Academic Writing (AW)
Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences
August 15, 2025
You need to apply what you have learned and prepare a convincing introduction for your master’s thesis.
During the course of the semester, you will go through the key stages of academic writing. These include finding a topic, writing a draft of the introduction to your master’s thesis, gathering feedback, revising your introduction and reflecting on the process.
You need to complete several deliverables as part of this process. These will be marked on an individual basis.
The portfolio exams consist of the following components:
For dates and deadlines, please see the schedule
The deliverables are graded individually and determine the grade with the following weights:
Note: Compliance with formal requirements (see templates) and good scientific practice are critical pass criteria for all parts, means that in case of non-compliance the exam is automatically failed (e.g., plagiarism, even light forms).
An introduction that fulfills expectations has the following characteristics
A revision that fulfills expectations has the following characteristics
A reflection that fulfills expectations has the following characteristics
Grade | Meaning |
---|---|
1 — very good |
A truly outstanding achievement that (not only) shows no deficiencies in the criteria mentioned, but also gives both the supervisor and external assessors an excellent impression. |
2 — good |
Work that exceeds the average requirements/performance and is easily recognizable and presentable to the outside world as a “good performance”. |
Note | 2.5 is the average of passed assessments, i.e., an “average performance” |
3 — satisfactory |
A performance that achieves the desired goal “to a satisfactory extent”; however, deficiencies can be identified here and there. |
4 — sufficient |
A performance that “still adequately satisfies” the requirements, but deviates from the expectations placed on it in several ways. |
5 — not sufficient |
A performance that does not meet several of the criteria mentioned. |
The bonus points are assigned based on your engagement in the discussions (particularly the quality of your feedback). These can improve your performance by up to one grade increments (up to .7).