderly way, with clear development. / Very sound understanding of material; mature and insightful.
Incisive, highly persuasive if not totally convincing / Exceptional intellectual engagement with material, fully convincing.
Documentation and presentation
33 / A) LITTLE attempt at correct presentation (eg. title page, page numbers, references and bibliography or primary sources)*
B) English**, spelling etc seriously defective / A) SOME attempt at correct presentation (eg title page, page numbers, very limited referencing or attempt at a bibliography of appropriate and reputable works)*
B) Poor English**, grammar, spelling – ie no proofreading / A) Guidelines on presentation followed correctly if patchily, limited bibliography and referencing of appropriate and reputable works*
B) Adequate English**, grammar, spelling but limited proofreading / A) Guidelines followed correctly; few errors. Adequate and generally accurate bibliography and referencing correctly formatted of appropriate and reputable works cited*
B) Good English**, grammar, spelling, good proofreading / A) Guidelines followed correctly and work presented without error. Full and accurate bibliography and referencing correctly formatted.
B) Excellent English**, grammar, spelling and accurate proofreading / Expert
Further comments /

Total

* Presentation: every piece of work submitted should have: a) student number on every page, b) page numbering, c) title, d) proper referencing and e) bibliography or list of primary sources used. Works cited should be appropriate to the topic under discussion and reputable (serious academic works and none but authoritative web sites such as those provided by University Staff eg: .ac.uk, .edu). The number of works cited will vary according to topic and discipline.

** Essays submitted in poor or inadequately proofread English will be penalised appropriately. It is IAA policy to make some allowance for unavoidables error due to dyslexia where this has been certified and reported to IAA. Allowance will not be made where proofreading or the assistance of a reader can reasonably be expected. KAW, Dec 2007