COD601 Writing A Case Study Essay

Writing
a case
study
essay
a workshop for
COD601 students
Brad Dick Pictures - Indigenous All Stars Visit Yuendumu
presented by Nick Everett

Support for Learning
Semester 2 2020
Overview
q Breaking down the essay question

q Brainstorming and concept maps
q Locating, evaluating and acknowledging
academic sources
q Quoting and paraphrasing
q Planning and structure
q Achieving flow in your writing
q Editing and proofreading
2
Task, topic and scope
Source: UNSW Current Students

Analyse the question :
can you identify the task, topic and
scope?
“Research and write an essay on one example of a project

that involves the use of creativity in working with
community. When you are choosing the case study be
sure to undertake an extensive literature search rather
than direct observation.”
Source: COD601 UILG 4

Task, topic and scope
Task Limiting
words words
“Research and write an essay on one example

of a project that involves the use of creativity in
working with community. When you are Content
choosing the case study be sure to undertake words
an extensive literature search rather than
direct observation.”
Source: COD601 UILG 5

Elements of the task
Important in the essay will be a discussion of (but not
necessarily limited to):
q The background or history of the case study
q The creativity processes used
q Who has been involved
q The strengths of the creative processes used
q Limitations of the processes
q Any other lessons that have emerged from this work
The essay should be a report of your reading and research.
Therefore you must draw on a solid body of work and read
widely and discerningly Source: COD601 UILG 6
Your turn
Discuss in pairs:
q What case study will you discuss?
q What do you know about the background
and history (where and when)?
q Who are the actors involved?
q What are the strengths and weaknesses
of the creative process?
q What lessons can be drawn?
7
Brainstorm
qBring all your ideas

together on one page
qTake stock of what you
already know
qIdentify gaps
qUse a concept map to
structure and organise
your thoughts
Source https://www.canadiancontractor.ca
8
Concept maps
q Concept maps are diagrams that illustrate

relationships between various concepts
q Concept maps begin with a main idea (or concept)
and then branch out to show how that main idea
can be broken down into specific topics. Concept
maps can be multi-dimensional, but also
demonstrate a logical ‘flow’ of ideas.
9
Example Concept Map
10
Source: http://communityempowermentresearch.com
Getting started
q Evaluate your research

materials
q Identify the main points and
their significance in relation
to the essay question/task
q Order your ideas logically
q Write a detailed plan
including references
11
Sources of information
Discuss in pairs:
1. Why do we use sources in academic writing?
to support or provide evidence for the writer’s
own statements or argument
2. What is a ‘source’? What are some examples?
sources of information such as books, articles,
reports or websites
3. What happens if we don’t acknowledge our
sources?
we are plagiarising others’ work and failing to demonstrate
academic integrity
4. How can we make use of sources in academic writing?
by summarising, paraphrasing or quoting the information
12
Quoting, paraphrasing and
summarising
1. Direct quotation uses the exact words of your

source. Text must be placed in “inverted commas”.
2. Paraphrasing expresses the information from the
source in your own words
3. Summarising involves condensing information from
your source in order to present ideas succinctly.
13
How to paraphrase
An effective paraphrase should:
q Be written in your own words
q Be accurate to your source’s original meaning
q Retain necessary technical terms
q Be phrased in such a way that is significantly different from the
original
Paraphrasing can be made easier by:
q Identifying the technical words you need to keep
q Thinking of synonyms for key ideas
q Rewriting the idea from memory, using a different word order
14
Activity: Paraphrasing
Rewrite the following in your words:

q The aim of Water Dreaming was to bring people from the
Shire of Coolgardie together to explore how drought has
affected the community and begin to think about how to
improve connections between people during tough times.
q Water dreaming was a community-based project that
enabled Coolgardie residents to understand the impact
of drought on their community and to consider ways to
strengthen their collective resilience.
15
Using sources economically
When reporting on scholarly sources extra biographical or

publication details are not needed. You should:
q State the author’s family name(s) only
q Cite the year (and page number if available)
q Use a reporting verb to refer to another author’s work
q Quote, paraphrase or summarise their idea(s)
16
Examples (APA reference)
q According to Palmer and Sonn (2015, p. 16), “the aim of

Water Dreaming was to bring people from the Shire of
Coolgardie together to explore how drought has affected the
community and begin to think about how to improve
connections between people during tough times.”
q Water dreaming was a community-based project that enabled
Coolgardie residents to understand the impact of drought on
their community and to consider ways to strengthen their
collective resilience (Palmer & Sonn, 2015, p. 16).
q Palmer and Sonn (2015) argue that Water Dreaming drew
upon the creativity of the Coolgardie community to build
resilience during a drought.
17
Essay structure
Structure Shows your position
1. Title hooks your reader’s attention
states your argument

