The DEN - February 2013

The DEN Issue 37 February 2013 1

THEDENDEN

Distance Education Newsletter

Issue 37February 2013

The CSU Distance Education Newsletter

FeaturesCamping is CoolHints for DE StudentsSSAF Outcomes for StudentsImportant Dates Session 1 2013An Exchange Student in Switzer-

RegularsWriters’ Corner

CSUDistance Ed

CSU Student NEWS

2 The DEN Issue 7 February 2013

From The EditorIssue 37. February 2013

CONTRIBUTORSSarah Ansell, Bec, Russell Byl, Dream, Ingrid Folger, Annette Jacobsen, Brett Lanyuon, Sofia Machado,Carrissa Perkins, Tracey Waters, Elizabeth Williams

Cover PICTUREAnnette Jacobsen

Welcome

Back or to a new beginning. I thought that I would achieve a lot in the break but NO... much time was spent with the hot weather trying to keep the wombats cool. They chose under the air conditioner as their favourite spot.

To those new students who may not know me I am in my final year (research project) for a Master’s in Education. I have been editing The DEN since 2011. I am a wildlife rehabilitator - hence the wombats and a Chick With Attitude (Country Women’s Association of NSW). I don’t have any spare time.

This month has a European Flavour as Annette tells us about her lif as an ex-change student in Switzerland. Four new DE students introduce themselves and we have hints from experienced DE students.

Please send any submissions for the March DEN in by March 15th so that I have time to collate and put this together. Thank you to those students who have contributed to this edition of The DEN.

Enjoy your semester

Sandra J StewartEditor


Disclaimer: The DEN is a Rivcoll SRC publication and the opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the editor, staff or student members. Association by persons or companies with ‘The Den’ does not necessarily reflect the religious, political, sexual or racial beliefs of those parties. The Editor and Rivcoll SRC do not accept any responsibility for any omissions, errors, inaccuracies, or the views and opinions contained in any article accepted for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit or reject any articles submitted for publication.

email letters to the Editor & submissions to [email protected]

FEATURES

4. SSAF Outcomes for Students

8.Important Dates Session 1 2013

10. Camping is Cool Sofia Machado

9. Success with DE Studies

12. Top Hints for De StudentsBec, Sharon and Liz Williams19.

17.Experiences of an Exchange Student in SwitzerlandAnnette Jacobsen

REGULARS

6, 7, Distance EdComics from his Facebook page.

7. CSU Student NewsScholarship Opportunities

16. Writer’s Corner: PixelDream

23. Next Month

Devote some time daily, even

if only a half-hour, to your

course work.p9

Camping is Cool

p10

This week we have been hover-ing between -5 to -10 deg C, but at its coldest it has got down to

-25deg C. p 21

MEET A DE STUDENT

11. Russell Byl13. Brett Lanyon14. Tracey Waters15. Ingrid Folger


SSAF OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS

I am pleased to announce projects to improve facilities and services for students at Charles Sturt University have been allocated almost $4.2 million in funding from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

They are, overwhelmingly, projects called for and selected by stu-dents, for students.Many of these projects will improve our on campus facilities and services. A swipe-card system will be introduced to provide better security and access to a range of recreational facilities, and space across all campuses will be extended to meet increasing demand from CSU’s growing sporting clubs. Recreation and study areas will be refurbished, office and meeting space will be built in Albury-Wodonga for the SRC and student support services and a range of small-scale student social, health and learning facility upgrades will be undertaken across our campuses.

Distance education students will be provided with increased online and social media support, more opportunities to connect socially and better access to on campus facilities during residential schools. Staff will be recruited to provide more face-to-face and after-hours learn-ing support, and library hours will be extended to provide better ac-cess for students juggling full-time work and study. The ‘Welcome to CSU’ program will be expanded to provide orientation and academic preparation for students studying via distance education, and a range of online tools and mobile applications will be developed. This will be underpinned by an extensive consultation process to ensure distance education students get the support they need in the way that suits them best.


