Workshop On

How to Tackle TMA

The following slides are prepared

by Richard Ng, RO Ipoh
Overview
 Assignment Questions
 Information Sources
 ICT Skills
 Plagiarism
Assignment Questions
Types of Assignment:
 Assignment typically makes up 50% of your final
grade.
 It could be in any of the following forms:

 Multiple Choice
 True or False Type
 Short answer questions
 Case studies
 Essay type questions

Note: This workshop will focus on the third and fifth

type of assignment questions
Key Instructional Words:
 Analyse
 Compare and contrast
 Describe
 Evaluate
 Examine
 Identify
 List
 State
 Explain
 Examples
Do’s and Don’ts of writing good answers:

 State main ideas clearly and concisely using short

sentences

 Check spelling, grammar and punctuation

 Spell out abbreviations and acronyms first

 State reference sources

 Use suitable linking words

 Be objective and consistent

Do’s and Don’ts of writing good answers:

 Long winded and repetition of sentences

 Too generalized
 Point form/note form
 Make your own opinion or assumptions
 Plagiarize
 Assume examiners know your abbreviation
 Hanging sentences
 Inconsistency
 Leave it to your tutor to check
Short answer questions: (may use
marks as guide)
Example:
 What is Marketing?

a) Marketing – involves selling products, advertising etc

b) According to Chartered Institute of Marketing,
marketing is defined as a management process of
identifying, anticipate and satisfying consumer’s
requirement profitably
 Give three methods used in distributing study materials
in an Open and Distance Learning institution
- CD-ROM
- Learning Management System The key word is
- E-mails give
Essay type questions:
Example:

Open and distance learning universities produce

better and well disciplined graduates than
traditional universities.
Write a 10-page assignment to support your
argument.
Common Faults Found in Assignments
Poor
Introduction
Shallow
Too much treatment
irrelevant of topic
information

Poorly
Unfocused organized

Poor Bad flow

Conclusion
Boring
Five-step Approach:
Analyze Topic

Identify the Sources

Apply Search Strategies

Select & Evaluate Info

Present the Information

Step: 1 – Analyze topic

All academic institutions such as schools, colleges and universities have a

social responsibility to practice, promote and teach academic honesty
and integrity among its staff and students. Everyone, especially the
country and the world as a whole, stands to gain from any successful
implementation of good moral values. Explain using at least 500 words.

Social
Integrity Responsibility

Keywords
Practice, Academic
Promote and Honesty
Teach
Good Moral Values
Example: 1

Identify the keyword found in the following question:

The unique system of distance learning requires you to be independent and

to be able to manage your studies well. Give reasons and examples to
agree or disagree to this statement

Can you identity the keywords and theme of the question?

Step: 2 – Identify the Sources

Primary Sources Secondary Sources

 Interview  Books
 Questionnaires  Journals
 Observation  Periodicals
 Chat  Digital Collection
 Internet
 Newspapers
Step: 3 – Apply Search Strategies
Understand &
Analyse the topic
Develop a list Identify
of search difficult words
terms & words

Identify the
Identify keywords main ideas
for each concept
Break into Eg. Describe 4 categories
key concepts of leadership theory –
traits, behavioral,
situational, contemporary
Step: 4 – Select and Evaluate Information

Authority

Scope Objectivity
Criteria used
to select and
evaluate
information

Currency Accuracy
Step: 5 – Presenting Information

 Use A4 Size paper

 Use standard margin & spacing

 Name, Student ID, Title on the first page

 Standard font – Arial/Times New Roman size 12

 Number the pages

Assignment Outline
Research Type Assignment
1.0 Introduction/Background/Objectives
2.0 Definitions
2.1 Definition # 1
2.2 Definition # 2
3.0 Literature Review
4.0 Findings
4.1 Findings # 1
4.2 Findings # 1
5.0 Recommendation (if any)
6.0 Conclusion
7.0 References
8.0 Appendix
Assignment Outline
Essay Type Assignment

 Introduction
 Introduction/Background/Objectives
 Body
 Paragraphs 1 - 2
 Paragraphs 3 - 4
 Paragraphs 5 - 6
 Paragraphs 7 - 8

 Conclusion
Writing the Introduction
State the
Scope

Not more Clarify

than 2 Main
paragraphs Issue

Straight to How you

the point intend to
approach the
issue
Writing the Body of Content

Contains Explained/Argued
Ideas/Opinions out systematically
and facts

Use
Number Each idea/issue
System flowing smoothly

Paragraphs One paragraph

Interconnected One issue
Writing the Conclusion

Refer to
the topic

Represent Tallies
closure of with
issues introduction
Or ideas and body

Don’t repeat Don’t introduce

what was said new ideas or
in the arguments Eg. Rosie
introduction case pg 72
The Final Draft
 Is the assignment focused?

