Study Skills for Higher Education: Essay and Report

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Study Skill for Higher Education
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Table of Contents
Assignment 1: Individual Essay.................................................................................................3
Assignment 2: Individual Report...............................................................................................7
Reference list............................................................................................................................12
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Assignment 1: Individual Essay
Introduction
Every student need to have a clear idea about the social life as well as the demands of
academic to perform better. In this study, the reasons of achieving degree from the university
will be highlighted. The identification of the core academic skills will be performed here in
context to the given article. In addition to this, the necessity of these identifies skills will be
mentioned in this section along with a development plan will be prepared to develop the
knowledge and skills.
Discussion
Students can be able to develop their skills and knowledge by attending University courses.
From the given article, it is found that the main reason behind going to University is to get
vocational training. As commented by Holdaway and Kelloway (1987), the students need to
receive vocational as well as general education. In case if the individuals do not have
sufficient knowledge then it would be difficult for them to get their expected job. All most
83% students have supported that they are going to University for getting better Job
opportunity (Holdaway and Kelloway, 1987). However, many of them have stated that they
are coming to University so that they can pursue the course of their desired subject.
Cottrell (2017) stated that, the learners want to support their family members financially and
for this reason try to get admission in the Universities. They can receive the guidance of
efficient professors during their course. It would be essential for them to fulfil their academic
objectives.
As stated by Hew (2016), learning style of the students, capacity of note taking, paraphrasing,
and communication as well as academic writing skills can be considered as the core
academic skills.
The style of learning of every student is different from each other. According to Glatthorn et
al. (2016), some of the students prefer visual learning where images are used to clearly
understand the subject.
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On the contrary, few of them prefer aural and verbal learning style. The learners can also
adopt logical learning style by using reasoning and logics. Interpersonal and intrapersonal
styles can also be essential here.
The students need to analyse their strength and weakness at the time of adopting learning
style. After this, they can be able to perform their course in an effective way.
In addition to this, the students have to know how to do paraphrasing. From the point view
of Phillips Galloway and Uccelli (2019), after understand the source it is necessary for the
students to paraphrase the content and write it in their own words. Instead of memorising,
the learners need to understand viewpoint of the author and make sure that the thought is
presented by using their own words. On the other hand, students can face issues related to
plagiarism if they are unable to paraphrase properly.
Students have to develop their academic writing style to make sure that they are performing
their courses effectively. According to Murray and Nallaya (2016), if the students do not have
good writing style then they cannot be able to present thoughts properly. It is important to
critically evaluate, analyse and present individual thoughts by utilizing the writing style.
Moreover, the learners need to focus on developing their skills of note taking. During the
class, the students can note down important points discussed by their professors. This skill is
important to collect knowledge regarding the course and perform well.
During the academic course, learners have to develop their communication skill by
participating in-group discussion. It is important to develop this skill to make people
understand about own thoughts through verbal communication and get the desired job.
Name of the skill How to achieve it Process of
monitoring
Required time
Development of
Learning style
At first it is important
to analyse the
preferable learning
style and then create
an environment to
learn properly with
the help of that
The professors can
interact with every
student individually to
know whether they are
facing any issue
regarding the learning
environment.
Long term (1 year)
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learning style
The style of
Academic writing
The students can
make an outline
before starting to
write. Besides that,
they need to improve
punctuation and
grammar. They can
take help from the
professors to make
changes in writing
style.
Class test can be
arranged for the
learners to examine
their writing style
Long term (11
months)
Communication skill By participating in-
group discussions, the
individuals can
develop their
communication skill.
Professors can arrange
debate sessions in the
University to check
whether the
communication skill of
their students has
developed or not.
Long term (2 year)
Paraphrasing The students need to
be suggested by their
professors to read the
contents thoroughly.
They can use
synonyms while
writing the texts.
Professors can conduct
written test weekly
basis. They can check
the plagiarism also to
ensure that the
students have
developed the skill of
paraphrasing.
Short term (3
months)
Note taking Professors can advise
the students to take
notes during the class.
Students need to
understand that these
The professors for
their students can
conduct surprise tests.
At the time of the test,
they can include the
Short term (4
months)
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notes will be helpful
for them to during
their examination.
After that, it can be
expected that the
students focus on
preparing notes to
enhance their
performance.
questions that have
discussed in previous
classes. In case if the
students have taken
notes then only, they
can be able to answer
the questions.
Table 1: Developing Study plan
(Source: Created by the learner)
Conclusion
From the above study, it is seen that the learners have to be committed to develop their
writing style as well as communication skill. It is necessary for them to know how to
paraphrase contents to avoid the chances of plagiarism. Participation of the learners in group
discussion can help them to improve their communication skills. Proper understand of the
contents can help the learners to paraphrase every contents in an appropriate manner. Weekly
class test can be effective to analyse their abilities and scope of improvement.