SSAF OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS

Other services available to all students include improved online spac-es and information provision, the introduction of a video practice interview system which can simulate a variety of real-world interview situations, improvements to the services accessible through the CSU Card, the creation of an online shop, discounted food and beverages and extended counseling, mentoring, health promotion, financial, sporting, orientation, mentoring and childcare services.

Work will commence immediately but may continue into 2014 on some projects.

Although some proposals put forward for funding were not able to be included in the current allocations, it is important to note the pro-cess is ongoing. The University welcomes suggestions from students for services and facilities that improve the student experience. You can provide feedback via the SRC or the feedback form on the CSU student website (http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/fees-and-costs/student-services-and-amenities-fee). I thank each of you for your par-ticipation in this consultation process and welcome your feedback on the final allocations. Thanks must also go to the CSU staff who formed the SSAF Project Team and worked hard to ensure available funding was allocated in the most equitable and effective way.

Sarah AnsellDirector of Marketing


Distance EDhttps:/ /www.facebook.com/DistanceEDatCSU


CSU Student News

CSU offers a large range of scholarships to help you cope with the costs of studying at Uni. Some that are open right now include:

- The DE Residential School Equity Grant open now for April/May Res schools closing 17 March.

- Relocation Equity Grant for new students closes 15 March

- Technology Equity Grant for new students closes 15 Mar

- CSU Equity Scholarship 2nd round now open and closes 22 March apply via UAC - www.uac.edu.au

- Indigenous Commonwealth Schol-arships 2nd round now open and closes 22 March apply via UAC - www.uac.edu.au

- CSU Science Scholarship closes 11 March

Apply NOW and don't miss out!

For all guidelines and application forms visit student.csu.edu.au/support/scholarships-grants

If you want to discuss your individual circum-stances contact student central to make an appointment – 1800 275 278.

Good Luck! Carissa Perkins, Student Equity & Diversity Officer [email protected]

Scholarship Opportunit ies


28th Jan 2013 Residential Schools begin 8th Feb 2013 On campus classes end 8th Feb 2013 Residential Schools end 11th Feb 2013 Session 3 Examina-tions begin 15th Feb 2013 Session 3 ends Examinations end25th Feb 2013 Orientation/Enrol-ment week Orientation/Enrolment week begins for students commencing on-campus courses.1st Mar 2013 Session 3 results avail-able via the internet

4th Mar 2013 Session 1 SESSION 1 BEGINS On campus classes commence

15th Mar 2013 HECS-HELP payment date for Session 1 27th Mar 2013 Census date for Session 1 Deadline for applications for automatic withdrawal from Session 1 subjects and to apply for leave of absence.Deadline for students who cancel their Session 1 enrolment to receive a refund of their fees.

5th Apr 2013 On campus classes end 8th Apr 2013 Residential Schools begin 19th Apr 2013 Residential Schools end 22nd Apr 2013 On campus classes

Important Dates Session 1 2013resume 1st May 2013 Application closing date for Session 2 2013 Closing date for on-time applications for courses commencing in Session 2 2013 - domestic and international offshore ap-plicants3rd May 2013 Examination Centre closing date Closing date for students in distance education courses to change their Exami-nation Centre (a late fee applies after this date) 17th May 2013 Examination Centre late closing date Deadline for late applications for students in distance education courses to change their Examination Centre1st Jun 2013 Final application clos-ing date for Session 2 Final application closing date for late ap-plications for Session 2 2013 - domestic and international offshore applicants.7th Jun 2013 On campus classes end 10th Jun 2013 Examinations begin

21st Jun 2013 Session 1 ends Examinations end

24th Jun 2013 Residential Schools begin 12th Jul 2013 Session 1 results avail-able via the internet from Midday 12th Jul 2013 Residential Schools end

15th Jul 2013 Session 2 SESSION 2 BEGINS On campus classes commencehttp://www.csu.edu.au/about/important-dates


Success with DE StudiesDon’t be overwhelmed go

one step at a time and divide the work into manageable

chunks.

