1. Study/Survival Skills for Online Learning IT Online Orientation Day October 19 th, 2015 Majella O’ Dea

2. Survival Skills Time management Communication Study Skills Reading & note-taking Writing & referencing Assessments & exams The following suggestions are based on feedback from students, facilitators and programme staff over the 11 years of the MScSED and Diploma programmes.

3. Survival Skills Time management Communication Study Skills Reading & note-taking Writing & referencing Assessments & exams

4. Time Management: General Dedicate space – there are lots of materials! Take 5 minutes at the start of every week to plan where you will fit the course in. Plan your time & let others know your plan (it’s all about expectations). Unless it is impossible, try to submit your assignments on time. If impossible, get in contact with your facilitator sooner rather than later!

5. Study lectures and do reading early in the week. Get into the Discussion Forum early (by Tuesday) in the week. Check the Discussion Forum regularly (i.e. daily). It will become part of your daily habit. Maybe set a time to do this? Don’t spend time trying to write the “perfect post”. Make your point & keep it short. Time Management: Specific

6. Weekly Schedule Review

7. Communication Communicate with fellow students & your facilitator to stay motivated and avoid isolation If you have questions about the material or the assignment, ask in the Discussion Forum. Chances are, if you have a question, others do, too. E-mail your facilitator with any personal issues, e.g. late assignments, etc. Communication and Collaboration are the keys to success on this course!

8. Survival Skills Time management Communication Study Skills Reading & note-taking Writing & referencing Assessments & exams We will look at each of these individually.

9. Study 1. Reading & Note-taking

10. Course reading Read presentations & relevant pages in text book early in the week Don’t forget that the NUIG & Regis libraries are available to you online! Library databases and journals generally provide richer information than Google or Wikipedia. Additional sources (e.g. journal articles) provide richer understanding, more perspectives, alternative arguments

11. RESEARCH: gathering information for essays & assignments Make sure you read the essay title carefully (addressing the issue!) Be very focused when collecting source material Read relevant sources before writing anything Keep track of each source you use! Use a variety of sources and evaluate all sources (especially Internet sources) Authorship Bias Currency

12. Study 2. Writing & Referencing

13. A good essay/report Introduction outline your approach avoid the use of “I” (3rd person for academic writing) clarify the scope of the essay Body 1 idea per paragraph use readings to support your case cite all sources correctly & completely demonstrate analytical/critical thinking Summary/Conclusion re-visit main points raise any inconsistencies in literature you read Provide references

14. A good essay/report: HOW? Plan define the purpose gather information structure the material Write/Re-write write a rough draft structure clearly (see previous slide) refine using a clear writing style Cite Sources put brief, in-text references wherever you refer to other work put full references in the List of References at the end Review

15. Structuring Material Loose organization Organization & evaluation Formal outline I. xxxx II. xxxx III. xxxx IV. xxxx V. xxxx

16. Referencing You must reference all sources of information that are contained in your essays/assignments This may be in the form of direct quotes, ideas, facts, diagrams, etc. Otherwise, you leave yourself open to the charge of plagiarism.

17. Definition of PLAGIARISM Failure to provide proper acknowledgement of your use of another’s work e.g. theft of another person’s words or ideas Source: Dartmouth University. (2004). What is plagiarism? Retrieved August 27 th, 2010, from www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/sources- citation.htmlwww.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/sources- citation.html Give credit where credit is due i.e. cite your sources

18. How to reference sources? There are 2 parts to referencing your sources In-text Citations List of References * “direct quotation” (Smith, 2010, p. 45) always on its own page * according to Smith (2010)… at the end of the essay

19. WRAP Resources to help you with Writing, Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism (WRAP) are available on the MScSED Student Launchpad: http://www.nuigalway.ie/mscsed/student-launchpad/ Let’s take a look now …. Use these resources for all writing tasks, from discussion postings to assignments. This will help you to master the skills of academic writing and referencing.

20. Study 3. Assessments & Exams

21. Types of assessments Types of assessments used in the IT Online programme: Weekly assignments Practical problems (e.g. writing programs) Essays Projects Final exam Participation in Discussion Forum Varies to a degree across modules.

22. Levels of learning

23. A little more …

24. Resources Types of assessments used in the IT Online programme: WRAP (Writing, Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism), available from the MScSED Student Launchpad Study skills including motivation, time management, reading, note-taking, mind mapping and exams www.howtostudy.org www.howtostudy.org search & evaluation of internet resources http://library.ccc.cccd.edu/tutorialsandinstruction.htm http://library.ccc.cccd.edu/tutorialsandinstruction.htm

25. Where to find help IT Online programme team Your facilitator Any time that you are in doubt or have a question, there are several places to go for help. Check the Launchpad first. Most likely, you will find an immediate answer. Contact us if you cannot find an answer there.

26. Questions??