Preparing for Success at University: Knowledge and Creativity

This document provides a comprehensive guide on preparing for success at university. It covers various skills such as academic writing, reading skills, linking ideas, research skills, presentation skills, referencing, and more. The content is aimed at helping students develop the necessary knowledge and creativity for achieving success in their academic and professional careers.

PREPARING FOR
SUCCESS AT
UNIVERSITY:
KNOWLEDGE AND
CREATIVITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................1
PORTFOLIO...................................................................................................................................2
Academic Writing........................................................................................................................2
Reading skills...............................................................................................................................2
Linking ideas together.................................................................................................................3
Linking words and phrases..........................................................................................................3
Skimming.....................................................................................................................................3
Research skills.............................................................................................................................4
Presentation skills........................................................................................................................4
Referencing..................................................................................................................................4
Group discussion.........................................................................................................................5
Vocabulary...................................................................................................................................5
Class notes...................................................................................................................................5
Learning style..............................................................................................................................5
REREFENCES................................................................................................................................6

SUMMARY
There were various kinds of materials that were used for populating the portfolio. Each of
them had their own importance and were used in a proper and appropriate manner for a certain
reason. One of the main study materials chosen for this study is “Necessary skills for success”.
This material helped in explaining necessary skills that are required to be developed for
achieving success. As per this study material self- knowledge and motivation, management skills
are important skills that are required to be developed for achieving success with many other
skills such as leadership and planning skills, communication skills, technical and practical skills,
creative and cognitive skills, interpersonal and personal skills and many more. Another material
chosen for this portfolio is overview of learning style and reflection. This helped me in
understanding different kinds of learning styles, different kinds of reflective writing models that
can be used for writing a reflection. Other than this, another material chosen for this portfolio
was personal development plan. This material has been chosen because it is important for one to
understand ways in which they can develop personal development plan. It is important for one to
known ways in which they can develop their PDP so that they can plan their personal,
educational and professional development in a proper manner as it helped me in understanding
different types of academic writing style which further helped me in understanding ways in
which PDP is developed.
Materials chosen for portfolio has been chosen in such a manner that it can help an
individual to bring improvement within their current skills and knowledge so that they bring
improvement within themselves and achieve success accordingly. this material ahs also helped in
understanding importance of Reading skills and how it can help in developing writing skills,
speaking, reading, and listening skills that are important and essential for both academic and
professional development. One of the most important material that has been used to populate the
portfolio is research and referencing guide. It has research and referencing material was
important to be populated because it helps an individual to understand ways in which research
should be conducted and how referencing of material used should be done. Referencing is on of
the important part of research because whenever an individual conducts a research and if they
use someone else work then it is important for them to acknowledge their work. This portfolio is
also populated by presentation material as well. It is an important material because it helps in
providing an understanding to individual so that they can learn to do presentation in power point.
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It is important for individuals to learn ways in which they can make presentation because it is an
important skill which is required both academically and professionally. This portfolio is also
populated with social and ethical issues that can arise within business. This material is important
and was required to be included within business so that one can understand what are the
important issues that can arise within a business.
PORTFOLIO
Academic Writing
Academic writing is one of the most important things which is required to be focused
upon by students as it helps them to understand ways in which a work is required to be
presented. There are various kinds of things which is required to be focused upon for academic
writing. Academic writing helps in developing writing skills though which students can
understand difference between active and passive writing, common things that are required to be
focused upon while constructing a paragraph so that appropriate and correct meaning for
paragraph can be formed (Zemach and Rumisek, 2016). This academic writing skills also helps
students to understand requirement of punctuations, correct abbreviation use etc. It is not only
useful for students academically but will also help them in professional career as well. Written
skills can be developed by students by attending seminars, working upon improving English
grammar and its usage. It can also be improved by making one’s own class room notes.
Academically written skills can be improved by working upon understanding and using different
kinds of academic words or phrases within sentences or in paragraphs.
Reading skills
Reading skills are another important aspect which helps in understanding data or
information which is presented in written form. It is one of the most important skills required for
development of both academic and professional career. Reading skills helps an individual to
acquire important information. It is an important part of communication skills as well. as many
times reading component of communication skills is often ignored which can directly impact
communication activity. Reading ability enhancement helps in understanding words, phrases,
sentences. It also helps in extracting important and required information and answer important
questions as well as it also helps in increasing familiarity of words and information provided
(Howard and et. al., 2018). Reading skills helps in development and understanding of structure
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of paragraph, author’s point of view, summarization, usage of punctuation, readers anticipation
etc. Improving reading skills can help in improving level of understanding of students.
Linking ideas together
Both academically and professionally it is important to understand ways in which
different kinds f words or phrases are used for linking ideas together. Linking ideas together
