Time Management Is Another Important Skill

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction:

Study skill is very important to students as they help students to remember and learn different kinds of knowledge. Variety of study skill helps to do assignments, homework and tests to an excellent quality and most of all it helps to pass the course efficiently. There are different types of study skills; Classroom Behaviour, Time Management, Organisation and Memorisation. Classroom Behaviour includes active listening, which involves paying attention and keeping you r eyes on the teacher with it avoiding daydreaming. Most important part of this is taking notes, when something important i mentioned it is crucial to note it down and will come in handy later when doing an assignment.

Time Management is another important skill that is very valuable to any student. Time management allows completing work on time, handing it in when it’s due and arriving in class on time with good intention to learn. This can be achieved through structuring a timetable. A key part like organisational skills is very priceless, you either have it or you need to find the determination to gain this skill. Organising your work load and timetable enables you to become a brilliant and valuable student to any University. Study skills are sets of skills that every student needs to have if they want to be a success and be memorable and achieve the goals they set out for themselves or by teachers.

Task 2

Electronic learning resources:

Electronic Learning resources are a very crucial part of research, especially in this modern era of technology. There are various types of electronic learning resources and these includes; Tutorials, Courses, E-books, E-journals and the internet.

Tutorials can be in the form of lesson or a computer based programme designed specifically for the subject you are trying to learn about. There are two types of computer based tutorials; one is on the internet and a computer programme. An internet based tutorial is structured like an instruction guiding the reader to how to do something. A Computer programme can be made for the reader to teach them how to do something or basically assisting them. Computer based programme can be either a movie or an interactive programme suited to the reader helping them understand the skills at a suitable pace. [JCU Study Skills (2003)]

Examples of typical tutorials people look for online include people trying to learning computer programming code through python or java etc.

An online course is a virtual interactive course purposely made for a certain subject area. Now these courses are either free or available to purchase online where students can easily purchase and download it straight to their computer. Online courses vary and have their own uniqueness; many follow different paths and structure. These courses have a number of lessons for the student to follow and may have included exercises and assignments for the student to do. Students can organise their learning to adapt their technique. [Learnable (n.d)] Rosetta stone is a very popular choice of an online course for language learning. It has many languages available separately and follows different lesson plans to allow the student learn the language at their own pace.

An e-book is an electronic version of a book. This electronic version of the book can be read on computers, phones and most preferably on E-readers. Most books now published have an electronic version available and many past books are having an electronic version of it created. Now these E-books are available on the internet but some are not free. Many have free samples but you need to purchase the product online and download it to a computer, phone or an E-reader to see the whole content. There is now a large growing library of E-books and covers almost every topic.[Wise Geek (n.d)] E-journals are electronic versions of paper journals, sometimes called periodicals or serials. Each part of the journal can be viewed online and specific articles are normally made available as PDF documents which can be printed or downloaded (within copyright limits). [by Carl Barrow on ( 8/31/2011)]

The internet provides a great tool for students researching and studying for their relevant subject area. There are many sites that have revision materials, notes from other students across the world, guidance from teachers and examiners and even sample essays on the relevant subject area. These sites provide a great basis for students. Internet sites like The Student Room, Study Mode and Marked by Teachers etc, allows students across all levels to share and find academic and social knowledge. [Student room (n.d)]. These type of sites is a great web of online library for students looking for help and support in their subjects, a major advantage of these sites is that students receive helps from other students who are studying the same subjects and also teachers who teach the subject. [mark by teachers (n.d) and study mode (n.d)].

Merits of sources of information and resources:

There are many different types of sources that can help the learning process. Each of these sources has different advantages and disadvantages. Sources that come from Books are easier to reference; also it is easier to scan for specific topic areas to help with assignment. Books are trustable as they go through the publication process and wouldn’t have any wrong or illicit information. However, Books that have lone authors or group of authors with particular views can have biased opinions so it is crucial to look out for these when including it in any essays and assignment.

In this modern era the most convenient way of getting information is of course the internet. It’s fast, quick and simple to use; with facts and information being provided at the click of a button. Even books, journals, articles, essays and news are published onto the internet every day. This provides a wide range of information from different authors of different opinions, allowing different perspectives to be taken on board.

