Module OSF-0101:
Communication and IT Skills

Module Facts

Run by School of Ocean Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 1

Organiser: Dr Martyn Kurr

Overall aims and purpose

This module aims to help prepare you for degree study through developing key study and transferable skills. The module will equip you with the fundamental IT-based and academic skills that are required for degree-level study and to maximise your chances of producing the best possible work you can. The module will focus on the academic skills required to work with various information types and to effectively present information in a variety of formats and provide a grounding in the appropriate software that allows you to do this.

Course content

Topics covered by this module may include the following:

Gathering information: potential information sources and summarizing information and making notes.

Evaluating information: introducing the concept of reading critically.

Presenting science in writing: the use of different word processing software to create and manipulate documents and to share and collaborate.

Writing successfully: avoiding common grammatical mistakes.

Presenting science: oral presentation skills and the use of different presentation software.

Key data scientific datasets and information sourcing: primary versus secondary datasets, information searching and evaluating sources.

Working with data: importing data to analysis software, visualising data and data analysis.

Reflecting on learning and using feedback: types of feedback and learning to use feedback.

Assessment Criteria

threshold

Grades D- to D+ Basic understanding of higher education learning skills but some errors present. Limited evidence of additional reading and basic reflective writing skills. Some inaccuracies and misconceptions evident.

C- to C+

Grades C- to C+ A clearer understanding of higher education learning skills. Demonstrated ability to analyse information and applying of these skills. Evidence of additional reading and reflective writing skills. Few inaccuracies and misconceptions evident.

good

Grades B- to B+ A good understanding of higher education learning skills. Demonstrated abiltiy to analyse information and applying of these skills. Evidence of reading and reflective writing skills. Very few inaccuracies and misconceptions evident.

excellent

Grade A- and above An excellent understanding of higher education learning skills. Demonstrated ability to analyse information and are able to apply these skills. Extensive wide reading and reflective writing skills. No inaccuracies and misconceptions evident.

Learning outcomes

  1. Import quantitative data and produce appropriately formatted visualisations.

  2. Effectively communicate scientific information in a written form.

  3. Apply appropriate software packages to meet a required outcome.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
COURSEWORK Assignment 1: Newspaper Article 25.00
COURSEWORK Assignment 2: Scientific Review 35.00
COURSEWORK Assignment 3: Note Taking 20.00
INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION Assignment 4: Presentation 20.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Practical classes and workshops

24 x 2 hour sessions

 48
Tutorial

12 x 1 hour tutorials

 12
Private study

Time spent working on guided and independent study and on the preparation of assignments.

 140

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
  • Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sentistevely with others
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.

Resources

Resource implications for students

Students will be required to access online resources as part of their independent study. Use of personal computers or University facilities will enable this.

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/osf-0101.html

Courses including this module