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Knowledge line
Tutor groups
Each week a tutor group meeting will be held. The structure of these meetings will always be the same, and will consist of two parts:
1. The discussion of a new task, using steps 1-5 of the seven step model. In each task, one central problem in the field of the European Business and the European Union will be encountered. Students are urgently required to read the new task carefully and prepare steps 1 and 2 already at home in order to facilitate the discussion. Students must not study the textbook or other resources in preparing this task. The discussion will focus on trying to get a clear picture of the main problem(s) in the task (step 2), the application of prior knowledge and common sense (steps 3 and 4) and finally the formulation of learning goals (step 5) that have to be achieved in order to be able to understand and/or solve the main problems.
2. The discussion of the previous task, step 7.
Starting with the learning goals as identified in the previous session, the students discuss these learning goals again supported by their studying relevant sources (step 6), and hopefully at a higher level. If questions still remain unanswered or unclear, the group can decide to pass these questions to the next evaluation lecture (put questions in Mr Frencken’s pigeonhole).
Each tutor group is presided over by a chairperson, who is responsible for the functioning and the quality of that tutor group meeting. The chairperson will be assisted by an assistant, who will be the chairperson of the next meeting. Tutor group members should produce a schedule of Chairperson and Secretary roles, showing who is undertaking each of these roles in each tutor group session.
The seven step model
The seven step model consists of seven steps that the discussion of the task follows. The first five steps concern the preparatory discussion, step 6 the self-study in between the two sessions of the tutor group, and step 7 the evaluation. The seven steps of the seven step model are explained briefly below.
Step 1. Clarify terms and concepts that are not clear.
In the text of the problem assignment there may be terms and concepts that the student does not yet know or the meaning of which in the given context is not clear. This hinders an effective discussion of the task. The meaning of these terms and concepts must be clarified first, so that the text is completely clear.
Step 2. Define the problem
The problem assignment usually describes a particular situation which raises questions, such as, for instance, a conversation between people holding conflicting ideas or a description of a development. In this step students formulate one or more questions that have to be answered to explain the situation. The number of questions should not be too large. Try to describe the core of the problem in the questions.
Step 3. Brainstorm
In this step the students try to answer the questions that were formulated in step 2 with the knowledge they acquired either earlier in the block or in one of the previous blocks, their previous education or in other experiences. In this phase the explanations can be incomplete or even wrong. The intention of this step is to reactivate the prior knowledge of the student to make him aware of what he already knows about the problem. We call this the brainstorming phase. Discussion does not take place yet; this happens in the next step.
Step 4. Analysis and discussion
Now the explanations of the previous step are discussed. They are put in order and the connection between the various explanations is looked for. A diagram is put on the whiteboard in which the terms from the brainstorming phase are put forward. In this step the particular situation in the problem assignment must be translated into general theoretical principles that are necessary to understand and explain the given situation properly. At this stage it becomes clear what is not understood and what subject matter therefore has to be studied. In some cases steps 3 and 4 will be combined.
Step 5. Formulate learning goals
On the basis of the results of step 4 the students formulate learning goals in the form of questions that have to be answered. The learning goals must relate to general principles, not to the specific situation outlined in the text of the problem assignment. The learning goals are the same for all students in the tutor group, so an agreement has to be reached.
This step is the end of the preparatory discussion of the task.
Step 6. Self-study
After the preparatory discussion the student starts studying. He looks for information in literature. Other sources of information such as CD-rom, Internet, videotapes, etc. can also be used. The student has to study the material in such a way that he has a thorough command of the matter. It may also be found that certain parts are not completely clear.
After studying the general principles, the student applies these to the situation described in the problem assignment. The student prepares for the evaluation.
The self-study can be done individually, but it can also be very useful to work on certain parts of the assignments with other students in small groups.
Step 7. Reporting/Evaluation
Step 7 is the evaluation of the task. The agenda of the evaluation is determined by the learning goals formulated in the preparatory discussion. Each learning goal is discussed. The evaluation starts by taking stock of the sources of information used, so that the students can compare the used material among themselves and can be informed about other sources than the ones they used.
Subsequently the acquired knowledge is discussed when the students report in their own words (do not read out!) what they have learnt and how it should be applied to the specific situation in the problem assignment.
Any bottlenecks are put forward.