Establish a Regular Study/Learning Schedule

Keep a calendar or journal with your study goals and important dates

Take breaks-walk around and stretch. Drink some water or

have a light snack

Reward yourself with whatever works for you, along the way. Remember, you chose to do this. Be proud of your

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/distance-learning-success.htm

Devote some time daily, even if only a half-hour, to your course work.

Devote some time daily, even if only a half-hour, to your

course work.

Attack your textbook with sticky notes. As you read, summarize (write down the main

points in just a few sentences) each

section of the chapter on a post-it note.

When working on a draft (print or written form)- keep a multi-

coloured pen handy. Using different colours to make restructuring of the

Use coloured pens/pencils when drawing mind maps. It allows you to segregate/colour-code thoughts. Using this technique will help you construct your essay based on

your mind map.


Camping is CoolLiving the student life can have its advantages and disadvantages. One downside is that you are usually broke! So you have to be resourceful to continue to enjoy a great lifestyle.Camping equipment is getting cheaper and the materials are lighter and user friendly, making it easier to do. The greatest thing about camping is the locations that are on offer in Australia. Think of unspoiled spots directly on the beach, beautiful mountain locations with grand views and there is usually a National Park with camping facilities. So why not get away from the computer, pack some food and head to a camping spot. The fees are small or non-existent and the reward of spotting wild-life, swimming in pristine water and taking in the splendour of a waterfall will rejuvenate any soul!A quick scan of the map and you can be in any number of beautiful spots in a couple of hours regardless of where you live in this country.

Sofia’s tent

Sofia’s Favourite free campsitesNew South WalesKangaroo Valley - this spot is beautiful and not far from the spectacular coastline south of Kiama. This valley is teeming with wildlife (kangaroos, of course, but also wombats) and it makes a great destination to paddle, view waterfalls or drive through this pictur-esque valley.The Pines - a great spot in the summer months to spend some time exploring around the beautiful Kosciuszko National Park. Located off the Snowy Mountains Hwy on the Bowering Reservoir, it is great for fishing but remember at any time of the year to bring your beanie!

Camping is COOL by Sofia Machado

VictoriaNinety Mile Beach - you can walk for ever along the beach and it is always easy to find a quiet place to swim. Lakes Entrance is not far away if you feel like mingling and being more of a tourist.Johanna Beach `- right near the famous Bells Beach, it is pretty amazing that along the Great Ocean Road you can pitch a tent on the beach for free!TasmaniaBay of Fires - one of the best stretches of beach in the world according to experts from Lonely Planet and other esteemed publications. This place is hard to beat.Marrawah - A great surfing spot and close to the freshest air in the world…Scottsdale – centrally located and with a free warm shower. I don’t know how you can beat that when on the road!Follow our adventures on www.sofianaaustralia.com


Meet a DE StudentIntroducing Russell Byl

I would list my most embarrassing moment as when I was playing under 18 football we had just lost the preliminary final played at our home ground. Because it was a final and we were the lower placed team we had to use the visitor rooms. There were only 4 showers so some of us went into the showers through the hall in the basketball/ badminton area. I was coming back to our change rooms through the hall area drying my hair. When I moved my towel there was a girl I knew (the sister of one of my team mates) who got to see all of my assets. She was obviously very impressed because she told everyone about what she had seen.

Residence: I live at Tynong North in Victoria. If people have travelled on the princes highway my place has a large colourful bird out the front.

Studying. I am studying a Bachelor of Theology. I am doing this mostly for personal development and also to improve my lay ministry practice.

Likes: Chocolate, coffee, meat pies, beer, Geelong footy club, Melbourne rebels rugby union club, my family, parrots.

Three wishes: To be content, safe and healthy

Dislikes: violence,

When I was young I wanted to be a teacher. Then I spent a couple of years studying nursing but didn’t finish my degree. Spent 15 years working in dairy farming until I started in the job I have now as caretaker and grounds maintenance worker.

When not studying my time is oc-cupied with family, fishing, aviculture, and community activity.

