Embedded ELT using the digital platform: Policies ... · including pragmatic and critical English...

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Embedded ELT using the digital platform: Policies, practices and challenges

Wu Siew Mei

Centre for English Language Communication

National University of Singapore

5th July 2019

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© Copyright National University of Singapore. All Rights Reserved.

• Established in 1979• 55 full time staff; 100 part time staff• 6000 undergraduates and post graduates per year• 1000 foreign students, academic/ administrative staff

in consultancy courses

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Context of academic literacies support • academic writing is foundational for academic

literacy

• all students need to develop that conversancy in academic literacies

• cultural capital embodied in academic literacy strategically critical in achieving professional employment

- intrinsically valuable.

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Academic literacies

“…critical thinking, database searching, familiarity

with academic conventions such as referencing, use

of formal register and the ability to manipulate a

range of genres, which by definition restricts how

meanings can be constructed and conveyed”.

McWilliams and Allan (2014, p.1)

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Generic, context-neutral study versus disciplinary literacy practices:

• Socially situated and professional discourses with which they engage in their degree programmes both define those disciplines and serve as markers of membership of their communities of practice (Lave and Wenger 1991).

• Need to recognise relevant disciplinary genres and should strive to conform in their written work effectively serve to allow claim membership to that community.

• how meaning is constructed in writing, power relations, identity/ membership in discourse that pertain to the writing process.

• Work read and assessed by other bona fide members who have expectations about the literacy practices/ disciplinary norms.

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Multidimensional conceptualisations of academic literacy drawn from:

• communicative, interactional and symbolic competences frameworks from the field of Second Language Acquisition

Bachman and Palmer 2010; Canale 1984; Canale and Swain 1980; Kramsch 1986, 2006

• key theories and traditions situated in academic settings including pragmatic and critical English for academic purposes (EAP) Benesch 2001; Hyland 2006, 2013; Pennycook 1997

• register/genre theory which prioritises academic socialisation, power relations and social identities of student learners

Mahboob et al. 2010; Swales 1990, 2011) and the academic literacies approach (Lea and Street 1998, 2006)

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Issues

• standalone support courses seen as ‘extra’ workload external to their core programme

• content free manner does not help facilitate the use of these skills in their disciplinary setting effectively

• need for a range of academic support platforms with varying levels of interconnections

• an approach to furnish ALL students with disciplinary literacies

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Embedding seems to work

• embedding the training of these skills within the respective disciplines has proven the most efficient with far reaching effects on students (Briguglio & Watsons, 2014, p. 1)

• optimal way to sensitise students to the genres of their disciplines, and thereby promote their mastery of them and ensure positive learning outcomes, through embedding academic literacies within degree programmes (Murray & Nallaya, 2016, p. 1299)

Wingate 2006, Kennelly, Maldoni, and Davis 2010; Murray 2010, 2013; Gunn, Hearne, and Sibthorpe 2011; Hocking and Fieldhouse 2011; Briguglio & Watsons, 2014; Murray & Nallaya, 2016

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Wu, S. M., Chan, C. Y. & Lim, S. H. (2018). Teaching academic literacy using popular science texts: A case study. Teaching and Learning Inquiry. 6(2), 29 – 49.

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Impact: Embedded Science Module• Faculty of Science Embedded module: Exploring Science Communication

through Popular Science

• 300 students’ pre and post test writing

• A paired Wilcoxon test showed an overall significant difference in the students’ scores after completion of the course (p<0.0001), highlighting an improvement in the students’ writing.

• Further Wilcoxon tests revealed significant difference in all 3 category aggregates of Content (0.5), Organisation (1.5) and Language (0.5), with the greatest improvement.

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Scores across three major categories (Content, Organisation,

and Language)

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Ismail, N. and Sabapathy, C. (2016). An Integrated Approach to Training UniversityStudents in Professional Communication, Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 79 (4), 487 – 510.

• workplace simulation spanning the entire 12-week duration of the course.

• Simulation: the creation of an online company

• infusion of communication typically encountered in the workplace, and an intensive and integrated approach to task design.

• Students’ module rating

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Students’ commentsIt brings in the appropriate settings of a working environment to make the learning more relatable to the real working world.

We are able to learn the formalities used in the workplace with regards to interaction with our superiors.

Online Company Presence Integrated Tasks and Assignments

Workplace Simulation.

86%

more realistic workplace simulation for students to experience and learn from.

63%

design of the assignments seems to have allowed students to experience Fink’s(2003) views about significant learning experiences through the integrated designof the course.

work/life setting and real issues made the learningexperience “relatable” and enabled them to learn the formalities of the workingworld, especially with regard to interaction with superiors.

