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Welcome AIMsters

THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

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Welcome AIMsters


​AIM University Group is the best way to study at home or abroad. Come and immerse in a new culture while you gain work experience and earn an accredited diploma and degree.
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  • ACADEMIC CENTER
  • PLANNING 
  • EXECUTING 
  • REFERENCING
  • PLAGIARISM
  • LIBRARY SERVICES
  • FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
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The International Center For Academic Development at AIM University is encouraging scholarship and excellence in reading, writing and researching across the curriculum.

The aim of AIM's Center For Academic Development  (ICAD Centre) is to assist the community in all stages of teaching, learning and cognitive development. The evidence of success is the increasing use of the library services and continuous achievement of reading, writing and research skills across our global campus.  

If you're an instructor or student working on a term paper, you can get the help you need with your writing and oral discussion projects. The ICAD Centre is here to support AIM's Global Students and our dedicated staff is available both face-to-face and online for direct mentor-ship, daily forums and organised workshops. 

This semester we're hosting weekly group term-paper sessions and scheduling students for  personal consultation with their Success Managers.
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Go to WeConnect iHelpDesk to contact one of our ICAD Advisers for support. 


​Commonly Used Techniques And Tools In The Academic Center 
  • Actionable Feedback
  • Active Learning Classroom
  • Analyses
  • Arguments (written and oral)
  • Assessment Criteria
  • Assessment Design
  • Assessment Methods
  • Assignment Brief
  • Assignment Cover Page
  • Assignment Instructions
  • Backward Design
  • Bloom's Taxonomy
  • Case Study / Scenario
  • Cognitive Development
  • Command Verbs
  • Communication Methods
  • Concept Map
  • Constructive Feedback
  • Cooperative Learning
  • Coursework
  • Critical Thinking
  • Disciplinary Approach To Knowledge: Inductive vs Deductive | Behaviorism vs Constructive​
  • Evaluation
  • Expected Student Learning Outcomes
  • Formative and Summative Assessments
  • Goals and Objectives
  • Harvard Referencing Rules
  • Higher Learning
  • Higher-order Thinking
  • High stakes Assignments
  • Instructional Methods
  • Instructional Technology
  • Integrative Learning Methods
  • In-text Referencing​
  • Just-In-Time Methods
  • ​Learning Activities
  • Learning Goals
  • ​Learning Styles and Methods
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Lesson Plan
  • Low stakes Assignments
  • Memory and Recall
  • ​Mentoring
  • Metacognition
  • Micro teaching
  • Motivation
  • Performance Tools
  • Perseverance and Grit
  • Plagiarism (and Plagiarism Report)
  • Preferred Learning Style
  • Primary Research
  • Stereotype Threats
  • Student Needs
  • Reference Page
  • Reflection (and Reflective Exercises)
  • Research Design
  • Research Findings
  • Research Instruments
  • Research Methods
  • Score Sheets
  • Secondary Research
  • Syllabus (Course Description, Course Content & Suggested Reading Resources)
  • Task
  • Teaching Method and Approach
  • Term-Paper
  • Words/verbs you can use when citing/referencing in-text
  • Www.citethisforme.com
  • Www.grammarly.com

​ACTIVITIES AND STEPS IN PLANNING, RESEARCHING AND WRITING THE  RESEARCH TERM-PAPER
 
Step 1: Reviewing Term-Paper Instructions And Correctly Interpreting The Task

  1. Read the assignment task/question more than once.

  1. Think about what you are asked to do.

  1. Ask yourself if you are clear on the instructions.  If you are uncertain, get help.  Ask your tutor, peers, or the academic support personnel if your interpretation of the task is correct.

  1. Identify key terms in the task to define these in the introduction section of the paper.

  1. Identify in the assignment instructions how many sources you must cite to pass the course.
 


Step 2: Selecting Appropriate Sources For the Research Paper

  1. Conduct the research using critical parts of the task, including the key terms.  You may use a combination of secondary sources: textbooks and online articles, journals, dissertations etc.

