Pilot case

ELEC -Master’s thesis language support

Scaling up English language thesis writing support at the university through tailored online content.
ELEC -Master’s thesis language support

Pilot leader

Jan-Mikael Rybicki
Ken Pennington
Anya Siddiqi
Maurice Forget

Schools

Language Centre, Other

Reach

more than 300 students per year

Timeline

Sept 2018 – May 2019

Overview

Overall, our plan is to produce learning materials for master’s thesis students at ELEC (to some extent ENG and CHEM) that can be easily shared in digital format: videos, guidelines, and interactive exercises. Some of these materials can be generic across different science and engineering disciplines at the Aalto University, such as the topics related to grammar and general language use.

In addition to content creation, we conduct thesis supervisor interviews to determine preferences of different departments on defining the aims and structure of theses. Documenting these preferences allows students to understand the range of options available for them to structure their own theses. This also allows students to better understand what are the expectations of an exemplary master’s thesis in engineering.

This project is a part of a long-term plan (2018-2020). Materials are developed gradually depending on the funding and resources available in the future.

Platforms and tools

Pedagogical methods

This project is focuses on online learning. The online materials can be used to complement blended learning courses.

Involved courses

LC-1320 – Thesis Writing for Engineers (MSc) (3 ECTS)
LC-1310 – Academic Communication for MSc Students (3 ECTS)
ELEC-E0903 – Producing a Scientific Publication P (5 ECTS)
LC-1110 – Online Writing Skills for Engineers 1 (w) (1 ECTS)
Writing Clinic
Supervision of Master’s thesis in English

People

Jan-Mikael Rybicki
Language Centre
Pilot leader

Ken Pennington
Language Centre
Pilot leader

Anya Siddiqi
Language Centre
Pilot leader

Maurice Forget
Language Centre
Pilot leader

Jenni Tulensalo
Collaborator at ELEC


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