Communication Skills and Literacy LECTURE 1: Course Overview & Study Skills

Welcome to COM501: Communication Skills and Literacy This course is designed with the broad aim of helping learners develop communication and research skills. It will help you grow proficiency in the four macro-skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – sufficient to enable you to participate effectively in an academic and non-academic environment.

This unit offers learners the opportunity to grasp various components of communication. Learners will be exposed to the mechanics of the planning, the writing processes, acknowledging sources of literature and ideas in referencing and at the same time the unit makes students aware that plagiarism is unacceptable. Students will also learn to plan, prepare and present proposals and seminars.

Com501 unit needs the presence and participation of the students as the unit is focused on continuous interaction in class and the majority of the unit assessment is classroom-based.

Contact Hours Lectures: 2 hours (attendance is strongly recommended). Lecture notes and extra reading materials will be provided on class shares a week before the scheduled lecture. Tutorials: each student is expected to attend 4 hours tutorial comprising of two 2 hours tutorials every week. The tutorial classes are compulsory. (Students should inform their tutors if they have cogent reasons for missing any tutorial class).

Course Assessments There will be a lot of formative assessments to ensure that the students accomplish the learning outcomes. However, the assessments that will contribute towards the final grade will comprise of: Short Test : 10% Literary Review : 10% Major Essay or Proposal & Schematic Report : 20% Oral Presentations : 20% Information Literacy assessment: 5% ICT assessment: 5%

Some of these assessments may be carried out in groups depending on the class size. Working in groups can be a memorable experience or a daunting one, depending on the ability of the team members to get together and work effectively as a team However, the evaluation will be based on the participation of individual students. There is NOTHING like group marks.

Attendance To receive a pass, that is, a C grade in this unit, every student is expected to have 75% attendance. Therefore, your attendance to tutorials and lectures is strongly recommended.

Preparation You will be expected to have completed all readings before the lectures and tutorials. You will also be required to attempt all tutorial questions before you attend the tutorials.  

Assignments   Well researched and prepared assignments need to be handed in by 4pm on due dates or before the due dates. Late assignments will not be accepted if prior approval has not been sought from the tutors, and only if it is accompanied by proper relevant documentation e.g. Medical certificates. Every late submission without due permission will attract a deduction of 10% of a student’s score on every week after the deadline.

Assignments Contd All assignments need to be word processed (typed) and presented as documents using font size 12 and font style Times New Roman. Avoid fancy borders, font styles and designs. Hand written assignments will NOT be accepted. Electronic submission is encouraged.

Plagiarism A very strong stance is taken against all cases of plagiarism. All borrowed information, whether direct quotes or paraphrased, must be acknowledged. Use Harvard style of referencing and all major assignments must include a bibliography. Any assignment found to contain plagiarized information incurs a penalty and marks will be deducted from such assignment.

Reflective Journals Students are expected to submit a reflective journal to their tutor on a monthly basis concerning the previous weeks’ learning experiences. The journal should not be more than a page. The guide for writing the journal will be provided on class share.

Course content The course content as indicated in the trimester plan (refer to tri plan) contains the topics and some of the class activities as well as the week for each topic and activity. The tutor may introduce something outside the content or use another strategy in order to make the classes more meaningful and enriching. Enjoy your COM501 experience

Learning Outcomes-at the end of this unit, the students shall be able to: Knowledge: Take well-organized notes from relevant spoken and written information. Write summaries, essays, reports, proposals or answer discussion questions. Answer questions that require recall, analysis or synthesis of material learned in class. Understand and use relevant concepts and vocabulary in particular content areas. Learn the basics of in text citation and Referencing using the Harvard method of referencing. Present information to class in a clear, well-organized and visually attractive manner.

Skills: Develop study skills, set goals, ability to manage time, listening skills. Develop note taking, and summary writing skills. Develop their reading skills to a higher and more challenging level Develop Critical thinking skills. Utilise research tools (e.g. Library and Internet) to find supporting information. Academic research skills, retrieving information from sources effectively Skills of extensive and intensive reading. Analyse resource materials and texts with intelligence and depth. Skills to conduct a research.

Project presentation skills – using visual aids, oral presentation skills. Utilise technological tools to support in-class and out-of-class work. Word Processing skills [ICT] Power Point skills [ICT] Attitudes Participate in the activities of the class. Think independently and critically. Cultivate positive attitude towards com & learning. Cultivate interest in reading and writing. Evaluate resource material. Share knowledge and work together productively.

Lecture Notes: Lecture notes Tutorial Readings Important notices Lecture notes are available on class shares on the FNU website www.fnu.ac.fj www.fnu.ac.fj Click on Student class share Click on College of Humanities & Education Click on Communications Click on COM501 CLASS SHARES/MOODLE HAS: Lecture notes Tutorial Readings Important notices

Study Skills-Introduction  Different people have different ways of learning or remembering ideas. It is important that you know how you can remember ideas Motivation – to be able to learn effectively, one must have the motivation or the will or the interest to learn. Without this, learning will not be effective. Memory – it is important to be able to remember what one learns. People forget ideas they already know because of lack of use or because of new ideas interfering with prior knowledge Goal setting – set realistic and achievable goals

Fitness and relaxation How to study? Concentration Realistic goals Continuity Fitness and relaxation Study Groups

Concentration Focus on something definite to do. Study for 40-50 minutes, break for 10 minutes. Take breaks in between to keep mind refreshed Use mnemonics to aid in recalling complex concepts e.g. ROYGBIV (colours of the rainbow) 2. Realistic Goals Try not to study everything at once. Do not waste time on subjects that you are good at. Do not pile up everything for the exam week – PROCRASTINATE Memorizing is not a good idea…UNDERSTAND.

Continuity Keep up-to-date with your lectures/ tutorials and assignments. (ATTENDANCE) Keep a note book/diary to remind you of important events or due dates etc. Revise everyday and don’t wait for examination week Don’t just give up because you failed one short test!

Fitness and relaxation Do not let your student life or work dominate your entire life. Light, regular exercise makes you more able to cope with stress and life demands. Try to be more involved in sports and eat the right kind of food. Take the stairs sometimes instead of the elevator!

Study Groups Join with friends to form a study group to compare notes, discuss topics and problems. Meet on a regular basis. Try to be honest and do your share of the work allocated. Remember you also learn better when you teach others.

Time Management Managing of time is important. Why? ‘what to do? and when to do? How do you spend your time? Sleep Eating Working Studying Recreation/Sport Travel

Tips for managing Time Well Have a diary/notebook to remind you of important dates and events Plan for a day, for a week, a semester etc. while keeping the overall picture in mind all the time. Utilize “dead” time (like travelling time or even in the loo!) Allocate time for studying as well as leisure. Etc….

“Time and Tide waits for NO ONE!” Conclusion “Time and Tide waits for NO ONE!” Use your time wisely Cherish your accomplishments Don’t just give up when things get tough!- Tough time does not last. Tough people last.

Source: http://www. motivational-quotes-for-women

Finally- “To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”  Bernard Edmonds quotes You can be the best!

Reminder Make sure you enroll correctly with the Academic Office Make sure that you pay your Course Fee You are allowed till the study break to pay your fees in full. You should get your ID cards updated. Wish you all the best in COM501. You are ultimately responsible for your success

Reference Pinner, D., 1998,.Communication Skills. New Zealand: Addison Wesley Longman