Staff Guide to Academic Literacies and Embedding Learning Development
This is a quick guide to Academic Literacies1 and aims to give a very brief
introduction to the sorts of ‘Learning Development’ topics that could be embedded
into module teaching and learning. The Sections below follow the chapters in
Essential Study Skills: the Complete Guide to Success at University, see footnote,
which is a useful textbook to recommend to your students.
For support with embedding and teaching academic literacies, contact CELT through
the website or email: s.sinfield@londonmet.ac.uk . We have material that supports
staff teaching and student learning. Student resources can be used by you in your
teaching – or can be embedded in WebLearn for students to access and use
themselves.
For resources for staff and students please go to our new Study Hub:
www.londonmet.ac.uk/studyhub for student-facing student resources on all the
different study and academic skills that our students will need to succeed at
University – from Managing their Time to writing an Essay or a Report.
See the Studying at University section:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/studying.html
We are also inviting students to discuss their study issues in our Study Chat
FaceBook group: http://www.facebook.com/StudyWorries
See also all the CELT Staff Guides:
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt/teachingandlearning/staff-guides-to-goodpractice/staff-guides-to-good-practice_home.cfm
And see especially the Guide for Teaching for Student Engagement
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/psd/hr/capd/goodpractice/Staff_Guide_Teaching_for_Student_Engagement_June_%202011.pdf
The Quick Guide: Things that your students need to know and do:
1. Overview
In Essential Study Skills this chapter gives an introduction to and overview of the book as a
whole and explains how readers can use the book to improve their study success.
Tips:
 Exploit the benefits of a global perspective – explain the what, why and how of your
module – including of academic and digital literacies if you are tackling them.
 Tell students what’s in it for them and what they have to do and learn to pass.
 Get your students free writing on your assignment question in week one. This can
shock – but it helps to orientate students to the module as a whole.
 CELT has Writing and Free writing resources to help support your student writing.
 In Essential Study Skills – the use of ‘overviewing’ strategies for study is covered in
Chapter four, see below.
2. Succeeding at university: quick steps to success
Do you have an abundance of ‘non-traditional’ students? If so help them to understand the
University and what they need to do to succeed.
Quick tips:
 We can give you a ‘Six Steps to Success’ workshop to use with students that reveals
just how active they have to be in their own learning
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This Guide follows the chapter structure of a useful supporting text from CELT’s ELD colleagues - Tom Burns & Sandra
Sinfield (2012) Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success at university London; Sage
With accompanying website See also: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/burnsandsinfield3e/main.htm
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Staff Guide to Academic Literacies and Embedding Learning Development

See also our SOCCER interactive resource – which covers six habits of
successful study: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/soccer/


Get your students using our Studying at University pages as quickly as possible:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/studying.html
Tell your students to use Study Chat to discuss their study issues:
http://www.facebook.com/StudyWorries
3. Places to go and things to do:
Help your students find their feet by building in time to explore key elements of University life.
Tips:
 Make clear the purpose of: The lecture, Seminar, Tutorial, Virtual learning spaces,
Independent learning, Notes as active learning, Personal academic tutor, the Library,
Subject librarians, The Study Hub, Student services.
 Involve ‘support’ people in your module delivery: CELT’s Education and Learning
Development Team; Student Services’ Careers, Counselling or Work placement
people; the Student union or members of specific Societies.
 Set up a Peer Mentoring programme in your Faculty or to support your module –
information will be coming to this site soon: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt/learningteaching-assessment/peer-support.cfm .
4. Make sense of your course
‘I never enjoyed school, not at all. I never understood what we were doing or why. It was all
so frustrating and I felt so powerless. Now I’m at university because I want to be, studying
what I want to study, and everything is so different. It’s great!’
The most excited and engaged of students still needs help to get the most from university.
Help your students to explore your course and learn how to make sense of University
teaching and learning…
Tips:
 Run a ‘question time’ session where your students quiz you about the module: what
is it, why should they do it and what they need to do and learn to pass
 Discuss the possible career outcomes of your degree
 Get your students collaborating in the Study Hub FaceBook group – Study Chat:
http://www.facebook.com/StudyWorries .
5. How to learn effectively
Explores effective learning strategies and how to help students harness their learning style
to promote active learning and study success.
Tip: Get creative: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/creative.html
6. Get organised for independent study: Get them to organise their desks for study:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/desk/desk.html and discuss organisation &
time management – when, where and how to study effectively.
Tip: Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/managing.html
7. Computers: anywhere, any place, any time
Help students to use the VLE and Web 2.0 spaces to support their learning.
Tip: Rather than teaching a topic, ‘flip’ the classroom – have students search for online
tutorials that they then summarise and present in class.
