Module Aims: *To support students in developing a range of behaviours and attitudes to underpin success at college and at work. *To provide learners who are new to higher education with a range of skills and techniques designed to support their learning and on-going development as part of a broad, diverse student community and as independent learners. Specifically, the module will focus on equipping students for the demands of higher education and the modern workplace through the development and application of key practical skills comprehending the following themes: Personal Organisation and Study,Oral and Written Skills (in academic and business contexts), Effective Team-working, Reflective Learning, Foundation PC skills. *To Foster a sense of inquisitiveness in students and to enable them to prepare for lifelong learning through the development of independent learning techniques.
Behaviours and Strategies
Blooms Taxonomy, Kolb’s Theory (Learning Styles), The Structure of your Academic Program, Assessment types at higher education, GradingSystem (Numeric/Alpha Grading and GPA System) Rote Learning vs Critical Thinking. Living a ‘Balanced Life’: Covey’s Time ManagementMatrix. Understanding your course schedule and Identifying your study commitments, Setting priorities. The Planning Process Lifecycle.Developing a schedule. Understanding ‘time thieves’ and how to deal with them. Dealing with procrastination. Thoughts on ‘IndependentLearning’ and developing a personal learning network.
Presentations
The purpose of a presentation, The importance of preparation, Making a positive first impression, Using the correct medium & presenteraids, How to effectively deliver your message, Designing & Structuring a presentation, Supporting presentations with examples/evidenceetc., Fielding questions, Common problems associated with presentations, Mistakes commonly made by students, Carrying out final checksbefore a presentation.
Teamwork
To develop students’ awareness of interpersonal and team processes - able to understand group dynamics and work effectively in teams,Describe why teams are important for student learning, Tuckman’s stages of Team development, Belbin’s Team Roles, Difference betweenTeam Leader, Team Member, Team Facilitator. Team Conflict - identify the problems associated with organising and managing teams.Characteristics of a successful teamwork experience. How to develop and manage a team. Working effectively in team activities within andoutside the classroom. The benefits of working with a diverse group.
Academic Writing
Developing Writing Skills: Review of basic rules pertaining to spelling, capitalisation, punctuation and grammar. Essential writing skills;sentence structure, clarity and flow. Features of academic language and writing. What is plagiarism? ITB Written Work: Specification andReferencing Guidelines. Sourcing and referencing in academic work. Protocols in e-mail and letter writing. Report writing.
Computer Applications
Ms Word - Basic Formatting: Page Setup, Text alignment, Font and Paragraph options, Borders and Shading, Application of Heading Styles, Inserting Page Breaks, Generating an automated Table of Contents, Headers and Footers, Page Numbering, Text indentation, Bullet points and Numbering, Inserting Images and Tables, Printing Word documents. PowerPoint - Designing Slide Masters: Usingdesign themes Adding and editing shapes Formatting - Styles, Fills, Outlines, Effects Arranging Shapes – Position, Grouping, Alignment,Rotation. Duplication, perfect circles and squares, Background Colours and Gradients, Setting Headers and Footers, Adding, sizing and positioning Images/Logos, Formatting Slide title and Slide Bullets, Slide Transition and Animation. Presentation Content: Choosing Layouts, Generating slides, Notes page, Inserting Text boxes, Views, Printing presentations, Using Slideshow.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |