BUS3003 Academic Skills: Practice Portfolio with Task Improvements

This document presents a BUS3003 Academic Skills Practice Portfolio, featuring a collection of tasks designed to enhance academic proficiency. The portfolio includes a draft formative task submission with self-evaluation checklists covering information skills, planning/writing skills, independent study skills, and IT skills. Strengths and areas for improvement are identified with reference to Arden University's Graduate Attributes, along with action plans for short, medium, and long-term development. Further tasks address academic integrity, referencing, and time management, culminating in reflective writing and academic writing exercises that explore note-taking methods and their benefits. The portfolio also contains a final submission, including redrafted tasks and an annotated bibliography, demonstrating a comprehensive engagement with academic skill development.

BUS3003
Academic Skills
Practice
Portfolio of Tasks

Table of Contents
1: Draft Formative Task Submission.........................................................................................3
TASK 1......................................................................................................................................3
Introduction to Academic Study Skills..................................................................................3
TASK 2......................................................................................................................................6
Academic Integrity and Referencing.....................................................................................6
TASK 3......................................................................................................................................8
Time Management.................................................................................................................8
TASK 4......................................................................................................................................9
TASK 4: Reflective Writing and Academic Writing.............................................................9
Two: Final portfolio submission..............................................................................................12
1. Re-drafted and improved four tasks with task reflections...............................................12
2. Annotated Bibliography...................................................................................................13

1: Draft Formative Task Submission
TASK 1
Introduction to Academic Study Skills
✏ Complete the Skills Audit provided.
Academic Skills Audit - Self Evaluation Checklist
Skills Choose the appropriate response based on your level
of proficiency
Information skills
Do not
know
about this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do
this
Can
partially do
this
Can do this
well
Identifywhichbooks/journals/website ☐  ☐ ☐
Evaluate the credibility of sources ☐  ☐ ☐
Cite sources using AU Harvard ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Create a reference list using AU ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Maintain Academic Integrity ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Planning / writing skills
Do not
know
about this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do
this
Can
partially
do this
Can do
this well
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Reflective writing  ☐ ☐ ☐
Informal and Academic writing ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write an introduction & conclusion ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Independent study skills
Do not
know
about this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do
this
Can
partially
do this
Can do
this well
Work independently (without tutors) ☐ ☐  ☐
Use effective note taking method ☐ ☐ ☐ 
Use effective time management ☐ ☐  ☐

IT skills
Do not
know about
this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do
this
Can
partially
do this
Can do this
well
Navigate iLearn to find resources  ☐ ☐ ☐
Use search engines ☐  ☐ ☐
Create word documents ☐ ☐  ☐
Use PowerPoint ☐ ☐  ☐
✏ Create a list of your strengths and areas of improvement, with reference to Arden
University’s Graduate Attributes.
Strengths
 With the help of a skill audit, I identify that I am good at planning and writing the
skills. The reason behind this is that planning and writing skills are generally
developed from a young age. So, I always focused on these skills. I do any activity
with proper planning.
 I also identified that I am good at independent study skills. I generally not taking any
tuition from a young age as I always give a preference to self-study and should work
independently that's why my independent study skills are found to be very good. I
also found that time management is also okay.
Areas of improvement
 After conducting the skill audit I identify that my information skills are not as good
because generally, I am not able to identify the books or generals which is necessary
for me to use. In addition to this, I also had not so much knowledge about referencing
and credible sources.
 I also found that my IT skills are not as good because I generally do not use so much
technology daily. So that's why it is important for me to work on these areas.
✏ What are three key things you can do to improve the areas of improvement identified?
In order to improve the areas of improvement which I identify with the help of a skill
audit, I need to do 3 important things which are mentioned below:

 It is important for me to work on information skills and for this purpose I need to
focus on reading more books and websites. I am also required to check the credibility
of the sources which are used for collecting information.
 I need to take classes for improving the site sources using AU Harvard.
 I need to use more and more information technology which helps to improve my IT
skills.
✏ Design a short action plan of how you would improve these areas in the short, medium and
long term.
Plan/Skills Short term Medium-term Long term
Information skills For the improvement
of information skills,
I need to start work
on the sources which
I used for finding the
information
immediately.
I need to continue
working on checking
the credibility of
sources which I used
for the purpose of
collecting and using
information for my
projects.
I need to monitor
and check my own
performance with
the help of a self-
assessment review
so that I will be able
to improve my
information skills.
IT skills In order to
immediately
improve my IT
skills, I am required
to focus on learning
some important tools
and techniques of IT
which is very useful
these days.
It is important for
me to continue to
focus on engaging
with the new
technologies.
It is important for
me to make sure that
I need to get updated
with the new
technologies by each
day so that I will be
able to get friendly
with the
technologies.

