Preparing for University

Syllabus

• Week 1

  Asking questions

  • Introduction to the course

    This course will help you develop on appreciation of what university lecturers will be expecting of you as an undergraduate student.

  • The process of 'asking questions'

    Here you will think about when and where to ask questions and why this is important.

  • Preparing for a lecture

    Here you will consider what you could do before a lecture, how you might ask yourself questions relating to the material you are going to hear.

  • Questioning lecture material

    Here we will explore questions in relation to lectures.

  • Week 1 summary

    In this activity you will have a go at another five minute lecture, and assess yourself on how you approach the material.

• Week 2

  Independent study

  • Introduction to independent study

    This week will concentrate on how to develop independent study skills which are crucial to success in the university learning environment.

  • Links between independent study and revision

    In this activity you will explore the process which takes you from lecture notes to revision material, through your independent study.

  • Developing reading skills

    In this activity you will consider how to approach extra reading, which you would do to supplement your notes from a lecture.

  • Reflecting on independent study and revision

    Here you will find out what lecturers think about independent study and revision.

• Week 3

  Structuring Writing

  • Introduction to structure

    Structuring your thoughts, your writing, your ideas and your arguments are integral to higher education.

  • Having an opinion

    Here you will explore the role of your opinion in how you would structure your writing at university.

  • The importance of good paragraph structure

    Structuring paragraphs is crucial to structuring an argument. If you can master paragraph structure before you arrive at university you will find the move to a university-style essay much more approachable.

  • Structure from a university perspective

    Here you will learn about lecturer's views on structuring work at university, and think about how to work at a higher level in higher education.

  • Week 3 summary

    Here you will consider some questions on a topic and complete some exercises and then answer some questions about how you approached the task.

• Week 4

  Persuasive writing

  • Learning what persuasive writing is all about

    An overview of persuasive writing and its fundamentals.

  • Getting started to write persuasively

    A starting point for persuasive writing.

  • Now over to you

    Time to put your learning into practice.

  • Communicating in an academic or professional environment

    How best to communicate in education and professionally.

• Week 5

  Textual analysis

  • Introduction to textual analysis

    This week is all about analysing a text and thinking about the context in which it was written.

  • Reading the poem

    Here you will explore some questions and then read the poem.

  • Identifying a sonnet

    Here you are being asked to explore the relationship between the formal conventions of the sonnet and how our sonnet is written.

  • The idea of liberty in the poem

    Here you will be asked to think about the ideas of confinement, liberty and what a prison might be in the poem.

  • About liberty

    How to position yourself in relation to ideas around liberty

  • Studying the poem within its historical context

    In the next step we will explore the importance of the French Revolution and its aftermath.

  • Producing a dialogue

    Here you will be exploring producing a dialogue between ‘out of context’ and ‘in context’ readings.

  • Bringing the poem up to date

    Here you will be able to consider the significance of ‘too much liberty’ to your own cultural moment.

  • Week 5 summary

    Here you can reflect on the work that you have been doing this week.

• Week 6

  The power of data

  • Introduction to the power of data

    This week you will learn about how data can be used in different subjects to support arguments, and look at your own approach to data.

  • Using data to support an argument

    In this activity you will look at the different ways data can be used to support an argument.

  • Handling basic data

    Being able to handle numbers is important in so many disciplines. Here you will revisit basic data manipulation.

  • Handling applied data

    Being able to look at a problem and work out what basic numerical processes are needed is not always straightforward. Here you will have a go at solving some applied problems.

  • Working with visual representations of data

    Graphs are used in disciplines that range from science and social sciences to humanities. In this activity you will study and create graphs.

  • Scenario: Planning your mission to Mars

    In this activity, you'll use a series of skills and assess information to plan your mission to Mars.

  • Week 6 summary

    Here you can see how quickly you can tackle the basic maths questions and think about your own response to this topic.

• Week 7

  Academic currency

  • Introduction to academic currency

    This week is about referencing; acknowledging the work of others and why this is so important to academics.

  • Discussing when to acknowledge the work of others

    In this activity you will be thinking about the process of referencing, and have the chance to listen and comment on the views of others.

  • Thinking about referencing

    Here you are going to be thinking about what information needs a reference with it.

  • Correcting wrongly referenced work

    Correcting errors in referencing is a good way to try and understand what is good and bad practice.

  • Self assessment and summary

    Here you can think about what you have learnt and how well you have taken messages on board.

  • Summary of the Prep for Uni course

    Wrapping up.

Who will you learn with?