| Responses
to studying at a higher level quiz |
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Question
| Response
| More
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| 1.
Students usually spend most of their time in tutorials, seminars, lectures or
in laboratories. | False.
Although students
do attend seminars, lecturers, tutorials, etc, it is not true that this is where
they spend most of their time. Most of their week is not timetabled. This means
that students generally spend most of their time in independent study and must
develop good time management and organisational skills.
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independent
study time
management organisational
skills
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| 2.
Time management is mostly about meeting deadlines. |
False.
Good
management of deadlines is important. However, time management for you as a student
involves a lot more than just meeting deadlines. It includes:
Ensuring
you have a good balance of time between study, work, commitments, rest and enjoying
yourself. Giving
yourself time to think through what you are learning and to 'mull things over'
Having time
to make mistakes, change your mind or deal with emergencies - and still meet the
deadline. | independent study
time management
organisational skills
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| 3.
Only the cleverest students will get a good degree. |
False.
This
is a common misconception. Many other factors are at least as important. These
include:
Being
well motivated Maintaining
your motivation Developing
effective study strategies Optimising
your learning potential |
motivation
effective
study strategies
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4. Study skills required
at university are different to those needed at school. |
True.
University
study involves much more individual responsibility for managing your work. You
will be expected to deliver results with much less input from tutors than is typical
in school or college. Good study strategies are essential.
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effective study strategies
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5. Only the brightest
students get good marks. | False.
Almost everyone
who enters HE is bright enough to get a good marks. The secrets in such factors
are:
high
motivation working
from your personal learning strengths self-confidence
combined with a willingness to learn commitment
to improving your performance making
effective use of feedback |
how
to get good marks
effective study strategies
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6. Your degree subject
will be the most important factor in the kinds of jobs you will get later. |
False.
Approximately
all of all graduate jobs are open to graduates of any subject discipline. Employers
look for a range of skills and qualities apart from subject knowledge. You may
also change job several times over your life- and enter several different professions.
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making
choices
planning
your future
personal
development planning
|
| 7.
Your lecturers will give you a lot of help if you do not understand the subject.
| False.
Your lecturers will not normally offer help in the way this was offered at school
or college. Instead you will be given information to help you to help yourself.
This is usually given in a Handbook or as Handouts at the beginning of the year
or module. It is essential that you make time to read these carefully. You are
also expected to make good use of feedback on assignments. If you need additional
help, support services can offer some guidance and assistance. |
getting
support
independent
study
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| 8.
It is a good idea for students to share the research required for an assignment.
| True.
In most cases, this is true. You can save time and make your study more dynamic
by sharing out research tasks and discussing your reading and findings. However,
take care to do this within the guidelines offered by your programme. Ensure the
final assignments is written up entirely by yourself. |
research
strategies
working
with others
referencing and plagiarism
audio download on referencing and plagiarism |
| 9.
It is essential to develop speed reading skills . |
False.
The most important
reading skills are not those of speed but rather include:
Reading
for understanding Reading
selectively Critical
evaluation of what you read Being
able to rephrase what you read in your own words Knowing
where to look for key information |
reading
strategies
critical and analytical
thinking skills
audio download on critical analysis |
| 10.
It is essential to read Journal articles for higher level study. |
True.
University lecturers
usually place higher value on journals. It is essential that you familiarise yourself
with the relevant journals for your subject. |
research strategies
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11. It is not necessary
to take detailed notes in lectures. |
True.
Usually it is more
important to listen in lectures in order to develop your understanding and to
grasp the main themes. Taking too many notes can prevent effective listening.
Develop a strategy for managing lecture information. |
learning from lecturers |
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12. The best time
to use the Career Service is halfway through your programme. |
False.
The best time is
in your first semester so that you have early guidance on making the right choices
and career planning. If you have made the wring initial choices about your programme
or how you are spending your time, these can be addressed before you waste too
much time.
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personal development
planning
|
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13. A good CV is
the most important part of the job application process. |
False.
Many jobs do not
require CVs. Personal planning to maximise your future options is more important,
overall, than a just good CV. |
personal development
planning
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14. 'Soft skills'
are those which employers find the least important. |
False.
Soft skills include
those such as team work, communicating with others, solving problems, working
independently, working well with others and good self-management. Employers rate
soft skills very highly. Surveys reveal that employers think too few graduates
have developed these skills. |
personal development
planning
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15. 'Key skills'
are still relevant in Higher Education. |
True.
Key skills are relevant
to higher education but may be treated in different ways than they were at school.
|
personal development
planning
|
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16. You are allowed
to copy from books for your assignments. |
True.
Technically, you can
copy from books, but only very small amounts and according to very strict rules.