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Assignment 2: Individual Report
Introduction
Students need to get admission in University based on their qualification and talents.
Professors need to provide guidance to every student so that the learners can be able to
achieve their individual learning goal. Enhancement of skills and knowledge would be
essential for the students to ensure the growth of their career. This section will highlight the
advantages of the foundation year of UK. The importance of this programme will be
discussed here. Moreover, the challenges associated with the foundation year will be analysed
here. Besides that, the role of study skill to overcome the identified challenges will be
discussed in this study.
Identify the importance of the foundation year for students from wide participation
backgrounds and explain why it is important
The aim of foundation year is to fulfil the gap of knowledge of the students. As per the
article, it can be seen that foundation year is taken place in order to analyse what is wrong in
the education system and take necessary actions to resolve it. In case if the authorities of
school or college neglect the talents of any student then in that case, foundation year would
be essential to make sure that talents are prioritised. In context of the learners, belong to
widening-participation it can be said that they need to struggle to cope with the transaction of
secondary education. Instead of prioritising the background of the learners Foundation year
focus on helping those students to get equal opportunity. As stated by Krutkowski (2017), in
foundation year is acting as a bridge for the students so that they can be able to pursue course
in the Universities of UK.
From the research of Leeds and Kent University, it is found that after placing themselves in
this University the students of “weaker entry qualifications” have more chances of becoming
successful than the learners of “good entry qualifications”. For this reason, the programme of
Foundation year is playing an important role in developing the professional skills of these
students. Midgley (2002) stated that, if the learners are suggested to focus on their weak areas
then they could not be able to enhance their strength areas and improve academic
performance.
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On the contrary, Bravenboer (2016) argued that many times it could be seen that the students
are unable to get a job due to lack of professional as well as personal skills. For this reason,
the participation of the students in this programme would be beneficial for them to enhance
their skills and perform well during the academic course. This programme can be helpful for
the students to learn the additional English language. After that, they can develop a better
understanding of the contents related to their course. In addition to that, the students become
familiar with the culture of UK as they are coming from other cultures. As a result, when they
will take admission in the University they will not face the conflicts related to different
cultural preferences of the learners. This can lead to better group work while studying in the
University. The students can get the opportunity of improving their communication skill,
writing skill as well as the ability of critical evaluation. The gap of their knowledge can be
overcome through this programme and besides that, their ability of time management can also
be improved.
In case of the school students, the professors need to help them to realise their areas of
strength rather than only focusing on the improvement of weak areas. In this way, the
learners would not lose their confidence level while fulfilling their academic goals. All the
students are provided with a progression route to perform their academic related actives and
achieve success. As a result, they can be able to complete the course and achieve their
honourable degree.
Explain the key challenges facing foundation year students
In case of the students of foundation year, they do not have a clear idea regarding the
expectations of University. Due to this reason, mainly they encounter challenges while they
are entering in the foundation year. It is necessary for all the individuals to familiar with their
performance objectives from the beginning so that they can be able to achieve the target of
their academic performance.
As per the widening participation, the learners should be offered with chances of getting
admission in the Universities whenever they want to do the course. According to Simm et al.
(2011), if the students do not get the facility to take admission then they cannot be able to get
their expected success and grow their career. It would also be a major issue regarding
employment.
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On the other hand, from the perspective of the University it can be said that at the end of level
A if the higher authorities of the Universities would concentrate on recruiting people then a
large number of students will be unable to get admission in the Universities. As a result,
without a degree from the University the individuals would face difficulties to get job. On
the contrary, it can be seen that in case of foundation year the students are categorised into
two sections such as weaker and good entry qualifications. It is assumed by the members of
foundation year that the students of weaker entry qualifications have more chances of good
result than other students. This type of categorisation among the students can affect the level
of confidence of the learners. The performance of the learners can be affected negatively
because of this reason.
McKenzie and Schofield (2018) commented that, due to diverse background the students are
unable to adjust themselves in the new environment. In case of the learners of foundation
year, it can be seen that they face difficulties while they are coming to take admission in the
UK Universities. They become unable to understand the course due to different learning style
as well as language. Sometimes it can be found that the learners learn quickly if their
professors are using pictures or they are providing reading materials. For this reason, it is
necessary for the professors to evaluate the most preferable learning style of the students and
guide them in a proper way.
