COM101 Principles and Practice of Communication Tutor-Marked Assignment 02 2026 | SUSS, Singapore

COM 101 Tutor-Marked Assignment 02

This tutor‐marked assignment (TMA) is worth 20% of the final mark for COM101: Principles and Practice of Communication.

Please upload this assignment to Turnitin by Tuesday, 17 March 2026, 11:55pm. Resubmissions are allowed before this cut-off time.

Marks allocation at a glance

 Note: All marks will be awarded only with the TMA submission via Turnitin.

 Self-Declaration Cover Page on Academic Integrity

Include the self-declaration cover page in all your TMAs submission. A penalty of 5 marks deduction will be imposed if this self-declaration form is incomplete, inaccurate, or missing from the final submission of your assignment. Appeals concerning the self-declaration form will not be entertained.

Submission Guidelines

To maintain academic standards and ensure consistency across all submissions, please adhere to the following formatting and submission requirements:

Word Count:

Your reflective essay (Section A) should be between 1,300 and 1,500 words, excluding the appendix of seminar notes (Section B) and references (if any).

Formatting Requirements:

• • Font: Use a standard, readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial, size 12 pt. o Spacing: Use line spacing 1.5 lines throughout the main text.

Appendix:

You are required to submit your personal notes from Seminars 1 to 5 as an appendix to support the authenticity of your reflection and demonstrate your engagement during class.

Notes can be:

o  Handwritten on paper and scanned or photographed clearly
o  Typed notes taken during the seminars or upon viewing the lesson recordings
o Handwritten notes on a tablet or digital device (e.g., using apps like Notability, GoodNotes, OneNote, etc.)

• If you use a tablet or stylus, export your handwritten notes as a PDF or image file, and insert them at the end of your essay under the appendix section. Label each set of notes clearly by seminar number or date.
• All notes must be original and specific to each seminar. Generic or post-fact summaries will not receive full marks.
• These notes will not be marked for grammar, neatness, or structure, but for:
  o Relevance to seminar content
  o Evidence of real-time engagement
  o  Clarity and organization

Reflection Essay Assignment 

You are required to write a reflective essay that critically reviews your participation or recordings of all class participation and learning during Seminars 1 to 5. This assignment is designed to encourage active seminar attendance, engagement with course content, and thoughtful interaction with your classmates’ contributions.

Section A: Reflection on Seminar Participation (80 marks)

For each Seminar, from Seminars 1 to 5, write your reflections on the following:

a) Classmates’ Contributions (30 marks):

Identify and discuss the contributions of at least one classmate that you found meaningful during that seminar. Describe how their insights influenced your own understanding of the topic discussed. Be specific—refer to the context of the seminar, the discussion or activity, and your own reaction or learning.

b) Activity and Concept Reflection (30 marks):

Select one key activity from each seminar and reflect on how it helped you engage with a key course concept. Explain what you learned, how it connects to the broader course material, and how the activity shaped your understanding or perspective.

c) Peer Appreciation Paragraph (20 marks):

Recall a specific insight shared by any classmate and write a short paragraph appreciating or responding to the insight shared by the classmate (you may refer to someone mentioned earlier). Reflect on why their contribution stood out to you and how it influenced your thinking beyond the seminar discussion.

You are expected to include specific examples and details from your observations of the seminar experience or seminar recording. Responses should not be vague or generic. The goal is to assess your active participation, attention to your peers’ insights, and your personal engagement with course content.

Section B: Class Notes Submission (20 marks)

Submit scanned or typed copies of your handwritten or digital notes taken during or upon viewing the lesson recordings of Seminars 1 through 5. These will support the authenticity of your reflection and demonstrate your engagement during class.

—End of TMA02—

Please ensure that you read the TMA submission instructions as well as submission reminders [Appendix A – C] carefully.

Appendix A: TMA Submission Reminders

TMA Cover Page 

• Download and complete the TMA Self-Declaration Cover Page from Canvas L01 > Modules > Assessments.
• Acknowledge that you have read the self-declaration on academic integrity and submit it with your TMA. There will be a penalty of 5 marks deduction if the TMA cover page is incomplete, inaccurate or missing from the final submission of your TMA via Turnitin. No appeals concerning the Cover Page will be entertained.