TASK 2
Academic Integrity and Referencing
Academic Integrity
✏ Summarise the meaning of Academic Integrity.
Academic integrity is defined as the expectation that teachers, researchers, numbers of
academic community and students act with trust, honesty, respect, fairness and responsibility.
If any person breaches academic integrity then it is termed academic misconduct. It is
identified that academic integrity is found to be a commitment to honesty and moral
behaviour in any academic setting. It is important for an individual or institution to act with
five values of academic integrity.
✏ Give three examples of how we can achieve Academic Integrity at Arden University.
In order to maintain the academic integrity at Arden University, it becomes necessary to
consider the following points:
 Arden University focuses to treat everyone with respect who works or studies with
university and also comply all the policies and regulations.
 They are focusing on engaging the tutors and students positively in order to develop
more and more learning opportunities.
 They are focusing on promoting good and positive behaviour all the time.
Referencing
💡 What resources have you used in class and in your independent study in your first 5 weeks
of studying at Arden?
 Eaton, S.E. and Turner, K.L., 2020. Exploring academic integrity and mental health
during COVID-19: Rapid review. Journal of Contemporary Education Theory &
Research (JCETR), 4(2), pp.35-41.
 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.
 Cutri, J., Abraham, A., Karlina, Y., Patel, S.V., Moharami, M., Zeng, S., Manzari, E.
and Pretorius, L., 2021. Academic integrity at doctoral level: the influence of the

imposter phenomenon and cultural differences on academic writing. International
Journal for Educational Integrity, 17(1), pp.1-16.
 Eaton, S.E. and Christensen Hughes, J., 2022. Academic integrity in Canada:
Historical perspectives and current trends. In Academic Integrity in Canada (pp. 3-
24). Springer, Cham.

TASK 3
Time Management
✏ Put together a weekly schedule that shows how you will manage your study and your other
responsibilities and commitments, in order to complete your studies successfully.
Days/
timing
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturda
y
Sunday
6-7 am Morning
walk
Morning
walk
Morning
walk
Morning
walk
Morning
walk
Rest Morning walk
8am-3pm College College College College College Other
activities
such as
classes
Other activiti
as classes
4pm-6pm Classes
for
improve
ment
area
Classes for
improvem
ent area
Classes for
improveme
nt area
Classes for
improvement
area
Classes
for
improvem
ent area
Attendin
g sports
activity
Attending
activity
7-8 pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner
8-10 pm Home
work
Home
work
Home work Home work Home
work
Home
work
Walk
10-11 pm Making
schedule
Making
schedule
Making
schedule
Making
schedule
Making
schedule
Making
schedule
Making sched
11 pm Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep

TASK 4
TASK 4: Reflective Writing and Academic Writing
Reflective Writing
During this model, I developed many important academic skills. I found that it was a
great opportunity for me to develop and improve the areas in which I was not good. In the
module, the teacher or tutor provides me with a knowledge of academic skills which is
necessary for every individual to improve because it is not only beneficial for academic
studies but also very important for a professional job. I found that when an individual is good
at their academic skills then only they are able to work on their professional skills. This is the
reason that I focused on improving my academic skills during the module sessions. Academic
skills include many important skills such as information skills, independent study skills,
planning or writing skills and IT skills. These are some important skills which I found during
the module. I identify that I am already good in planning or writing skills and independent
study skills. But I did the improvement in information and IT skills. All things going well as I
am the person who was always focused on developing some new skills and knowledge. But
yes it was not easy for me because I did not have a family with IT skills and that's why I
faced many difficulties in order to improve this skill. I also found that I faced difficulty in
improving my information skill because generally, I was not able to find the information
easily. I also did not know about the credibility of the sources.
When I am developing these skills, it was very difficult for me to manage time
because I give extra time to developing these skills. I learnt from the experience of the
studying academy skill practice that an individual should focus on their academic skills
because it is not on useful for academic studies but also very important for professional life.
Without effective academic skills, an individual is not able to develop employability skills.
As a student, I have a dream that I am good at a job and that's why I focus on developing
academic skills. In order to develop more academic and employability skills, I will focus on
engaging in more practical activities so that I will be able to achieve my career goal. It was a
very great experience for me. Jaise hi face many difficulties but I already know that without
facing difficulties I will not able to develop any skill. This is the reason that I accept
difficulties and not losing hope. I always try to manage my time so that each and every
activity is completed within time.
Academic Writing and Note Taking

Use separate paragraphs to write about the following:
1. Explain the meaning of notetaking and discuss its benefits to students.
Note-taking is an important practice of writing down the key points of information as it is
necessary for the research process. It is also identified that no taken may serve as a study aid.
Benefits of note-taking:
 Note-taking is very helpful in order to pay attention to the student.
 It is also helpful for the student to remember the topic and understand it in an easy
way.
 Note-taking help to learn and focus in the classroom.
2. Research 2 notetaking methods and state their advantages and disadvantages.
The outline method:
The outline method refers to one of the most simplest and intuitive methods in order to take
notes. The name outlines the importance of information and note in a hierarchical way.
Advantages
 It provides organised and visual clean notes.
 It helps to naturally draw connections between topics by the note takers.
 It outlines the notes very easily and converted them into review notes.
Disadvantages
 It is identified that this method is less conducive as it requires lots of diagrams and
graphs.
 It also encourages too much not taking.
The Cornell method:
It is the method which divides the page into two equal vertical columns and leaves the lower
1/3 in order to create the upside-down tea on the page. Then use and left column and
summarize the material in space at the bottom of the page.
Advantage
 These methods are found to be very well organized and the systematic recording helps
to review the notes by students in an easy way.

