Portfolio & Synthesis (SLAT7852)

My Career Adviser (MCA) is a self-paced learning platform. MCA contains a wide range of resources and activities that will help you establish a competitive foundation for future professional career choices. Students are recommended to complete each module fortnightly.

Important

• There are a total of four online modules – Get Started; Find Opportunities; Unpack Your Learning; and Next Step. The modules are designed to be completed in sequence, and students are advised to complete each module fortnightly.
• Each module takes two to four hours to complete, depending on the content covered.
• Participation tracking will begin from Week 2 and end at 4:00pm on Friday of Week 13. Activities completed after this time will not count towards your online participation score.

Marking Criteria (Hurdle requirement of this assessment)

The grading for the My Career Adviser assessment is as follows.

• To be awarded a PASS for this assessment activity, students must complete 85% or more of the online activities.
• An online activity completion rate of less than 85% will result in a FAIL grade for the SLAT7852 course.

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Statement on use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Translation (MT)

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

You will develop an E-Portfolio using either the software Adobe Express or WiX, OR if you already have your own Blog or Vlog, you are encouraged to use your own channel to develop this E-Portfolio.

This assessment provides you with an opportunity to build up a digital career portfolio, and to establish a foundation for future employment in the field of Applied Linguistics. It will enable you to achieve any or all of the following.

• Articulate achievements and strengths such as professional attributes and transferable skills and knowledge
• Create a showcase of learning experiences and develop curation skills by identifying professional strengths
• Create a personal webpage to promote your professional practice and goals for a chosen future career

This assessment consists of three parts, and each is submitted and assessed separately (10% +15% + 15% each => total 40%). You can decide if you would like to complete the E-Portfolio as one or as three sections based on your own progression. You are encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning and be creative as a language professional.

PART 1 – Digital career portfolio: Cover letter (10%)

Due date: Friday Week 3

Word limit: 400 words [approximately]

Submission: Blackboard

Task description

In Part 1 of this assessment, you will refer to one of the job advertisements shared in the ‘Job advertisement folder’ on Blackboard and submit a Cover letter for the chosen position.

You must indicate three strengths and critically justify as to why you are most suitable for the position. You may like to consider the following questions –

• Which knowledge, attributes or skills are you trying to communicate?
• Which assessment item /MA course/s best represents your strengths?
• How do your current professional knowledge and skills connect to the proposed position?

You may review the module titled ‘Introduction to the cover letter and selection criteria’ in My Career Adviser.

The intended audience of your career portfolio is a professional audience.

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PART 2 – Digital career portfolio: Professional identity (15%)

Due date: Friday Week 5

Word limit: 600 words [approximately]

Submission: Blackboard

Task description

In Part 2 of this assessment, you will reflect on your learning achievements and strengths, and develop a ‘Professional identity statement’. Use metaphors or analogies to make your statement more engaging and relatable.

You must include a Professional brand statement describing your unique capabilities, strengths, experiences, and values. You may like to consider the following questions -

• What are your strengths, passions, and values?
• What problems can you solve that no others can?
• What benefits do you bring that is impressive?

You may review the modules titled ‘Developing your professional brand’ and ‘Creating your unique value proposition’ in My Career Adviser.

The intended audience of your career portfolio is a professional audience.

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PART 3 – Digital career portfolio: STAR response to selection criteria (15%)

Due date: Friday Week 7

Word limit: 500 words [approximately]

Submission: Blackboard

Task description

In part 3 of this assessment, you will refer to one of the job advertisements shared in the ‘Job advertisement folder’ on Blackboard. and submit a response to the selection criteria for the chosen position.

You should follow the STAR method to address the selection criteria. You may like to consider the following questions:

• What real-life examples can I include?
• What unique abilities do I have?
• How have I applied my skills in real-world situations?
• What stands out as my most significant professional achievement?

You may review the modules titled ‘Introduction to the cover letter and selection criteria’, ‘Introduction to the STAR method’, and ‘Developing your STAR bank’ in My Career Adviser.

The intended audience of your career portfolio is a professional audience.

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Statement on use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Translation (MT)

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

Due date: Week 10

Word limit: 1500 words (maximum)

Submission: Turnitin

This assessment is in two parts: PART A: LinkedIn article and PART B: LinkedIn post. The assessment is considered incomplete until both parts are submitted according to the instructions below.

PART A: LinkedIn article (25%)

In the Week 1 Workshop, you wrote a letter to yourself about –

• What kind of language professional you want to be?
• What do you want others to know about you as a professional?
• What could you do to develop a professional reputation?

In week 9, your letter will be returned to you in class.

NB – If you did not attend the Week 1 workshop and/or did not submit a letter, you will have to write the following LinkedIn article without it.

Write a 1200-word LinkedIn Article 

Part 1

The first 600 words should identify your selected niche within Applied Linguistics, and highlight how your strengths as a graduate will fulfil the requirements of your selected area. You need to craft/ refine your professional brand statement (Value Proposition) that summarises who you are as a professional and outlines your unique value to the industry.