Qualitative comments


Embedding

• integrated approach of language provision, often referred to as ‘embedded literacy’ can be defined as programs which allow students read and write to learn with ‘what they are learning as the key factor that needs to be addressed whenever shaping curriculum and designing pedagogy through which they are taught’.

Martin, 2012, p. 24

• ‘Embedding literacy is the process of building academic research, reading, and writing into the curriculum and linking it to discipline content and assessment’.

Black & Rechter, 2013

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Five crucial elements

• undergirded by policies that require these literacies as a learning outcome/ graduate attribute; institution-wide support;

• cooperation and collaboration between discipline lecturers and academic specialists; Academic literacies skills needs to be hosted by/ integrated within embedded into disciplinary content;

• rejection of a remedial approach to academic-literacy skill learning support in favour of a “guidance” approach;

• multiple-approaches philosophy when developing academic literacies;

• relevance of a student-centred or autonomous-learner focus in embedded literacy

McWilliams & Allan, 201417


18McWilliams & Allan, 2014


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Brigulio and Watsons, 2014


5 factors for effective

embedding

CELC’s context of embedding

Institutional support Scale: Able Communicator Initiative; 4MC communication course for three large faculties

and more; undergirded by blueprint, not policy

Faculty and School level policy support e.g. FoE accreditation board sets communication

skills as a learning outcome

Faculty cooperation

and collaboration

Degrees of team collaboration between disciplinary content faculty (DCF) and academic

literacies lecturer (ALL)

Social acculturation-

guidance approach

• Literacies: socially and culturally embedded practices that vary from one context to

another and that there are power discrepancies in any literacy related activity

• moves towards a transformative rather than a normative pedagogy (Paxton and Firth,

2014).

Multiple approaches

philosophy

To the extent that we can afford: field focussed than discipline focussed

• Writing in the humanities and social sciences X sociologist or psychologist

disciplines

• Engineering communication X chemical engineer versus the civil engineer

Student centricity Scale

Degrees of student centricity e.g. one-to-one consultation sessions

reflection and metacognitive awareness is built into reflective tasks.

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Progression of CTECP and OWCP (FY2012-FY2014)


Samples of embedded programmes and

courses

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Student Feedback Selection

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FAS1101• Very relevant in my study of the Arts and helped me to learn how to write academic papers

• There is sufficient time for us to work on our essay, providing us relevant feedback and teaches us the

ways of writing an academic essay, which is extremely helpful for our time here in NUS.

• The topics are covered in detail and they are also useful especially for us arts/social sciences students

in the future.

• Teaches essay writing skill that will be very useful for the students in the future.

• It teaches us how to write academically and forces us to think critically whenever we are writing.

• The module provided a glimpse into academic writing which is a key component in many FASS majors.

• helps to bring us through the process of writing, which is useful for future wri ting assignments.

• I feel like I had really learnt a lot from this module. Aside from learning the 'proper' way to construct

essays, I feel like this module exposed me to different ways of thinking. Very enriching module.

• Teaches the foundations of essay-writing, exposure to different topics across FASS.

• This is a very useful and practical module which can build on our foundation in academic writing. There

are also good techniques introduced to students weekly.

• Teaches me how to write an academic essay better.

• It's practical and useful for the future academic writings and essays that I will have to do.

• It exposed me to how research writing is done and provided useful info that I will be making use of for

the rest of my years in uni especially citing, academic language, etc

• Useful for future University education and beyond.

• First taste of proper academic writing.

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ES2007

• Work simulation. Skills learned are relatively relevant to my future.

• The skills I learn from this module is practical and useful in my daily life and in future working

environment.

• Useful techniques that are applicable to the workplace.

• Constantly drill us with real life scenarios which is very useful.

• Great exposure to the various aspects of professional communication.

• Exposure to real life scenario and making students step out of comfort zone.

• Learning the different skills that are very useful to the outside world.

• Real-life skills and personal effectiveness and awareness.

• The project is relevant and practical in the real estate context

• The practicality of the module that allows students to acquire the necessary skills for the professional

career in the future.

• It was really fun and engaging. It also prepares us for the workplace as well as for our subsequent

project presentation and internship.

• The opportunity to be exposed to real life corporate situations and ways to make the process of

meeting effective and

• efficient, presentations clear and concise and proposals persuasive.

• Skills learnt are actually useful and applicable to work.

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UTW xxxx W Ideas and Exposition

It combines both social media and politics into one module. Interesting

I enjoy the breadth of the module. I like how we discuss different countries and political actors. It is a very

stimulating and interesting module.