 Did I plan and prepare well?

 Does the content show understanding of relevant issues?
 Does the writing show evidence of wide reading and
research?
 Is there a logical development of issues from one paragraph
to another?
 Are the arguments convincing?
 Is the analysis clear and logical?
 Is the language simple and precise?
 Does the conclusion answer questions
raised in body of content?
Presenting the Assignment
10 fundamentals in presenting a good written
assignment:
Select a Analyze
Submit
topic the topic
on time

Review Search
assignment for Info

Write the
Select
paper
resources

Take
Organize & Plan Notes
Consolidate Outline
Information Sources
Finding information from books

Chapter 1 - Needed: An Entrepreneurial Mindset

The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating
Opportunity in an Age of Uncertainty by Rita Gunther McGrath and Ian
MacMillan Harvard Business School Publishing © 2000
Defining Characteristics of the Entrepreneurial Mindset
Habitual entrepreneurs have five characteristics in common.
1. They passionately seek new opportunities. Habitual entrepreneurs stay alert,
always looking for the chance to profit from change and disruption in the way
business is done. Their greatest impact occurs when they create entirely new
business models. New business models revolutionize how revenues are made,
costs are incurred, or operations are conducted, sometimes throughout an entire
industry. One reason that the emergence of the Internet as a new medium of
business has been accompanied by dizzyingly high company valuations is that
investors perceive its potential to profitably transform virtually every aspect of
economic life.
Finding information from the Internet

Characteristics of the Entrepreneur:

Social Creatures, Not Solo Heroes
Tom Byers, Stanford University
Heleen Kist, Stanford University
Robert I. Sutton, Haas School of Business
Prepared for The Handbook of Technology Management, Richard C. Dorf (Editor),
CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL, 33431
Oct 27, 1997 E-Books

http://www.stanford.edu/class/e145/materials/Characteristics.html
Access Date:
Five Types of Search Strategies using Internet
 A search strategy is the action plan for retrieving
information
 Used to
 identify info required
 find relevant info
Keyword

Author-Title Subject

Title Author
Examples – Keyword Search
Examples – Subject Search
Examples – Author Search
Examples – Title Search
Examples – Author-Title Search
Using Boolean Connector

“AND” Connector

“OR” Connector

“NOT” Connector
Open AND Distance Learning
Open OR Distance Learning
Open NOT Distance Learning
WOU Digital Collections:
WOU’s Digital Library
Using OPAC

OPAC Search Strategy

Author Title Author-Title Subject Keywords

Scan Bibliographical Record

Obtain Call Number

Locate Book at Shelf

Using ebrary:
Using NetLibrary:
Using Emerald:
ICT Skills
Information and Communication
(ICT) Skills
 Ms-Word – word processor

 Ms-Excel – electronic spreadsheet

 Ms-PowerPoint – presentation tool

 Portable document format (pdf)

 Introduction to the Internet

 Microsoft Word Template

Colored &
Italic Font

12 point
Arial

12 point
Times New
Roman
Left
Alignmen
t
Microsoft Excel Template
Microsoft Power Point
A presentation tool with file extension .ppt

Create text of different fonts, font size and

colour

Insert clip art, various

shapes, charts and
different background

Design your own

animation, interactive
buttons and special
effects e.g. sound
 Portable Document Format (PDF)
 A PDF file was designed for document exchange
between computers and across computer
platforms while maintaining file integrity
 The file extension is .pdf

 PDF has become the

standard document
format used for
document exchange
 An Acrobat Reader is
required to view the
PDF documents
 It can be downloaded from the Internet
via http://www.adobe.com
Information Retrieval Skills
- What is Internet?
 How the Internet Works?
 To connect to the Internet
using dial-up connection:
Step: 1 - Click Dial-up Connection

Step: 2 - Click Internet Explorer/Netscape

 Internet Service Providers:

a) Jaring: 1511 - Yearly Membership fee

b) TMNet: 1515 - No Membership fee
c) TimeNet: 2371517 - No Membership fee
Broadband Connection:
 Most commonly used - Streamyx
 Others – TimeNet, Maxis, Digi
 Wired or wireless

Connecting through Broadband:

 Switch on PC and MODEM
 Dialup Streamyx connection or

 Click Internet Explorer/Netscape

Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone
else’s language, ideas, or other original material without
acknowledging its source.

Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
More on Plagiarism:
According to University of Kentucky, USA
‘When students submit work purporting to be their own, but
which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or
anything else from another source without appropriate
acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of
Plagiarism.’
Georgetown University defines plagiarism as
‘the act of passing off as one's own the ideas or writings of another.’

