UCL - Writing scientific texts I

[LING2981]

[] 5 credits

Teacher(s):

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

The LING 2981 seminar aims to prepare students for the diffusion of scientific knowledge. The main objective consists in the development of a general competence, viz. how to efficiently present a scientific theme with the help of a visual medium. More specifically, this competence will be approached in the following communicative situations:
- the oral presentation with PowerPoint (of the sort "scientific presentation during a conference")
- the poster (as presented during sessions of the same kind on the occasion of research days and conferences)

Main themes

- selection of the information
- visual organisation of a theme (issues of visual perception and graphics)
- articulation of ideas (planning, logical organisation)
- graphic and informational coherence
- progression of the information
- management of the technical aspects of a visual presentation

Content and teaching methods

A comparable approach for the two communicative situations will be adopted: we will analyse authentic examples (of diaporama and posters), furnished in part by the students, in part by the teacher. These examples will serve to instruct the students on how this type of medium is received and they will offer a practical foundation on which the teacher will progressively build theoretical considerations (cf. the themes discussed above). By means of a critical analysis and theoretical data, a manual of "good practices" will be drawn up, which the students are expected to put into practice during two personal presentations: one involving the oral presentation of a scientific article using PowerPoint, another the presentation of previous personal work by means of a poster. These personal assignments are next analysed within the frame already established for the analysis of examples during the theoretical sessions. It should be observed that, as far as the theoretical themes are concerned, the realisation of a diaporama and of a poster bear several resemblances. In a first phase, focus will be put on the PowerPoint presentation; the specifics concerning the poster will be progressively introduced during the sessions designed for this purpose.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisite : sufficient knowledge of the basic functions of powerpoint Powerpoint ; avoir déjà utilisé ce logiciel.

Evaluation : Students are evaluated on the basis of two personal works: an oral presentation with powerpoint support + a poster presentation. An evaluation grid for each of these works is given to the students in advance.

Support : Authentic examples of powerpoint slides (provided both by lecturer and students) and of posters. Video recording of the students' oral presentation.