One of the advantages for research is that we can have immediate access to a large amount of information with reference to a specific topic. Search engines, for example, can find information in a few seconds, as list of websites ranked by their relevance to that subject. But relevance is the only thing considered by search engines. Meaning that selecting what information is useful and which are not, can be time-consuming and often non-productive without an attentive screening.

We should also consider that institutional sites and libraries presence on the Internet is getting higher; giving the researcher the chance of accessing certified sources. Books are provided in a digital format and they are easy to search and download but people should not forget that many resources are still available only on paper. [Posted by Angelo on February 7. 2011]

Reading and note making skills and techniques:

Having a good set of reading skills lets you obtain the specific knowledge you want to attain. I have divided my techniques when reading to obtain specific information. Firstly read the title, this will give be clues of what the book/article is about. Then read the introduction, conclusion and summary (if it is included), this will enable you find out what the author’s overall views are and what mains points are going to be put forward. Look out for bold headings and sub- headings, giving you clues about the main points and the way the arguments are structured. Any visual data like chart, maps, diagrams, etc are also main important parts as it backs up the original point or points. Also looking for helpful reading aids and tip – italics, bold print, and end of piece questions are included to help the reader notice specific points and statements, and to understand and remember them.

Questioning whilst reading helps the mind engage and concentrate on the text. Looking at each of the headings of each section, thinking of questions that could be dealt with in the following text is crucial. When you are actively thinking about the sorts of questions the author is trying to answer then you are actively engaging with the material. This helps the mind understand and remembering some of the point.

Read each section with your questions in mind. Are the questions that you were thinking of answered? In fact do the section questions throw up more? Noting down anything that goes unanswered or generates more questions is helpful.

After each section I think about the questions and see if I can answer them from memory. If not, then I look over the text once again and as often a necessary. When thinking, you can recite the question and answers then I go on to the next step – review. When note – making, I write down the information I need without looking at the information.

Reviewing is very crucial. Once I have finished an entire text using the preceding step, I go back over all the questions from the headings. I see if I can answer them. If not, I look back over and refresh my memory, then continue on. When I make note I review them to see if it is correct.

The information people gain from reading is very important. If you ‘just do it’ without learning something, then you are wasting your time. Training your mind to learn is a good thing to start doing.

Note Making skills is also vital, as when reviewing the points you want to remember or understand, the presentation and the way the note are written is fundamental. Structured set notes help the mind to understand and learn the notes quicker and easily.

Bullet points is the most effective and most people uses – after reading a section summarise the key points given in a quick one sentence bullet point and note this down on a separate piece of paper. After reading the whole article you would have a set of bullet point for each section of the article. After, go over the notes you have taken and then use your brain trying to understand and learn the points. [Open learn (n.d)]

Before I have written my academic assignments I have followed the basic academic writing process steps. This process is simple and is easy to follow. The process consists of:

Prepare

Research

Draft

Final Writing

Preparing for a task is crucial, I analysed for key words in the task that I needed to understand and look up on this on the internet. Rephrasing the question often helps me understand the question is requiring me to do and what I need to answer. It is also useful for me to break down the assignment criteria into sections. To know what content is required helps a lot as Research is the following step. [Wiki how to do anything (n.d)]

Research requires a lot of attention and time, although too much time shouldn’t be spent in this bit. Before researching, a helpful act is to revise and go through class or lecture notes that are available, whilst reading having the question in mind makes me think of the point I need to include in my answer to the assignment question and also helps me understand the information.

After you have a basic knowledge of the texts, lecture notes and the assignment question, it is a good thing to focus on the more detailed parts. I find focused reading very helpful as it gives me the important points to include in my assignment, during the reading it is good to use note making skills and use it to make clear notes on the points that are helpful and are key to the question in mind.

With the notes and information I have picked I begin a draft of my answer to the assignment question. During this drafting process, it may require more research and reading until you have a draft with the vital point. After you have a good draft, it’s time to rewrite and edit it to make it into a final piece. Edit the final draft structural, grammar and in technical wise. I find it even more helpful to have another person read through the final piece to check for mistakes and other technical issues.

Forms of Communication:

There are many types of different forms of communication used in the academic process:

Reports

Thesis/Essays

Memo

Summaries

Resume

Etc

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the extensive, unacknowledged, inclusion in a student’s work of ideas copied from the work (published or unpublished) of another. "Work" includes any internet sources.