TMA submission 

• Adhere strictly to the naming convention specified for TMA files. Non-compliance to these standards may result in your TMA not being marked and/or an administrative fee being imposed.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have uploaded your file(s) completely and accurately to the correct submission link. All inaccurate submissions will be treated as a null submission.
• Backup your TMA at all times.
• Review your submission immediately and ensure that the entire document has been uploaded completely and successfully.
• Submit early and check the originality report to decide if you need to revise and resubmit your assignment.
• Turnitin reports are generated immediately the first time but subsequent reports may take up to a day to generate.
• Retain the Turnitin digital receipt as evidence of a successful submission. Appeals submitted without the Turnitin digital receipt will not be entertained.
• Resubmissions (overwriting earlier submissions) are allowed only before the deadline. No further resubmissions can be made during the grace period or thereafter.
• The 12-hour grace period after the deadline is NOT an extended deadline. It is solely for resolving technical problems encountered with submissions before the deadline.

Late submissions and submission problems

• Late penalties are automatically applied by Canvas after the 12-hour grace period.
• Your instructors will NOT be able to grant any extensions as they cannot override Canvas system settings.
• Details about marks deduction are outlined in your Student Handbook under Academic Rules and Regulations.
• In case of problems, email Canvas Support at LSsupport@suss.edu.sg Attach your TMA file and relevant screenshots showing the technical error and follow up with Canvas Support before the grace period is over.
• If there was no submission before the deadline, one late submission is allowed up till 1 week after the deadline, after which no more late submissions will be allowed.

TMA Formatting Requirements [For essay submissions on Word only]

• Upload your TMA as a Word document file (.doc, .docx) No other formats are allowed. Feedback on your marked assignments will be provided only if the assignment is submitted as a Word document file.
• Use 12-point Times New Roman and double line spacing throughout the entire paper.

Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) of the page Line spacing: Double-spacing

Paragraph alignment: Align the text to the left and leave the right margin uneven Paragraph indentation: Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inch

Word / Slides / Page / Duration Limit

Writing and presenting succinctly is an important skill in academic writing. Keep strictly to any word limits (or limits to the number of slides, pages, or durations of videos) as no allowance will be given. Any content beyond the specified limits will not be marked. Tables, figures, and in-text citations are included in the word count whilst the reference list and appendices are not.

English Competency

Negative marking up to a penalty of 5 marks will apply for English competency. It is important that you use an appropriate academic writing style, and write clearly using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. British spelling is recommended.

Referencing

Follow the APA7 format. Appropriate in-text citations and an accurately formatted Reference section are expected. More information about formatting in APA7 can be found in the APA website: http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx.

Plagiarism and Collusion

The University takes a very serious view of plagiarism, including misuse of Generative AI (GenAI), and collusion, i.e. submitting an assignment which is very similar to another student’s. The definitions and penalties are outlined in your Student Handbook.

All assignments are to be completed on your own. You may discuss the TMA/GBA with your course mates, but the assignment must be written up independently. Similarly, for assignments where GenAI use is permitted, you may consult GenAI but write the final submitted assignment yourself. You are also responsible for properly disclosing any use of GenAI in your assignments through citations and tables as detailed HERE. See below for further guidelines on GenAI use.

Permissible Use of GenAI

• Proofreading e.g. correcting minor spelling and grammatical errors

Unacceptable Use of GenAI (AI Cheating)

• Brainstorming for ideas and basic outlines with proper disclosure
• Summarising research materials for reference only
• Wholesale or substantial lifting of AI-generated content, including text, images and videos
• Generation of references without conducting research or verification
• Extensive rewriting and/or restructuring, including changing from one writing style to another and reorganising content

WARNING

Submitting assignments that substantially regurgitate or reproduce information from any sources, including GenAI tools, constitutes plagiarism. Once a plagiarism offence is established, the student’s work will be heavily marked down. A Fail grade will be awarded for cases found to contain fabricated content, including bogus references, false information, or non-existent arguments attributed to cited reference sources.

Proof of originality of your submitted assignment

You are strongly encouraged to (1) keep a record of your assignment version history and (2) retain PDF copies of all the cited sources in your assignment in a zipped folder. This evidence will be required in the circumstance that your assignment is flagged for plagiarism, in particular misuse of GenAI.