I would rather be: Older, with age comes wisdom.

The environment: I do what I can to care for and preserve our creation.

Pets: 2 black and tan cavalier king Charles spaniels, 4 bearded drag-ons, 4 plum headed parrots, 4 indian ringnecks, 2 princess parrots and 6 cockatiels + 3 babies in the nest box. We try and breed all our birds and will be adding some more in the near future. Could talk about birds for hours.

On a Sunday when not work-ing we go to church and then have the afternoon together as a family.

Favourites:Food: Chocolate cake with butter icing.TV Show: Person of interestMusic: at the moment is choral musicSong though is steve earles,Movies: Ghandi, Molokai The Colour PurpleBooks: The Bible, The Power of One, The Colour Purple


Top Hints for DE

5. As per point 4 - life gets busy, you

may fall behind. Don’t think that

everything is done for! Clear a bit of

time, sit down in a quiet room and just look how fast you can catch back up

1. Do not be afraid to ask

questions

2. Make full use of online resources, if you

don't know how, refer to point 1!

3. If you contact your lecturer and don't get a reply, try

another means of contact.

Don't jump to conclusions - maybe they replied and you didn't get it, or they didn't get your message in the

first place!

4. Take Douglas Adam's advice, Don't Panic. Late assignments are not the end of the world, and chances are, if you're DE it's because you have a busy life full of

important things that sometimes get in the way. Contact your lec-turer to discuss it if you meet a stumbling block and may need extra help or a little more time

With Bec

Being able to shut off from madness of study and give time to one self

Being able to step back and reassess when the path changes

Being able to take a semester off when things are too much ...and don't kick yourself for it

Being able to have people who listen and support you without judgement

Elizabeth Williams


Meet a DE Student

Whereabouts do you live? CanberraWhat are you studying? B. Teaching (Secondary), Im a fist year, but early impressions are good.What are your likes? Coffee, bread, sustainable livingWhat are your dislikes? People who waste your time and energy.If you had 3 wishes what would they be? Health, Knowledge and Happiness. Would you rather be older or younger and why? I am happy with the age i am (mid thirties), when you are young you think you know everything and you want to take the world on. when you are old you have the knowledge but no energy now at least i know that i dont know any-thing and i am just doing the best i can.When you were young, what job did you want to have when you grew up? farmerWhat did you end up doing? agronomist/coffee van ownerActivities when not studying – gardening, bike riding, breadmakingPets: nilYour thoughts on the environment – We are in big trouble but i am modifying my behaviour as an example to my kids.Favourites:• party food? pizza• TV show? dr who• music? mumford and sons• Song? (I have three kids so havent had one of these since the wiggles took over)• Movie? The hobbit• Game? Mario Cart• Book? The end of illness• Things to do on a Sunday? Go for a ride with my family.Most • embarrassing moment? Tripping over in front of a bunch of first years during o week intro-ductions many years ago. kind of killed the idea i was cool.• memorable holiday? Beach house down the south coast NSW for 2 weeks as a child. No tv or phones just swimming reading and cricket.

Brett showed his incredible talent bytyping this with a broken thumb! Editor.

Introducing Brett Lanyon


Meet a DE Student

Whereabouts do you live? Gold Coast, Australia

What are you studying? Bachelor Social Science (Social Welfare) this will add to previous studies in Counselling, Aged Care, Dementia, Community Care, Disability Services. I would like to work with Women and Youth, especially those with spe-cial needs in physical or mental health

What are your likes? Learning new things, sur-rounding myself with posi-tively charged people, travel-ling and achieving my ever changing personal goals. Currently I am enjoying learning about Raw Food and Juicing.

What are your dislikes? mmm I am pretty laid back I don't dislike much - perhaps I would have to say I dislike Bullies! and Liars!

If you had 3 wishes what would they be? To see my family more often (they are scat-tered around Australia and New Zealand).To go on a lap or three around OZ in a Campervan with my partner.To continue to watch my children become awesome adults and eventually parents - to be a grandma.

