Academic Skills Practice Assignment 1 for Arden University Students

This assignment is a comprehensive exploration of academic skills, encompassing a skills audit, time management strategies, and academic integrity principles. The student conducts a self-assessment, identifying strengths in communication, writing, and teamwork, while recognizing areas for improvement such as problem-solving and time management. The assignment delves into academic integrity, emphasizing its importance at Arden University, and provides practical advice on achieving it. The student then discusses time management techniques, including creating timetables and prioritizing tasks. Finally, the assignment includes reflective writing using Gibbs' model, evaluating the learning experience and highlighting the development of academic skills, note-taking, and referencing. The student also reflects on the challenges faced and outlines plans for future improvement.

Academic skills practice

CONTENTS
ASSIGNMENT – 1....................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 Introduction to Academic Study Skills........................................................................1
Conducting skills audit...........................................................................................................1
List of strengths and areas of improvement...........................................................................2
Key things to do to improve the areas of improvements........................................................3
Action plan.............................................................................................................................3
TASK 2 Academic Integrity and Referencing...........................................................................3
Academic integrity.................................................................................................................3
How to achieve academic integrity at Arden University........................................................4
TASK 3 TIME MANAGEMENT..............................................................................................4
TASK 4 Reflective Writing and Academic Writing..................................................................6
ASSIGNMENT – 2....................................................................................................................8
Re-drafted and improved four tasks with task reflections......................................................8
Annotated bibliography........................................................................................................12
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................14

ASSIGNMENT – 1
TASK 1 Introduction to Academic Study Skills
Conducting skills audit
Skills Evidence Ranking from 1 to 5
Time management I need more improvement as I
am unable to allocate needed
work hours.
2
Leadership skills I can identify team-mates
strengths to allocate them in
the right position and give
them work according to their
experience
3
Academic skills I can enhance my skills and
knowledge level with this
academic skills such as content
and creative thinking
4
Active listening I am able to pay attention on
people and also provide
feedback to people as it takes
time I sometimes lose
concentration which can create
issues
1
Researching skills I am good at research which
helps me to enhance my
knowledge level
3
Problem solving With the help of this skill I am
able to determine why an issue
is happening but I need more
improvement to resolve issue
with effective solution.
1
Communication skills I can communicate effectively 4
1