Disadvantages
 It takes too much timing and that's why sometimes students are avoiding this type of
method.
✏ Gather up the notes you have taken during this week in class and in your independent
study.
Notes:
 This week I learned about note-taking and its benefits. I learned many methods of
note taking which helps me to improve my performance.
 I also write about my experience in the module in which I write about different
academic skills which I developed.
✏ Using either the Cornell method or mind-mapping, create a summary of what you have
learned this week.
Keywords Notes:
Solid
Liquids
Gasses
Types of the matter:
Definite shape
Definite volume
Not have a definite shape
Definite volume
Not have a definite shape
Not have a definite volume
Summary:
These are the three important material which have their own characteristics that discussed
in the classroom.

Two: Final portfolio submission
1. Re-drafted and improved four tasks with task reflections
TASK 1
I found that still audit is very important for every individual and that's why it is necessary to
perform skill ordered which helps to identify the areas of improvement. I found two
important areas of improvement and for that purpose, I made an action plan which helps me
to develop those skills. That ask was very good for me and it helps me to improve my skills
and knowledge.
TASK 2
The second task was about an understanding of academic integrity which is really very
important for universities as well as other areas. Academic integrity is all about the way in
which a person performs with all respect and fair behaviour. At University I found academic
integrities becoming very important and with the help of this task I was able to understand
how academic integrity can achieve in the university. For the achievement of academic
integrity in the university it becomes necessary to formulate rules and regulations that help
bride individuals in order to perform in such a way so that it does not contain any academic
misconduct. I found that any student or other individual who performs a wrong activity in the
university then is termed as academic misconduct.
TASK 3
The third task is about a time management in which I uploaded a plan. A plan was about I
schedule in which I showed the time management is playing a very important role in order to
achieve a goal and objective. This is necessary to understand by an individual that without
effective planning there is no person who successfully completes their studies and
responsibilities. This is the reason that I made a time management schedule program which
helps me to show my daily schedule.
TASK 4
The fourth task I found to be very important and that's why I focus on improving this task.
For that purpose, I revised this task and read out each and every aspect. I identify that
reflective writing is used in the task which is on the basis of a skill audit. I also identified that
reflection should be present in such a way so that any person can easily understand the

context of reflection. In addition to this, I also learnt about academic writing and note-taking.
As a Student, Note-taking is a very basic activity which is performed by every single student
in the classroom. When a student takes any class, it requires them to write notes in a
systematic manner so that they are able to revise in future.
2. Annotated Bibliography
Academic integrity
Source: Eaton, S.E. and Christensen Hughes, J., 2022. Academic integrity in Canada:
Historical perspectives and current trends. In Academic Integrity in Canada (pp. 3-24).
Springer, Cham.
Academic integrity is playing a very important role at the University and it is essential for
each University to do their activities with the help of the right behaviour and performance. It
is an expectation that involves teachers, researchers, students, etc. should act with five
important values of academic integrity. The values include honesty, fairness, trust,
responsibility and respect. It is necessary that this value should be present in each individual
who is touched by the university. According to this article academic integrity is found to be
very important in each and every state and it becomes essential in Canada. It is one of the
cities that give punishment to the individual if they breach academic integrity.
Referencing
Source: Du, Y., 2019. Evaluation of intervention on Chinese graduate students’
understanding of textual plagiarism and skills at source referencing. Assessment &
Evaluation in Higher Education.
Referencing is also an important topic special in academic writing as it include the list of
authors name, title of the article, and other important details that provides a source
information to other individual. That means a person who collect information should give a
right source from where they get information so that other individual is able to access that
information. It is important for the achievement of academic make goal and objective. It is
necessary to understand that a person should understand the importance of referencing in
academic writing as it helps them to place the list of source in a systematic manner.
Plagiarism

Source: Awasthi, S., 2019. Plagiarism and academic misconduct: A systematic
review. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 39(2).
Plagiarism is found to be a activity which is against law. In this activity, an individual is
performing an unlawful activity which is against law. It is presenting someone else work as
your own with or without their consent. It provides a serious impact on academic career and
the consequences of plagiarism is very by sevarity and institution. Universities are focusing
on detecting the plagiarism with the help of using specialised software which automatically
compares the submission to database.