Would you rather be older or younger and why?

Happy with my age so far (50 in October!) - every age has good bits ... and cringing moments! No regrets.

Introducing ...Tracey Waters

When you were young, what job did you want to have when you grew up? I always wanted to be a nurse.

What did you end up doing? I ended up studying business and then got into finance - ended up being a money market trader, a small business owner a few times, then a Mum - which of course needs every skill known to mankind and a lot more.

Activities when not studying - hanging out with my family and friends, pho-tography, learning more about raw food, anything outdoors - bush or beach.

Pets: Alas I am now petless for a while as I sold my farm with all my animals and am now living in suburbia.

Your thoughts on the environment: We all need to do our bit ... recycle, reuse, reduce waste.


Meet a DE Student

Favourites:• partyfood? homemade raw dips with raw vegetables• TV show? Downtown Abbey, Revenge and NCIS with Agent Gibbs!• music? anything but "doof doof" ... my teens tell me I am stuck in the 80s. I like easy listen-ing, singalong music - something I can boogie too. (and embarrass my kids)• Song? Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Gar-den (I can sing it on singstar - apparently rather badly)• Movie? Eat Pray Love • Game? I love Pictionary and Balderdash!• Book? anything inspirational - positive, up-beat ...

• Things to do on a Sunday? I love walk-ing to Euphoria Cafe, Robina to have brekkie with my partner (and kids if they are awake) ... YUMMY healthy brekkies.

Most • embarrassing moment?

Would have to be putting on what I thought was a clear "chapstick" without looking in a mirror and then going out-side ... it was RED and I had painted on a clown face smile! My kids rolled around laughing for at least 15minutes before they told me ... the looks I got from the rest of the shopping centre

were funny too!

• memorable holiday? my first Overseas Experi-ence when in my 20s that lasted 7years - based in London while exploring Europe and the States. Its a tradition for kiwis to leave home and see the world for two years before they settle down! mmm sorry mum and dad I got

lost?

Tracey Waters

Craft tip - don’t use purple thread to tack up a hem on black pants. it looks ok at 10pm at night, but you’ll notice how silly the thread looks around 2pm the next day, while in the office.Bec


Meet a DE student: Ingrid FolgerWhereabouts do you live? AustriaWhat are you studying? Masters of Journal-ism. A degree for those with a non-journalistic background.

What are your likes? Fairness and funWhat are your dislikes? unfairness and dis-crimination, people who can't communicate, mean people.

If you had 3 wishes what would they be? To live in a world where so much suffering and discrimination didn't exist, to be able to travel more and no HECS debt.

Would you rather be older or younger and why? I like my age now. I'm not young but not old either. I find that I become more con-tent with things in life and more able to make the changes I want to. I don't worry about small details, such as the marks I get or how I look, which allows me to enjoy life more. When you were young, what job did you want to have when you grew up? Actress or accountant.What did you end up doing? Social work. But then I changed to being an English as a Foreign language teacher when I moved to Austria.

Activities when not studying: Studying is my hobby. I also like travelling (easy to do in Europe),spend time with my 3 children, laze in the sun (or wish that summer was here), art, pottery, felting and reading.

Pets: None.Your thoughts on the environment: Need to deal with other things first. Like Maslow states, deal with the first level where every-one has somewhere safe to live, enough to eat and their physical needs first. Then every-one can focus on other aspects. I think that while many individuals do their bit, it is the multinationals who seem to be letting every-one else down.

