Write a reading log to demonstrate the extent
Part One is a reading analysis exercise called a Reading Log.
In Part Two students are to show that they have completed E-tivities 3.4 and 3.7 and by doing so demonstrate how an article on the decriminalisation of soft drugs is applicable to the End of Course Essay.
In Part One the Reading Log is on the exam topic of the First Year Experience.
Part Two is based on the topic of the decriminalisation of soft drugs which is the End of Course Essay topic. Students were introduced to the end of course essay question in Week Three.
We will provide students with the article for Part One’s Reading Log, and we will provide students with a List of Essay Resources for e-tivity 3.7.
We will not provide students with the article for e-tivity 3.7 but students must locate their chosen reading from either EBSCOHOST or Google Scholar.
Part One: A Reading Log
The Reading Log from Part One is on the exam topic which is the First Year Experience (FYE). One of the major issues in the FYE literature is the number of students who drop out of study before completion (attrition) and measures taken by universities to prevent this and increase the numbers who persist with study (retention). This issue is the topic for Part One’s Reading Log.
For the Reading Log students are to review the following journal article: Angelino, LM, Williams, FK & Natvig, D 2007, The Journal of Educators Online, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1 – 14.
This article has been loaded into week five on Study Desk.
Reading Log Instructions:
Students are to read and critically engage with the article and then write a Reading Log to demonstrate the extent that they have critically analysed and understood the text. It is important that the Reading Log is in the correct order, so be careful to follow the stages below.
The seven stages for Reading Log A are as follows, and the heading or sub- heading must be written in bold in the submitted assignment: an example of the headings and explanation of the type of information to be included follows:
1: Reference
Give the complete reference for the journal article using the Harvard referencing system.
2: Argument/Purpose
In a couple of sentences, and in your own words, write down the argument provided in the article, the purpose of the text, and the overall theme of the reading. Also, indicate where in the text you located this information.
3: Academic credibility
In a few sentences provide your own assessment of the academic credibility of the article. You should include information about the credibility of the author(s) ie what is the evidence to suggest the author(s) is an expert; you should also make reference to the credibility of the publication in which the article appears (academic journals are more credible than newspaper or internet articles); you should also assess the credibility of the information sources eg does the author make reference to journal articles or is the information based on personal opinion or other less informed sources). Finally you should evaluate the extent to which you feel the evidence is convincing. Bear in mind that no study is perfect; there are always limitations related to methodology or interpretation of findings etc.
4: Headings
List all the headings and sub-headings from the article, in the correct order. If there is an abstract then this should be included in this list.
5: Reading in Depth
Select one section from the article that offers possible solutions to the issue of attrition. Write the heading or sub-heading where you found the information. In your own words, summarise suggested solutions to the problem of attrition in higher education.
6: Usefulness of article
Imagine you are a presented with an essay prompt asking you to describe the main barriers to success for first year university students. You are also asked to suggest what universities might do to assist students to overcome these barriers to success. How useful is the article in answering these questions?
7: Relevance of Article
In a couple of sentences explain the relevance of the article ie in what way this text could be useful to students faced with this essay task from point 6. Provide us with details of a section or couple of sentences from the article that highlight and provide evidence for this.
Part Two: Applying a Recreational Drugs Article to the End of Course Essay
In Part Two students are to submit their full answers to both e-tivity 3.4 and 3.7.
In e-tivity 3.4 we want the full forum post, and their response to another student.
In e-tivity 3.7 we will need full answers to questions 1-4 form the e-tivity itself, but we will also want the full reference of the article that was selected from the List of Essay Resources.
