WDHE 2004
Dr Chris WillmottDept of Biochemistry
University of [email protected]
A Contextualised Writing Programme For Biological
Scientists
Context
- Two Key Skills modules
- First Year Medical Biochemistry and Medical Genetics students
- 75-80 Participants
- Running in current format since Jan 2000
Content of Key Skills programme - Writing skills activities
- Oral presentation skills
- Data-handling skills
Writing skills activities
- Characteristics, conventions and purpose(s) of scientific writing
- Correcting ‘bad’ essay
- Preparing a course essay, including referencing and plagiarism advice
- Writing a scientific report
- Writing an exam essay
‘Bad essay’ - objectives
- To identify common generic and subject-specific errors in writing
- To offer students individual feedback on their written work
‘Bad essay’ - activities
- Students work individually, then in groups, to improve an error-rich essay provided by class tutor
- Suggestions for improvement are pooled and discussed by class tutor
- A second poor essay is e-mailed to students. They produce and submit (as paper copy) a better version, on which they receive 1-2-1 feedback from tutor
Plagiarism
- Recognising many students are “accidental” plagiarists
- Not understanding the rules
- Not enough time (poor time-keeping, overchoice)
- Poor study skills
See also Gill Chester (2001) www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=plagiarism_why
Plagiarism - objectives
- To distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate uses of source materials
- To encourage good study skills, and referencing practice, as a safeguard against accidental plagiarism
Plagiarism - activity
- Students are presented with seven versions of an ‘essay’ extract as well as the original source material.
- Asked individually, then in groups, to consider which are guilty of plagiarism.
- Tutor-led discussion of appropriate and inappropriate use, leading into practical tips on avoidance of accidental plagiarism.
Exam essays - objectives
- Recognition of the key features of an effective exam essay
- Opportunity to practice the skills associated with, and receive advice on, writing an exam essay
Exam essays – activities (1)
- Students read a set of genuine, hand-written essay scripts and, in groups, rank the answers according to the formal criteria
- Each group reports back on ranking, these are compared with ‘real’ order and tutor-led discussion on strengths and weaknesses
- Other advice on exam technique
Exam essays – activities (2)
- Students plan essay on specified title and write under exam conditions
- Peer evaluation of essays
- Formally marked as part of summative assessment for module
- Formative feedback also given regarding essay plan
Exam essays - practicalities
- Selection of essays (e.g. topic? marks?)
- Obtaining permission from originators (data protection, intellectual property)
- Number of essays in exercise = 6 (double sets if larger groups)
- Photocopy once, remove markers comments and re-photocopy
- Handwriting?
References
Willmott CJR and Harrison TM (2003) An exercise to teach students about plagiarism Journal of Biological Education 37:139-140 (www.le.ac.uk/teaching/teaching/pdf/willmott.pdf)
Willmott CJR, Clark RP and Harrison TM (2003) Introducing undergraduate students to scientific reports Bioscience Education E-journal 1-10(http://bio.ltsn.ac.uk/journal/vol1/beej-1-10.pdf)
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