COM4006 Introduction to Academic Skills and Professional Development Assessment Brief 2026 

COM4006 Assessment Brief 

Task Summary

This assignment requires you to complete THREE tasks as part of a portfolio of work. Each contributes to your overall grade.

• Task 1: Annotated Bibliography (20% of total marks)
• Task 2: Reflective Discussion of Graduate Jobs (40% of total marks)
• Task 3: Reflection of Your Experience with the Lessons (40% of total marks)

 Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you must produce EITHER a report (Word .docx/.pdf, 3000 words) OR a narrated presentation (PowerPoint .pptx, 15 minutes narrated), completing the following tasks:

Task 1 : Annotated Bibliography (20% of overall marks)

Choose ONE of the following topics:

• Soft Skills for Computing Graduates
• Women in Computing
• The Digital Skills of Computing Graduates
• Removing Barriers into Computing

Create a DESCRIPTIVE annotated bibliography which presents FIVE (5) pieces of academic research related to the chosen topic.

Each entry should use the following format:

• Reference in Harvard format
• Intended audience
• Main content and arguments presented in the work.
• The research methods employed (if used)

Your annotated bibliography will therefore consist of the following:

• Entry 1 – presented using the format above
• Entry 2 – presented using the format above
• Entry 3 – presented using the format above
• Entry 4 – presented using the format above
• Entry 5 – presented using the format above

600 words as .docx/pdf)
OR  (3 minutes narrated PowerPoint presentation)
(20 marks)
(LOs: 2)

Task 2 : Reflective Discussion of Graduate Jobs (40% of total marks)

Search for a job advert in the field of Computing – some suggested roles are given below (make sure you include the word ‘Graduate’ or ‘Junior’ in the search text so that the search terms reflect an entry level role):

• Graduate Software Developer
• Graduate Data Analyst
• Graduate Systems Analyst
• Graduate Cyber Security Analyst
• Graduate DevOps Engineer Some suggested job sites are given below: indeed  , totaljobs

Look for an advert that provides a good level of detail about the role and the requirements in terms of technical and ‘soft’ skills.

Having looked at the advert, reflect on your alignment with the skills required.

You should use Gibbs model of reflection to structure your submission, making reference to the relevant parts of the Gibbs model and/or stating clearly which aspects of the model are being discussed.

1200 words as .docx/pdf)
OR  (6 minutes narrated PowerPoint presentation)
(40 marks)
(LOs: 3 & 5)

Task 3 : Reflection of Your Experience with the Lessons (40% of total marks)

On this module there are 8 lessons covering aspects such as study skills, the graduate recruitment market and managing your online reputation:

Choose two lessons from this list:

• Lesson 3
• Lesson 5
• Lesson 7
• Lesson 8

And two from this list:

• Lesson 2
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 6
• Lesson 9

Write a reflection or produce a narrated PowerPoint about what you have learned and experienced on the chosen lessons (two from each list) in the module. Use Gibbs model of reflection to structure your work. Support your work with relevant sources where appropriate, ensuring their validity.

Present a clear action plan which highlights areas for development in terms of your employability and academic skills, ensuring that your action plan shows your short, medium and long terms objectives.

1200 words as .docx/pdf)
OR  (6 minutes narrated PowerPoint presentation)
(40 marks)
(Los: 1 & 4)

Additional guidance can be found on the FAQ pages of iLearn.

Learning outcomes (LO)

By completing this assessment, you will have shown and be assessed on all four of the learning outcomes:

1. Understand the range of skills required to be an effective student at university level in the Computing subject area.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the literature and theories underlying key graduate employability skills and the expectations of employers in the Computing sector.
3. Produce a portfolio of evidence that reflects on a range of academic and employability skills, in areas such as academic referencing, self-awareness and reflection, oral and written communication, team working, leadership, use of computer applications and awareness of roles in the Computing industry
4. Demonstrate responsibility for their personal and professional development through an understanding of their individual learning approaches and the development of an action plan that outlines their career and learning objectives as Computing graduates.

Graduate attributes

5. Lifelong Learning: Manage employability, utilising the skills of personal development and planning in different contexts to contribute to society and the workplace.

You will be graded based on how well you meet these learning outcomes. Your marker will use a rubric/marking matrix to grade your work, and you can find this on the “My Assessment” tab on the module iLearn page.

Guidelines and Policies

You can find links to more useful information about the assignment and university policies below.

Please follow the referencing guidelines that are appropriate for your degree programme. If you are unsure which you should be using, please contact your module team.

Answer

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