ACSK4001 Academic Skills Portfolio: University Assignment

This Academic Skills Portfolio (ACSK4001) assignment comprises several sections designed to enhance academic skills. Section 1 includes a self-evaluation checklist, personal SWOT analysis, examples of structuring writing, quantitative data analysis, evaluating sources, synthesizing information, and presenting assignments. It also covers editing, proofreading, post-presentation reflection, and a personal development plan. Section 2 focuses on academic writing related to the UK's exit from the European Union and reflective writing. The portfolio emphasizes skills such as self-assessment, writing structure, source evaluation, and critical analysis, providing a comprehensive framework for academic development. The assignment requires a minimum word count across various tasks, encouraging students to apply and reflect on their learning throughout the semester. The assignment also provides a clear outline and structure to develop academic writing skills.

Autumn 17
Academic Skills Portfolio (ACSK4001)
This is your Academic Skills ONLINE Portfolio. Please save a copy on your computer and back it up regularly
(e.g. by saving it on your computer / in the cloud (e.g. Google Drive) / emailing it to yourself. You will receive
a printed copy which you should bring to all lectures and tutorials. However, at the end of the course, you
need to submit this electronic copy. Please refer to suggested word counts for each task included within this
portfolio.
Week Table of Contents Page Learning
Outcome
Section 1: Portfolio Evidence
(These tasks will be drafted in class and are designed to inform the written tasks in section 1; Suggested word
counts are included in brackets where appropriate.)
1 Self-evaluation checklist 3 LO 3 & 4
1 Personal SWOT analysis (suggested word count: 200 words) 4 LO 3 & 4

2 Structuring your writing (including examples and evidence) 6 LO 1 & 2
3 Quantitative data analysis (suggested word count: 300 words) 7-8 LO 1 & 2
4 Evaluating sources and referencing (suggested word count 150
words)
9 LO 1 & 2
5 Synthesising and in-text citations (suggested word count: 250
words)
10 LO 1 & 2
7 Presenting your assignment (include screen shot) 11 LO 1
8 Editing and proof reading your portfolio: using the marking criteria
to get a first!
12-13 LO 1 & 3
9 Post-presentation reflection 14 LO 3 & 4
10 End of course self-evaluation checklist 15 LO 3 & 4
10 Personal development plan (PDP) (suggested word count: ) 16 LO 3 & 4
Section 2: Written Tasks
(These written tasks should be developed throughout the semester but completed in weeks 9-11)
1-10 Academic writing [degree-specific focus related to The UK’s exit
from The European Union] (900 words)
17-18 LO1
9 & 10 Reflective writing: summary (300 words) 19 LO 3& 4
Writing word count: Academic writing (900 words), Reflective writing (300 words) and a minimum of
600 words in total on the other tasks
(+/- 10%)
SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 1: self-evaluation checklist
Below is a list of the skills you will need during your university and professional career. Tick ( )✓ the
appropriate box for each skill, according to how well you think you can do this.
Skills Do not
know
about this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do
this
Can
partially do
this
Can do this
well
Looking for information
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Identify which books/journals/websites to use ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐✓
Select relevant parts of a text ☐ ☐ ☐✓ ☐
Evaluate sources ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Using sources
Acknowledge sources of information ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐✓
Synthesize information from more than one source ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐✓
Write a reference list correctly ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐✓
Planning/ writing
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ☐✓ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ☐✓ ☐
Link ideas effectively ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐✓ ☐
Write an introduction ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Write a conclusion ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Critically edit written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Independent study
Work independently (without lecturers) ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
Work as part of a (study) group ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
Oral presentation
Give a presentation on my work ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
Brainstorm ideas with peers ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
Discuss written work in a tutorial ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
Deal effectively with questions ☐ ☐ ✓☐ ☐
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IT
Access the internet ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Use search engines ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Create word documents ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
Use PowerPoint ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓☐
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 1: Personal SWOT analysis
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBOtnyt7BP4
In-class activity: In pairs conduct interviews to create a personal SWOT analysis.
Internal
STRENGTHS
[Things within my control]
WEAKNESSES
[Personal barriers; things stopping me, but still within my control]
1.
I am a loyal to my work.
1 Spend too much time in helping others.
2. A trustworthy personality. 2. Can spend too much time in reading additional information
other than important topic.
3. Well organised toward my work. 3. Hard to self at times if fails in achieving my work.
4 Top 5 Strengths/talents (Gallup test):
Truthful in doing my work and towards other.
