Assessed seminars for pre-sessional international post-graduate management studies

Lewis, S. and McDonagh, V. (2019) Assessed seminars for pre-sessional international post-graduate management studies. St Andrew's Learning and Teaching Conference 'Innovative Assessment in Higher Education, St. Andrews, Scotland, 23 October 2019. (Unpublished)

Abstract

The presentation describes innovative changes made to the speaking assessment of a five-week bridging course for international post-graduate business students. The bridging programme is jointly operated by the English for Academic Study department and the receiving faculty. Originally speaking was assessed by means of continuous assessment and a final individual presentation. However, in 2016 it was decided, after reviewing the Master’s programme, the bridging programme should attempt to reflect the types of tasks that students will encounter on their degree courses. Thus, assessment took the form of a student instruction seminar (Aguilar, 2016), where students co-construct meaning in an appropriate academic style with reference to evidence (Engin, 2017). Students are given articles, lecture practice, and guide questions. Participation in seminar discussions can be a challenge for international students because of their previous educational experiences, their reluctance to get involved, and the perceived linguistics challenges of participating in a seminar in L2. Following feedback from tutors, changes were made to the course materials in summer 2018 to provide a more scaffolded approach to the materials and course. This presentation both describes the process of change and reviews the current perspectives on the assessment.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Keywords: speaking assessment, seminar discussion,
• Status: Unpublished
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lewis, Mrs Siriol and McDonagh, Dr Vanessa
• Authors: Lewis, S., and McDonagh, V.
• Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Language Centre