COMPUTER-BASED TESTING AND PAPER-BASED TESTING: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

FLT 581-DIRECTED READINGS

This is a pass/fail course that each student is required to take from her/his designated advisor.  The major purpose of this course to help the student choose an area of research that would lead into her/his term project. In line with the advisor’s recommendations and the student’s interests, the student chooses a specific topic to study in the first few weeks of the semester. The advisor directs the student into reading some primary texts in the field, and discusses other possible sources that the student compiles. These readings are expected to build into the term project the student has to submit at the end of the year. The advisor and the student will meet regularly for this process.

FLT 590-TERM PROJECT

Every student is required to submit a term project at the end of their coursework in May.  In line with their directed readings, students are expected to choose a topic for exploration and write a position paper on it. In a position paper, the student is expected to specify a research question and explore it in an academic way.

Format for the First Draft: This will be a 5-6 page draft of the paper that will serve as a plan for the Term Project to be submitted at the end of the second semester in May.

The draft should include:

• a 1-1.5-pages rationale for the paper (i.e. Why do you choose this topic for exploration?)
• specific issue(s)/research question(s) to be explored.
• a sketch of the topics that will be treated in the paper.

Deadline for the First Draft of the Term Project: 20 December 2019

Format for the Term Project: A Position Paper on a Specific Topic

• Word limit: 8500 words excluding the references.
• Sections:
  • Title
  • Abstract: a 200-word summary of the paper.
  • Introduction: A 3-4-paragraph-long introduction to the paper clarifying the rationale for the Project. This section will end with the presentation of the research question(s) and/or the issue that is being explored.
  • Body: The purpose of this section is to present research findings to form the background for the main argument in the paper. This argument is the answer to the research question. Students can decide on the structure of the body of the paper with their advisors. Depending on their topic and research question(s), this part might show variations. For instance, it might have 3 sections with further sub-sections, or it might have 5 sections with no further sub-sections. The nature of the topic and how the author wants to treat it will determine this inner structure.
  • Discussion: After presenting previous research findings reported in the literature in a coherent and structured way in the body of the paper, this section will focus on their link to the main argument. Thus, in light of the literature, the author is expected to discuss her/his own position and justify it. Here, the author needs to make a convincing case for her/his argument.
  • Conclusion: This section will briefly summarize the paper and propose further research that can be conducted in the specified field.
• Format: The term project needs to be written in the APA format (6^th edition) (i.e. double-spaced all through except the abstract, using Times New Roman, font 12, etc.).

Deadline for Final Version of the Term project: TBA