Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindor
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left
to lose…” On the advantages and
disadvantages of developing a writing course
for students in a research project.
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindor
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Overview
• Introduction: institutional framework, previous
research
• „Translational research“
• Course design
– Entry module
– Module 1
– Module 2
– Designing course materials
• Concluding remarks
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Introduction
Institutional framework at Vienna university – part I
• No institutionalized writing centre
• „Introduction to academic skills“ courses in the first year of the BA
program of some study programs (less than in the soon obsolete
„Magister“ study programs)
• Opportunity of developing applications for results produced by previous
research in the framework of the “translational research” program of the
Austrian Science Foundation FWF
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Introduction
Institutional framework at Vienna university – part II
• fundamental change of the way study programs are structured: from
„Magister – Doktorat (– Habilitation)“ system to BA-MA-PhD system
• „Magisterium“: 4 year study program (somewhat structured programs in
the Arts and Humanities)
• „Doktorat“: 2 year study program (with rather undefined course
requirements)
• BA: 3 year study program (highly structured programs; 180 ECTS, 120
ECTS major study; 60 ECTS „supplementary modules“)
– Written requirement for graduation: 2 so-called „BA papers“ of unspecified
length
• MA: 2 year study program (highly structured programs; 120 ECTS
major study only)
– Written requirement for graduation: MA thesis
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Introduction
Previous Research:
• Academic Writing at the University (1999/2000, University of
Economics Vienna, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures,
and Department of Linguistics – both University of Vienna, funded by
the Austrian National Bank)
• Genre, Habitus and academic Writing (2001-2004, University of
Vienna, Department of Linguistics, funded by the Austrian National
Bank and the Austrian Science Foundation)
– Theoretical background: Academic literacies and Writing in the Disciplines
approach
Current Research Project:
• Developing a Writing Course for Austrian Students (20062008, University of Vienna, Department of Linguistics, funded by the
Austrian Science Foundation as project L179-G03,
http://www.univie.ac.at/linguistics/Schreibprojekt
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Translational Research: The didactic
Implementation of linguistic categories of analysis
Newly formulated didactic domains:
• General criteria of academic writing
• Differences between everyday language and the language of
science/academia
• Structure/make-up of a seminar paper
• Connecting text segments
• Perspective (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, referencing,
evaluating)
• Explication and argumentation
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Linguistic categories’ contribution to didactic domains in terms of results
Linguistic categories
Didactic domain
Macro structure (SFL, RST)
Structure of a seminar paper, connecting
text segments, argumentation
Metacommunication
Structure of a seminar paper, connecting
text segments, general criteria of academic
writing
Intertextuality
Perspective
Argumentation
Explication and argumentation
Modality
Differences between everyday language
and the language of science/academia,
argumentation
Lexis
Differences between everyday language
and the language of science/academia
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
The initial course design: a modular approach
Entry module
Evaluation
Module 1
Differences between everyday language and the
language of science/academia, writing process,
writing techniques / web-based
Module 2
Focus on writing: discipline-specific aspects of
text structure, perspective, argumentation / faceto-face and web-based, i.e. blended
Module 3
Writing workshop: accompaning a seminar / faceto-face and web-based (discussion forum)
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
The adapted course design: a modular compromise
Entry module
Evaluation
Module 1
Differences between everyday language and the
language of science/academia, writing process,
writing techniques / web-based
Module 2
Focus on writing: discipline-specific aspects of
text structure, perspective, argumentation / faceto-face and web-based, i.e. blended
Module 3
Writing workshop: accompaning a seminar / faceto-face and web-based (discussion forum)
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Entry module
• Purpose
Allows the evaluation of students’ previous writing experiences and
competence and on this basis also allows the recommendation of specific
parts of Module 1 in case of shortcomings
• Content:
– general questions: demographic information, academic and nonacademic writing experience, general academic skills (literature research,
compilation of bibliographies, taking notes and writing excerpts)
– specific academic skills: work process, structuring a paper, group work
skills
– academic writing: language of academia, connecting text segments,
perspective, argumentation
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Entry module
• Content:
– general questions: demographic information, academic and non- academic
writing experience, general academic skills (literature research,
compilation of bibliographies, taking notes and writing excerpts)
– specific academic skills: work process, structuring a paper, group work
skills
– academic writing: language of academia, connecting text segments,
perspective, argumentation
– academic writing: genre knowledge, features of academic style, author’s
voice in academic texts, citing and referencing of sources, explaining and
arguing in academic texts
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Entry module
• Design/ Implementation:
– open questions
– multiple choice questions
– short assignments
– Implementation on the eLearning platform of Vienna University,
Blackboard-Vista, as a “test”
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Module 1 (online module)
• http://www.univie.ac.at/linguistics/schreibprojekt/Grundla
gen/
• Content:
– What is academic work?