with my team-mates
Critical thinking skills I am able to identify the
problems in particular situation
4
Team working and
collaboration skills
I can work effectively in a
group and consider other
people input just as much as
my own
4
List of strengths and areas of improvement
Arden's university degrees are designed so that students can develop a number of
academic and employability skills throughout study on the programme. With references to
Arden university graduate attributes I have list out some of my strengths which helped me a
lot achieve my academic goals (Cottrell, 2019).
Strengths
 Communication skills- with the help of communication skills I am able to build
relationship with my team mates and also create mutual respect and trust between
each other.
 Writing skills- my greatest strength is my writing skills. I note down every important
points which is needed to compete the work. Team work and collaborative- I am very collaborative and loves to work in team. I
have always enjoyed working on teams which helped me a lot in academic settings. It
is one of my strongest attributes.
Areas of improvement- I want to improve technical skills which is important transferable
skills.
 Problem solving- my weaknesses are interlinked with each other whenever I am
given a task related to problem solving case studies, I am very goals oriented and
hard-working to complete that task. However, when something new come across my
plate, I sometimes mess up and unable to solve issue because I fail to identify the
main points. Due to this I tend to be overly critical of myself which hinders my
performance.
 time management- I need some improvement in time management skills because I
sometime feel stressed when the work is not managed properly (Chaiyama, 2019).
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Key things to do to improve the areas of improvements
In order to improve time management skills, I will make effective time table and
avoid multitasking as it will help me manage my personal and professional life. Also, with
the help of time management apps like Todoist, I will priorities my daily activities and sort
tasks which is more important than others.
With the help of brainstorm method I will enhance creative solutions and practices
regularly to solve problems via case studies and online classes (Cottrell, 2020).
Action plan
Areas of
improvement
Actions to be
taken
Resources Success criteria Time taken
Problem solving Brainstorm
creative solutions
Online classes Able to solve
critical problems
2 months
Time
management
Avoiding
multitasking and
making priorities
list
Workshops Able to manage
academic,
personal and
professional life
3 months
Technical skills Regular practice
of using tools to
increase
efficiency
Attend technical
classes
Able to use
important tools
needs in academic
settings
4 months
TASK 2 Academic Integrity and Referencing
Academic integrity
Academic integrity plays a vital role in education field as it is the expectation that
students, teachers, staff members and researchers of the academic community act with: trust,
respect, mutual understanding, honesty, fairness, responsibility. If members of academic
community does not follow academic integrity then misconduct occurs which is not
beneficial for reputation of institution. For students, academic integrity is very important as it
allows them to build new ideas, creative works and knowledge level while respecting the
work of others. Breaching academic integrity is not acceptable in education field as it can
hamper the reputation of university (MacLeod and Eaton, 2020).
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How to achieve academic integrity at Arden University.
 Meeting academic integrity at Arden university is important because it illustrates
student credibility, the credibility of university and the academic research. It is
essential to perform academic research in order to explore and learn about the subject
topic. The major purpose behind using this method is to get the right answer.
 Using credible and relevant evidence will be helpful for Arden university. Selecting
credible sources will help students to be accurate, verifiable and authoritative.
Therefore, it is said that with the help selection of sources universities can improve
academic integrity (Bernacki and et.al., 2020).
 Avoiding all forms of plagiarism will help university to improve academic integrity
this can be done by encouraging students and teachers to avoid cheating. University
must make important rules such as produce your own work for assignment and do not
share assignment with others as this can help them to avoid plagiarism. It is also
advisable to focus on continual improvement as continuous learning will help students
to meet academic integrity.
TASK 3 TIME MANAGEMENT
I think I am not alone who is more concerned about striking a balance between
personal life and study. As we all know that time management skills is very important for
students as it helps them to manage their personal and professional life together. Students
should always understand important of time in their life, balancing personal, academic and
professional life will help students to reduce their stress level. It is very important for students
and teachers both to organise their work in such a manner that they are free from stress.
Working under pressure will hinder the performance of people, so for students it is essential
for students to divide their time between different activities properly. With the help of time
table students can prioritize their work and different activities as it helps them to get more
done in less time even when time is tight and pressure are high such as examination time. In
that time table they must add their morning routine to night routine till they fall asleep.
Students should cover breakfast, shopping, yoga classes, study time, watching TV, listening
music, practice and revision, dinner, writing and reading, many more things to manage their
daily activities (Won and Shirley, 2018).
In order to manage study and other responsibilities and commitments, I am following
few steps which helped me a lot to manage my studies and personal life together. With the