It is essential that you know exactly what kind of copying is permitted (usually
just for quotations) and how to go about referencing your work this properly.
If this is done properly, you may leave yourself open to charges of 'plagiarism'
or cheating, with heavy penalties. |
making
notes
working
with others
referencing and plagiarism
audio download on referencing and plagiarism
|
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17. Reading is more
effective if you set yourself a list of questions to answer first. |
True.
If you know what you
are looking for then your located the information more quickly. A list of questions
will also focus the attention. You can develop additional questions as you read.
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reading
strategies
|
| 18.
It is a good idea for students to help each other when writing up their assignments.
| False.
Always write assignments on your own, unless you have been told by your tutors
to do differently. Never share your written work with others. Never let anyone
see your work until after it is marked. If somebody copies your work, you could
be penalised.
|
working
with others
personal development
planning
|
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19. The most important
aspect of solving a problem is defining exactly what is required. |
True.
Any task can be seen
as a kind of 'problem'. People successful at problem-solving spend more time on
the early stages of a task, working out what the task means and defining what
is required. |
problem
solving skills
effective
study strategies
|
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20. You can usually
get extra time to complete an assignment if you need it. |
False.
There is very little
flexibility about exam dates or assignment deadlines. Usually there is no flexibility
at all. Occasionally, an extra day or more may be available if there are very
special circumstances. In these cases, you will be required to provide evidence
such as a doctor's note. You are expected to plan ahead to allow for things that
could go wrong. Most universities will not accept excuses such as bad transport,
traffic, childcare arrangements going wrong, not sleeping, printers not working
and so forth. This is why it is important not to leave things to the last minute
- and to leave lots of time to cope with last minute emergencies. If you have
a lot of difficulties managing your time, speak to a student counsellor. |
time
management
|
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21. The most important
aspect of essay writing is getting the facts right. |
False.
More marks are usually
given for developing a strong line of reasoning. Information needs to be well
organised and structured in order to support the line of reasoning. |
writing
skills
critical
and analytical thinking skills
audio download on critical analysis |
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22. You can develop
a strategy for writing assignments. |
True.
Writing involves several
different processes. People have different ways of sequencing and working through
these processes. It is easier to approach writing tasks if you are aware of the
strategy that suits you best. Usually, this requires you to be aware of what those
different processes are. |
writing
skills
time
management
|
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23. When making a
presentation for a seminar, it is a good idea to write it out like an essay and
then learn it off by heart. | False.
The most important aspect of making a presentation is to consider the needs of
your audience. If you simply read or repeat information 'off by heart' your presentation
will probably sound very flat and dull to the audience. There is also a greater
risk that you will lose your place in your talk. |
presentation
skills
audio download on presentation skills |
| 24.
The best thing to do if you do not understand what you read is to it read it over
and over again. | False.
Some re-reading may be helpful. However, a good reading strategy will help you
read more effectively.
|
reading
strategies
critical and analytical thinking skills
audio download on critical analysis
working
with others
|
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25. It is a bad idea
to memorise essay answers when preparing for exams. |
True.
Your exams answers
are likely to be shorter than those used for assignments. You are also likely
to have a different title to the one you memorised-and you only get marks for
answering the question set. |
revision
strategies
exam
techniques
audio download on exam skills
memory
|
| 26.
Clarity is more important in academic writing than the use of advanced vocabulary.
| True.
Write so it is very clear what you are trying to say. Whilst it is a good idea
to improve your vocabulary so that you can phrase your ideas more precisely, it
is not helpful to use words you do not understand or for the sake of 'sounding
academic'. |
writing
skills
|
| 27.
Your memory is either good bad: there is not much you can do about it. |
False.
Some people have
developed very good memories. Almost everybody has a better memory than they think,
and can develop their memory further. |
memory
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28. You should keep
a record of feedback you receive from tutors and how you made use of it. |
True.
Feedback is your main
form of support from tutors. It is your best guide about what to do to improve
your marks and your work more generally. |
working
with others
personal development
planning
|
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29. To find the answers
to problems at university level, you should always think logically rather than
daydreaming and speculating. | False.
Logical, analytical skills are important to university level work. However, that
is only part of the process. We think most effectively if we use a wide range
of thinking strategies. Daydreaming, speculating and other creative thinking strategies
can be very powerful ways of arriving at solutions if used in combination with
other thinking strategies. |
problem
solving skills
creative
thinking skills
critical and analytical
thinking skills
audio download on critical analysis
|
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30. If get bad marks,
you need to spend more time studying. |
False.
If you do not spend
much time studying as a rule, then it will pay to spend more time studying. However,
spending long hours studying is not necessarily productive. It is possible to
gain better marks by studying more effectively rather than for longer.
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effective
study strategies
organisational
skills
time
management
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