Meet a DE StudentFavourites:• party food: With 3 small children,don't re-member parties.• TV show:Don't watch TV.• music:Too many. Reliving the classics at the moment with Iggy pop in the car and Billie Holliday in the house.• Movie:Breakfast at Tiffany. • Game: Used to be Cleudo, but I can't get anyone to play it with me.• Book:Too many but John Irving, Margaret Atwood, Olga Masters, Tim Winton are al-ways close by.• Things to do on a Sunday: Late breakfast, read the papers on-line, time with family. This week we are going skiing. I'm still learning and still need lots of practice, but have been told I can ski most slopes in Austria now.Most• embarrassing moment? I think with small children there are many. One which comes to mind is shopping with my eldest. When she was little she would put things into everyones' trolleys, ours included. At the cash register everyone would discover their surprises. She would get so excited and exclaim to everyone that she put them in the trolleys... "from me". They would never be so thrilled as she was.• memorable holiday: loved my 6 week safari travelling through Africa, I loved the 6 months travelling the East Coast of Australia, but any holiday in Italy is my favourite (Tus-cany, yum yum).


Writer ’s Corner

Dream

PixelThe clock chimesThe point of no returnHas passed, and yet…And yet it seems time is limitlessLike the haze before my eyesThe soundsA click, a thud, a sighAnother piece disappearsClick…and anotherInto the voidInto nothingness…I wonderI wonder what sound a pixel makes,When it is rejected, no-one wants it…goneOnly to be changedMorphed into another form.Does it cry?Does it sound like,Like the sound of glass shattering…


Experiences of an exchange student in Sweden by Annette Jacaobsen

Six months ago I packed up my things, took a leave of absence from work, and headed over to Sweden to spend a semester on exchange as a full time Univer-sity student. As I am a mature age student who had been studying via distance education, I was not sure how I would cope living in student accommodation and being on campus full time, but it has been an amazing experience so far. So much so, that when I heard it may be possible to spend a second semester over here I jumped at the chance. Now, a couple of weeks into my second semester at Örebro University I thought I would give you guys a bit of an update as to how things are going so far.

A quick bit about me.I am halfway through a Bachelor of Medical Sci-ence/Forensic Biotechnology here at Charles Sturt University. In Australia, I live in Melbourne, and have done so all my life - except for one year liv-ing in London. Although I haven't lived in many different places in the world, I love to travel, and to experience new cultures, so when I heard about stu-dent exchange I knew it would be something I would love to do. The only thing I was worried about was whether it would be possible to do so as a DE stu-dent. I was rapt to find that it was.

Where am I studying now?I am currently studying at Örebro University. Örebro is Sweden's seventh largest city, and is right in the middle of the southern area of Sweden, about half-

way between the two biggest cities - Stockholm and Gothenburg. It has about 140 000 people, so it is big enough to have movies and restaurants, but small enough that you can get around everywhere by bike very easily. The city has a medieval history, and the central city landmark is the Örebro slott - the city's castle.

About the UniversityÖrebro University is a young university, established in 1999, and has around 17000 students. It is a twenty-minute walk from campus to the main centre of town, and the university lies adjacent to park-lands and a nature reserve. It has a medical school, a law school, a decent music department, and a large robotics department.

Studying in SwedenThe educational setup here is quite different to that in Australia. The first big difference is that there are no official inter- or intra-semester breaks. You start studying at the end of September and continue through to the start of June. Even over Christmas there is no "official" break, but most lecturers choose not to run any classes over the week sur-rounding Christmas.

The other big difference is the way subjects are structured. Unlike Australia, they do not generally

The Entrance to Orebro University.

Orebro Slott


Experiences of an exchange student in Swedenrun on four subjects a semester. A full-time load for a student is 30 credit points, and subjects range between 7.5 to 30 points, with the most common being 15 points. A 15 point subject may be full-time, and run for half the semester, or part-time and spread over the whole semester. Even 7.5 point subjects may be full-time - in which case they only run for five weeks!

My classesWhile I have been studying here, I have had the op-portunity to do a number of different types of cours-es. One of my subjects was a traditional “classroom” subject, with lectures, discussions and laboratories. The main assessment for this subject was a five-hour exam that was worth 100% of the marks! I will never complain about having to do a two-hour exam again. :)

The other type of subject I have done was basically a laboratory training subject. I was assigned to a group of PhD students in one of the university laboratories, and was taught skills such as cell culture techniques, real-time PCR, ELISA, Western blot and flow cy-tometry. This probably all sounds quite boring for those of you who are not science nuts, but for me it was super cool! And even better, the stuff I was working with was not structured laboratory classes, but were part of real research projects. So not only was a taught the techniques, I was taught how to ap-proach scientific problems, how to determine which techniques would be most appropriate to answer those questions, and how to interpret and present the results. The highlight of this course was being allowed to design and present a poster with all the other PhD students for Nobel Day - the main event on the Biomedicine calendar.