help of time table I am able to meet my deadlines I have never missed any deadlines and
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events. Building a calendar will help students to keep track of different tasks and activities. I
have used to do list method which makes it easier for me to stick to my schedule. Now I am
able to prioritize tasks. The best way to handle studies is to manage the stress, whatever the
situation is learn to manage the stress for this exercise and yoga sessions is helpful. It is
essential to remain focused and concentrate which helps to reduce stress. It will also help
students to work with full potential. Always make a note about what is more urgent and
important and what is not urgent this will keep you informed about daily responsibilities. For
this planning tool will be helpful such as wall charts, index cards, phone apps and pocket
notebooks and diaries. They must note down which subjects need more practice and revision.
For example- if student want to learn more about mathematics and science then he must note
down about it in planning tool.
In order to complete studies successfully, students much manage time wasters which
means that they must know about what should be eliminated and which activities should be
taken into consideration. For this, the best way to manage studies is to avoid multitasking,
because working in various task together does not save time instead it will create confusion.
You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a low productivity, lack
of knowledge and create confusion. So, students must focus on one task at a time by keeping
area clear of distractions, including they must turn off the notification on mobile phones.
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TASK 4 Reflective Writing and Academic Writing
Gibbs model of reflection has helped me to express my feelings and evaluation about
the learning during the studying of module (Adeani, Febriani and Syafryadin, 2020).
Studying this module have developed my academic skills, which helps me a lot to achieve my
academic goals and objective. With the help of skills audit, I am able to know about my
strengths and areas of improvement which support me to complete my task. Also I am able to
take measure steps which could help me improve my areas in which I need more
improvement such as technical skills, problem solving skills and time management skills.
Self reflection helps me a lot as it enable me to move from just experiencing about things into
understanding. During the module, I have developed my self awareness and self-confidence
which helped me to gain more knowledge about academic integrity. I have learned about
academic integrity, plagiarism, critical thinking and employability. In the weekly module I
have also developed note making skills and referencing which helped me a lot to complete
my assignment without making any mistake. When my teacher has given me one assignment
in group task that was presentation, I was so excited and even nervous as this was my
presentation on topic of plagiarism.
Everything went well, even my tutor told me that I am doing great work, but one thing
that was not went well is something every student is facing that is technical issues (Adeani,
Febriani and Syafryadin, 2020). I was facing technical problem when presenting slides in
front of my team. Lack of technical skills has created confusion for me, so I am working on
this skill with the help of online classes and regular practice. I have learned that effective
time management is important while studying academic skills practice as it helps to manage
both the personal and academic life. I have also learned that effective communication is very
important for the students and regular practice is much-needed. Using sources and
referencing will help students to learn more about the ideas that they include in the study.
Citing sources consistently and accurately will help me a lot to avoid committing misconduct
and plagiarism in writing. Also, I have learned that working in team is important as it helps
me to know strengths and weakness of team members. Using Belbin team roles' framework
with longer projects has helped me to deal with challenges. When I am working with my
team in the future I will talk to them by using open communication method and encourage
each other to use effective time management and critical thinking skills with mind mapping
and brainstorming method. Potentially I will practice technical knowledge to avoid any kind
of problem. I will focus on continuous learning and improvement that will take me forward to
year 1 of my degree programme.
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Academic Writing and Note Taking
Note-taking- basically it is a method used by people to record information from
different sources and platforms. During the lectures, students make notes which helps them in
their academic examination and even helps them in future studies. Effective note taking will
help students to focus and better understand main concepts regarding subject learned in the
classroom. Students who actively take notes during their class room will help students
achieve their academic goals. It helps students avoid feelings of distractions and also engage
their mind so that they actively involved with what they hear in the classroom (Stoesz and
Los, 2019).
Gathering up the notes
From this overall week, I have learned different things in relation with the reflecting
as well as academic writing. I have reflected in the skills being developed by me using the
Gibbs model of reflection and also learned about the note taking and its importance in the life
of student.
Cornell method
Learned about reflecting and academic writing skills
Learned about ways of writing reflection
Grasp knowledge in regards with the importance of note
taking
Determining the lessons learnt from the experience of studying
academic skills practice
Advantages and disadvantages of notetaking
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ASSIGNMENT – 2
Re-drafted and improved four tasks with task reflections
a).
Task – 1
8

