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How Teaching works in the UK (& Nottingham)
Top Tips for Postgraduate Students – How to Succeed in Your Studies
Lara Meredith – Professional Development
All Resources For This Presentation
http://pd.nottingham.ac.uk/eng/Induction/International-Students2
Question
How different are you expecting studying at Nottingham to be from your previous experiences?
1→→→→ →→→ 5 →→→→→→→10
Not very different →→→ Very different
What do you think will be different?
Complete this sentence “I think ………..will be different”
Swap papers around so you don’t know whose you have
Read out what is on the paper if asked.
What some other students thought http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pathways/m
od_studying/mod_studying_1.html
Uni of Nottingham & International Students
Over 30,000 students Approx 8,000 Post-grad students Over half post-grads are
international
UK System of Studying
Undergraduate Degrees Postgraduate Taught Courses
Includes PG Diploma, PG Certificates and taught Masters
Research Masters by Research (MRes or MPhil)
Doctoral Degree (e.g. PhD/DPhil etc.)
Degree Structure - PGT
Courses, Modules & Credits PGCert – 60 credits PGDip – 120 credits Masters (MA or MSc) – 180 credits (no
more than 75 per semester)
Module handbooks / Course handbooks. Post-Graduate Student Advisors
Semesters and Terms
Autumn Semester21 September 2009 – 22 January 2010
Spring Semester25 January 2010 – 18 June 2010
Autumn term21 September – 11 December 2009
Spring term11 January- 1 April 2010
Summer term4 May – 18 June 2010
Top Tips For: Getting the Most Out of UK Teaching Methods
Lectureshttp://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/learning.asp
Seminars Tutorials Practicalshttp://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studentlife/international/speaking.asp
Supervision
Independent Study
Learning to become an independent learner
http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/independent.asp
Don’t expect ‘rote learning’ Demonstrating independent thought
(backed-up by evidence)
What do Supervisor’s Expect?
Supervisor’s expect their students to Be independent Produce written work that is not just a
first draft! Attend regular meetings Be honest when reporting on progress Follow the advice they give Be interested and excited by your work
Do not expect!
Your supervisor to take the initiative That they will become a replacement parent They will make major contributions to your
research and thesis That they will give you very detailed
direction and guidance That the supervisor will have a high level of
knowledge in your specific area That they will proof read and re-write your
work
Quiz & Break
You have 10 minutes to Do the quiz with your neighbours Have a stretch Go to the toilet
After the break – Assessments & Academic Writing
Developing your Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the process of applying reasoned and disciplined thinking to your subject.
To do well in your studies you need to think critically about the things you have read, seen and heard.
Critical thinking is essential for high grades.
You can learn to become a critical thinker.
Developing your Critical Thinking
Take in the information
Understand the key
points and arguments
Compare similarities
and differences
between the ideas you are
taking in
Bring together the
different sources of
informationDevelop
arguments, and draw
conclusions,
Use the understanding you
have gained in assignments and
projects
Developing your Academic Writing
Academic writing has a clear purpose, either an exam question to answer or a research project to report on. Mostacademic writing in English is linear.
Every part contributes to the main line of argument, without digression or repetition.
What ever kind of writing your are producing, you, the writer, are responsible for making your line of argument clear and presenting it in an orderly fashion so that the reader can follow.
Developing your Academic Writing
Understanding the QuestionIt is important to have a clear understanding of what you
are being asked to write: Analyse - Separate down into its component
parts and show how they interrelate with each other
Annotate - Put notes on (usually a diagram) Assess - Estimate the value of, looking at
both the positive and negative attributes Comment - To make critical or explanatory
notes/observations
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/skills/Advice/WhatQuest.pdf
Developing your Academic Writing
Academic writing is a difficult skill for all students to acquire…so…
Attend a workshop Talk with your lecturer Practice writing Write first, revise later Learn from good writers Talk about writing with other students Use your PC to improve your writing Learn from textbooks Learn new words Use new words
Developing your Academic Writing – citing and referencing
References should include the following
The author or editor Year of Publication (in round brackets) The title The edition if other than first The place of publication The publisher’s name
E.g. Kittel, C. (2005) Introduction to solid state physics. 8th ed. New York: Wiley
Developing your Academic Writing – Avoiding Plagiarism
2.2.1 It is an academic offence to present someone else’s work as being one’s own. (The University of Nottingham, Quality Manual)
It is important to understand that even though you may not mean to plagiarise, it would not be right that you are given credit for work that is not your own, even if it was done in error.
It is possible to be in violation of the university's rules on plagiarism becauseyou have been careless or inadequate in the way you have cited your sources.
To avoid the confusion of appearing to have plagiarised, it is better to make sure you have understood the conventions expected in citing thewords and work of other people.
Marking – A rough guide
70+ - Distinction 60-69 – Merit 50-59 – Pass (Masters) 40-49 – Pass (PGDiP and PGCert)
Assessment – understanding feedback
Lecturer feedback will usually tell you,
How good the assignment was
Whether it achieved what the lecturer wanted.
What could have beenimproved
Assessment – Understanding feedback
“You have given an adequate introduction to this topic based on your reading.”
“You write in a clear, academic style, following the conventions in almost every respect”
“Your summary of the various sources is through. Ideally you would integrate these more, rather than referring to the various people one by one in each section.
Translation: The word adequate means good enough. The marker is saying that what you have written is finebut not great. The marker is also suggesting that you may not have read enough texts.
Translation: Academic style = University writing, in almost every respect = most of the time
Translation: You need to change your academic writingstyle a little and bring together summaries of sources otherwisethe assignment becomes too long winded.