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Overview

Course Prescription

Familiarises students with experiments that investigate second language acquisition. There are two goals. First, to develop an understanding of a range of methods in the field, which include categorisation and memory tests, eye-tracking, measuring skin conductance responses and brain signals. Second, to train students to critically read reports from experiments and to evaluate their relevance for SLA research.

Course Overview

Week 1 The experimental method: key concepts and features

Week 2 Production methods and two-group comparisons

Week 3 Comprehension methods and multiple group comparisons

Week 4 Measuring L2 proficiency and predicting one variable from another

Week 5 How to design a valid and reliable language acquisition study

Week 6 Preregistration - Guidance on Open Science practices in language learning research

Week 7 Replication in second language research and the IRIS repository

Week 8 Online processing methods 

Week 9 Non-verbal experiments in language learning research 

Week 10 Multimodal integration in L2-based concept learning

Week 11 Combining online and offline measures in one study

Week 12 Conclusion and reflections

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 24 hours of lectures, 120 hours of reading, thinking about the content and assignment preparation, adding up to a total of approximately 150 hours of study.

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities to complete components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings.

The course will include live online events including group discussions.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Key Texts - Blom, E., & Unsworth, S. (Eds.). (2010). Experimental methods in language acquisition research (Vol. 27). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing. - Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design. London: Routledge.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type1234

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Here’s what you said you liked about the course: - Thank you for your kind words about the tutorials and the lectures on Zoom, I appreciate your active participation- I am glad you found the explanations useful and that you feel the course choice was the right one to make at the beginning of the semester. Good to see you liked the ’there is no silly question’ approach- Great to hear that you describe the adopted teaching style as rich in content and ‘most responsible’. This was mirrored by many fantastic assignments and replication plans, so the appreciation is mutual.- It was pleasing to read that you felt ‘some ideas in this field presented in this course were absolutely fascinating’ and that ‘focus on the development of critical thinking was also very beneficial.
Here’s what you said you would like to see improved: - ‘The tasks were helpful as is, but more students might have participated if the tasks had contributed to their grades. Also, some of the tasks required substantial effort, so, it might be a nice way to reward students’ effort. Some other courses had similar mini assessments (like discussion forums) that were a few points each. It helped to sustain engagement and monitor students’ progress’.- ‘I don’t think there is an online learning challenge’ but the tricky concepts when designing a hypothetical study was perceived as challenging for Assignment 1.- Not being able to join the lecture because scheduling was set to 8 am NZ time (3 am in China/Vietnam)
These are the changes I will make for the next delivery of the course: - Having received feedback from an external review of the course as well, I now see that weekly tasks were on a heavy side. I will therefore formally assess them (Presentation and Discussions 25%) so that each weekly task contributes to the final grade. - Another aspect of change will concern Assignment 1, which I realise may have been a little too ambitious only after a four weeks of input. Even though the grade average and spread were within the norm, future iterations of this assignment starting from 2024 will be limited to specific test examples rather than a full study example.- There is hope that pandemic-induced challenges with lecture scheduling across three very different time zones won’t be an issue in the years to come.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.