Task – 2
9

Task – 3
Task – 4
10

b).
Task – 1
I have used the feedback of my lecturer on a positive note and modified different
things as asked. First of all, I have changed the two sentences that the lecturer has pointed out
that is “loose concentration” to lack focus and “which helped me a lot achieve my goals” to
supported me attaining my goals. Secondly, the lecturer also asked me to make imporvment
in my action plan. I have included three skills that needs to be enhanced within a stipulated
period of time. However, my teacher told me to have some realistic time period. So based on
the feedback, I have revised time column of my action plan.
Task – 2
In regards with the second tasks, there were two important feedbacks which were
being given to me my lecturer. The very first was, I was asked to write more in regards with
the importance of academic integrity. Thus, based on that feedback, I have added one more
paragraph about the significance of academic integrity. Secondly, the teacher also asked me
to make some points in the manners of achieving academic integrity at Arden University and
thus, was also modified accordingly. For this, I have added one more point in this section.
These feedbacks have helped me in making my work even better.
Task – 3
The feedback in relation with the third task by my lecturer helped me understanding
and writing up my time management plan effectively. in the initial time when I was about to
begin my task, I was little confused regarding what exactly needs to be done in the task.
However, my lecturer told me to incorporate daily routine for effective management of both
personal responsibilities and work commitments. In relation with this, I have added my
morning to night routine which has helped me a lot in prioritizing my task and has also
supported me in managing my time effectively without any issues and problems.
Task – 4
The final task was related with the reflective writing and academic writing where I
was asked to reflect on the development of my academic skills through studying this model. I
have effectively written my reflection. However, my teacher told me to make use of some
reflective model for writing the reflection for better understanding. Considering this, I have
utilized the Gibbs model which helped me in writing my reflection on the development of
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academic skills effectively. Further, teacher also asked me define Belbin’s team framework
and so I included that as well in my work and presented before my teacher.
Annotated bibliography
a). Academic integrity
Arna'out, A., 2016. Academic Integrity Issues: Benefits, Challenges, Initiatives and Practices.
International Journal of Social, Science & Education. 6(1). pp.8-21.
C – Currency It is published in the year 2016
R – Relevance The information being given in the article is related with the topic
of academic integrity. Further, the intended audience of the article
is students, academicians and research practitioners and is seem
credible as it is published in reputed journal
A – Authority The creator of the source is ArwaArna'out and is being published
in International Journal of Social, Science & Education
A – Accuracy The information being included in the paper is accurate as there
are number of references being included which are reliable and
authentic
P – Purpose The main purpose of information is to teach and inform the reader
in regards with the academic integrity, its benefits, issues and
challenges.
In the present article the author has attempted to analyse the perception of the faculty
members in regards with academic integrity, its issues, benefits and challenges. The author
used questionnaire for gathering information and have found out that faculty members
promote academic integrity.
b). Referencing
Mbutho, N.P. and C. Hutchings. 2019. Factors That Influence the Ways University Students
Think about Referencing and Related Concepts. South African Journal of Higher
Education. 33(5). pp.230-48.
C – Currency It is published in the year 2019
R – Relevance The information being given in the article is related with the topic
of referencing. Further, the intended audience of the article are the
students of the higher educational institutions.
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A – Authority The paper is being written by Mbutho, N.P. and C. Hutchings and
is being published in South African Journal of Higher Education.
A – Accuracy The paper is quote reliable as it includes references. It does not
involve any spelling, grammar and other type of typographical
errors.
P – Purpose The main purpose of information is to teach and inform the reader
in regards with Factors that influence the ways university students
think about referencing
In the current paper the author has focussed on the importance of referencing being
neglected by the students. The author has further conducted the study on 4th year and 3rd year
of student to find out the ways which influence the manner student think in regards with
referencing and its related concepts. It was further found out that the training offered to the
students were not adequate enough.
C). Plagiarism
Taylor, G. and Elliott, D., 2017. Academic Integrity. Sheffield Hallam University.
C – Currency It is published in the year 2017
R – Relevance The information being given in the article is related with the topic
of plagiarism. Further, the intended audience of the article are the
students of the University.
A – Authority The paper is being written by Gillian Taylor & Denise Elliott a nd
is being published for Sheffield Hallam University
A – Accuracy The paper includes references which means that the information
come from reliable sources. The language being used in the paper
is simple and easy to understandable
P – Purpose The information being included in the paper is the fact and is not
biased
In the present article the author makes a suggestion to the students to understands the
importance of academic integrity, plagiarism and different forms of misconduct. In addition
to this, it also focusses on helping the students to develop suitable skills and deal with the
issues related to plagiarism fairly.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Adeani, I. S., Febriani, R. B. and Syafryadin, S., 2020. USING GIBBS’REFLECTIVE
CYCLE IN MAKING REFLECTIONS OF LITERARY ANALYSIS. Indonesian
EFL Journal. 6(2)., pp.139-148.
Arna'out, A., 2016. Academic Integrity Issues: Benefits, Challenges, Initiatives and Practices.
International Journal of Social, Science & Education. 6(1). pp.8-21.
Bernacki, M.L. and et.al., 2020. Effects of digital learning skill training on the academic
performance of undergraduates in science and mathematics. Journal of Educational
Psychology.
Chaiyama, N., 2019. The development of blended leaning model by using active learning
activity to develop learning skills in 21st century. International Journal of
Information and Education Technology. 9(12). pp.880-886.
Cottrell, S., 2019. The study skills handbook. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Cottrell, S., 2020. Teaching study skills and supporting learning. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gamage, K. A., Silva, E. K. D. and Gunawardhana, N., 2020. Online delivery and assessment
during COVID-19: Safeguarding academic integrity. Education Sciences. 10(11).
p.301.
MacLeod, P. D. and Eaton, S. E., 2020. The paradox of faculty attitudes toward student
violations of academic integrity. Journal of Academic Ethics. 18(4). pp.347-362.
Mbutho, N.P. and C. Hutchings. 2019. Factors That Influence the Ways University Students
Think about Referencing and Related Concepts. South African Journal of Higher
Education. 33(5). pp.230-48.
Stoesz, B. M. and Los, R., 2019. Evaluation of a tutorial designed to promote academic
integrity. Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity. 2(1). pp.3-26.
Taylor, G. and Elliott, D., 2017. Academic Integrity. Sheffield Hallam University.
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