Examples of plagiarism include:

extracts from another person’s work without the use of quotation marks and/or acknowledgement of the source(s) included in the work submitted by the student.

summarising of another person’s work without referencing them

the extensive and illegal use of the ideas of another person without acknowledgement

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits work for recognition which has been submitted elsewhere for credit. This may be one part or the entire piece of work. It may have been submitted to same education structure or somewhere else. [Posted by Janett Perry on Wed, Jun 23, 2010 ]

Collusion

Collusion occurs when a student work together with another student in the finished work which is then submitted as unaided work by either of the students.

Other Forms of Unfair Practice

Other forms of Unfair Practice include:

offering a bribe or incentive to any member of staff of the University, or any external invigilator or examiner, who is associated with the student’s assessments

forged data in any piece of work

the assumption by one person of the identity of another person with the intent to trick or gain advantage

submitting copies of another person’s work stored on an electronic device

The consequences of plagiarism are brutal. You can face legal action by the original author for reprimands. Your career reputation will be damaged and you can lose trust and your relationship with people in the place of work. It can destroy the reputation of the college/university. If it is severe then you can be thrown out of your place of education. Also it can lead to the exam board banning you from taking further exams and this can also lead to other exam boards taking in the action in account if you apply through another exam board, it will be considerate as unreliable.

Harvard referencing System

The Harvard referencing system I used is very simple. It follows a simple structure:

Author/Editor (using the corporate author if no individual author is named or editor is named) (Year of publication) (If available; if there is no date, then the abbreviation ‘n.d.’ is used) [Online] Available from: URL [Date of Access]

Internet passages differ with less information as often it doesn’t say the author or any other credentials. This structure is simple as it allows the reader to look for the reference quicker and also allows the reader to read through my assignment with ease without any unnecessary information between, as references is choice for the reader

G) Software:

Viper - the Anti-plagiarism Scanner scans documents uploaded for plagiarism, which is a serious issue in business, academic, and publishing spheres. Similarly, software of its type, it's aimed primarily at students and is intended to reduce the copying essays. Also like the others, it offers free and paid subscription services, both same level of checking from the same database and other similar and virtually identical services. The main difference is what happens to your work nine months later.

On the one hand, Viper is easy to use and is fairly effective at identifying plagiarized paragraphs and flagging potentially similar paragraphs, misidentified or misattributed quotes, and other suspicious targets for follow-ups. I downloaded and set up Viper and logged in via my username and password. As a new user, I could choose the paid or free service; I chose the free service, involving three steps: add my documents to scan, scan against files on our computer, and scan for plagiarism on the Internet or Viper's database. I uploaded a document, which involved picking a category for it from an extensive drop-down list, and moved through the program's step by step guide.

I clicked Start, and Viper noted that my document was queued for processing. Thankfully, my document contained no issues, but the scans can identify a number of potential issues, and the online documentation did a good job explaining each and its consequences. I like that you can limit scans to the Internet, which can check for illegally republished content.

Lastly, Viper's free service only keeps your essays private for nine months, after that the work is published in the "student essay database" to help other students in other countries "learn from your work, used as an example." While the program's documentation states that you have copyright over submitted essays, the only thing that's clear to me is that work you submit for free plagiarism scans is published by the software maker nine months later. [Posted by CNET staff on July 19, 2011]

Independent Learning

Independent Learning is when you do a piece of work by yourself and solely by yourself, you do not receive any help from another person, for example another student, teacher or an external invigilator related to the assignment your set. All research and assignment is done solely by yourself, although you receive help over any questions you have from the teachers but they can’t have a interference with your final piece work.

Time management is crucial as it will make sure you don’t get the feeling that you have a lot of time to complete the piece of work, this often leads to missing deadlines. You are responsible for structuring your time and making sure you meet deadlines. Teachers do not accept excuses for missed deadlines. If you miss a deadline, you may have to retake part of your programme or be unable to complete at all. This means time management skills are essential. [Creative Education (n.d)]

Five tips for managing your time:

Keep one diary - write everything in it - take it everywhere

Keep a time planner so you can see easily what you need to do

Write all deadlines in your diary on the right date

Also, write the assessment deadline in your diary, on the date you must begin working towards the deadline

Allow time for travel and delays between appointment [Palgrave Macmillan (n.d) ]

Task 3

SWOT Analysis: [Businessballs.com (n.d)]

Strengths:

I’m a very creative and confident person. I often impress teachers on how I am progressing towards my targets.