Finally, the group determines whether the learning goal is reached. If this is not the case, there are several possibilities:
- Further self-study is necessary, after which there is another evaluation in the next group meeting (repetition of steps 6 and 7);
- Questions and bottlenecks can be put in the pigeonhole of the lecturers
- The students study the subject matter on their own.
From time to time, every aspect of the tutor group is evaluated by all participants.
Lectures
After every task that has been completed in the tutor group an Evaluation lecture (EL) is held. In this lecture matters are discussed that are relevant to the task, such as deepening the knowledge of the literature the student has already studied or the explanation of difficult subjects. To ensure that the group meetings function well, the complete subject matter is not explained during the lecture: if that were the case, step 5 of the seven step model would be of no use. The same goes for the questions that can be handed in for the subject lecturer (put the questions in the lecturer’s pigeonhole, HA525). The lecturer will answer only those questions that students cannot reasonably be expected to solve themselves. If individual students have problems that cannot be solved in an EL, consulting the lecturer is a better option.
In addition to Evaluation lectures, which are typically scheduled after the completion of step 7 of the seven step model, there are Background lectures: They help students to prepare for step 7. They could contain some general background info or could go into a more specialised direction. In some cases they will be used for a guest lecture.
Finally, “Europe-today” lectures are scheduled. Primarily these lectures will be filled by students. In groups of 2 student will prepare a topical issue, find relevant background articles/literature, do a presentation and lead a discussion about this subject. Additionally, this lecture might be used by lecturers to give additional information.
Finally, “EU today” lectures are scheduled weekly. These lectures will consist of:
· Guest lectures by external lecturers
· Special topic lectures
· Lectures by students
A schedule will be made which will have each student to prepare a presentation and discussion about a topical European issue. These presentations (and discussions) will take about 30 minutes. Each lecture will have two of these presentations. The presentations will be graded and the marks will be taken into account for the assessment of the participation in the knowledge line (see chapter 3)
Training sessions
Training sessions are aimed at supporting the understanding of the current task and/or to clarify a specific subject, which is not covered, by one of the tasks.
In this block 3 types of training sessions are organized:
· European economics or politics.
· European law.
· Corporate governance
Projects
Group projects
Paper
We would like all EUP students to do their own individua l project on a topic which is practicable and genuinely connected with European affairs/business; each topic having a variety of information sources available to students willing to make the effort to find them. Students are expected to identify an important problem or question associated with their topic, and to introduce and clarify this question by examining a wide range of materials in their written work. The paper should consist of 3000 – 3500 words.
The paper must be written in the student’s own words. It is important that students produce work through their own efforts, and devote sufficient time and thought to the project report. It is also important that they use a variety of sources in gathering information, and identify these sources, both in the reading list at the end, and when they quote sources within the body of the report. Plain copying of (parts of) articles, books, and internet resources will be regarded as fraud and will be dealt with according to the rules as explained in the ASIS handbook, which means that students can be excluded from the minor and even worse. The rules how to deal with paraphrasing and quotations are explained in the appendix of this minor book.
Papers will be checked on plagiarism by Turnitin (www.turnitin.com).
The paper has to be handed in on Friday 10 December 2010, before 12.00
The paper must first of all identify a research question to be answered, which must be outlined at the beginning of the paper; then relevant information must be introduced and discussed in the main body of the paper; finally the conclusion must attempt to answer the original question, with reference to the preceding text. The paper should have a personal “touch”. Just a summary of some articles, chapters of books etc. will not do. The paper should express the author’s own interpretation, ideas and vision on the subject.
On 18 October, we would like to receive a piece of paper (A4, typed) from all EUP students, with the following information written clearly:
1. Name of student;
2. Topic of the paper and topic number;
3. 10-30 words outlining the question you are going to answer in your paper/report.
4. Overview of the sources used/read so far.
Lecturers will ask for improvements to inappropriate, unclear or inadequate questions. Examples of possible questions for topics might be:
· Not: “What is the relation between Turkey and the EU”, but “Should the EU accept Turkey as a full member state?”
· Not: “The UK and the Euro”, but “Will the advantages for the UK of joining the Euro outweigh the disadvantages?”
· Not: “the Greek crisis”, but “Should Greece been expelled from the Euro-zone?”
Topics
A list of topics will be handed out in a lecture in week 3 of quarter 1 (week 37).