  1. Read various articles that open in your search.  Don't just select the first thing that pops up.  Browse a number of these and pay attention to the relevance of the information and the source. Citing from Wikipedia, blog pages, and essay sites such as Study Mode, and UK Essays etc. are not acceptable. 

  1. Shortlist and save the site and information that you will be using to address the research task.  Keep in mind that your assignment may ask you to use 4 or 6 sources.  Find ALL the required number of sources and bookmark them before you start writing up the research essay.

  1. Review the assignment requirements again to ensure that you are clear on the task requirements.

  1. Identify the submission deadline and the late deadline for the paper in the instructions so you can create a plan/schedule to complete and submit the work on time and avoid late fees.
 
 


Step 3: Pre-Writing Stage

  1. Review the requirements of the Term-paper Structure, Student Exemplars (samples); and the Harvard Referencing Rules

  1. Review all the requirements on the same page and be clear about the term-paper required structured, how the: referencing is to be done, the paper organized, font size, font style, paragraphing spacing, page numbering, and headers instructions etc.

  1. Take notice of the command verb, which is a directive how you’re to approach the discussion of the research findings, e.g. to explain, assess, analyze, compare, carry out etc. Ensure that you understand what this command verb means, so you know what you are required to do.  Example. If you are asked to critically analyze means that you must evaluate the subject - involving discussing its pros and cons.

  1. Only when you have read and understood all the above instructions that you may now begin writing up the report.

  1. Identify in the instructions - and pay keen attention to - the minimum and maximum words requirement stated. You may not fall below or exceed the word criteria by more than 10%
 
 
 

Step 4: Writing Stage

  1. First, write out the entire assessment criteria as the header. Do not abbreviate/shorten. Use the same as it is presented to you in the assignment brief, e.g. P1. Explain the role of Marketing in Business Organizations.

  1. Start with the Introduction in section one.  The introduction is a very brief paragraph that states what the objectives of the paper are and define the essential term/s.  See the exemplar provided.

  1. Section two is the research findings.  In this section, you will list the findings from the various researched sources that directly address your assignment task.  Remember to put the information in your own words and cite the sources by surname and year of publication only (e.g. Sloan, 2014). No discussion of these is required in this section.  Number list each sourced information. Meet the assignment requirement for the number of sources to be cited in your work.   See the exemplar that we provided.

  1. Section three is the Discussion Section which may consist of more than one paragraphs.  This section should address the breadth of the topic.  That is, you will carry out the command e.g.to explain, discuss, assess, compare, analyze each of the research findings that you presented in section two.   See the exemplar provided.

  1. Section four is a one-paragraph conclusion that briefly summarizes your topic, main findings and results.

  1. Add your reference page /bibliography.  This list must have ALL sources that you cited in your work.  Use www.citethisforme.com to create your reference page.  Remember that the information on your reference page must be in alphabetic order.

  1. Save your work and add your Plagiarism Report.

  1. Save your work as PDF File for submitting.
 
 


IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

  1. The discussion section of the paper is the most important section of the article. 60% of your word limit must be used here.  The reason: it is the discussion section that brings your task together around the main themes and instructions for the task. In this section, you execute the command around the research findings, thus directly addressing the assignment.
 

  1. We use the term 'section' instead of  'paragraph'.   Here is why: some papers have more word requirements than others thus the length of the discussion section will vary from task to task. For example, a 650-worded paper will have about 300 words in its discussion section. This can be broken down into two paragraphs.  A 1,200-worded paper will have about 650 words in its discussion section.  You may need to organize this into about 3 or 4 paragraphs etc.
 
 


TO SUMMARIZE
Use section 1 of the report to introduce your topic, keywords definition, and objectives of the task. Use part 2 of your paper to summarize the sources and findings to answer the assignment. For section 3, use the command (verb) in the tasks to discuss correctly as the task requires, e.g. explain, compare, assess, evaluate etc.  The conclusion will summarize the results/outcomes of the task (briefly). 