A unique focus area as compared to other writing modules on campus. I like how the module is structured

as I never felt lost and always knew what was going to be covered and what I had to do by when.

Furthermore, the topics covered were interesting and distinct. I was excited for every week's content.

The topic itself is extremely interesting, the concept behind readings is also extremely captivating. The

scope of the module is wide enough to allow students to take up interest on specific topics, but not too

wide as to confuse students.

The subject matter that the module covers is very interesting and is something that not many of us might

get to interact with on a day to day basis. Hence it is a good way for us to do something that is more

"creative" and also learn about writing at the same time.

I liked learning about a topic I would hardly get to learn in my course. since I'm in engineering, and the

topic is sociology of sport. Developing your own research is quite interesting. Interesting concepts and

concepts of research. The ability to write about what you are interested in.

I like how I can explore anything within the realm of sports, inclusive of alternate types of sports. It is really

liberating to be able to write what i am passionate about. 26


CS2102• Real world application and experiences were part of the module. Prevents the module from being

boring and introduces students to context beyond the classroom.

• I am able to use and apply my soft skills out of school

• It is different from the usual modules we take, which are heavy in technical concepts. It really synergies well with CS2103T, and does not involve or incur additional workload on our already work–heavy schedules.

• I feel that the concepts learnt in this module does not apply only on product presentation or work–life when we join the workforce, but we can actually adapt them for everyday use as well.

• It teaches very relevant skills

• teach me how to be professional in the working world

• I think it was quite interesting how the content was covered by both the CS2101 and CS2103T modules.

• Learning about skills and techniques applicable to the outside world in general.

• Teaches us how to be confident and gain valuable presentation skills and experiences.

• The module teaches skills which are applicable to the professional world.

• It taught key communication skills for Computer Scientists.27


Challenges

Contending with

content

Conversance with content knowledge

- unequal levels of familiarity with disciplinary

content ; the need to be content knowledge

experts at higher levels while maintaining the

primacy of the rhetorically informed

approach of the courses.

- Teacher preparation and workload issues

- Managing dialogic space (Merkel 2018)

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Collaborating with discipline experts

1. Misalignment in the timing and disynchrony in content and academic literacies pace of development.

2. Specific notions of assessment: content versus communicative competency deviant. - Prochievement concept ( p. 473) : ability as a

result of learning (achievement) and also the degree of literacy skills (proficiency).

3. Deeper engagement between the two groups.

4. Positive research inquiry initiatives have arisen too.

Challenges

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Sustaining the support platform

1. Leveraging on the digital platform because of scale of embedding and degrees of integration.

2. Sustainable model, where academic literacy development is perceived as a shared responsibility between faculty lecturers and literacy development staff.

3. Digital platform as a training platform e.g. Murdoch university

Challenges

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Strengthening ground with policy movements

Extending and deepening Institutional support identified as a key indicator of the success of embedded literacy initiatives e.gAustralia and New Zealand.

Demonstrating effectiveness

1. Stakeholders and students’ expectations: Measuring outcomes

2. Need to embed beyond first year (Gunn, Hearne & Sibthrope 2011)

Challenges

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References

Briguglio, C. and Watson, S. (2014). Embedding English language across the Curriculum in Higher Education: A Continuum of Development Support. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 37 (1), pp. 67 – 75.

Gunn, C., Hearne, S. and Sibthorpe, J. (2011). Right from the Start: A Rationale for Embedding

Academic Literacy Skills in University Courses, Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice,

8(1), 1-10.

Harris, A. and Hashton, J. (2011). Embedding and integrating language and academic skills: An

innovative approach. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 5 (2), A73 – A87.

Johnson, S., Vetch, S. and Dewiyanti, S. (2015). A framework to embed communication skills

across the curriculum: A design-based research approach, Journal of University Teaching &

Learning Practice, 12(4), 1-14.

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• Kenelle, R., Maldoni, A. and Davies, D. (2010). A case study: Do discipline-

based programmes improve student learning outcomes? International Journal

for Educational Integrity, 6 .1),pp. 6 1–73.

• McWilliams, R. and Quentin, A. (2014). Towards a Best Practice Model, Journal

of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 11(3), 1-20.

• Paxton, M. and Firth, V. (2014). Implications of academic literacies research for

knowledge making and curriculum design. Higher Education, 67, 171–182.

• Ursula, W. (2006). Doing away with ‘Study Skills’. Teaching in Higher Education,

11(4), 457-469.

• Wu, S. M., Chan, C. Y. & Lim, S. H. (2018). Teaching academic literacy

using popular science texts: A case study. Teaching and Learning Inquiry.

6(2), 29 – 49.33


THANK YOU

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