What will you be studying this year?

The University year will soon start and you will have or be thinking about the units you will choose to study.
I recommend choosing elective units that you think you would enjoy or that you think you will do well in. Look at the unit outline to determine whether this work will benefit you and your study aims.
There are also compulsory units that you will have to undertake as part of your study. There may be some that you do not wish to do but a requirement of the course. Think of the positive - what you can get out of it? You will also need to make sure that you satisfy any prerequisites for units you do choose.

Make sure you enrol in the unit by the University's given deadline. You will also need to ensure you have all the required texts for each unit - check out what second hand shops have available to save $$$s!

Once you have enrolled in your units, there will be a date they will become available online - usually the first week lectures begin. Ensure that you keep an eye on when they do become available so you can join any online groups first and stay on top of the forum discussions.

Take the first week to work out a study timetable, get to know your way around online and what is required of you to complete each unit.

Most of all, enjoy your semester and get what you can out of your study!

eDegree the ebook has arrived!

MEDIA RELEASE

Jilly Stansfield has released her final ebook for the year 2010 - eDegree: study anywhere, anytime.

You can view a sample for FREE by visiting http://www.smashwords.com/  or  click on eDegree's book cover below!

About the book:

Are you wanting to further your education but not sure if it is possible? Many people think that they wouldn’t be able to study externally through the mode of eLearning- ‘it’s too hard’, ‘I wouldn’t stay on track’, ‘I don’t know where to start’. The truth is these days anyone can elearn – anywhere, anytime.

You can become an eLearning student whether you are

- Working full time

- Working part time

- A single parent

- Starting a new business

- Travelling

- Mature age

- A school leaver

- Upgrading your qualification

- changing your career direction

- have no formal education

This book will guide you through choosing a study option, your study and to graduation success. It's your personal study buddy!

Don’t put if off. Now is the time to secure your future and do something for you – live your life and get your education anytime, anywhere.

What does 4 years worth of Uni assignments look like?

I have just complete my teaching degree through UNE (www.une.edu.au) and I have kept all my assignments.


So, for those who are interested, here is a pic of all those assignments minus the couple that I received back online and of course the exams.

Don't let this put you off studying though!

Think of it as evidence of your achievement!

Waiting...waiting...waiting...for uni results

There's nothing like waiting for your last semester uni results. This isn't the time to stress - there's nothing you can do to change the result (you don't even know them!) or change the date you will get the result.

So what's worse is waiting on the day of receiving your uni results. Some students may receive them by mail, others by email and even less via sms on their phone. I for one, am waiting on an SMS from my University for my results.

This was my final semester of my undergraduate degree(does happy dance!). Next year though, I will embark on my Masters - anyone else as crazy as I am? ;-)

Leave me a comment below if you are commencing or recommencing post graduate studies next year! (maybe we can work it out together!)

Day of the Exam

What do you do on the day of your exam?
Last Friday, I had my final exam for completion of my teaching degree. So, what did my day look like prior to the exam? Relaxation.

In between rereading my exam notes, I;
-went out for a coffee
-did some shopping
-did activities with my son
-surfed the webs

This meant I went into my exam with reduced stress levels and because I didn't study by cramming the night before, my brain didn't feel overloaded.

Exam Outcome: I'll keep you posted :)

Is there a textbook?

This was one of the questions asked by a student this week on the online study forum at Uni. Now my original post was going to be about 'how to get back into study mode as the new uni semester begins' but that is quite irrelevant if you don't know what you are meant to study!

Now i'm unsure whether this student is new to Uni but during my four years of study, i have only ever had one subject that did NOT have a textbook. Why does this concern me? As someone who is almost addicted to it and has written a book on studying externally, it makes me wonder how a new or general student thinks.

So my new tip of the week is:
Always assume there is a required textbook for a unit:
Read all unit and assessment information. After checking with the Uni bookshop for required texts for each unit to be studied for the semester, and you still have no textbook for a specific unit then double check with your lecturer that there is no textbook required. And don't leave until week 3 into the semester to find this out!

Another query into week 3 of the semester was: so is the assessment just discussing activities and submitting this?
A very vague question and very far from the required assessment task. Not only has this person put their admission of not reading the unit information on a public forum, the lecture can also see this.
My next tip of the week is:
Download ALL unit information and assessment tasks (and read it!)which is available at the start of the new semester. Don't leave it until week 3 to ask where this information can be found.

By all means if you would class yourself as a 'loafer' (see a previous blog post) or you like to leave things to the last minute it may be hard to change your ways. However, your grades are most likely to reflect this and if you make it known on your public uni forum - the lecturer will also know this!

Studying and working

Studying and working can be done. It is just a matter of whether you work part time, full time, casually and have children in the mix. You may need to consider a part time study load at the beginning and increase the number of units the following semester if you think you can juggle you time and work commitments.

One thing that I cannot reiterate enough is to have a diary and use it! It can be a physical or an electronic one. Either way, diarise all your assignment due dates, dedicated study hours as well as social and work commitments to help you plan your semester. Don’t forget to include break days such as that Saturday trip to the beach!

As a mum of one who works from home part time and studies full time, I can only provide an insight from that perspective. I invite you to comment below with your tips on how you juggle your study load and work commitments.

Remember it can be done - just take one day at a time :)