According to Lesley (2018), the writing style is different from school level to higher level. At
the time of doing course in foundation year the students become unable to match the writing
style of higher education. For this reason, they can lose their motivation and become stress. In
case if they are unable to paraphrase then also their performance can be affected. In addition
to this, if the students become unable to write the contents effectively then they can face
challenges to complete their assignments on time. The learners also can encounter issues in
evaluation of the contents. In case if the students do not understand the value of critical
analysis and evaluation then they cannot be able to involve in this activity.
It can be noticed in some cases that the students are not making any plan for their
performance. As a result, it becomes difficult for them to manage their performance graph
and ensure achievement of the academic aim. In case if they face communication issues then
they would be unable to take help from any professor to make, a proper plan and improve
their individual performance. Besides that, if they do not have any idea about the sources of
information then also they can encounter issues to prepare their contents.
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Discuss how study skills in higher education can help foundation year students
overcome some of these challenges
According to Kagan and Diamond (2019), study skills include the skills of time management,
writing style along with note taking and reading materials carefully. The students of the
foundation year need to be suggested to take notes while they are attending the classes. As it
is seen that the students are facing difficulties to understand the course due to different
language and culture hence taking notes can be beneficial for them to understand it letter.
After class, they can interact to their professors and ask them to help for better understanding.
Receiving help from the peers can also be helpful for them to understand their course
efficiently.
As influenced by McCaig (2018), it is necessary for the professors to analyse the suitable
learning style for their students. Due to ineffective learning style, the students become unable
to complete their course and achieve success. For this reason, it is suggested to the professors
that at first they need to identify the learning style that would be effective for the students. In
case if they are preferring notes, then professors can offer reading materials to them.
Moreover, they can use pictures for better understanding of the contents.
Furthermore, the students can be provided with help to understand how to paraphrase the
contents. They have to work on developing their academic writing skill by reading the
contents effectively and then write the contents by using individual words (Aldous and
Freeman, 2017). Ekpenyong (2019) stated that, not only the writing skill but also time
management skill needs to be improved by the individuals for better academic results. The
professors need to help the students to understand the necessity to manage time while doing
the course work. They can be advised to do their assignment related work on daily basis so
that they do not have to take any stress due to the deadline issue.
After that, they can be able to submit their assignments on time. Besides the assignments,
they also have to manage their time to study. It is necessary for them to evaluate critically the
contents and write the contents appropriately. The professors can also suggest the students to
perform critical analysis. After that, they can be able to develop the contents by using their
own language. Then there would be no chances of plagiarism while preparing the academic
contents. Moreover, the students can be able to get their expected grades by developing the
skill of writing.
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The management of the foundation year programme has to make sure that they are not
dividing the students into any categorise. Every student has to receive equal treatment from
the management so that his or her confident level can become higher.
It is necessary for the individuals to know about the sources for collecting relevant
information regarding their course. The professors can give advice to the students regarding
gathering of information. Students need to collect the relevant data from the authentic
sources. After that, they can be able to analyse authentic contents accurately and use these for
doing the assignment work. The sources need to be note down by them so that after class they
can access these sources for the collection of data. The students can make a study plan by
taking help from their professors. They need to follow this plan while performing their course
to make sure that their aim is fulfilled and they become able to achieve good grades.
Draw conclusion based on these key points
From the above content, it is understood that the students are participating in foundation year
programme to secure their place in the Universities of UK. As the students of widening-
participation are unable to get admission hence this programme has been designed for them.
They become unable to get their dream job because of their poor personal and professional
skills. The students have to get the opportunity to take admission at any time so that they can
complete their course and make sure that they achieve their expected job role after finishing
the course. On the other hand, the learners would be unable to get opportunity to pursue the
course if the Universities would recruit more students at the end of A level. Moreover, it is
seen here that time management skill along with proper writing skill can be helpful for the
students to ensure their good performance. Making a study plan can give opportunities to the
students to finish the assignments and meet the given deadlines.
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Reference list
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apprenticeship policy. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 6(4), pp.384-400.
Cottrell, S., 2017. Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Ekpenyong, O.O.D.M.S., 2019. Further Education Lecturers: A Glimpse into Factors
Influencing Their Career Satisfaction, Aspirations and Development.
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Hew, K.F., 2016. Promoting engagement in online courses: What strategies can we learn
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341.
Holdaway, E.A. and Kelloway, K.R. (1987) First Year at University: Perceptions and
Experiences of Students. Canadian Journal of higher education, 17(1), pp.47-63.
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Krutkowski, S.(2017). A strengths-based approach to widening participation students in
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Lesley, P., 2018. The University Challenge (2004): Higher Education Markets and Social
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McCaig, C., 2018. English higher education: Widening participation and the historical
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Education (pp. 51-72). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
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