Students should write down their names and the first four preferences on the Choice Form (to be handed out together with the list of topics); In the case more than 2 students select the same topic a random lottery will be organised in which first choices to be allocated immediately if the choice is available. Then second choices will be assigned, if still available, and so on until all students have one project topic each. 2 students may share topics; their papers should be made individually, though.
Students that want to come up with their own topic (which is not on the list) must write a detailed outline (200 words plus) of the proposed project, which must be acceptable to the tutors. The outline has to be handed in 20 September, 10.00 at the latest (pigeon-hole Mr Frencken, HA525).
Planning individual paper
20 September: - Hand in Choice Form (before 10.00)
- (Outline own topic)
- Allocation topics if necessary (lottery, time to be announced)
18 October: -Research question
10 December: 12.00: Hand in paper: hard copy + email to Mr Frencken:
ja.frencken@avans.nl
Name file as: “surname-first letter first name.doc” e.g.
“Coppi-F.doc”
Assessment
The paper will be assessed by one of the lecturers (depending on the subject) and will be the starting topic of the oral exam.
Skills line
The term ‘negotiating’ can be interpreted in many different ways. Who negotiate and when? Of course, in the world of business many negotiations are being conducted all year round. But it is not only business people that negotiate. Some people, especially children, have a talent for negotiating all topics and therefore negotiate all the time with the people they are dealing with in their daily lives. However, when they reach the years of adulthood, some of these skills seem to be lost forever, even if they were present at first.
The negotiating skills in business combine legal, psychological and social knowledge and abilities. This seems complicated, but the good news is that negotiating can be trained and learned. Of course, it will help if you are willing to put yourself in the shoes of the person at the same table. What is she/he thinking and what may be their motives? Is it possible to fulfil their commercial desires without promising too much? Or, not to come in a position where you may not be able to perform 100%, according to your contract?
As was mentioned before, to negotiate well is an art in itself, but, like swimming in a pool it is possible to learn this art when you are “in” for training to improve yourself. Only if you know how to negotiate correctly, will you be able to recognise the “dirty tricks”, which are another part of the knowledge about this art.
In week 1 a game will be played in which the negotiations within the European Council will be simulated. The skills training sessions in week 2,3 and 4 will go more into details.
English
Portfolio
The minor European Business Studies aims to prepare students for the European business market in which European rules and regulations play a major part. As the minor is taught in English[1], a good command of English is a prerequisite. To help students improve their English language skills throughout the entire duration of the minor, an individual language programme has been designed. In general one would expect a separate English course in which basic skills are taught, however, as students’ command of English is expected to be at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Languages, students will be encouraged to monitor and improve their English skills individually. The following briefly describes the set up of the English programme.
Individual English Programme (IEP)
In general one can say that a good command of any language is based on four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. These skills are practised in English throughout the entire minor and students will monitor and reflect on their learning process in a progress report called Individual English Programme (IEP). This report consists of various parts: a student biography, a plan of action, individual feedback on performance in English, peer and lecturer feedback on performance in English. In addition the student also receives feedback on his/her general performance. Specially-designed feedback forms enable the student to determine which areas or aspects of English as well as attitude and performance need improvement. The forms are kept in the dossier of the IAP. They enable students to translate their objectives into plans of action that are discussed and evaluated with peers, lecturers and their coach, who meets them three times (weeks 3, 9 and 17) during the minor. In this way, the Individual English Programme is tailored to the needs of the individual student. Regarding specific questions relating to the English language students can consult the lecturer of English.
The IEP ensures an individual approach in which students can determine their own objectives regarding English and can benefit most. However, the constraints within which the programme is carried out are clearly defined and relate to the aforementioned skills. A brief overview of these skills shows how they are implemented, tested and assessed in the curriculum.
1. Speaking:
Oral skills are practised in presentations, negotiating simulations, debating and meetings. Students regularly meet for their project groups, discuss topics, present their projects and participate in the debating course (weeks 4-8), negotiating course (weeks 11-13) and ethics course (weeks 14 + 15). Reflection on performance is given by peer students and lecturers. The student keeps the official feedback papers and includes them in the dossier of his IEP. Presentation skills will be dealt with in a lecture in week 3.
2. Listening:
Students are exposed to English in every class they attend, which means listening is of vital importance. As there are no separate classes to improve English listening skills, these skills will be trained with the help of internet sites such as http://www.esl-lab.com, BBC programmes, etc. Furthermore, a number of CD-roms are available for individual practice of listening skills of the Cambridge Business English Certificates (BEC Advanced and BEC Higher). Thus students are encouraged to individually select listening exercises and include proof of their results in the IEP.
