Communication Skills 2

1st Trimester (Sept-Dec) AY2020-2021

COURSE GUIDE

COURSE GOAL
This course aims to develop your skills in reading and writing specific types of academic
writing or discourses in English, in particular the documented report, critical essay, and a
particular type of concept paper, namely, the research proposal.

After completing the course, you should be able to:

1) Differentiate the three types types of academic discourse;
2) Select, use, and cite sources of information for particular types of academic writing
appropriately and responsibly; and
3) Write a documented report, critical analysis, and research proposal.

COURSE OUTLINE
The course covers the following topics:

Introduction: What is Academic Writing?

Unit 1. The Report

Module 1. Selecting Your Sources
Module 2. Recording Information
Module 3. Writing the Report

Unit 2. The Critical Essay

Module 4. Developing a Critical Stance
Module 5. Writing the Critical Essay

Unit 3. The Concept Paper

Module 6. An Introduction to the Concept Paper
Module 7. Conceptual Frameworks

COURSE MATERIALS
The Communication Skills II modules written by Patricia B. Arinto comprise the course main
text. These are available in soft/digital/electronic format on the course site.

In addition, various texts and exercises will be posted on the course site as the course
progresses. Be on the lookout for these texts and exercises, which are all required reading/
activities.

You may also refer to the following websites for resources and exercises on writing:

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Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Advice on Academic Writing - http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice
Guide to Grammar and Style - http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Ejlynch/Writing/
Getting an A on an English Paper - http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/%7Ejlynch/EngPaper/
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant - http://www.powa.org/

STUDY SCHEDULE

Week Topic Activity

Week 1 Introductions 1) Read the Course Guide.
26 Sep - 2 Oct 2) Read Resource 1 and join the Introductions
What is Academic forum.
Writing? 3) Read Resource 2, take Quiz 1, and join Forum 1.
Week 2 Module 1. Selecting 1) Read Module 1 and the resources posted on the
3-9 Oct Your Sources course site.
2) Do the exercise on selecting and annotating
sources posted on the course site.
Week 3 Module 2. 1) Read Module 2 and Resource 3, take Quiz 2, and
10-16 Oct Recording join Forum 2.
Information 2) Do the exercises on summarizing, paraphrasing
and quoting text posted on the course site.
Week 4 Module 3. Writing 1) Read Module 3 and the resources posted on the
17-23 Oct the Report course site.
2) Work on Assignment 1.
24 Oct 2020 Submit Assignment 1.
Week 5 Module 4. 1) Read Module 4 and the resources posted on the
24-31 Oct Developing a course site.
Critical Stance 2) Do the exercises on developing a critical stance
posted on the course site.
3) Join Forum 2.
Weeks 6-7 Module 5. Writing 1) Read Module 5 and the resources posted on the
1-13 Nov the Critical Essay course site.
2) Do the exercises on writing the critical essay
posted on the course site.
3) Work on Assignment 2.
14 Nov 2020 Submit Assignment 2.

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 Week Topic Activity
Weeks 8-9 Module 6. An 1) Read Module 6 and the resources posted on the
14-25 Nov Introduction to the course site.
Concept Paper 2) Do the exercises on clarifying concepts.
3) Join Forum 3.
Weeks 9-11 Module 7. 1) Read Module 7 and the resources posted on the
26 Nov - 9 Dec Conceptual course site.
Frameworks 2) Do the exercises on developing conceptual
frameworks.
3) Work on Assignment 3.
10 Dec 2020 Submit Assignment 3.
11-12 Dec 2020 Take the final exam.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
To earn a passing grade in this course, you must:
1) complete various writing exercises (20% of your final grade)
2) submit three (3) Assignments (60% of your final grade)
3) take and pass a final examination (20% of your final grade)

In addition, there will be occasional discussion forums for particular topics and exercises.

A. Exercises
There will be at least one exercise per module to be posted on the course site. Each exercise
should be completed within the period allocated for the exercise, which in turn will be clearly
indicated in the directions/instructions for each exercise and in related announcements. Check
the course site regularly to keep track of any new exercises that may be posted and the
deadline for completing each exercise.

Quizzes are also mentioned in the Study Schedule. These are short online quizzes designed to
help you process some of the reading resources provided. Your scores in these quizzes will
not be counted towards your final grade. However, taking the quiz is mandatory/required, as
the results will be useful for you and for the FIC in terms of monitoring your learning.

B. Assignments
There are three major assignments in this course:
Assignment 1 - A Report
Assignment 2 - A Critical Essay
Assignment 3 - A Research Proposal

Assignment guidelines will be uploaded to the course site. Assignments will be marked/
graded and recorded based on rubrics to be spelled out in each assignment guide.

Submission Guidelines. Assignments should be submitted on or before the stipulated

deadline at designated submission bins on the course site.

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All assignments should be in Word document format. File names should use the following
format: SurnameFirstletteroffirstname_Assignment# (e.g. DeGuzmanL_ Assignment1)

Do NOT submit assignments by email.