Please ensure that you read and follow the above guidelines, so you can produce a successful paper that will meet the required standards.
ASSIGNMENTS AND TERM-PAPERS

The Task.
  • The task includes the subject content that you should be researching; the surrounding issues/problems/case study that you should be focusing on; and the Command Verb. The case study identifies a specific context and environment in which the task is set. For example, you are a manager in an organization; or you’re asked to make a presentation to a group of RN students.

  • Ensure that you fully understand what the task is asking before proceeding.  The assignment may require multiple foci and you MUST correctly address ALL subjects and issues requiring addressing, to earn the Pass Grade.
 
Example: P1. Describe the different types of business systems and explain how they can lead to sustainability in an organization.  
 
There is a varied key focus in this one task, and ALL are required to be addressed to meet the assessment criteria:
  1. Describe the various types of business systems.
  2. Explain how each of the business systems identified can contribute to sustainability in an organization.
  3. Explain how the use of each of these business systems will help a specific organization to be sustainable (e.g. TESCO or a given firm that in the assignment).
 
IMPORTANT: Before you start the assignment, read the task correctly and identify all the critical focus areas.


ORAL PRESENTATIONS 
  • Ensure that your delivery directly addresses the task and case study.  You must be comfortable with the subject topic and should not be reading from a script but instead, be discussing the issues that are on your slides. If the Marker determines that you are regurgitating rather than demonstrating substantive discourse, you will not be awarded a passing grade, irrespective of how well you are reading the answers. Presentations are not intended as reading exercises.

  • Your slides should not be crowded with information but should have bullet points with the answers for the tasks.  Use Size 28 for the headers and size 16 font for the body.  Ensure your slide is professionally presented.
 
All the contents presenting on the slides must have in-text referencing. Plagiarism is not acceptable in any academic discourse: written or oral.


WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

THE FOUR SECTION RESEARCH ESSAY/REPORT
Written reports and essays must be done in four sections: Section 1: Introduction, Section 2: Research Findings, Section 3: Discussion Of Research Findings, And Section 4: Conclusion.  Any other format is unacceptable. 
 
Introduction. 
  • Use the introduction to say what the task is and what is required of you. Include your role in fulfilling the instructions in the case study.  Effective introductions usually briefly define the key terms in the tasks.
 
Section 2: Research Findings is suggesting that you have defined a researchable question, conducted the research, and are producing the answers from different sources, e.g., textbook, website article, journal, or a company’s webpage.  

  • Example of the research question.  If the task is: P1, explain the role and responsibilities of Human Resource Management.  Your research question keys are: what are the roles/functions of human resource management? AND what are the responsibilities of human resource management?

  • Your research findings MUST be directly answering the research question in the task. Imagine someone is asking you a question about a phone.  You are required to answer regarding the same.  Any other response about another device that does not support the question asked about the phone is unintelligible and unrelated. You must research the correct subject for the answers to be relevant to the task.

  • Section 2: Research Findings. Research is not personal opinions on a topic/subject, but as the term research suggests, you are required to conduct research and provide the findings from the sources that you studied.  

  • Findings are the information from the sources you researched. Thus, your research findings MUST be referenced in-text. If you fail to reference the sources, you are claiming the information as your ideas and this is untrue and considered lying and cheating.

  • In-text referencing is required. You should always paraphrase the information, then put the name of the writer, and the year the book or article is published. If not, this is stealing/plagiarism, and plagiarism is a fail grade. 

  • The usual number of research findings in a 500 – 750-word paper is 4-6 unless there are otherwise instructions on the term-paper. Each answer in the research findings section MUST be from a different source.

  • We recommend that you submit the answer in section 2 in a short form. That is, do not discuss. You can list the number of findings.  Do not present research findings from the same source in different number groups.  Collate all answers from the same source in the same number list.

  • All information provided in the research findings must be paraphrased/summarized (in your own words and not copied from the source).  If not, this is stealing/plagiarism, and plagiarism is a fail grade.  Avoid directly quoting.
 
 
Section 3: Discussion Of The Research Findings
  • The findings that you injected in Section 2: Research Findings, are what are to be discussed in section 3.