WOU defines plagiarism as

‘presenting the work of others as his or her own work,
which include submitting an assignment which has
been written jointly with other persons or has
been copied in its entirety or in part, without the
acknowledgment from the work of other persons,
whether published or otherwise.’
 How to avoid Plagiarism?
Cite the Source

Use own Give credits

argument
and reasoning

Use quotation
Acknowledge

Use own words

WOU Referencing Style
 When sources of information have been found, take note of the five important
things:
 Author (s)
 Date (Year)
 Book title (and its page number)
 Publisher
 Location
 Uses minimum punctuations and are typed in two fonts – normal and italic
 An author’s surname precedes his/her given name. The surname is followed by
a comma and a space between each initial
 If a particular references has different editions, the number is stated
after the title of the references
 Title of reference is stated in italic and capitalised headline
style. Title of article/chapter is stated in normal font
enclosed in a single quotation marks and capitalised
sentence style
Citing References
 Citing One Author
In-Text References:

According to Jan Yager (1999, 38), time

management ……

Open and Distance learners must learn to

manage their time …. (Jan Yager 1999, 56)

Reference list:

Yager, J (1999). Creative time management for the

new millennium, 2nd edn, Stamford: Hannacroix
Creek Books
 Citing Two Authors
In-Text References:

Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter (2002, 32), have

identified that management today ……..

Management role …………… (Ferrell and Hirt 2003,

25)

Reference list:

Robbins, S and Coulter, M (2002) Management, 7th

edn, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Ferrell, O C and Hirt, G (2003) Business – A

changing world, 4th edn, New York: McGraw-Hill
 Citing Three or More Authors

In-Text References:

Reviews of research on religion and health have

concluded that at least some types of religious behaviors
are related to higher levels of physical and mental health
(Payne, Bergin, Bielema and Jenkins 1991, 36).
….........
………..
Payne et al (1991, 38) suggested that .......

Note: When a source that has three, four, or five authors is

cited, all authors are included the first time the source
is cited. When that source is cited again, the first
author's surname and "et al" are used.
 Cite only the source that have been read
In-Text References:

Grayson (as cited in Murzynski and Degelman 1996,

78) identified four components of body language that
were related to judgments of vulnerability.

 Citing Quotation
When a direct quotation is used, always include the
author, year, and page number as part of the citation .
Citing Quotation (cont…)
Note: A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in
single quotation marks and should be incorporated into the formal
structure of the sentence.
Example:

Patients receiving prayer had ‘less congestive

heart failure, required less diuretic and antibiotic
therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had
fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently
incubated and ventilated’ (Byrd 1988, 829). 
Citing Quotation (cont…)
A quotation of more than 40 words should be indented both
left and right margin and the author(s) year and page
number must be included

Example:

Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxv

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
All too often the official communication consists of press releases designed for
the financial markets. There is also a prevalent communication habit called
‘cascading’ information. Whether or not this is successful depends on the
degree to which Chinese Whispers influences what is heard and then
repeated. Not all managers are good communicators. For the most part both
cascading and press releases are one-way communications. Unless you invite
a conversation in which the wider staff and the people heading up your
mission are equal participants, all that will be going on is a great deal of telling
with very little real feedback from those being told. (Andrews and Langmaid
2004, 125)
Xxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx xxxxxxxv xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxxv xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
 Citation from Printed Books:

Cloke, K and Goldsmith, J (1997) Thank God it's

Monday: 14 values we need to humanize the way we work,
Toronto: Irwin Professional Publishing
 Citation from a Periodical or Journal

Malouf, D (1995) ‘The seven deadly sins of speakers’,

Training & Development, 49: 13-15.
 Citation from Newspapers
The Malay Mail, ‘The Maika Holdings controversy -
experts they are not’, 18 November, 2003
 Citation from Online references
Marzuki, N (2002) Look East to Japan.
http://211.128.99.155/en/jti/200211_015.html
(Accessed 28 December, 2003)

Nielsen, M E (n.d.) Notable people in psychology of

religion. http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm
(Accessed 3 August, 2001)
(Note: n.d. = no date)

Gender and society (n.d.).

http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html
(Accessed 3 December, 2001)
(Note: no author and no date)
 Citation from same author same year

Kassim, A (1995a) ‘From neglect to legalisation: The

changing state response to the inflow of illegal labour
into Malaysia’, Paper read at the conference on
globalisation: Local challenges and responses,
organised by the Malaysian Social Science Association
at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang,
19–21 January, 1995

Kassim, A (1995b) Recruitment and employment of

foreign workers in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Pelanduk
Publications.
(Note: the earlier date is denoted as ‘1995a’ and the next one as
‘1995b’)
Q&A

These series of slides are used courtesy of

Richard Ng, RO Ipoh, with thanks.