Introduction to studying at
University
STUDY SUPPORT
LANGUAGE AND LEARNING ADVISERS
T1, 2015
UniStart
Writing Mentors
Study
Support
Language & Learning Advisers
English Language resources
Academic resources
Study support
deakin.edu.au/study-success
UniStart
Access UniStart
Writing Mentors
• Students Helping Students
• Starting Uni
• Assignment writing
& referencing
• Managing your time
Email or Facebook
Drop-in at all campuses
Peer support
In addition to the Writing Mentors, there are many other
peer support programs available in your Faculty and
elsewhere at Deakin.
Check the Students Helping Students (SHS) Hub to find out.
http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/get-involved/shs-hub
Language and Learning Advisers
Advice for all students:
• Assignment writing
• Referencing
• Planning
Make an appointment
Email a question
Digital tools
Check out the Digital
tools topic in UniStart
CloudDeakin
The CloudDeakin topic
in UniStart will give
you an overview and
practice activities.
Your expectations, your goals
• What do you expect to learn from the unit(s) you are studying?
• What is a reasonable amount of time to spend on one unit?
• Do you intend to do Honours / a Masters / a PhD in the future?
• After you have been awarded your degree, what’s next?
• How much time will you devote to your studies?
Time management and diary
How many hours of study
are expected per unit
(subject) per week?
A. 15
B. 10
C. 7
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•
•
•
Start from week 1
Use time planners
Keep a ‘to do’ list
Be specific
• Give time frames
• Schedule planning time
• Start assignments early!
Download your weekly and trimester planners here!
The unit guide
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Learning outcomes
Unit aims
Unit chair, staff and contact details
Weekly topics
Materials for the unit
Assessment tasks: dates and weighting
Referencing style required (sometimes)
Academic requirements
These include:
• Reading skills and note taking
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Academic writing and communication
• Referencing
• Exam preparation
http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources
Reading an academic text
READING STRATEGIES
CRITICAL READING
• Plan your reading and read with a purpose
• Read broadly
• Know how texts are organised
• Use reputable writers
• Know what to read and what not to read
• State your position
• Skim, scan, survey and in-depth reading
• Develop a note taking system that works for you!
• Draw comparisons
• Develop themes
• Respond to a text
Planning to read
Plan
Read
Reference
Connect
Paraphrase
Summarise
Note taking template
Active Reading =
Effective Reading =
Quality over Quantity
Use the note taking
template provided
in UniStart.
Why reference?
• To support and strengthen your argument
• To show that you have read
• To show what you have read
• To enable the reader to locate the sources
mentioned in your paper
• To acknowledge your sources and avoid
plagiarism
www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/referencing
Referencing styles
In-text citations
Reference list
Reference list
author’s family name
initial
year
article title
Cincotta, K 2003, ‘Red, hot branding: riding the colour
wave’, Professional Marketing, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 21-5.
journal title
issue
page numbers
Academic writing
No matter what the task is (essay, report, literature review,
reflection, presentation, etc.), your response should always:
• answer a specific question
• present a reasoned answer
• critically evaluate or compare texts to get an answer
• be written in an appropriate style.
Analyse
question
The writing process
Organise
structure
Read
Take notes
Writing
Use the
Assignment
Planner!
Reference
sources
Summarise
Paraphrase
Quote
Analyse the question
Directive words
 Tell you what to do, for example describe,
compare, discuss.
Content
 Define the topic of the field or discipline.
Limitations
 Are the scope or boundaries of the
question.
Analyse the question
‘An essay is essentially a written argument.’
Discuss in terms of the implications for students
and lecturers.
Text structure
• What are you writing?
• A blog, an essay, a presentation,
a report?
• Each will have a style to follow.
Remember
There is a lot of support available,
so make the most of it – just ask!
• Check out UniStart
• Visit our website
• And remember: the earlier the better!
deakin.edu.au/study-success