module specification

This module develops students’ personal and academic skills in a range of areas, e.g. personal and financial management, examination techniques, independent learning, researching, and teamwork. The module includes environmental issues (eg health and safety, business ethics).

None

The module is intended to improve students’ academic skills and increase awareness of their relevance for university studies and introduce them to some of the skills they will need to develop throughout their academic career. It also builds on aspects of the HEO module.

The graduate attributes focused on in the module are A1, A2 and A3.

(Indicative)
§ Introduction to working with others e.g. team/member responsibility, team work support tools (cf yahoo groups etc).
§ Guided analysis and evaluation
§ Academic researching, referencing, reading, writing, referencing, plagiarism and misconduct, responsibility (builds on HEO module as appropriate)
§ Independent learning
§ How to respond to feedback
§ Personal and financial management
§ LSEP (legal, social, ethical and professional) issue in more detail
§ Consideration of learning styles, memory and revision strategies
§ Understand assessment (e.g. exam) techniques
§ Mock exam (as appropriate)

The module will be taught over 12 weeks. Teaching methods will include a range of the following: tutor led seminar discussions, student led discussions, small group discussions and exercises, and individual exercises, lectures given by tutor. The teaching methods will support the main aim of encouraging independent lifelong learning. The module will be delivered by a team of staff aiming to encourage enthusiasm for HE learning and subject knowledge. Students will be given one hour lectures on generic skills. The students will then be taught in subject specific clusters for tutorials. Tutorials will be student centred using carefully graduated learning activities to build up student confidence and self-esteem and will also provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills and receive advice from their tutor.

Each tutorial session will be delivered in a way which reflect the context and nature of the cluster of courses. Extensive use will be made of games and case studies as vehicles to develop the specific skills shown in the syllabus, but the games and case studies themselves will be drawn from the particular context of the cluster. In this way, all students will develop a common set of appropriate skills but placed within a context related to their chose course.

On successful completion of this module students will:

Develop an understanding of the ethics which underpin academic activity, and in particular issues of academic integrity such as plagiarism. [A3]
Demonstrate academic skills, e.g. researching, writing, etc. – and of learning, memory and revision skills – and how to harness them for successful study
Work effectively in a small group to achieve a clearly defined target and demonstrate an awareness of how to maximise the effectiveness of group-work. [A2] [A3]
Have reviewed and managed a personal development plan. [A1]
Have demonstrated awareness of the criteria by which academic work is typically assessed, of appropriate revision strategies for assessment, e.g. examinations, and an understanding of how to maximise performance and to minimise assessment-related stress.

Diagnostic testing and subsequent formative feedback, including a submission of a cumulative non-summative coursework in week 5, is undertaken during the first half of the module which feeds into the development of an initial study skills improvement plan and process. Subsequent tutorial activity will then support the initial plan and process with further feedback being provided to students before the final plan is submitted for assessment in week 13. Feedback to the students during the course of the module identifies areas of strength and weakness and suggests action/further study to improve performance. 50% of the overall module mark is allocated for creating and managing the study skills improvement plan and process.

Subject specific tutorials allow the skills content to be delivered in the appropriate context to best facilitate assimilation. It is encouraged that delivery be made as engaging and appropriately challenging as possible with learning through games, activities and participation. 10% is available for the student’s personal contribution to the class and 40% for a subject-specific team based research game/exercise involving an element of oral presentation to be completed, for assessment, by week 11.
Guidance is provided appropriately during the module and students are encouraged to bring their plans and any group assignment queries to the tutorial to get feedback on their progress.

§ Burns, T and Sinfield, S (2003 2nd Edition due 2008) Essential Study Skills: the complete Guide to success @ university London;Sage
§ Cottrell, S. (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
§ Cottrell, S. (2006) The Exam Skills Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
§ Price, G. & Maier, P. (2007) Effective Study Skills: Essential Skills For Academic And Career Success. Prentice Hall.
§ Burns, T. & Sinfield, S. (2003) Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success @ university. London: Sage publications.
§ HSE (2006) Essentials Of Health And Safety At Work. 4th. Ed. HSE books.
§ Neville, C. (2007) The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. McGraw-Hill.
§ Levin, P. (2007) Skilful Time Management! McGraw-Hill.
§ Evans, M. (2004) Exams are Easy When you Know How. 2nd ed. Oxford: How to Books.