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23. Skim Text 1B “The Value of Postgraduate Education” and try to understand what it is about. Give a brief overview of its structure and contents.
Text 1B.The value of postgraduate education
Over the last twelve years, the number of people undertaking postgraduate education in the UK has grown 36% — faster than the growth in the undergraduate sector over the same period. Now, almost a quarter of students in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are studying at postgraduate level and half of international students studying in the UK are taking a postgraduate qualification. Compared to the undergraduate sector, postgraduate provision has had relatively little attention paid to it by policy makers, despite the fact that postgraduate education is of enormous value to the UK and will play a crucial role in driving innovation and growth — particularly in the areas the UK Government has identified in New Industry, New Jobs. Recognising this, Lord Mandelson asked for a review into whether the postgraduate system in the UK works as well as it could, and whether there is value in government adopting a more strategic role in shaping the direction of this sector.
The review has found that postgraduate education in the UK is a great asset — it is world leading in many areas. But there is scope to build on this success. Making postgraduate provision more responsive to employers’ needs and encouraging more people to train to postgraduate level will ensure that the UK has the higher level skills needed to succeed in a global knowledge economy. This will be critical to securing the location of high-value business in the UK and to the creation of new employment opportunities in growth sectors.
As other countries invest heavily in their own postgraduate provision, the UK will need to work hard to maintain its competitive advantage. This will mean doing more to strengthen and promote UK postgraduate education on an international stage and to attract the very best students from around the world. It will be even more important to ensure that we get the best possible value from the money that taxpayers, employers and individuals invest in postgraduate education.
The UK benefits from a diverse postgraduate system, in which a wide range of postgraduate qualifications and modes of study have evolved to meet the needs of different stakeholders.
Cutting-edge research conducted by postgraduates in our worldleading research centres contributes signifi cantly to the health of the UK research base. The UK delivers 8% of world research output, is second only to the US in a number of research disciplines and fi rst amongst the G8 for research productivity. The talent developed in our postgraduate education system is critical to maintaining this success.
The advanced knowledge and capability of postgraduates are highly prized by business and the public sector. The skills of postgraduates, especially researchers, are critical for tackling major business challenges and driving innovation and growth. The UK’s ability to provide people skilled to this level is an important factor in attracting global businesses to locate high-value operations here.
Many employers benefit from postgraduate skills, and not just those in knowledge-intensive industries. Taught postgraduate courses provide people with the skills they need to work in a range of careers and play an important role in translating postgraduate research into practice. Increasingly, postgraduate level continuing professional development is being developed with and for employers and delivered in flexible ways. This model of responsive and tailored postgraduate provision will play an important role in upskilling and re-training the UK workforce.
Financially, the growth in postgraduate numbers has benefi ted universities enormously. Taught postgraduate provision alone brought in income of over £1.5bn for universities in 2008–2009. Attracting and retaining high-calibre, taught postgraduate students is a valuable way for universities to recruit postgraduate researchers, who are an integral part of HEIs’ research capability.
Although less easy to quantify, there are social and cultural benefi ts attached to a strong postgraduate sector. By encouraging people to question established knowledge, postgraduate education promotes a culture of open and intelligent debate which stimulates innovation and new approaches to tackling difficult challenges. The international diversity of postgraduate education in the UK generates a vibrant and stimulating environment that brings together a variety of cultural knowledge, experience and insights.
In general, the value that postgraduate education brings to the UK is under-researched and under-appreciated. Universities and the Research Councils should do more to identify and promote the economic and social value of postgraduate study. Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. They are also more likely to enter professional and managerial occupations and to earn more over their lifetime — although thisvaries considerably by subject and mode of study. Wider promotion of the different reasons for, and value of, undertaking postgraduate study would help to encourage a wider range of people to consider how it could benefit them. The UK Government should consider how to promote postgraduate study to individuals by building on existing campaigns to promote the potential benefits of higher education and skills [Bradshaw, Burnett, Docherty, Purcell, Smith, Worthington, 2010: 4–5].
