STUDY SKILLS & IT Support

 Why Do I Need Study Skills?

We often come across tutors who tell us that a particular student needs help with study skills.  This tends to give the impression that most of us grow up knowing how to study already.  This simply isn’t the case. Nobody is born with a natural ability to study.  Study Skills, learning how to read, take notes, write effectively, manage your time and think critically, have to be learned. 

Don’t run away with the idea that study at College level is simply like school only a bit harder. It calls for a whole new range of skills. A wise student will realise that as well as studying your course you will also be learning and practising how to study more effectively.  These skills are all transferable skills that you will be able to take away with you and use in the world of work. Here is an outline of the skills you will need.

1. Study at College level is no longer about simply regurgitating the standard views and accepted theories given you by teachers.  The emphasis at this level is on genuinely independent thinking.  You will be expected to make judgements, come to your own conclusions and be ready to defend them with argument and evidence.

2. Learning is now YOUR responsibility.  Nobody will make you learn and develop.  You need to motivate yourself to do this and to organise your life so that this is possible. The taught hours on your course will actually be quite small, they are simply there to provoke and stimulate your own learning.  It is expected that you will put in a good deal of your own time in reading, note taking, assignment planning and tracking your progress.  You will need to balance these needs with the rest of your life and your need for recreation.

3. You will need to learn how to use a range of academic writing formats like; formal reports, reflective journals, seminar papers and essays.  These all have a particular structure and a method of approach.  They can seem very bewildering at first.  Help is at hand however because Study Skills Support and the Learning Centre have a wide range of support materials which show you in detail how to put these type of assignments together.

4. At College level, assignments are there not just to give you an opportunity to display your knowledge and skills but to help you develop further as a student.  Be prepared to use the feedback provided to you by your tutors as a means to guide you in making changes and improvements to your Study Skills.