1. Managing Academic Study

2. Aims of this session To refresh you on the concept of study skills To demonstrate why good study skills are important. To highlight the importance of referencing, exam preparation and time management for university.

3. What are study skills? Time management Essay writing Exam revision Exam strategies Referencing Researching

4. Are study skills important? They can help you to manage your time. They demonstrate that you can formulate a balanced argument. They can show that you can do research. They prepare you for the different assessment styles (i.e. continued assessment & exams).

5. It all starts with a question “Is there life on Mars?”

6. Your plan of action Consider the following: What do you need to know/cover to answer the question? - What is life?, What does it need to exist? How can we detect it? The time that you have available to answer the question. - When is your deadline? Other demands on your time to do the work. Lectures, seminars, social events, other assignments, sporting commitments? Is there a word limit? - How long must my assignment be? 1,000 words or 10,000?

7. Managing your time Prioritise what needs to be done and in what order Put key dates in your diary! You may want to produce a study plan Start early. Don’t put off doing things until the last minute

8. Looking for sources Some we thought of: Books, journals & articles TV documentaries, films & photographs Interviews, Vox-pops, podcasts, webcasts, diaries & blogs The Internet & Social Media Experiments & Statistics Q: Can you always get access to these sources?

9. Evaluating sources Source Date published Publisher Relevance (High, Medium or Low) Reliability (High, Medium, or Low) Bias (High, Medium or Low) Use/Reject Academic book “The moons of the Solar System” February 1996 Oxford University Press Medium High Low Use Web article “Saturn’s Enceladus moon hides ‘great lake’ of water 3 April 2014 BBC News Newspaper article on UFO’s sighted over London April 1 2009 The Sun Newspaper Paper by SETI “Searching for ET” December 1967 The SETI Institute

10. Using sources Q: What are your thoughts on the following statements? “The evidence for an “ocean” of water under the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus appears to be overwhelming.” A: That’s great, but who said it? How do I know this is true, when was it said? “Professor Brian Cox believes that alien life exists on Europa.” A: Does he? How do I know he said that, when did he say it and in what context?

11. Referencing & Plagiarism Q: Does anyone know what these terms refer to? Harvard System APA Chicago OSCOLA IEEE You will be told what referencing style to use. Stick to it! If you don’t reference you could be accused of plagiarism. Referencing allows you to form a balanced argument which is backed up by evidence.

12. Give it a go Quote and reference it using the referencing style below; For a webpage article: Direct quotation (in text): “Quote” Author. (Year). Referencing: Author. (Year). Title. Retrieved month day, year, from URL

14. Exam preparation Exams are often used to determine how much you have learned through your continuous assessment and lectures. They can ask you multiple choice or essay style questions.

15. Exam revision tips Revision starts early. Make notes as you go along or record lessons. Go through past examination papers. Write revision cards or talk to people about what you’ve been learning. Use a crib sheet to remember studies that you may need to refer to. Q: Do we all learn in the same way?

16. Example revision grid BlockUnitKey ConceptResearcher Year of Publication Summary of Research 2Social Psychology Conformity and obedience of an individual when in a situation of authority Stanley Milgram 1963Milgram wanted to understand why, during WW2, Nazi troops obeyed the order of their superiors without questioning them. To test this he got participants to play the role of a “Teacher” in an experiment involving an experimenter (the researcher) and a Student (A confederate of the experimenter). The participant was asked to administer electrical shocks to the Student by the Experimenter every time they got a question wrong. Each shock would increase in voltage for every successively wrong answer given. Milgram wanted to see how far the participant would go before they questioned the Experimenter.

17. Dissecting the question Q1: Name four different radioactive elements. Q2: Which of these is not an academic referencing style? APA [ ] Harvard System [ ] Yale System [ ] Chicago [ ] Q3: In 2,000 words explain the factors which lead to the Woolworths going into administration. Give examples of other business who were successful and unsuccessful during the recession.

18. When answering them… Remember: Break down the question so you knew what is being asked? “Name four different American Presidents” Write down everything you know about that subject on a scrap piece of paper first? Allocate a time limit to answer each question? Look at how many marks you are getting for each question.

19. Final tips Do not... Get distracted or procrastinate Set yourself unrealistic deadlines Cram for your exam at the last minute! Tell yourself that you are going to fail!

20. Any question? Contact: Tel: 01392 xxxxxx Xxxxxx @exeter.ac.uk www.exeter.ac.uk Any questions? Contact us: visitus@exeter.ac.uk 01392 724043 visitus@exeter.ac.uk