helps in developing meaning of idea or paragraph. Linking ideas together helps in introducing an
alternative point of view or alternative ideas. Linking of ideas together can be done if an induvial
has good understanding words, have good vocabulary and knows where and when different kinds
of phrases can be used for linking ideas together. Simply adding points of ideas together cannot
help an individual to develop meaning out of it and where and when it can be used. By lining
ideas together using appropriate words and phrases can developing meaning of the idea, putting
them in different way and if it is done in an accurate manner then it can also help in showing
results of those ideas as well.
Linking words and phrases
Writing skills can help an individual to express their knowledge, ideas, point of view in
written form but without using appropriate and correct words or phrases meaning of those test or
sentences is incomplete. Using and linking words and phrases together with text, sentences and
paragraph together can help in developing a meaning out of it. Linking words and phrases helps
in connecting different sentences or paragraph together, comparing tow test or paragraph and
differencing between them as well. For an academic writing as well as professionally it is
extremely important to be focused. It further helps in reformation of sentences, replacing and
explaining it in one’s own language. For linking words or phrases first of all an individual need
to learn different types and categories of words and phrases and ways in which those words or
phrases can be used.
Skimming
It is another important skill which is developed from reading skills. It is used in both
academic and professional career for extraction of important information from a test or provided
written information. Skimming can only be done if reading skills of an individual has been
improved. it is a kind of technical skills which is required to scan whole document or test so that
information and useful information can be extracted quickly (Ernawati, 2016). It also helps in
understanding which text is important and required to be focused more and which test is not
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important and can be skipped. It is majorly used for analysis of written or provided information
for answering important questions. At academic and professional level reading and skimming
skills are important as it helps in scanning and identifying job opportunities as per an
individual’s current skills and knowledge. Skimming helps individual to focus upon jobs that are
important for them and jobs that are not for them so that they can take their professional career a
step forward. Only way through which students can learn skimming is by improving their
reading skills so that they can easily identify important text and least important test or
information.
Research skills
Academic reading and writing skills help in development of research skills. Research
skills are extremely important in resolving current problem, find new information related to a
topic and for many other purposes it is important (Allison and et. al., 2016). Academically
research skills are important for generating new knowledge, gain understanding of a topic or
phenomenon in a better manner. Professionally research skills are important for resolving
different kinds of issues or problem that can occur within an organization. It can also be used in
gaining understanding of a new topic, technology etc.
Presentation skills
Presentation skills helps a student in presenting their knowledge, data or information
collected by them or explain research that has been conducted by them. Presentation skills is
important to be developed as it helps student so that they can present their research to others
appropriately. In order to improve presentation skills, it is important for students to understand
different kinds of academic writing skills and ways in which it is presented (Gravett and Kinchin,
2020). There are two ways of presenting from is orally by developing a proper presentation and
another is in written form like in form of essay, case study, report, dissertation and in form of
written presentation for oral presentation.
Referencing
One of the most important things to be focused upon by students is referencing. This skill
is mostly used for academic projects or for research studies. If information or data of other
researchers is used within one’s own project or study then it is important for individual to cite it
and put a reference for the same (Gardner and Davies, 2016). Referencing helps students to
avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism concept is important to be understood and avoided by students as it
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helps in explaining whether information provided by students is their own or they have copied
someone ese’s work. Not even academically but professionally as well copying someone else
work is not appreciated.
Group discussion
Academically it is important for every student to bring improvement within their
knowledge, communication skills so that they can participate within group discussions. Group
discussions provide a chance to students so that they can express their knowledge, their opinion
and ideas with others and errors or issues within one’s own work as well as in group project
work can be reduced. Group discussion also helps students in learning ways in which work
within team is done as it is important professionally.
Vocabulary
For student’s preparation of class notes, participating in examinations or competitions,
present own’s own research work, ideas, interpret other words and for many other purposes it is
important to enhance one’s own vocabulary (Knoll and et. al., 2017). Vocabulary also helps
students to bring improvement within their academic writing and reading as well because with
the help of improved vocabulary they can easily link words, phrases or sentences with each
other. Vocabulary can be improved by reading more books, using dictionary for understand
meaning of words and synonyms that can be used instead of those words.
Class notes
Another important thing which should be learnt and focused upon by students as
developing one’s own class notes can help then in gaining a better understanding of a topic. It is
important for students to leaned and develop their own class notes so that they can bring
improvement within their academic skills. In order to develop one’s own class notes students
need to have good listening skills, reading and writing skills so that by understand the topic in a
better manner they can develop their own notes.
Learning style
Each and every individual has their own learning style which is adopted by them.
Adopting an appropriate learning style helps students to adopt new things, gain better
understanding of a topic and enhance one’s own academic and professional performance in a
much better manner. Working with seniors can helps an individual to bring improvement within
their current learning style so that improvement within one’s own performance can be brought.
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REREFENCES
Books and Journals
Allison, B., and et. al., 2016. Research skills for students. Routledge.
Ernawati, T., 2016. The Usage of Skimming Technique in Increasing Fast reading Skills With
Subjects Indonesian for the Fifth Grade Elementary School Students. p.305.
Gardner, D. and Davies, M., 2016. A response to “To what extent is the Academic Vocabulary
List relevant to university student writing?”. English for Specific Purposes. 43. pp.62-
68.
Gravett, K. and Kinchin, I.M., 2020. Referencing and empowerment: exploring barriers to
agency in the higher education student experience. Teaching in Higher
Education. 25(1). pp.84-97.
Howard, P.J., and et. al., 2018. Academic reading: Comparing students’ and faculty perceptions
of its value, practice, and pedagogy. Journal of College Reading and Learning. 48(3).
pp.189-209.
Knoll, A.R., and et. al., 2017. Learning style, judgements of learning, and learning of verbal and
visual information. British Journal of Psychology. 108(3). pp.544-563.
Zemach, D.E. and Rumisek, L., 2016. Academic writing. Macmillan.
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