Part 3: You will hear a student called Daniel discussing his coursework with his academic supervisor.
Supervisor: Oh Daniel, hi. Come in, have a seat. I wanted to have a quick word about the coursework you submitted last week. I’ll return it with written comments later, but there are a few general issues I think we should go through first, just as guidance for your next piece of work.
Daniel: Uh, sure, that sounds fine.
Supervisor: First of all, your background reading section. It’s not quite detailed enough, so I’d like you to attach your reading summaries next time. That way, I can see how you’ve selected and synthesised your sources.
Daniel: Right, okay. I didn’t realise you wanted the summaries as well. I did feel it was a bit brief, but I ran out of time once I started preparing for another assignment.
Supervisor: That’s understandable. I also noticed a few minor issues with your citations. In some cases, the authors were mentioned in the text, but the full details weren’t included in the reference list. Make sure you double-check that everything follows the referencing guide I sent earlier.
Daniel: Yes, I’ll go through that carefully.
Supervisor: Content-wise, you’ve raised some strong ideas, but they could be supported better. Adding one or two practical examples would really strengthen your argument. You don’t need to rewrite everything—just incorporate them where they fit naturally.
Daniel: Okay, I see what you mean.
Supervisor: The key thing, though, is to develop your ideas a little further. If you explain the implications more clearly, your analysis will come across as much more convincing.
Daniel: Got it. Um, can I ask you about the presentation we discussed?
Supervisor: Of course.
Daniel: When exactly am I supposed to give it? Is it this term or next? I’m a bit unclear.
Supervisor: It’s actually scheduled for the next workshop. Since Emily couldn’t do it, you agreed to take her slot. What would you like to know?
Daniel: I was just wondering which part you think I should focus on most. There’s quite a lot of material.
Supervisor: Given the limited time, it’s essential that you explain the case study in detail. You can include a brief overview at the start, but the main emphasis should be on methodology and findings.
Daniel: And should I send you the outline first, or just share it with the group?
Supervisor: I’d prefer to see it first, just to make sure it’s clear and well-structured. After that, we can distribute it. I’ll need it by the 18th of March, since the presentation is on the 25th.
Daniel: That’s fine.
Supervisor: One more thing—the venue. Because of the number of attendees, we can’t use our usual seminar room. The lecture theatre is unavailable, so we’ll be using the media lab instead. It’s larger and has the right equipment.
Daniel: Okay, that works. And this presentation counts toward our final grade, right?
Supervisor: Yes. Your previous one was assessed internally, but this one will be marked by the course coordinator. The marking criteria are the same, though, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Daniel: Oh, and you asked me to update you on my module choices for next year.
Supervisor: Yes, what did you decide?
Daniel: Well, it took me a while. I’ve already completed Statistics, so that wasn’t an option. I was torn between Media Studies and Intercultural Communication—they sounded quite similar. In the end, I chose Intercultural Communication because I’ve heard good things about the lecturer. I also considered Digital Discourse, but it overlaps a lot with another course. Pragmatics really caught my attention, though, especially the focus on meaning in context. It even includes a small research component, so I thought it would be more practical than taking Advanced Research Methods separately. And finally, I wanted something completely different, so I picked Neurolinguistics instead of Phonetics.
Supervisor: That sounds like a very balanced set of choices. I think you’ve planned well. Let’s catch up again in a few weeks and see how things are progressing.
Daniel: Great. Thanks very much. See you soon.