In this section, reflect on your learning journey throughout your MA program by discussing the processes and products involved in completing each major assessment item within your MA courses. Make sure to connect your reflections to the UQ graduate attributes.

Part 2

The second 600 words of your LinkedIn article follows up on Part 1 and responds to the ‘Letter to Yourself’. You need to conduct a gap analysis to compare your current position with where you want to be, and identify the steps needed to bridge that gap.

In this section, reflect on how your understanding of your future has changed during your MA course, and consider actions you can take to enhance your success and create a meaningful career in your chosen sector of the Applied Linguistics industry.

This part of the task is worth 25 marks (out of 30).

PART B: LinkedIn post (5%)

Post a 300-word (maximum) summary version of your LinkedIn article from Part A on your personal LinkedIn page. Please make sure that you use all the following hashtags

#SLAT7852PortfolioandSynthesis

#Appliedlinguistics

#UniversityofQueendslad

#Employability

#ePortfolio

Take a screenshot of this post and attach it to the end of your PART A article

This part of the task is worth 5 marks (out of 30).

IMPORTANT

Both PART A and PART B of this assessment must be submitted together following these instructions in order to be considered as ‘submitted’ for marking.

Reminder

• The aim of this assessment is to reflect on and consolidate your professional identity
• Refer to assessment items from the courses in your MA program to showcase your competence
• Refer to the UQ graduate attributes in the development of your professional identity
• The intended audience for your article is a global audience (though with interest in Applied Linguistic in particular)

You will get out what you put into this assessment. It can be perfunctory and of little use … or it can potentially significantly influence your future professional life.

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Statement on use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Translation (MT)

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

Group Presentation

Due: Week 13

Time: 15 min followed by a 3 min Q&A

Location: TBC

Task description

You will present a 15-minute group presentation of a topic agreed with your group members. Students will form the groups by themselves and add the names onto a shared document on Blackboard. The tutors will assign members into groups if needed.

Suggested topics

• TESOL Onshore [EAL]
• TESOL Offshore 
• Learning Design 
• AI 
• Research and further studies 

Students must choose one of the five topics from the applied linguistics industries shown above for their group presentation – but are encouraged to explore an area (subtopic) within one of those topics in more detail if they wish.

Students are required to work collaboratively in groups of four to five participants, and present a 15-minute (in total) presentation at a mini-conference that will be held in week 13 of the semester. This will be followed by a three (3) minute Q&A session about their presentation.

Groups will be formed by Week 3

In your group, you will have a discussion that reflects upon the reasons why you are interested in the industry sector chosen, and what you want to know more about in that sector. From this discussion, your group will identify one company /organisation /institution related to your chosen sector. You will then make contact and conduct an interview with a representative of that company /organisation /institution. This will provide you with opportunity to investigate the past, present and future of your chosen sector in applied linguistics, and identify a potential employment niche for yourself as a language professional.

A list of potential interviewees is provided on Blackboard, but students are encouraged to explore other language-related industries related to their own interests.

Students must register their chosen company with their tutor in advance by week three (3) to ensure no overlap or double-ups. 

Students must organise to meet with a representative from the company and interview them on their chosen topic. The interview should be done by Week 10 at the latest to allow ample time for preparation of the mini-conference.

Students will synthesise the data gathered from their interviewee with the knowledge gained in their MA program, and then present it in the Mini-conference in Week 13.

A 200-word abstract and a photograph featuring the interviewee and the students must be uploaded to the shared Word document by Monday of Week 12 for the mini-conference program. Please refer to ‘Assessment 4’ folder on Blackboard for the document ink.

Students will present the –

1. History of their selected topic
2. Current industry landscape of their selected topic
3. Future of the industry from students’ perspective, and
4. What they, as graduates, can offer to this industry in the future.

Suggested timeline for this assessment

Week 03 => Confirm group members on the Shared document on Blackboard

Week 05 => Discuss and decide on an agreeable topic – be as specific as possible

Week 07 => Make contact with potential industry representative and confirm an interview time

Week 09 => Complete the interview with industry representative

Week 11 => Finalise the 200-word abstract and be ready to upload to the shared document

Week 12 => Upload the 200-word abstract by Monday of Week 12 at the latest

Week 13 => Presentation at mini conference

It is the students’ responsibility to schedule meeting times to discuss content for the presentation at the mini conference. The tutors will provide support and guidance during the workshops.

Reminder

• The company /organisation /institution that your group identify should be appropriate for all group members (this allows networking opportunity for those interested in the chosen sector)
• The task is more than a simple ‘group presentation’. Everyone in the group is expected to actively participate and contribute – as everyone in the group will receive the same mark for this assessment item.
• Remember to apply all the theoretical knowledge, critical thinking and collaborative skills you have gained throughout your MA program in fulfilling this assessment item.
• The link below provides useful information on developing skills for group work: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills/group-work

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Statement on use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Translation (MT)

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.