Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

The University of Glasgow Widening Participation Summer School is a four-week course to aid transition into University level study. This online module will allow students to orientate themselves at the University of Glasgow, introduce them to Moodle, to the University library, and develop students' note-taking, referencing, and reflexive skills.

At the start of the course, students attend a two-hour on-campus induction session to introduce Moodle and how to use the course. They are instructed to work their way through a set of materials each week, which they must do in a set order. Online, pre-recorded lecture-style materials make up between one and five hours of the course each week. Students are also expected to read handouts and other learning materials each week, participate in student forum discussion, and complete online activities, some of which are assessed.

Students must meet at least one of the following criteria:

-Be a pupil at a Summer School target school, in either S5 or S6

-Be holding a conditional offer from the University of Glasgow which requires them to pass the Summer School

-Be care-experienced

-Be an offer-holder at the University who has been recommended to take part in Summer School by the Disability Service

-Be an offer-holder at the University who has completed a SWAP or UoG Access course.

-Be a student for whom attendance at the Summer School has been recommended as being beneficial for their progress to and performance in Higher Education.

None

Assessment is conducted through a combination of Moodle exercise, tutor assessment of student participation in group discussion, and an essay submitted in the final week. Specifically:

-4x Assessments at the end of each week's materials (equivalent to an in-class test, adapted for online learning)

-Using the library assessment

-Note-taking assessment

-Referencing assessment

-Reflective essay

-Participation in study group discussion through Moodle forum (categorised above as 'oral assessment' because the study groups are set up in a virtual environment with a view to providing a seminar experience in distance learning format).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The course aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop academic learning skills they will need in order to make a successful transition to University learning. Specifically it aims to:

-Introduce the UoG campus and student services and ensure students are aware of how and where they can find support throughout their studies.

-Enable students to gather information and resources for study, using the University library and its online resources, and to make critical judgements on these resources when using them in their own work.

-Teach a range of note-taking techniques and allow students the opportunity to practise these in a lecture format.

-Introduce the different assessment methods and marking criteria commonly used at University level, and ensure students are fully aware of referencing methods and academic good practice in written work.

-Encourage each student to critically appraise their own learning methods and to use this appraisal to set realistic development targets for their undergraduate studies.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

■ Orientate themselves around the University of Glasgow campus, with a good understanding of different support services available, and how to access those as required.

■ Identify what types of teaching they can expect to encounter at undergraduate level, and how to use independent study to make the most of different learning and teaching formats.

■ Apply a range of note-taking strategies and recognise the importance of summarising and identifying key ideas and related issues in an academic lecture environment.

■ Use the University library to locate a variety of sources and materials relevant to a particular topic, with an understanding of how to access both the online and hard-copy materials available to them.

■ Understand and apply the rules and conventions of academic writing: employing a referencing system; avoiding plagiarism; structuring an argument clearly; and using correct grammar and syntax.

■ Know what sort of feedback to expect from academic assessments, and understand how to respond to this feedback productively in subsequent coursework.

■ Reflect, in a formal piece of written work, on their own learning styles, including strengths, weaknesses, and development goals for a successful transition to undergraduate learning.

Students must attend at least 75% of the formal contact hours, and submit at least 75% of required coursework.