Developing a Successful Study Plan: A University Guide

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STUDY AND RESEARCH SKILLS
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
L01...............................................................................................................................................................4
The main reason for studying a degree at university...............................................................................4
Core academic skills and their importance..............................................................................................4
L02...............................................................................................................................................................6
Strengths.............................................................................................................................................6
Weakness............................................................................................................................................6
Opportunities......................................................................................................................................6
Study plan:...........................................................................................................................................7
Techniques for building comprehension and retention.......................................................................8
CONCLUSION:..............................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
I am with my classmates at the University of Suffolk having been asked to device an effective
study plan. And this assignment is prepared to propose an effective study plan with short, mid
and long-term goals. And the University of Suffolk is the best university in the UK to develop
good learning as well as professional skills. It provides complete guidance throughout the
academic session to ace the skills that are required to interpret and retain well. And also to be
able to use that knowledge in the future and it is devised with the help of the various research
and reports (Riana Topan, 2019).
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L01
The main reason for studying a degree at university
There are several reasons to attend a degree course but the primary reason is to acquire the
knowledge and skills that may help in achieving the career objectives and live a dignified life.
The reasons are empowerment, innovation, economic growth, critical thinking, and confidence.
Acquiring knowledge: The key reasons to attend college are to gain knowledge that develops
analytical abilities. It also helps in better decision making and getting good jobs comparatively
easy. Or can say, it gives a competitive edge to a student (Ahmed et al., 2016).
Economic growth: financial independence and empowerment is the key to lead a dignified life.
It also, in turn, helps in reducing the problems of society like gender bias and discrimination on
various levels.
Innovation: higher education instills a scientific temper in a student and motivates them to
explore further and discover something new. That, in turn, helps in solving the problem of
society by innovative solutions.
Challenges: there are several problems that a student encounters initially like poor learning
outcomes, adjusting in a new culture, time management and depression, the pressure of studies
(Abertay University logo, 2019).
Core academic skills and their importance
Academic skills are the aptitude to learn, retain, comprehend and in the end represent the
knowledge in a way it can benefit in further growth. The key skills that can be developed are
comprehension, reading, writing, Paraphrasing, etc. (Ahmed et al., 2016).
Learning styles: a manner to learn differs from a person to person. Some students learn easily
and retain for a longer time and some make take time to learn, ask questions and refers several
examples and uses that knowledge constructively.
Paraphrasing: it is the ability of a student to interpret and covert the knowledge of scholars in
one’s language and understanding. And good command over it helps in referring a wider range
of source and conduct in-depth research on a particular subject
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Academic writing: an ability to construct an excellent piece of work by using proper structure
and schematics help the student to represent the knowledge well as well as get good career
opportunities (Brockett and Hiemstra, 2018).
Note taking: it is an art and it depends on comprehension, reading, writing, presence of mind
and understanding of a student.
Importance: all these skills are important in shaping the career and built a strong foundation for
future growth in terms of money, dignity, and success in both academic and post-academic life.
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L02
Recommendations to develop a study plan:
Study Plan is a systematic plan devised to set and attain a long and short term study goals. It also
helps in time management and improving the learning outcomes (Riana Topan, 2019).
Recommendations:
 Prepare a time chart and develop a schedule,
 Identify the long and short term goal,
 And follow the chart regularly
SWOT analysis:
Strengths
 Analytical ability
 Effective communication skills (oral and written)
 Technology savvy
 Knowledge retention
 Creativity (Brockett and Hiemstra, 2018).
Weakness
 Time management
 Poor reasoning ability in some topics
Opportunities
 Career opportunity in data analytics
 Research and development work
 A career in AI and IOT
 A career in the sustainable energy field (Riana Topan, 2019).
Threat
 Increasing competition in every field needs effective time management
 Weakness in some area may affect the performance
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Study plan:
Short-term (6 month-1 years): the short term plan for study should include immediate goals like:
 Completing the degree with honors,
 Participating in other curricular activities that groom the personality and skill set,
 Focusing more on the weak topics, revising regularly
 Improving the writing ability further by continuous practice and proofreading (Riana
Topan, 2019).