3. Reading:
Since a great deal of the minor programme consists of reading texts, many of which pertaining to international law and policy, reading skills are practised throughout the programme. The major part of understanding a text involves understanding vocabulary. For this purpose students keep a record of words they have come across in their texts and of which they do not know the meaning. Each week five words (or more) will be listed in a table in their individual vocabulary list (in the IEP). In this way each student familiarises with new vocabulary, expands his vocabulary and is stimulated to use newly-acquired words and expressions. The vocabulary tables are kept in the IEP.
4. Writing:
The final skill to be included in the English programme is writing. Reports are handed in regularly with project groups or individually. These are mainly assessed on their content, and partly on structure and style. To make sure students improve their individual writing skills a few assignments will have to be carried out:
a. keep a bi-weekly blog on the internet. Students may choose their own subjects to write about (e.g. summaries on newspaper articles, films; hobbies, etc.);
b. give comment on other students’ blogs throughout the duration of the minor (bi-weekly);
c. write a jury report about one of the debates (weeks 4 -8);
Blogs and jury report will be monitored and assessed by the English lecturer and constructive feedback will be given. Students are encouraged to correct mistakes and rewrite their blogs or reports if necessary. Again, feedback and reports will be kept in the IEP. In week 2 students will attend a lecture on the MLA writing principles. These will enable them to write reports according to a number of general writing principles.
Besides the four English skills the focus of attention is also on improving a number of competencies. To name a few: improve attitude, argumentation, general presentation, performing in public, co-operation, planning, etc. All these will be addressed in the IEP as well. Concluding one can say that the IEP is an invaluable educational tool that helps to individually achieve a better command of English as well as to improve individual competencies.
Debating
Definition of debating:
Wikipedia: Debate (American English) or debating (British English) is a formal method of argument.
It is a larger form of argument than logical argument, because in a debate, the debaters try to influence the feelings of the hearers, in order to persuade them on a topic.
Informal debates like discussion are very common, but the quality of a debate improves with knowledge and skill of its participants as debaters. Deliberative bodies such as parliaments, legislative assemblies, and meetings of all sorts have debates. The winner of a debate may be decided by the audience’s vote, by judges, or by both. Formal debates between candidates for an elected office, such as the leaders debates and the U.S. presidential election debates, are common in democracies.
Within the EU, but also in business life where being able to convince people is a competency of major importance, debating plays an important role.
The training consists of one session in which the course set up is explained and necessary information about debating will be discussed and subjects for the debates are determined (students give subjects of their interest);
During the next sessions debates (4 debates per week; judged by a jury; jury reports need to be written) will take place where the first debate of each group is a tryout. Next debates should be assessed with a mark. The same goes for the jury reports. The lecturer decides on the how things will be assessed;
Excursion
From Monday 18 October up to and including Thursday 21 October our trip "ASIS goes Europe" will take place. During this trip we will visit three cities that are of major importance to the European Union: Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. In these cities we will visit a number of EU institutions, EU related institutions and the European Court of Human Rights.
The aim of the excursion is to get a better understanding of the European Union, its institutions and the other organisations which will be visited.
Assessment
| Course | Credits | Test | Weight % | Minimum |
| Knowledge | Written exam Q1 | |||
| Oral exam Q1 | 5,5 | |||
| Participation | 5,5 | |||
| Progress Tests | -- | |||
| 100% | 5,5 | |||
| Project | Group projects | 5,5 (per project) | ||
| Paper | 5,5 | |||
| Skills | Negotiating | p/f | ||
| English | Portfolio | 5,5 | ||
| Debating | 5,5 |
Knowledge line
The written exam will take 2 hours. It will consist of multiple choice and open-ended questions and focus on the content of the first 7 tasks (including training sessions and lectures).
The progress tests will each contain 15 MC questions. Progress test 1 will focus on task 1 – 3. Progress test 2 will deal with task 7 – 9.
The oral exam will comprise everything that is discussed in the minor. The starting point will be the individual paper, but questions may drift across the content of all subject areas. The oral exam will take 45 minutes and there will be 2 examiners.
The tutor group mark will be based on the student’s tutor group participation and the student’s presentation. Every tutor group session will be assessed by the tutor. The 12 (out of 14) best performances will determine the final mark. Any absence will lead to a 0 for that session.
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