The Transferable Academic Skills Kit is pretty much the only book of its kind. What do you think makes this resource so unique?
I think TASK is unique because it is so practical, with a focus on activities and exercises to help students develop essential academic skills. It is also highly flexible, allowing students to dip into specific modules according to their needs or interests. And the focus on transferable skills means that it can be used in a variety of contexts, by students of almost any background or level.
Why did your team put this material together?
The book was originally put together by a team from the University Reading, led by Anthony Manning, TASK’s creator and one of the principal authors. The material grew directly out of our experience teaching students on the International Foundation Programme here at Reading. We understood the importance of supporting students transitioning into higher education by helping them acquire a set of skills and tools that they could apply across any academic discipline and even beyond university. It therefore provides students with their own individual toolkit to draw on when faced with new situations – in and out of the classroom.
How is the second edition different from the first edition?
The new TASK has the same core aims and structure, but the material has been updated to ensure it is still relevant to the current HE context. Some modules were removed; IT Skills, for example, had become less relevant to our increasingly digital students. Other modules were re-worked, with new exercises and/or topics added, or with a new focus: for instance instead of Teamworking we created Group Work and Projects. I should add that it’s a testament to our own good group work that quite a number of the authors contributed to the final version of this module! Another important change was in re-working and extending the previous module on Research and Referencing into two new units: Research and Online Sources, and Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. This was to recognise the importance of these challenging topics, and to offer students space for a deeper exploration, more practice, and more activities. Finally, another exciting addition, especially for me as a non-maths specialist, is a brand new module on Numeracy, reflecting the recognition that maths is essential for everyone and in a wide range of fields.
Seeing as this material does not teach language skills and most EAP classes are defined by the skill(s) they teach, how can TASK fit into an EAP program’s curriculum?
TASK can usefully complement any EAP programme, precisely because of its focus on academic skills practice. Its modular nature means units can be used at any point in the curriculum, either alongside language work, or as standalone topics in their own right. For example: Presentations could enhance work on spoken language by offering additional practice activities; Critical Thinking could be added at any point to engage students in written and spoken exercises.
Dr Elisabeth Wilding is Deputy Head of the International Study and Language Institute (ISLI) at the University of Reading, which specialises in providing a range of language courses and academic training to international students. Elisabeth’s teaching and research interests relate to technology-enhanced learning and academic skills development. She has co-authored two course books in the 2015 TASK (Transferable Academic Skills Kit) series: Presentations and Research and Online Sources.