– Academic skills:
•
•
•
•
•
•
finding a topic
contacting your supervisor
planning your work
finding literature
the writing process (drafting – writing – revising)
making a presentation
– Writing in the disciplines
– Differences between everyday and academic language
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Module 1 (online module)
• Content:
–
Structuring your paper
–
Quoting and referring to secondary sources
–
Explaining and argumentation in academic texts
• Design/ Implementation:
–
Hypertext
–
Examples from authentic students’ texts
–
Aimed at students of Arts and Humanities in general
–
Independent of eLearning platform
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Module 2 (blended learning)
• Purpose and aims
Now the focus of our modular design, teaching and practicing
of crucial writing competences
• Content
Language of science/academia, structuring texts, perspective
(quoting, referencing, paraphrasing and summarizing,
evaluation, hedged performatives), argumentation – 2 parallel
versions (for Linguistics as well as Social and Economic
History)
• Structure
5 sessions of face-to-face teaching, web-based tasks in the
intervals between sessions
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
General organisational structure of module 2
• Schedule
Evaluation
Module 1
Module 2
(1-11/2 hours of work)
(maximum of 6 hours)
(2-hour seminar, workload split equally between
face-to-face teaching and online work)
• Internal structure
– Combining F2F with web-based teaching
Allows some elements and practice to be “out-sourced” so
as to leave more time for instruction and group interaction
– Individual / group work in both F2F and online phases
– Course is being taught in the current semester
– It will be evaluated and optimized in the following months
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Designing Course Materials and Content
Activities aiming to explicate existent knowledge and competences
• Brainstorming
• Working with texts
o Describing
o Discovering
o Modifying
o Writing
Activities aiming to practice newly acquired knowledge and competences
•
Brainstorming
• Working with texts
o Classifying
o Correlating, Grading or Sequencing
o Abstracting
o Fokused Variation
o Writing
Due to the status quo at Vienna University, we anticipated mostly non-explicit
knowledge and competences
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Concluding remarks: liberating and constraining
forces, prospects
•
Liberating aspects:
– Project funding allows the development and evaluation of a course over a
period of 2½ years
– No limitations in terms of theoretical concepts and didactic approaches
– Rather broad database for choosing authentic examples and materials for
tasks and assignments
– course development in project context allows research assistants to test and
evaluate design and materials in various institutions
•
Constraining aspects:
– Institutional:
• Face-to-face sessions limited to a 1-hour course
• No institutional background
• Project funding is limited to 2 years – lack of sustainability
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Concluding remarks: liberating and constraining
forces, prospects
•
Constraining aspects:
– Technological:
• Limited funcationality of Blackboard-Vista for course requirements:
– Self-evaluation module has to be implemented as a „test“ in which points are
assigned to each question/ assignment even if irrelevant for the task
– Difficulties of group management (assigning groups of students to certain tasks)
– General software problems (slow, frequent breakdowns)
– Methodological: developing course material for other disciplines requires further research
(consequence of the WiD approach)
•
Prospects:
– Integrating the course into a „supplementary module“ for students outside the field of
Linguistics, offered by the Department of Linguistics
– Integrating writing assistance into the BA lecture accompanying the BA seminar in which
students can write their first BA paper in Applied Linguistics
– Pursuing a bottom-up approach
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Module 2 – Schedule for “Structuring”
Time
Duration
Content
Method
Material
9:00
5 min
Previewing content
input
ppt
9:05
15 min
Task 1: Research questions & topics
plenum
Instructions:
How do you deal with
these topcis?
What will your text
look like?
Are you being asked
to describe, define,
evaluate, compare or
summarize?
9:20
10 min
Mind maps & the table of contents
input
ppt
9:30
15 min
Task 2: Mind map & table of contents
for your topic
single task
Instructions:
Create a mind map
and table of contents
for your current topic
9:45
15 min
Structuring framework; the functions
of introduction, middle and
concluding part
input
ppt
Helmut Gruber
Markus Rheindorf
Birgit Huemer
Institut für Sprachwissenschaft
E-mail: helmut.k.gruber@univie.ac.at
Module 2 – Schedule for “Structuring”
Time
Duration
Content
Method
Material
10:00
15 min
Task 3: Assinging text segments to
Introduction, Middle Part, and
Concluding Part; Identify actions in
language
group work
Instructions:
Assign text segments
to their origin; what
actions are realized by
each segment?
10:15
10 min
Break
10:25
15 min
Task 4: Identify functional stages in
Introduction
group work
Instructions: identify
functional stages in
text sample.
10:40
10 min
Connecting text segments (looking
ahead, looking back, embedding
tables and illustrations)
input
ppt
10:50
15 min
Relations between text segments
plenum
ppt
11:05
10 min
Task 5: Connections between text
segments
single task
Instructions: how are
the sections of your
paper connected? Use
your preliminary table
of contents.
11:15
10 min
Conclusion of session, preview
online phase and next session