24. Identify the topic of each paragraph of Text 1B.
25. Complete the sentences choosing the best variant corresponding to the contents of Text 1B.
1) Postgraduate education hasn’t been paid much attention to by ... a) the undergraduate sector. b) policy makers. c) postgraduate students themselves.
2) The review of the UK postgraduate sector has shown that … a) there is much to be done in his area. b) it is necessary to promote postgraduate education.
c) the UK needs to reduce the number of foreign students.
3) The UK diverse postgraduate system provides for … a) high research productivity. b) involvement of different stakeholders. c) a wide range of research disciplines.
4) The skills of researchers are highly valued by … a) global businesses. b) employers in knowledge-intensive industries. c) business and the public sector.
5) A strong postgraduate sector is characterized by … a) social and cultural benefi ts. b) innovation. c) new approaches to tackling diffi cult challenges.
6) Postgraduates … a) earn less than those having an undergraduate degree. b) have enough skills to be employed. c) can hardly enter managerial occupations.
Section 5. SPEAKING .
26. Boris Klimov tells us about his educational background. Complete the text with the words or phrases from the box.
a) undertook b) defended c) degree d) finished e) supervisor f) graduated from g) perform h) undergraduate i) research j) was admitted k) Master’s degree l) scholarship m) assessments n) earned o) proceed p) Bachelor’s degree q) carried out r) PhD course
My educational background
My educational background has an over-all underlying tone of consistency. I am pleased with my past education, and feel that I have become a well-rounded individual in many various aspects of my life. In this educational autobiography, I will cover my education from beginning to present which will include how I came to the decision to begin doing a Doctoral (1) __________.
I started schooling when I was seven years old. I attended a small school in a town in Belgorod region. My elder brothers attended the same school and most everyone from my big family went there. I attended this school until the fi fth form after which my family moved to Belgorod. I started to attend a lycée. Coming from a small school, it was a dramatic change in my life. The work was harder, and the lycée atmosphere carried the sense of learning and excellence. As a school student, I always excelled in mathematics and physics. Those were the subjects I was good at, and unlike my classmates, I really enjoyed them. So towards the end of the final year at the lycée, I decided that being in engineering was for me. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, and my parents supported me. I (2) __________ lycée with honours.
At 17, I (3) __________ to the Technological University on a (4) __________ and took a (5) __________. I decided to major in Environmental Engineering. That (6) __________ programme lasted four years. At the University I had the opportunity to study a lot of key subjects ranging from water treatment to waste management and resource sustainability. In addition to the theoretical side of things and practical experience within the university labs, I (7) __________ a fi eld course in my second year which allowed me to put many of the theoretical modules I had studied in the fi rst two years of my degree into practice. In 2010, I (8) __________ University and (9) __________ a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering.
To deepen my knowledge of the subject I was interested in I decided to (10) __________ to a (11) __________ programme which took two years to complete. It was a logical progression to my studies. My (12) __________ was coordinated by the academic (13) __________ within the department. During the first two terms of the Master’s degree course, I took some courses in the area of my specialisation. I developed an interest in waste management and so had the opportunity to (14) __________ a compositional analysis of printed circuit boards, which then allowed me to design a recycling facility to recover metals from the boards and separate out the plastic. In the third term I (15) __________ a project which included designing a car battery recycling facility. This involved site investigation and impact (16) __________. Then I started writing my Master’s thesis titled “Waste Management in Environmental Engineering”, which I (17) __________ successfully in 2012. It was my own original research with the subsequent conclusions.
The experience gained across the Master’s degree process encouraged me to take a (18) __________ — there is something very magical about the moment you look at your results and realise you know something no one else in the world knows.
27. Using the information given in the above text, fi ll in the missing answers of the dialogue. Then practise it.
A.: Could you introduce yourself, please?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: Are you pleased with your past education?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: When and where did you start schooling?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What school subjects were you good at?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What university were you admitted to?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What undergraduate programme did you take?
B.:_________________________________.
A.: What was the topic of your diploma paper?