4. Take times to plan and not implementing them.
External
OPPORTUNITIES
[People, resources, opportunities]
THREATS
[Things outside of my control]
1. Having wide range of opportunities to grow my career. 1. There are many others in the same industry who will be
preforming better than me
2. Contact with other people to make most of it. 2. There are no set goal for me so this will be not enabling me to
do better in my work.
3. Would like to work for a good organisation and can be able
to develop it with my available knowledge.
3. Takes myself for granted at times.
4. Be with someone who would help me in finding my abilities. 4. Spend too much time at learning.
Discuss: how are you going to overcome your weaknesses and minimise the threats?
(approx 100 words)
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To overcome my threats I will concentrate on my work rather than working for others. Will seek to make sure
that I read additional information at my free time and look forward to concentrate on my important work to be
finished. At failure times would take decisions that fight help me to overcome the problems and stop being
harsh and self motivate myself. Plan report or other work and make habit of implementing it and learn through
my mistakes. Stop thinking about other more and develop strategies to overcome my mistakes and work to
achieve my goals. Will make habit to revise so to learn easily and work to build myself.
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 2: Structuring your writing
During your lecture and tutorial you will learn how to group ideas and develop paragraphs to give
structure to your academic writing. You can use the outline below as a model, although others will be
discussed in your lectures and tutorials.
Title
:
Group ideas and develop paragraphs to give structure to academic writing
1.0 An introduction (150 words) [use evidence/ research throughout]
 What is your question about? (give the background to your topic)
 Include some detail on the topic (narrow your focus; what exactly are you focusing on?) Who are the
key ideas/ people involved/ organisations etc.?)
 What will your report show? Be specific [you should write this section last]
2.0 Discussion point 1: ……………………………… (300 words) [Use evidence/ research throughout]:
 Identify one point from your area of focus and say why it is a key issue.
 Describe how leaving the EU will impact on this
 What are the opportunities it could create?
 What are the possible problems?
 What can you conclude from this? What are the implications?
3.0 Discussion point 2: ……………………………… (300 words) [Use evidence/ research throughout]:
 Identify another point from your area of focus and say why it is a key issue.
 Describe how leaving the EU will impact on this
 What are the opportunities it could create?
 What are the possible problems?
 What can you conclude from this? What are the implications?
4.0 Conclusion (150 words) [refer back to key evidence/ research]
 Give a summary of your key points from 2 & 3
 Include a summary of your key conclusions from both 2 & 3
 What would you recommend needs to happen now?
INTRODUCTION
 The writing and planing in the academic session suggest that there is non one way to write.
 There are different patterns of writing in every disciplines although there are many variations in every
subject.
 Here we are going to learn about how to give paragraphs to effectively structure the writings.
 Plan to write the paragraphs in details and in what criteria to change the paragraph.
 A paragraph is a bunch of related sentences that is considered to support one main idea.
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 The question arises where to change the paragraph and start new one. The present report shows the
requirement of changing the para according to the topic and discovering ideas to generate ways in
which the written plan can work.
 It also shows the area where the focus is to change the paragraphs and to make effective writing
structure to evaluate the basic requirement of the topic.
 Britain in 2015 announced its leaving from the European Union by the mid of 2019 which was
popularly known as Brexit.
Discussion:Impact of Brexit on Universities
 The effect that Brexit will enforce in the European unions is discussed in the essay. There is
already demand among students to study higher education institutes in UK.
 The Brexit strategy has claimed that the there is a number of rise in the students applications from
international countries from the EU say by 10%.
 This figure has marked a drop in different institutes about 14.1% in applications across the channels
(Impact of Brexit on Universities, 2017 ).
 They have also stated that this number will also decrease and the application will fall in the coming
year as soon the Brexit comes into action. But also the number of students going for higher education
in UK the risk tend to offset.
 The effect that it will enforce on the EU is that to existing treaties, there are students who pay the
same at the universities In all the countries members of EU as the same as the local students. Its effect
will be seen when the split between UK and EU would be seen or finalized.
 EU students are going to be treated as the other students and this will make a change in the status.
People are also now becoming aware that there are many countries that has started offering English-
speaking degrees.
 The situation is not yet cleared and these students may be treated as the students from foreign
countries. These situations will lead to increase the benefits for the universities in UK as they will get
more fees from the students as they will have to pay same fees like foreign students.
 Therefore, EU students will also deal in their loans, and if they will not be subjected for the loan then
the issue is clear. Already students from EU are paying more in studying UK then their countries as Uk
is the only country that charges more.