  • You must correctly apply the command verb to the discussion, e.g. explain means to give the purpose of; analyze is to break down the information in details, make a discovery, interpret the data, and produce the explanation.  To critically analyze means to look at different sides of the argument, e.g. pros and cons or benefits; limitations and strengths; or opportunities and threats etc. 

  • In the discussion, you will appropriately match the research findings to the issues and problems in the case study.  The Case Study is an essential part of the task.  The use of the case study is to enable you to apply the theory and content knowledge to situations in a real context. You will assess and solve problems to show that you can use the content knowledge and your experience in a constructive way. 

  • Minimize writing and grammar errors by editing your work more than once.  Your writing must be at the college level.  Download and use Grammarly.com to integrate into Microsoft Word and edit your work.

  • Reference all your findings.  Do not place your in-text reference only at the end of a paragraph.  Place it at the start of each sentence or the end of the short sentence to clearly show who is the source of each information presenting. 
  

 Section 4: Conclusion
No new information should be produced in this section, and no citation is mandated.  The conclusion is a significant and essential part of the work.  Use the conclusion for summarizing the issues, primary findings, and for presenting the result/outcome of the assignment.  The conclusion can be three sentences in a 1 ½ page assignment.
 

Section 5: Recommendations
  • Add this section only if the task or case study instructs you to make recommendations.

  • Recommendations are a list of constructive actions that you’re suggesting to fix the issues you studied. No in-text referencing is necessary as these suggestions are your evaluation of the problem, research finding and discussion. 
 

LIST OF REFERENCES
  • Add all the sources that you referenced in the text in this list of references.

  • Place the references in alphabetical order.

  • Use www.citethisforme.com to create both the in-text and end-of-text references.

PASS THE UNIT THE FIRST TIME.
Take a few minutes to review the instruction that explains (with examples) the frequency that you are to cite in a paragraph. This material is not in the earlier handout and as such is critical for you to review now using this link: http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32328
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YOU SHOULD FOLLOW ALL ADDITION INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN IN THE ASSIGNMENT:

  • Assignment Cover: Fully complete the Assignment Cover Page and use the same as the front sheet/cover of your assignment. Remember to sign the cover page.
 
  • Sub-Topics/Topics: You MUST use the headers same as given, e.g. P1 and P2. Do not reword them from the original. 
 
  • Page Numbers:  Number the pages throughout the work. Font Style is Arial & Font Size is 11, AND Line Spacing is 1 & Paragraph Spacing is 2
 
  • Minimum Words Requirements: the instructions are usually included with the assignment.  You may exceed the word requirements by no more than 10%.
 
 
AVOID FAILING BY:
  • Not doing all the tasks identified as ‘P’, 
  • Submitting direct words from the text, website and other sources into your work and failing to paraphrase and failing to cite the sources in-text – which is plagiarizing.  Avoid direct quoting - this is not considered your work.
  • Failing to include all the sources cited in your work in the end-of-text reference list.
  • Not covering your share of the work assigned to you by the project team. 
  • Not attending or fully participating in oral presentations.
  • Submitting work after the late deadline.  
  • Sending assignments after the submission deadline without paying the late fees.
Download The Word Copy Of This Document

The Basic Rules Of Using Harvard Referencing
  1. In-text citation - Use Surname and year of publication (Samuels, 2014).   
  2. In-text citation - you are citing placing the author in the front of your sentence: Samuels (2014).  
  3. In-text citation - you are citing placing the author at the end of your sentence: (Samuels, 2014).  
  4. Paraphrase, summarize or use a direct quotation to cite all sources in your work. Paraphrasing means that you rewrite the authors’ ideas in your own words. MOSTLY USED IN YOUR WORK.  Summarizing means that you rewrite only the main points presented by the author. OFTEN USED IN YOUR WORK. 
  5. A direct quotation is when you copied any part of the authors’ work word-for-word. RARELY USED IN YOUR WORK.  
  6.  Add Reference Page at the end of work that contains all sources in your work: author, publication year, editor, city, website and date retrieved etc. (use scribbr.co.uk to do your reference).  
  7. Place the full stop or other quotations signs outside of your bracket, and not inside.  
  8.  When there are more than three authors as the source use et al. E.g. (Smith et al., 2014).  
  9. If you are citing a source that is referencing someone else, you can present it like this, e.g. (Bhayesh, 2014 cited by Nelson, 2015).  
  10. Plagiarism is Failure to do ANY of the above. Plagiarism will result in a fail grade.
 