After achieving the short-term goals they should be evaluated further and the new targets to be
prepared.
Subject Topics Duration Learning outcome
Environment New and renewable
energy
1 week Partially covered,
revision required
Ethics Importance of values in
corporate governance
15 days Covered but further
assessment needed
Psychology Cognitive ability, brain
mapping
1 week covered
Long-term (2-4 year): the long-term goals are the ones that are to be achieved post meeting the
immediate goals.
 It may be pursuing higher education,
 Joining some certification course,
 Joining the desired industry and working there with full dedication and
 Developing leadership and management skills (Hansse et al., 2015).
Subject Topics Duration How
Post-graduation plan Pursuing course in
renewable energy
2 years By taking
admission into the
desired university
Skills enhancement Leadership and
management, carbon
rating mechanism,
knowledge eco-friendly
services
8 months Acquire with the
help of tutors
Research and
exploration Hansse
et al., 2015).
Joining industry and
career growth
As a trainee office and
learning the industry
related skills along with
the job
1 year Creating new
contacts
Improving the
learning outcomes
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This study plan if followed regularly then it may help in both academic as well as professional
life and yield the desired results (Pang, 2018).
Techniques for building comprehension and retention
 Reading and listening to the orientation sessions well,
 Focusing more on revising, constant assessment,
 Identification of weaker areas and preparing them well
 Preparing the mind maps
 Preparing the diagrams and charts to complement understanding (Montoya et al., 2019).
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CONCLUSION:
The assignment studied in detail the role of University education for acquiring academics skills
and professional abilities. And it also covered the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and
opportunities of a student and their importance in career growth. This essay further focuses on
the skills and their relevance in both career and university education. The challenges faced by a
student during the education are also discussed in short. And in the end, the recommendation to
devise a plan as well as benefits if followed properly is also discussed. And it also includes the
tools and methods needed to achieve the goals and enhance the skills (Ahmed et al., 2016).
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REFERENCES
1. Abertay University logo, 2019. Benefits of a degree (Online available at
https://www.abertay.ac.uk/study-apply/studying-at-abertay/benefits-of-a-degree/ last
accessed on May 23, 2019).
2. Ahmed, T.M., Bezemer, C.P., Chen, T.H., Hassan, A.E. and Shang, W., 2016, May.
Studying the effectiveness of application performance management (APM) tools for
detecting performance regressions for web applications: an experience report.
In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Mining Software
Repositories (pp. 1-12). ACM.
3. Brockett, R.G. and Hiemstra, R., 2018. Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on
theory research and practice. Routledge.
4. Hanssen, T.E.S. and Solvoll, G., 2015. The importance of university facilities for student
satisfaction at a Norwegian University. Facilities, 33(13/14), pp.744-759.
5. Montoya, M.F., Susperreguy, M.I., Dinarte, L., Morrison, F.J., San Martin, E., Rojas-
Barahona, C.A. and Förster, C.E., 2019. Executive function in Chilean preschool
children: Do short-term memory, working memory, and response inhibition contribute
differentially to early academic skills?. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, pp.187-
200.
6. Pang, J., 2018. The Importance of Traditional Culture in University Education. Journal of
Contemporary Educational Research, 2(4), pp.24-27.
7. Riana Topan, 2019. Crating a career plan (Online available at
https://talentegg.ca/incubator/2014/10/28/ready-create-career-plan-started/ last accessed
on May 23, 2019).
8. Sadler, D.R., 2016. Three in-course assessment reforms to improve higher education
learning outcomes. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(7), pp.1081-1099.
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9. Votruba‐Drzal, E., Miller, P. and Coley, R.L., 2016. Poverty, urbanicity, and children's
development of early academic skills. Child Development Perspectives, 10(1), pp.3-9.
10. Youniversity, 2019. Seven common problems student facing Online available at
https://www.youniversitytv.com/college-tips/7-common-problems-students-face-
university-life/ last accessed on May 23, 2019).
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