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Illustration 1: Impact of Brexit on Universities. 2017
[source: Impact of Brexit on Universities. 2017]
Discussion: Impact of Brexit on EU students studying in UK
This portion reflects to the analyse of the effects that Brexit has on EU students and argues for
enrolment of the students should be minimum. These students are important for the economy of the country
and higher education. There are approx 124,575 students studying at the universities and they altogether add
up to 2.27 billion of the economy of the country. It is also stated that any changes for the EU students and their
commencement should be taken into account carefully and analysed frequently. There effect is going to be
seen in the short term as the function of the funding will be calculated and it has been visualised that there
accordance that immigration status will be linked and students will be charged and treated as international
students. The universities are supposed to be benefited as the students from EU will have to pay higher fees
and increase in the fees will also implement in the rise in economy of the country and for universities as well
(Impact of Brexit on EU students studying in UK. 2017). The students will have to enforce for the student loan
and if the issue is there against the loan and students are not able to claim the loan, then the issue is subjected
to be removed. It will create opportunities for the universities to raise their fees and treat everyone equally
and these situations will also lead to increase the revenue for the universities. There are also possibilities that if
these changes to EU students are implemented then this process can reduce the number of EU students in the
country. But it is also concluded that it will not affect the EU students as they are already paying enough to
study in UK and this is the only country that charge higher in terms of higher educations.
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Illustration 2: Impact of Brexit on EU students studying in UK
[Source: Impact of Brexit on EU students studying in UK. 2017]
CONCLUSION
From the above it is concluded that, there will be change in the working of the universities and the EU
students as the rise in the fees will bring a change in the students coming for higher education and there is a
requirement and need to make sudden changes and Brexit effect will not enforce much on the working of the
EU students because they are already paying huge to study in UK. There is only going to be equal treatment
among the students and fees structure. There is also going to be an effect on the economy of the country as
the students will have to pay more and the universities are going to be affected the most and increase in their
income. There is a chance for the improvement in the planing of the individual and the EU students fees as
they will now have to take loans to study but of they are not given loan then the problem is solved and there
will be another effect of this procedure.
REFERENCES
online
Impact of Brexit on Universities, 2017 Online Accessed through <https://www.google.co.uk/search?
q=Impact+of+Brexit+on+Universities&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-
0ael5vzXAhUJSo8KHa5-CjMQ_AUIDSgE&biw=1537&bih=805#imgrc=d66Z9HkzuFouMM:>
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Impact of Brexit on EU students studying in UK, 2017 Online Access through
<https://www.google.co.uk/search?
biw=1537&bih=805&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=bMUrWp2IBoH4vATw5I7IAg&q=Impact+of+Brexit+on+EU+stu
dents+studying+in+UK&oq=Impact+of+Brexit+on+EU+students+studying+in+UK&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...245530.245530.0.245927.1.1.0.0.0.0.159.159.0j1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-
ab..0.0.0....0.exaxi5jPmTc#imgrc=jpwJOjCaFIeiuM:>
SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 2: Structuring your writing
Write a detailed plan here for your report or essay – showing what information you are planning to
put in each section. Remember as you do more research this plan might change so keep it up to date
to help you to write a well-structured report or essay. You can find the subject specific topics in the
assessment section of the GSM Learn academic skills page.
A detailed plan to write a report:
A report is a well organised and systematic document that defines the requirement to analyse the problem that
includes: Planing and research: It is required to have the basic information of the topic and complete planing
must be prepared and the central focus should be on the thoughts and findings. Title page: This includes the
title of the report Acknowledgement: This includes the list of people who have intentionally or unintentionally
helped in the report findings. Content pages: It should include a well formatted sections and sub sections of
the report. The page numbers should be indicated and should include what is there in the main body.
Summary: A very brief outline of the report to provide a general idea about the report. Overall objectives, key
findings and conclusion of the report and recommendation as well. Introduction: This should include you have
understood the task clearly and cover every part required. It must indicate the basic structure of the report, a
little background of the reason to write the report. Main body or Findings: This is the main part of the report,
it includes all the findings of the report with headings and sub headings and must clearly indicate different
sections. Proper charts, diagrams and tables if required should be indicated with the opinions and should also
be included in the appendix. Results: The observation recorded and also includes statistics and tables or
graphs. Conclusion: It must draw an outline to the findings and conclude what is the outcome of the report.
Recommendation: This should be specific and logical from the conclusion, the findings must be evaluated and
propose situations to improve against it. References: This list gives the details of the source that have made it
easier to complete the report.
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 3: Presenting and analysing data
Presenting data
Cut and paste the graph you discussed in the tutorial here. You can find it on the Week 3 Academic
Skills page on GSM Learn. Remember to write a full Harvard or OSCOLA reference for it.
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