MN3040QA Orientation for Success: Skills Audit Assignment 1 Analysis

This assignment is a skills audit conducted by a student, Patrycja Dobrzynska, for the MN3040QA Orientation for Success in Higher Education course. The student analyzes three key study skills: time management, note-taking, and presentation skills, highlighting their importance for university success. The assignment includes an introduction outlining the importance of planning and goal setting, followed by a detailed skills analysis. The analysis covers time management techniques, such as the priority matrix, and strategies for effective note-taking, including linear, pattern, and Cornell methods. The student also discusses the significance of presentation skills, emphasizing the role of communication and confidence. The conclusion summarizes the importance of these skills in a student's life. The assignment includes a bibliography and an appendix with SMART goals. The student demonstrates their understanding of how to apply these techniques to improve their academic performance.

MN3040QA
Orientation for Success in Higher Education
Assignment 1: Skills Audit
Student name Patrycja Dobrzynska
Student ID no. 10132880
Lecturer Thomas Kotlinski
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Contents page
Introduction ………………………………………………………__3___
Skills Analysis……………………………………………………. __3___
Time management ………………………………………………. __3___
Note-taking………………………………………………………. __3___
Presentation skill………………………… ……………………… _3/4__
Conclusion …….……………………………………………….… _ 4___
Bibliography ……………………………………………………... __5___
Appendix …………………………………………………………. __6___
Illustrate your gained knowledge of what is needed to succeed at university and how
study techniques can be used to your best advantage. Base your analysis on 3 study
skills learned in class.
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Introduction
In my opinion to be successful at University is our involvement. If we have a plan to achieve goals and
we are keep working on them, after a time we will receive a positive result. First, I would start of time
management plan how to keep balance between student live and private live. It’s important to know how
to plan your time. Another step would be learning how to take notes, which techniques will be best for us
and more useful, how not to write down too much information and when we should take note. Third skill
is presentation skills, students should practice that skill as this is a good way of presents innovative ideas.
Skills Analysis
According to skill time management as I mention above, is important how you spread your time between
student and private live. A lot of people forget about this and could bring problems into our life, starting
from relations between family to physical and mental health. To keep a good time management, we can
use the priority matrix technique which you should divide into daily task in two parts, urgent and not
urgent. Choose most priority goals which will go to section “urgent”. As a student it should be homework
done before deadline, attending lectures and seminars, preparing to assignment. Into section “not urgent”
should go plans like watching films, check Facebook, meet with friends, of course this section is
important as well, but is all about balance. Now my time management skill is still in progress, but much
better than it was before start University. I want to develop that skills to perfection so I will be practice by
plan ahead, avoid multitask, distraction like phone, Facebook, focused first on urgent section which is
homework and preparing to assignment.
Next skill is taking notes, which is not that simply like sounds. Personally, I think I’m writing down too
much information or not taking them at all when I should. Every student should take notes, it is changing
relationship between student and information, helps understand and remember useful information. When
student should take notes? While lectures, seminaries and tutorials, even in bed, before sleep we are
thinking a lot and lots ideas coming into ours brains, which we can write down, so we not lost thoughts.
There is 3 different method of taking notes: Linear system which is making list, bulled points,
highlighting, numbers and underlining to identify important points. Pattern, by drawing and cartoons, it
helps student select and connect information.
The cornell method is when you are dividing into 3 columns the note taking column, the cue column and
the summary. Its saving time and is simple and effective.
Then third for me very important skill is presentation skill. Presentation skills in not just a skill, it is
feature helping us to communicate with people, the way of talk, the way of gesticulating our hands and
body, tone of voice, contact eye. All those skills we are using every day, specially eye contact which is
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almost 50 percent of the time while speaking and 70% of the time while listening. This helps to display
interest and confidence between people. In student live presentation skill is needed, student have great
and innovative ideas which, thanks to the presentation, are better able to present and tell about them.
Presentation skill is also a self-confidence, which motivate us with failure instead of giving up with
stumbling, no one is perfect, we all are making mistakes, so our confidence is important to pushing us to
trying till we receive positive results. Personally, my presentation skill is still poor, probably because of
my language barrier. I’m scare of my accent if everyone will be able to understand what I’m saying or
pronounce difficult words, but this skill will be my goal to achieve. I will be practice by talking to the
mirror, keep my tone of voice, talk clear and by talking to family or friends.
Conclusion
In my conclusion I want to mention how all those skills above are important in student live. Before
University I didn’t have to plan anything, now I must manage my time, remember about important things
like homework, deadline of assessment and learn how to keep balance between student and private live.
Also, I realized how helpful is note-taking, when I should note-taking and which of 3 method is more
useful for me. Then how to achieve presentation skill we can practice by building self-confidence and
how our mood can impact on presentation. Practice is our key to successful study at University.
Word count: __758_________
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Bibliography
Appendix
SMART Goals
Skill Planned Action Completion Date
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