The final type of subject I have done has been work-ing on independent research projects, where I have had the opportunity to apply the skills I have learned both here, and in my education through Charles Sturt University.

Educationally, the opportunities I have been given through taking an exchange have far exceeded any-thing I could have imagined I went, and will make an impresive addition to my academic resumé post graduation.

Living in SwedenHow is living in Sweden different to living in Aus-tralia? Well, being in mid-winter at the moment, the first thing that comes to mind is cold. This week we have been hovering between -5 to -10 degC, but at its coldest it has got down to -25d eg C. And I am living in central southern Sweden - it gets a lot colder up north! But although the cold weather has its downsides, one of the big, big upsides, from my point of view, is the snow. Even after two months of it, I still get a big smile on my face when the snow falls. Everything looks so soft and squishy. And then the graders come, and scrape away all the lovely squishy soft snow, exposing the ice layer underneath. This is not so much fun, as walking anywhere you risk ending up arse over - and I am speaking from experience here. The Swedes tell me they have learned from an early age to walk with bent knees during winter to account for this.


Despite the cold, everyone here still gets out and about. There is a famous Swedish saying that trans-lates to “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. So even when temperatures are down in the double minuses, you still see people out walk-ing, running and riding their bikes - just wearing a few extra layers. That is another thing about Sweden - the people here are really active. There is a great love for the outdoors, and this is encom-passed by the concept of al-lemansrätten - everyman’s right - and refers to the fact that all people should have access to natural areas to use for recreation. As such, you can go hiking and camping pretty much anywhere you want - although you should ask permission if you want to camp on private property!

This love of being outdoors and active seems to compensate for the Scandinavian love of sweet

Experiences of an exchange student in Sweden

things. In every store (supermarket, corner store, petrol station) they have these big pick-and-mix lolly sections. But you rarely see an overweight Swede here. And if it is not the activity that is burning off all that sugar, it may be a metabolism that is acceler-ated by caffeine consumption, as the Swedes are the world’s fourth biggest caffeine consumers - the top three are other Scandinavian countries! Fika is the Swedish word that corresponds to coffee break, and it is so important in Swedish culture that it was one of the first words our student mentors made sure we learned on arrival!

But although I seem to be painting a picture of hypermanic people souped up on sugar and caffeine, this could not be further from the truth. The Swedes are, as a general rule, a reserved and quiet people. And they are patient. Which leads me to another very Swedish thing - queuing. Nearly everything you do in Sweden involves a queue. And anything less than ten minutes is a good queue. Once I made the mistake of getting Max (Swedish fast food - sorta like Hungry Jacks) on a Saturday at lunchtime, and it look half an hour from arrival to finally getting a meal!

Some other typically Swedish things I have done here have been going to an ice hockey match, attending a Sittning (formal dinner), and having a sauna followed by plung-ing into a lake! Then there was also Lucia Day, on the 13th December, where you have a young woman dressed up in white with a ring of candles on her head. With a group of attendants, they walk around and sing traditional Swedish songs and you eat saffron buns and drink mulled wine. And to have my first ever White Christmas was pretty

special too!

Overall, I have enjoyed the cultural aspects of living in another country. I am half Scandinavian by heri-tage, so living here has made me feel a bit closer to my cultural roots. And although all the classes I have taken have been given in English, it has also given me the chance to develop a second language. On that

Annette rugged up in the north.

St Lucia Day


Experiences of an exchange student in Swedennote, the Scandinavians are all awesome English speakers, so it would be quite easy to get about here with no Swedish at all. One of the biggest reasons for this is that they do not dub any movies or tele-vision here, so people here are exposed to English in rather large doses. But I have enjoyed trying to become conversational in a second language, and I hope the Swedes appreciate my trying - even though half the time they switch to English!

