A NN R USSELL S TUDENT L EARNING SERVICES Study Skills for University

O VERVIEW Identify the gap/myths Understand why they are there Highlight the differences How to address them Practical steps to prepare students for the move from college to university

S TUDENT ASSUMPTIONS Teaching styles similar to college/school. Levels of direct instruction, support, prompting, ongoing feedback. Support will be offered as needed. To write ‘academically’ you need to use long fancy words? Words mean the same in academia as they do in the real world. University just means working harder.

U NIVERSITY STAFF EXPECTATIONS Students are organised and prepared. Students know how to do academic assignments. Students are reading to learn. Students are taking responsibility for their own learning. Students know why they are at university. Students can manage their time effectively.

D ID YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCES ? Writing style? Language? Research? Use of evidence rather than opinion? Citations and referencing? Structure – introduction, main body, conclusion?

W RITING STYLE Concise clear writing which makes use of appropriate sentences, grammar and punctuation. Appropriate use of subject jargon/terminology. A more formal tone. Written in the third person unless requested to do otherwise. Avoid use of contractions (can’t don’t) and abbreviations e.g. etc.

R ESEARCH AND USE OF EVIDENCE Gives academic work credibility. Is using information from scientific and systematic research. Research and reading to inform understanding of the topic. To avoid answering with personal opinion. To help support the argument used in response to a set task.

REFERENCING One of biggest areas of confusion. Resources that have been used must be acknowledged in the appropriate way in the essay and in a terminal reference list/bibliography. Vital to avoid plagiarism. Demonstrates how much relevant reading has been completed. ‘Harvard’ is not a one size fits all system. Many different systems in use in any university. Students could potentially be using different systems.

S TRUCTURE Needed to construct a clear coherent response to a set task. Does not stop at introduction, main body and conclusion. Individual paragraphs need to be structured appropriately to stay focussed, incorporate evidence and include analysis. Will to a certain extent be determined by the task/ essay question. Is always a key component of any writing assignment not just essays.

D IFFERENCES BETWEEN COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY Taking responsibility for own learning. Understanding different teaching styles how to break down and plan tasks. time management underpins everything. Knowing where and how to access support and help

H OW CAN YOUR STUDENTS PREPARE FOR UNIVERSITY ? Note taking Practise doing this to find out which way works. Writing Practise writing with a more formal tone, paying attention to grammar and spelling. Avoid waffle try to be concise and clear. Resources Try to find good quality resources and materials. Think about how reliable they are. Time management Identify problems/bad habits or areas that they waste time on now. Explore different ways of planning study time.

R EADING Understand that this is the key to undergraduate learning. Use different strategies for different purposes. Practise the different types of reading. Try reading more challenging texts, breaking them down into smaller sections if necessary. Information that is sent/given to students is how they are ‘told’ what, where, when, how etc.

H OW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS ?

F INALLY Understand differences in teaching styles and what is expected from them. Break down and plan tasks. Attend everything that is offered to support transition - workshops/induction days/online materials. Use everything that is in place to support and help. Find out where that help is and what it is. Start being proactive now. Start thinking about skills that could be improved in preparation e.g. Spelling, grammar, IT skills, reading, writing, time management, researching.

R ESOURCES University websites – Study skills services/Learning support materials Palgrave MacMillan website – variety of university preparation/study skills materials. Future Learn free MOOC starting 15 th June. for-uni-3