(1) How to keep a record of your assignment version history:

• Prepare your assignment using Google Docs or Microsoft Word Online which automatically retains version history. When required to, you can share the link to your document with the following access rights:
• Google Docs: “Anyone with the link” and “Editor”
• Microsoft Word Online: “People with the link can edit”

Note: The assignment document must reside online (Google Drive or OneDrive). Saving a copy or downloading a copy of the online file will lose the version history.

(2) How to retain PDF copies of cited sources (in a zipped folder):

• Where possible, download the article in PDF format and rename the file as:
  • Single author: Surname and year of publication (e.g., Johnson 2022.pdf)
  • Multiple authors: Surname of first author + et al. and year of publication (e.g., Tan et al. 2024.pdf)
• If PDF files are not available, take screenshots of the webpage containing the article details, the Abstract, relevant pages you referred to, paste them to a Word doc file and save it as a PDF file using the same author/year file-naming conventions suggested above.
• For book references, take screenshots of the relevant pages you referred to, paste them to a Word doc file and save it as a PDF file using the same author/year file-naming conventions suggested above.

Appendix B: Generic Band Descriptors for Students

Excellent Answer  

• shows a clear and thorough understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant points accurately and comprehensively in a well-structured, focused and cohesive manner
• provides excellent illustrations/examples/supporting evidence
• shows very strong evidence of critical thinking/analysis and in-depth understanding
• goes beyond expectation and shows original thinking
• all cited references are authentic, relevant and properly attributed in the required citation style

Good to Very Good answer  

• shows a good to very good understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant points accurately in a well-structured, focused and cohesive manner
• provides good illustrations/examples/supporting evidence
• shows good evidence of critical thinking/analysis and in-depth understanding
• shows evidence of original thinking
• all cited references are authentic, relevant and properly attributed in the required citation style

Fair answer  

• shows a fair understanding of the topic concerned by covering relevant points adequately, but may not always be well structured, focused and cohesive
• provides adequate illustrations or examples, however, they may not always be appropriate
• shows little evidence of critical thinking/analysis and lacks in-depth understanding
• shows little evidence of original thinking
• all cited references are authentic, but not always relevant or properly attributed in the required citation style

Weak answer  

• shows only rudimentary understanding of the topic concerned and only manages to cover a relevant point or two adequately, but is not well structured, focused and cohesive
• attempts to provide illustrations or examples, however, they are generally inappropriate or irrelevant
• shows no evidence of critical thinking or in-depth understanding
• shows no evidence of original thinking
• may contain some omissions and minor inaccuracies, such as missing or erroneous citations and references (i.e. minor typos but cited references are authentic)

Poor answer (borderline pass)

• does not show adequate understanding of the topic concerned and may not sufficiently cover any of the relevant points
• does not provide illustrations or examples
• tends to be descriptive and may be off point
• contains errors and misconceptions, such as a mix of erroneous/fabricated citations and references, and false information

Fail (less than 40%)

• shows very little understanding of the topic concerned and barely covers any of the relevant points
• fails to provide illustrations or examples
• attempts to describe but is off point
• contains serious errors and misconceptions, such as numerous erroneous/fabricated citations and references, false information, and non-existent arguments attributed to cited reference sources

Bad Fail (less than 15%)

• shows very little to no understanding of the question
• contains serious errors and misconceptions, such as numerous erroneous/fabricated citations and references, false information, and non-existent arguments attributed to cited reference sources

Appendix C: Video Submission Instructions

Note: The instructions are for assignments with video submission only.

To ensure that your video submission is successful, you must complete the following steps:

Step 1: Access your T-group course site.

Step 2: Proceed to Assignments and click on the assignment to be submitted (e.g. TMA01 / ECA).

Step 3: Scroll down the page and click on . Select Classroom Recordings.

Step 4: Choose either Record or Upload your video assignment.

• You need to type “COMXXX_JAN26_TXX [assignments]” in the dropdown folder to locate your course assignment folder.
• For your video to be submitted successfully, you must click Submit Assignment. Uploading the video without clicking the Submit button will be considered as a non-submission.

Step 5: Verify and review your submission by playing back your submitted video on the Submission Details

• Videos that are not properly submitted following the instructions will be treated as nonsubmission. Appeals for videos that are submitted past the deadline due to nonadherence to the instructions will not be considered. Please also ensure that you upload your videos in advance as it may take time for your video to be processed and uploaded successfully. Appeals for late submission due to the video processing time exceeding the grace period or failure to adhere to submission instructions will not be considered.

—  End of TMA —