THE BASIC RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW WHEN YOU USE DIRECT QUOTATIONS:  
  1. Use the open and closed quotation signs “ “ to show that these are the direct words of others.  
  2. Use the author's surname and the year of publication that spoke or wrote the words.  
Use page number, paragraph number, or section number where the words are written, e.g. (Smith, 2015, p. 6) or (Smith, 2015, par. 4) or (Smith, 2015, sec 6).  Some literature is numbered, e.g. books, while web pages may have paragraphs or sections.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES FOR READING, RESEARCHING AND WRITING FOR THE COURSEWORK ACROSS DISCIPLINE
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Referencing Style Guide
File Size: 247 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Referencing Rules
File Size: 300 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Student Exemplar
File Size: 189 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Avoid The Common Plagiarism Infringements That Will Lead To Fail Grade
 
  1. Academic Research means that you conduct a search in the appropriate media and find credible sources to provide the answers to the assignment that you are working on. 
 
  1. When you conduct information search and find sources which seems credible, you’ll read through and determine that the information that you’re taking is relevant to the assigned task.
 
  1. You MUST then paraphrase the information.  That is, put it in your own words.
 
  1. Further, you MUST always cite the name of the person (source) whose information you are quoting, e.g. (Black, 2018).  To learn how to cite correctly, see iTutor for the paper on Harvard Referencing.
 
  1. Paraphrasing means DO NOT cut, copy, type or paste any information into your work that is someone else’s word without putting it in your own words.  If you fail to paraphrase you plagiarize.
 
  1. You plagiarize even if you paraphrase the work, and fail to cite the source whose work/ideas you are using,
 
  1. We do not accept excessive direct quoting. " " does not give you license to cut and paste answers/findings into your work.   We are in the business of assessing you, and this means – ‘your own’ work, so paraphrase rather than use a direct quote in your work.
 
  1. Over-use of the direct quote means that you do not understand the question, and your work is inauthentic. Simply put - it is copied - and not yours.  In such cases, it is the judgement of the Marker to award you a Fail or Referred Grade for the entire submission. 
 
 
CONSEQUENCES FOR PLAGIARIZING ANY ASPECTS OF YOUR WORK
  • Plagiarism is cheating, and not acceptable under any circumstance. Once any area of your work is found plagiarized, you may earn a fail grade for the entire unit.
 
PLAGIARISM SCANNING AND REPORT
  • All assignment submitted must include the Plagiarism Report.  You will use the recommended software to scan the completed work (see the library staff for guidelines) and include the report inside the hard copy of the work that is submitted for marking.
 

IN SUMMARY
The key to excellent and acceptable research is - read, understand, critically think about, put everything into your own words, and cite the sources correctly.
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT 

Academic Professionals at weConnect Global iHelpDesk can help you to locate hard-to-find materials to support your learning journey You may also get assistance with an assignment


LIBRARY SERVICES
A library is the center of any academic institution and your access to a virtual or physical library is essential to the rigor of your research and the quality of the educational experience at AIM University Group. So, if you're looking for a text in our library or need information on how to subscribe for online library please let us assist you.

AIM Global Library offers both physical and virtual library services to an engaged community of readers and researchers.  


COMING SOON 

As of September 2020, all distance learners who do not have access to the physical library on-campus should purchase a one-year subscription to the online library. More information on pricing and subscription will be updated soon.

Each semester the library will publish a list of texts and articles pertinent to what you're studying, and create a space for the community to enjoy and engage in constructive discussion around the readings. 

You may contact us in WeConnect Global to order your texts, subscribe for the online library and for your library needs.
Faculty Members use the closed group, please sign-in using the credentials emailed to you.
Do You Have A Question?
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