Travelling in ScandinaviaWhile here I have also had the chance to do some travelling. I have spent a fair bit of time in Iceland, which is awesome! I visited Copenhagen, where I still have some family. And in Sweden I have been to Stockholm, and have spent some time in the Swedish

countryside near forests and lakes. But the highlight of my trip so far has been going up north to Kiruna and Abisko, where I got to see reindeer and meet some of the indig-enous northerners - the Sami. Here, we also got to ride snowmobiles (and by ride I mean drive!) and go dog sledding. :)But there is still heaps I want to see - I have a trip

to Norway already planned, and want to make sure I visit Gothenburg, Sweden’s second biggest city. And when the weather warms up again, I want to spend more time in the Swedish wilderness and get out and do some camping and hiking.

To sum up...Going on an exchange has not always been easy. There have been times where I have missed friends and family back home a lot - especially around Christmas, where most of the people here went home to their families. And the workload has also been extremely challenging at times. And living in student accommodation as a mature age student has also been a big adjustment.

But the good stuff has by far outweighed the bad. I have been to some awesome places, made some

great friends, and learned heaps! Overall, I would recommend an exchange as a great addition to any academic program, and Sweden specifically as a top destination to pick. The staff and students here at Örebro have made me feel completely welcome, and if the next five months are even half as good as the first five, I will be more than satis-fied.

Reindeer

Moonlight in Kiruna


How to get involved

Exchange programs are currently available to DE undergraduate students who meet the following requirements:• Completed 4 subjects at CSU (minimum of 32 subject points)• A grade point average of 4.5• Approval from your course coordinator to receive credit for a minimum of 3 CSU subjects (minimum of 24 subject points)• Be enrolled as a full-time student while on exchangeIf you are interested, check out the website for a list of countries that have Partner Universities compat-ible with your degree. Then get planning!

At present, exchange is not possible for postgraduate students, although CSU Global are looking at ways to make this possible in the future.

How you can become an exchange student

There are also a range of short programs available through CSU Global - check out their website for more info!

Useful Links• CSU Global website - for general informa-tion or available programs - http://www.csu.edu.au/special/global/home• CSU Global facebook page - for the latest info on what’s happening - https://www.facebook.com/pages/CSU-Global/266743284107• CSU Global forum - for asking general ques-tions about all programs - http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=Stud_Opportunity_CSU_forum

Annette Jacobsen

Stockholm in Autumn


Meet a DE student questionnaire

MEET a DE studentPlease answer the following questions and email to [email protected] I am currently ev-ery short of student submissions for the March DEN and I am sure that you are all more in-teresting than me so please contribute to your newsletter. Please send by March 15th 2013

Sandra StewartEditor The DENCharles Sturt University Distance Education Newsletter

Meet a DE student:Name:Whereabouts do you live?What are you studying? Name your degree and give a little bit of informa-tion about itWhat are your likes?What are your dislikes?If you had 3 wishes what would they be?Would you rather be older or younger and why?When you were young, what job did you want to have when you grew up?What did you end up doing?Activities when not studyingPets:Your thoughts on the environmentFavourites:• party food?• TV show?• music?• Song?• Movie?• Game?• Book?• Things to do on a Sunday?Most• embarrassing moment?• memorable holiday?SEND A PHOTO OF YOURSELF too.


Email letters to the Editor &submissions:

[email protected]: Photos sourced from stock.xchng http://www.sxc.hu/homePrintmaster Platinum 18. All other photographs and graphics as indicated.Sandra Stewart Editor,

THE DENContributions for March

MY BEST/WORST MOMENT AT SCHOOL OR INI.

PHOTOSBlue

Teapots

MOVIE and BOOK REVIEWSYou had plenty of time in the break - let

others know

WRITINGAs I gazed out at .....

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The DEN - February 2013