C. Final Examination
This is a two-part online exam (one part multiple choice and one part essay) to be
administered online (on the course site on MyPortal). It will be a timed exam (the time limit
will be announced) that you can take only once. Additional details will be provided 2-3
weeks before the exam schedule indicated in the Study Schedule (above).

Grading System
The range of grades is from 1.0 (Excellent) to 5.0 (Fail). The passing grade is 3.0. Between
1.0 and 3.0, grades are given in increments of 0.25 (e.g. 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0). Scores for
specific course requirements are transmuted to the 1.0 - 5.0 scale.

A final grade of 4.0 is conditional: a student with a final grade of 4.0 must take and pass a
removal exam for the grade to become a 3.0. Failure in the removal exam means a removal
grade of 5.0.

A final grade of EXT (for “Extended”, the UPOU equivalent for “Incomplete”) may be given
but ONLY IF a student has demonstrated satisfactory performance in at least 50% of the
course requirements. A student who gets a final grade of EXT has one year to submit
outstanding course requirements.

COURSE ROLES
The participants in this course include you, the students, and the FIC (faculty-in-charge).

Your roles as students are spelled out in this course guide. In a nutshell, your roles are to
read/study all course materials, participate in various course activities, and complete all
exercises and assignments following the stipulated guidelines.

Since this is a large class of 189 students, you have been grouped into 7 groups on the course
site (Groups A-G). To find out which group you belong to, check the Groups Master List
below the link to this Course Guide on the course site. Groups are visible to each other
(meaning, you can read forum posts made by other groups) but group members can post a
message only to the group to which they are assigned.

The course FIC is Professor Patricia B. Arinto, former Dean of the Faculty of Education of
the UP Open University and currently Dean of the UP Visayas Tacloban College. You can
address me as Prof. Arinto. As FIC, I am responsible for the course design, including the
design of all exercises and assignments you will do in this course. During the term, I will
monitor your progress and provide feedback on your exercises (if the feedback is not
automated) and your assignments. I shall also monitor the discussion in the forums and
participate in the discussion as needed.

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HOUSE RULES
1. Download and print this course guide, read it carefully, and post it where you can readily
refer to it. Do not ask the FIC a question that is already answered or explained in the
course guide.

2. All course activities will be conducted online. Log in to the course site at least twice a
week (if you can log in daily, do so) to keep abreast of important announcements,
discussions, and other class activities, including new readings, new learning activities/
exercises, and new schedules. Check the “Announcements/ Latest News” section of the
course site every time you log in.

3. Do all exercises and assignments yourself and observe the ethics of scholarship. You may
discuss your work with each other (for example in the discussion forums), but you should
take full responsibility for your own submission. If you “borrow” or use someone else’s
idea (whether in the forums or in your assignments), be sure to cite the source/s. Enclose
quoted material in quotation marks and indicate the source. Sources of paraphrased
material should also be cited. In short, reference all ideas that are not yours. Be
reminded that as per UP policy, plagiarism can be grounds for suspension and
expulsion.

4. Follow the schedule of course activities, remind yourself of deadlines, and never ask for
an exemption from a required task.

Read in advance. Try to anticipate possible conflicts between your personal schedule and
the course schedule, and make the appropriate adjustments to ensure that you can meet
deadlines. Inform the FIC in advance (via email to patricia.arinto@upou.edu.ph) about
any unavoidable delays or “absences” or “silences” of more than a week’s duration.

5. All class discussions are academic discussions, which means that the relevant academic
conventions apply.
a) Write clearly, following the conventions of written English. Do not use abbreviations
and acronyms unless these are introduced in the readings, and do not write in text-
speak.
b) Respond to discussion questions thoughtfully, clearly, and concisely. Do not post
uninformed opinions. Cite relevant sources to support your responses.
c) Read contributions made by your classmates and respond appropriately and
courteously. Do not make remarks that may be read as rude or construed as an insult or
personal attack. Refer to ideas/statements, not the person. Remember that the objective
of debate and argument in higher education is to collaboratively produce a conclusion
more plausible than the ones we started with. It is not for winning over your opponents.
d) Avoid jokes or humorous statements that may be misunderstood by your classmates,
and ask only questions that sincerely interest you. Other netiquette guideline can be
found at http://online.uwc.edu/Technology/ onlEtiquette.asp.

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 e) Protect your privacy. Ponder before you post. If you wish to share something private,
do it by email or private chat.

6. You may receive communication from the FIC via email. Please make a habit of checking
your spam box (aside from your inbox) in case legitimate mail about the course or from
university units are misdirected there by your email server.

7. Note that MyPortal is a virtual learning environment, not a social networking site. Make
sure that your MyPortal profile photo is not an informal photo or a photo that would be
more appropriate for personal websites. Consider the MyProfile profile photo as a form of
identification for academic purposes.

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