2. Introduction
demonstrates your argument step by step
3. Body through a series of paragraphs
4. Conclusion summarises your argument
5. Reference list tells the reader your sources of

information.
18
19
Example introduction
Essays are frequently used as assessment
tasks to involve students in research, Background
academic reading and formal essay writing.
Because poor writing skills can affect
students’ success in tertiary education, it is Thesis
important that writing problems are
understood so that university assistance
programs are adequate. This essay will
identify and examine the main causes Outline
underpinning student difficulties with
academic writing and consider evidence to
evaluate whether programs delivered in
universities address the problem.
Source: UNE Academic Skills: Introduction paragraphs 20
Paragraph writing
What purpose to body paragraphs serve

in academic writing?
q Paragraphs are the building blocks of
the essay
q Each section of the body of (main point)
is made up of one or more paragraphs.
q Paragraphs develop your
argument/position.
q Each paragraph covers one topic.
q One point may have a number of sub-
topics.
21
How do I structure a body
paragraph?
The TEEL (or TEAL) structure provides an effective way to organise a
paragraph:
q Topic sentence – the first sentence in a body paragraph that tells
the reader what the main idea/argument of the paragraph will be.
q Explanation – Explain what you mean in greater detail.
q Evidence – Provide evidence to support your idea or claim. This
may include: case studies, statistics, documentary evidence,
academic books or journal articles. (Note: all evidence requires
appropriate citation.)
q Analysis – Consider the strengths and limitations of the evidence
and examples that you have presented. Explain how your evidence
supports your claim (i.e. how does it ‘prove’ your topic sentence?).
q Link – Summarise the main idea of the paragraph, and make clear
how this paragraph supports your overall argument.
22
Example: body paragraph
Assignment essay tasks are set to assist students to
develop mastery of their study subject. Firstly, Topic
assignment tasks enhance understandings about
subject matter. Yang and Baker (2005, p. 1) reason Explanation
that “to master your learning materials and extend your

understandings, you need to write about the meanings Evidence
you gain from your research”. Secondly, research
clearly demonstrates that students learn the writing
conventions of a subject area while they are Explanation
researching, reading and writing in their discipline
(Jinx, 2004; Zapper, 2006). This activity helps them to
“crack the code” of the discipline (Bloggs, 2003, p. 44). Evidence
Thus, students are learning subject matter and how to
write in that disciplinary area by researching and Link
writing assignment essays.
23
Source: UNE Academic Skills: body paragraphs
Achieving flow in a paragraph
How do we achieve flow (coherence and cohesion) in our

writing?
1. Topic sentences link ideas or to concepts to your
thesis (coherence)
2. Linking words signal transition between ideas within
or between sentences (cohesion)
3. Pronouns are nouns that refer to someone or
something mentioned elsewhere
4. Repetition of important words and phrases or using
synonyms can give emphasis to key points
24
Example: linking words,
pronouns and repetition
Assignment essay tasks are set to assist students to develop
mastery of their study subject. Firstly, assignment tasks enhance
understandings about subject matter. Yang and Baker (2005, p. 1)
reason that “to master your learning materials and extend your
understandings, you need to write about the meanings you gain
from your research”. Secondly, research clearly demonstrates that
students learn the writing conventions of a subject area while they
are researching, reading and writing in their discipline (Jinx, 2004;
Zapper, 2006). This activity helps them to “crack the code” of the
discipline (Bloggs, 2003, p. 44). Thus, students are learning
subject matter and how to write in that disciplinary area by
researching and writing assignment essays.
25
26
Example conclusion
To conclude, university students who are Restatement
experiencing difficulty with their academic writing
skills will require assistance to reach their
academic potential. The main causes of student
difficulty appear to be that secondary school Summarise
assessment has a different focus from university key points
expectations and that universities are increasingly
attracting mature age students who may require an
update on their skills. In response, universities
invest considerable capital into well-run programs
Evaluate
that effectively assist students to overcome their
significance
writing problems. In response, universities invest
considerable capital into well-run programs that
effectively assist students to overcome their writing
problems.
Source: UNE Academic Skills: conclusion paragraphs
27
Revise & Edit
Turn tangled notes into tidy assignments
Writing is a process that involves draft and

redrafting, editing and proofreading.
28
Essay checklist
Does the essay:

q Provide an answer to the question in the introduction?
q Present an argument that is easy to follow?
q Contain logically organised paragraphs?
q Support each claim with appropriate evidence?
q Contain correct sentence structure and grammar?
q Include accurate and consistent referencing?
29
Online tools
These tools are accessible via the myMurdoch student

portal, the Library website and LMS
q Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP)
q Referencing Guides: (Library website)
q Studiosity: get feedback on your writing within 24
hours
q Urkund: similarity matching software
30
Questions?
31
Good luck with your essay!
For advice and support visit:

https://www.murdoch.edu.au/mymurdoch/sup
port-advice/learning-study
or visit one of the myMurdoch advice hubs on
campus
or email N.Everett@Murdoch.edu.au
32

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Writing

presented by Nick Everett

q Breaking down the essay question

Source: UNSW Current Students

“Research and write an essay on one example of a project

Source: COD601 UILG 4

“Research and write an essay on one example

Source: COD601 UILG 5

qBring all your ideas

q Concept maps are diagrams that illustrate

q Evaluate your research

1. Direct quotation uses the exact words of your

Rewrite the following in your words:

When reporting on scholarly sources extra biographical or

q According to Palmer and Sonn (2015, p. 16), “the aim of

Structure Shows your position

1. Title hooks your reader’s attention

states your argument

4. Conclusion summarises your argument

5. Reference list tells the reader your sources of

What purpose to body paragraphs serve

that “to master your learning materials and extend your

How do we achieve flow (coherence and cohesion) in our

Writing is a process that involves draft and

Does the essay:

These tools are accessible via the myMurdoch student

For advice and support visit:

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