Connections Diary and Essay Assignment Details

Assignment 1

This assignment aims to engage the student in critically thinking about their programme of study and how useful and applicable the knowledge  they are gaining is to them. Students will keep a record of all of their learning and develop this, with the assistance of lecturers, into  a meaningful account of their development over the term.

 

The collection of notes (moments of learning) should be done in the form of a diary, and can include, but is not limited to, written notes, audio  recordings, video diaries, other videos, drawings, etc. from across the suite of modules in Health & Leisure/Coaching Sports Performance.  Students will complete two essays during Term 1 addressing specific questions chosen from a prescribed list.

 

Academic Essay

The title of this essay will be chosen by the student from a list of topics derived from all the first year modules. The essay will allow the student  the opportunity to demonstrate key skills in the whole area of academic writing, for example: paragraph structure, transitions, signposting, flow,  academic discourse, use of supporting evidence, citations and referencing.

Assessment Details for CA 1: Connections Diary and Essay (40%)

This assignment in divided into two parts. In both parts you should refer to your student diary entries in supporting your answers. Part 1 and 2 will be submitted in Blackboard.

Part 1: Submission of answered question (300-500 words).

• The main purpose of this first submission is for the student to spend some time planning an assignment, as well as practice the writing  skills learned in class. Students will get some feedback on their progress before submitting the full piece, part 2, at the end of the term.

• Any or all references should be cited and referenced in line with the MTU guidelines. Any diary entries that you cite should also be  appended to the end of the piece.

• Feedback will be provided in line with the CA rubric. This feedback can then be applied to part 2.

Part 2 (40%): Submission of essay (1,000 words)

• This submission should include the completed essay, a reference list, and an appendix with a copy of each of the diary entries used to  support the points you make in your essay.

This assignment asks you to answer two questions related to your learning and development during year one of your degree programme. The  first question is answered in early November and the feedback from this submission should be applied to your work on the second. These  questions are listed further down in this document.

Your Connections Diary gives you an opportunity to find connections between modules and  content in your Health & Leisure, Health & Leisure with Massage or Coaching & Sports Performance degree programme. This can help you  understand the material you are learning on this degree programme and see more uses for the skills and knowledge that you are learning.  To help you to find these connections you are required to keep a diary of your learning across all modules during first year. You will then use  this diary to add support to the points you write about in answering the questions. For example, if you said that you enjoyed a specific module,  you might include examples from your diary of times when you have written about having fun or being really interested in the topic. You can  choose to keep your diary in any format you wish, though we highly recommend One Note.

This assignment allows you to demonstrate your  ability to gather useful information, choose appropriate examples from this information, and present this in an easy-to-follow manner. This is  achieved through answering the two questions to the best of your ability. Your writing and presentation skills will form a major part of the  assessment criteria. This assignment should include:

• Your answers to the two questions listed below. See the next section for more details.

• Any diary entries (or records of moments of learning), from across all of your modules that have been used in answering your chosen questions. You are not required to share your whole diary. All you need to do is to append the diary entries you are using to the end of  your assignment.

Part 1 of the Assignment:

You will need to choose one question from the box below to answer and submit on or before November 4th at  12:00pm. It is recommended that you read through the assessment rubric (below), as well as your collection of clips before choosing your  questions. Remember to refer to the content from your connections diary and include a copy of each connections diary entry that you cite with your submission.

Option A:

If you could go back to the start of the term, what advice would you give yourself to help you engage and learn more.

Option B:

What aspect(s) of college are you struggling with the most? Why might this be a struggle, and what can you do to help yourself?

Part 2 of the Assignment:

you will need to choose one more question to answer, that you will submit on December 2nd before 12:00pm. It is  recommended that you read through the assessment rubric (below), as well as your collection of clips before choosing your questions. Remember to refer to the content from your connections diary and include a copy of each connections diary entry that you cite with your  submission.

Option A:

What knowledge, skills, and/or competencies have you learnt so far that you aim to apply in the coming term?

Option B:

How well have you engaged in the learning this term? What can you do to improve, or maintain, this for the second term?