1. MBA & PROFESSIONAL MASTERS INDUCTION 2014
Nau mai, haere mai!
Welcome!

2. STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE – PUNA ARONUI
We assist ALL students who
are adjusting to the university’s academic culture
require guidance on how to write academic assignments (eg essays)
want to excel and achieve better grades

3. faculty or discipline based workshops individual consultations
WHAT WE OFFER
StudySmart seminars
faculty or discipline based workshops
individual consultations
online resources
NB consultations with advisors or with peer tutors

4. SPECIALIST AREAS We also offer academic skills development for:
Māori students
Pasifika students
Students with a learning disability
Students who require additional English language skills assistance
Maths and statistics
Postgraduate students

5. SLC WEBPAGE RESOURCES www.aut.ac.nz/student-learning
Staff contact details for appointments
Mentoring and peer tutor programmes
StudySmart seminars
Workshop notes, study skills notes
E-learning resources

6. CONTACT US
Phone:

7. VISIT US
City Campus: WB239
Manukau Campus: MA Building, level (inside the library)
North Shore Campus: AS215
Webpage:

8. CRITICAL THINKING & ACADEMIC WRITING

9. Six core critical thinking skills (Facione, 2010)
Self-regulation (Reflecting on why and how I do what I do)
Interpretation (Understanding, clarifying, decoding ideas and texts)
Analysis (Investigating strengths, weaknesses, similarities, differences)
Evaluation (Assessing and making judgements)
Inference (Drawing reasonable conclusions)
Explanation (Presenting ideas with clarity and with justifications)
Perhaps more useful – a set of skills. We choose when and where to apply them

10. Other expectations of your study
A ‘publishable’ standard of written work in your assignments
This is a developmental goal - you will build this knowhow as part of your learning

11. Planning and organising the writing
Every piece of good academic writing has an internal logic - a coherent structure that is intended to achieve a well-defined purpose.
Time spent planning the structure – within the parameters of the given task – ensures your writing delivers that logic and coherence, and achieves its purpose.

12. Report format Title page Executive summary Table of contents
Introduction
Discussion
Conclusions
Recommendations
References
Appendices
Note: this “inductive” report format is not the only possible structure.

13. Writing and rewriting First draft – focus on content and structure
Consider the audience you are writing for
Second and subsequent drafts
Revise content and structure
Revise style, grammar, punctuation, referencing
Get feedback from family, friends, SLC staff ...
How many drafts might you write? How long will this whole assignment process take?

14. Good writers are good readers!
Pay attention to the style of the writers you are reading, and learn from the good writers.
Look at the structure of the entire work
Consider the paragraphing
Be aware of the particular style that your discipline follows

15. Webpage: www.aut.ac.nz/student-learning
Any questions?
Webpage:

16. BEST WISHES FOR YOUR STUDIES AT AUT!