B.:_______________________________.
A.: What did you study at university?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: When did you graduate from university?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What was your University major?
B.:________________________________.
A.: Why have you chosen this major?
B.:_________________________________.
A.: What subjects studied at University are most important for your professional work?
B.:_________________________________.
A.: What subject(s) did you minor in?
B.:________________________________.
A.: What degree did you earn?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: Why did you decide to take a Master’s degree course?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: How long did it take you to complete it?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What was the area of your specialisation?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: How did taking a Master’s degree programme compare to taking a Bachelor’s degree one?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What project did you carry out?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What was your Master’s thesis titled?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: When did you defend it?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What encouraged you to proceed to a PhD degree course?
B.: _______________________________.
A.: What are you majoring in now?
B.:__________________________.
28. Speak on your own educational background. Use the above text and dialogue as a model.
29. Clasiify the words below into personal qualities (birth given) and professional skills (experience obtained) to complete the chart. Which of them do you possess?
| Personal qualities | Professional skills |
Vision – проницательность дальновидность; judgement – рассудительность; energy – энергичность; determination – решительность, решимость; consistency – последовательность, постоянство; fairness – справедливость; self-respect – самоуважение; self-awaraness – самоанализ; directness – прямолинейность, непосредственность; observation – наблюдательность; confidence – уверенность; communication skills – навыки общения; effort – усилие; friendliness – дружелюбие; sociability – общительность; organizing ability – организаторские способности; ruthlessness – жестокость; diplomacy – дипломатичность; reliability – надежность; emotional (physical) stamina – эмоциональная (физическая) выносливость; maturity – зрелость; sense of humour – чувство юмора; flexibility – гибкость.
30. A CV (curriculum vitae [kə′rikjələm ′vi:tai]) or a résumé ([′rezjumei]; AmE) is a summary of your personal details, educational quali fi cations, and work experience. It is usually sent when applying for a study programme or a job. P ractise the following dialogue. A personnel of fi cer gives advice on writing Cvs.
A.: Mrs Wright, tell me about CVs, please. What are the key things to include?
W.: Well, you should start with brief personal details, of course. You know, name, age, and so on. Marital status is OK too, but no names of children or pets.
A.: And next comes education, I suppose?
W.: Yeah. You ought to list the schools and institutions you’ve attended in chronological order. Make sure that the dates make sense. Don’t forget details of the qualifi cations you obtained. Remember to put down your grades too.
A.: I see. And would you advise people to include copies of their qualifications, and so on?
W.: No, they don’t need to do that, not at this stage.
A.: Right. Now for the part of the CV which deals with work experience. Should we go through this in chronological order or start with the most recent, or current job fi rst?
W.: I would definitely say begin with the present or most recent job fi rst. Then work backwards. Give a brief description of each job and try to list one or two achievements.
A.: That’s hard if you’re still a student, isn’t it?
W.: True, but you can still mention things like “I was secretary of the Anglo-German society” or give details of any part-time or holiday jobs.
A.: Oh, and one last question. What about a photograph?
W.: Well, it can go on an application form or with a covering letter, but there’s no reason why you can’t put it on your CV. If I were a job seeker, I’d invest in a studio photograph — one that made me look as good as possible, rather than one from a machine. And of course, never send a picture of you on the beach or at a party — people have sent me some amazing things!
31. These are the headings commonly used in a CV (a résumé). Using the above dialogue as a guide and the information given below, make up a dialogue of your own to discuss some problems involved in writing a CV.
1. Personal Details: up-to-date contact details and personal details to be given.
2. Personal Profile: summarising experience, skills and career objectives.
3. Achievements: quantifi able evidence of where candidates have excelled in roles. 4. Professional Experience: profi ling useful examples and evidence of suitability.
5. Education: evidence of structured learning and future development potential.
6. Skills and Qualities: telling recruiters exactly what candidates are good (best) at. 7. Activities and Interests: they do not really add that much value to a CV.
Дата: 2018-12-21, просмотров: 1245.