I find communication with teachers and student a very powerful strength as I am often friendly, which enables me to create a wider group of people who knows me.

I have the ability to ask key questions to find the explanation needed for information that I do not understand in class.

I am fully committed towards my target success.

Weaknesses:

I have this powerful will to do stuff quickly as possible and get it out of my way and as a result of this sometimes the quality of the work that I produce suffers from this.

This ‘will’ also give me a lot of stress as the workload and timing is always very crucial.

I sometimes get nervous around a group of people, i.e. presenting my work in front peers or public communication, but this is when there is a large number of people.

Opportunities:

I have a cousin who is fluent in both English and Bengali, being around him will not only widen my vocabulary but allow me to extend my English Language skills.

IELTS Exam on March, I want to improve my previous grade as I feel my current grade is below my capabilities.

Threats:

I have a profound eagerness for sports, especially Football and I follow it weekly, this sometimes hinders my concentration on my studies and often delays my work.

Due to recent changes at home, I am overloaded with house hold work and class work and don’t have enough time to manage these.

b) SWOT analysis to develop SMART:

SMART Personal Learning Objectives: [Setting and Reviewing SMART learning Goals (n.d)]:

Objective Type

Vague

Specific

Skills Acquisition

I will learn different techniques and troubleshoot IT problems.

By February 1st I will extend my IT skills so I can include it in my next assignment. I will try and use a variety of software’s, e.g. Microsoft Office and Adobe.

Knowledge Acquisition

I would really like to extend my English and vocabulary and my language skills.

By February 25th I will finish revising for IELTs retake in which I am aiming for a much higher score than my previous one.

Personal

Get involved in extracurricular activities.

By January 25th I will join a Saturday Football Club to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Career Knowledge

I want have better understanding of Management and its career prospects.

My knowledge of the kind of prospects available to me it’s vague so therefore by the end of 2012 I will research the possibilities I could take up.

Skills Acquisition

Develop my written communication techniques.

I want extend my abilities in written communication in my assignments by this month to show a variety of different skills.

Personal

Be more confident when talking to people and being around a group of people

I will try and get my confidence levels up when talking to people. So when presenting or addressing to my peers I will not get nervous.

d) Reflective Learning:

Critical thinking, self awareness and analyses skills is very important to students, and reflective learning help developing these skills. This can be done through what people call a ‘reflective’ process. The process helps me understand what I working well for me and what is not working for me, which enables me to understand what can be done to improve this or even how I need to change my attitude and behaviour to make myself determined to achieve the goal. For students it may help them to understand better how theory can be applied in practice or where practice is consistent with concepts and theories.

Reflective Learning can be logged through in various methods, for example, a portfolio, essay, diary, log or journal. Recording the developments you made or stuff you are lacking in, presents an opportunity for reviewing will enable personal development and it provide evidence for it.

Log of Progress:

Week Number

Positives

Negatives

Week 1

-Good Session on understanding the basic software of Microsoft Office.

-Procrastinating on revision for IELTS.

Week 2

-Just joined a football Club

-Feeling comfortable talking to other people in public

-Still haven’t talked about career prospects with anyone

- Also I’m still procrastinating on starting my revision for IELTS.

Week 3

-I’ve finally started my revision for IELTS ad have done a few sessions

-Due to IELTS revision I’m improving my written communication

-Have joined multiple extracurricular activities

Week 4

-Attended a seminar on future career prospects in a University. Gained vital information.

-Recognised I have a lot of grammatical errors in my written communication.

Week 5

-Improving my use of grammar in written communication

-Not enough determination to achieve the goal but now I m fully focused to do so.

Conclusion:

We learn a lot of about study skills. It helps us to know about what are the electronic learning resources, how to use it, the merits of different sources of information and resources, reading and note making skills and techniques and different forms of communication. Study skills also help us to know about different forms of plagiarism and unfair academic practice and their seriousness. Besides these we can also learn about Harvard referencing system, anti- plagiarism software and independent learning and time management skills. So study skills help us to know about education systems, learning process and so on.

On the other hand from my point of view the most important aspects of study skills are SWOT analysis and also to develop SMART. By reading study skills you can know yourself that what are my strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. It also helps to judge yourself that what I can do or what I can’t. So a study skill is a very important and helpful subject. It also helps us to know that how to write assignment, how to give attention in classroom, how to note teachers lecture, how to manage time etc.