Introduction and Syllabus Explanation. Week 1. Lesson 1

1.

Academic Writing
Introduction and Syllabus
Explanation.
Week 1
Lesson 1

2.

Week 1 Outline:
• Lesson 1: Introduction and Syllabus Explanation
• Lesson 2: The Thesis outline guidelines
• Lesson 3: Selecting studies: inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Lesson 4: Using Databases for searching scientific sources. Introduction
into Mendeley
• Lesson 5: Taking Notes

3.

Lesson 1 Outline:
• Introducing yourselves
• The Syllabus review
• Explanation of the Trimester tasks

4.

Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
• Answer the questions about the course Syllabus
• Understand the structure of the Trimester tasks

5.

Highlight something
that makes you
unique. Share 1-2
sentences.
Time to get to
know each
other better!
E.g. “I grew up in New
York, but I’m originally
from Kazakhstan.”

6.

SYLLABUS REVIEW: SCAN THE SYLLABUS
AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS (5 MIN)
- to help students to be able to undertake review of the previous
• What are the course goals?
research for their theses
- to learn how to search for the relevant literature and critically
analyse what was found
- to describe ideas that they found during the review of literature
and write up the analysis in relation the context, conceptual,
theoretical and methodological background of their thesis
research.
- students need to be active in asking questions and/or
• What are the methods of assessment? sharing how to apply their knowledge and skills in their
assignments.
- there will be listening and speaking assignments posted on
Moodle.
- writing and reading skills will be assessed through step-bystep preparation of literature review for their thesis work.

7.

SYLLABUS REVIEW: SCAN THE SYLLABUS
AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS (5 MIN)
• What are the Academic Integrity principles?
- responsibility for studies, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect
- you can find out more about avoiding plagiarism at
http://plagiarism.org
- all the written assignments submitted by students on Moodle
are checked for originality in the plagiarism service
• How many assessed tasks are there? What are their weight?
Assessment​
No
Deadline​
Weight​
1​
Research question/problem
Week 3​
10%​
2​
Research context
Week 4​
10%​
3​
Midterm​
Week 5
10%​
4​
Describing relevant concepts/theories​
Week 6
10%​
5​
Describing research methods​
Week 7​
10%​
6​
End-term​
Week 10​
10%​
7​
TS presentation
TBA​
40%​

8.

SYLLABUS REVIEW: SCAN THE SYLLABUS
AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS (5 MIN)
1. Why is it not a good idea to submit your assignment after the deadline?
2. What if a student's attendance rate is less than 70%?
3. What if a student's grade for Midterm or End-term is lower than 25 out of 100 %?
4. What is a good way and proper time to message your instructor?
Important notice: Bring your laptops every
lesson!!!

9.

Leesons
1&2
• Lectures
• Teacher input
• Practical classes
• Student output
Lessons 3• Teacher Feedback
5
Weekly workload:
TSIS
• Coursera & Grammar
Vocabulary booster

10.

Explanation of the trimester tasks:
• Week 1 – Find and read 8-10 articles, choose a thesis topic
• Week 2 – Find at least 8-10 articles on your thesis topic and analyse for relevant
quotations and paraphrasing
• Week 3 – Write a 100–200 words on your thesis research question/problem
• Week 4 – Write a 300–500-word paragraph/s describing the context of your thesis
research
• Week 5 – Midterm quiz
• Week 6 – Describe the relevant concepts/theories 300-500 words
• Week 7 – Describing research methods 200-400 words
• Week 8 – Write a conclusion and describe your research significance
• Week 10 – End-term quiz
• Presenting the theoretical section

11.

Academic Writing
The thesis outline guidelines.
Week 1
Lesson 2

12.

Lesson 2 Outline:
• Warm up
• The structure and content of the thesis
• Reflection

13.

Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
• Know about the structure of thesis
• Learn about the "Guidelines for the implementation of thesis and graduation projects"

14.

Warm-up
• Do you know anything about "Guidelines for the implementation of thesis and gradua
tion projects"?
• What for do we need "Guidelines for the implementation of thesis and graduation pro
jects"?
• Where can you find it?
LMS Moodle
• How many pages should your thesis be?
30-40 pages

15.

The structure and content of the thesis.
Regardless of the problem being solved and the approach, the structure of the thesis should
include the following sections:
Cover
Title page
Abstract
Contents
Introduction
our course focuses on
Main body
Conclusion
List of references
Application (if necessary)
According to
"Guidelines for the implementation of thesis and graduation projects" of Astana IT University.

16.

HW1
Deadline: Week 1, Lesson 3
• Find and read 8-10 articles and choose a thesis topic

17.

Defining your thesis topic

18.

19.

Reflection:
What are the basic elements of a thesis?
The basic elements of a thesis are: Cover, Title page, Abstract, Contents, Introduction, Main
body, Conclusion, List of references, Application (if necessary)
What part of my thesis should I write first?
It's recommended to start a thesis by writing the literature review first. This way you learn
more about the sources, before jumping to the discussion or any other element.
What part of my thesis should I write last?
It's recommended to write the abstract of a thesis last, once everything else is done. This way you
will be able to provide a complete overview of your work.
What is the longest part of a thesis?
Usually, the discussion is the longest part of a thesis. In this part you are supposed to point out the
limitations of your study, provide explanations for unexpected results, and note any questions that remain
unanswered.

20.

Thank you for your
attention!