8. How to succeed in group work
Typically students hate group work!
Tip: Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/groupwork.html
9. How to interact and build relationships
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Staff Guide to Academic Literacies and Embedding Learning Development
Tips:
 Provide time to discuss the personal and social dimensions of being a student.
 Promote spending time in the University – to make friends, join the SU and its Clubs
and Societies (and to get help with home sickness or alienation…)
 Set up a Peer Mentoring Scheme – CELT can help – information coming soon:
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt/learning-teaching-assessment/peer-support.cfm .
10. Academic reading
Typically students do not expect to have to read for their degree they think they will be
taught it… Don’t get angry about this! Help students to understand the point of academic
reading – and to scaffold their reading practices.
Tips:
 CELT has activities to embed in classes, in induction or in enhancement weeks to
help students move from non-engagement to active reading …
 Make time to cover the what, why & how of academic reading.
 Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/reading.html
11. Notemaking as active learning!
Notemaking is a key, essential and valuable active learning strategy that helps students take
control and ownership of their own learning. Sadly WebLearn and our PowerPoint slides
have ‘told’ students they do not need to make their own notes. We can change that.
Tips:
 Teach active notemaking – CELT can help
 Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/notemaking.html
12. Creativity in learning
Students need to understand the importance of creative and divergent thinking – for study
and work success. When we teach this we link it to brainstorming, pattern notemaking and
visual literacies – including Drawing to Learn.
Tips:
 Use or ask for our Draw to Learn session
 Use the Hub http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/creative.html
13. How to think effectively: analytical and critical thinking
Actively teach analytical and critical thinking to promote student success.
Tips
 Focus on the journalism questions: what, why, when, where, who and how – plus
what if, so what, what next…
 Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/critical.html .
14. How to write better assignments
Essential Study Skills has useful chapters on the what, why and how of the following – and
we have information and downloadable Study Packs upon the Study Hub – see
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/introduction.html.
Tips: Use the following chapters from the book and resources from the Hub:
Chapter 15: How to prevent plagiarism & Hub:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/Plagiarism/
Chapter 16: How to overcome writing blocks and become a confident writer
Chapter 17: How to write great essays & HUB:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/essay_writing_general.pdf &
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/Planning%20your%20essay.pdf
Chapter 18: How to produce excellent reports & HUB:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/Report%20Writing%20(short
%20version).pdf
Chapter 19: How to write a brilliant dissertation – coming to the Hub soon…
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Staff Guide to Academic Literacies and Embedding Learning Development
Chapter 20: How to deliver excellent presentations – including Role play, Poster
presentations, Group Presentations … & HUB:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/presentations.html &
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/pdfs/presentations_guide.pdf
& our presentations template:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/pdfs/presentation_template.pdf
Chapter 21: How to run your own seminars and workshops
MoreTips:
 Help students to realise that a good assignment is also about having something to
say.
 Use the ‘paragraph questions’: what is this paragraph about? What exactly is that?
Tell me more… what is the evidence and what does it mean? So what? (That is –
how does this paragraph relate to the essay as a whole?)
 Scaffold short writing activities into your weekly seminar sessions – we can work
them up with you.
 Use the Hub – embed our assignment resources in your module – get students
discussing assignments in Study Chat.
22. How to deal with your emotions
This chapter explores the emotional aspects of being a student – with a special focus on the
role of self-belief and self-esteem.
Tips:
 We can provide practical guidelines for running a session on overcoming fear and
building self-confidence
 Use the Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/positive.html .
23. Reflective learning and the learning log
It is useful to emphasise how active we have to be to actually learn anything. We link this to
reflective learning and learning logs and also to revision techniques and passing exams.
Tips: Use these chapters in Essential Study Skills and these parts of the Hub:
Chapter 23. Reflective learning and the learning log
Chapter 24. Memory and effective revision: De-constructs memory and how to
develop your memory & Hub:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/exams.html
Chapter 25. How to understand and pass exams: Looks at the purpose of exams
and demonstrates how to successfully plan, prepare, practise for and pass exams &
Hub: http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/epacks/studyhub/exams.html
Chapter 26. Personal Development Planning (PDP): Becoming who you want to
be – the what, why and how of successful reflective learning and PDP.
27. Moving on: What to do when you finish university
In this chapter we use voices from students to raise awareness of the range of careers that
students can hope to enter on leaving University – with tips on what to do and where to look
to develop their CVs whilst still at London Met. Also offered are voices from engaged
Careers officers – and subject staff with strong vocational bent and information.
Tips: Remind students from time to time that what they are doing with you can be used in a
future CV.
28. Bibliography: We offer a bibliography that covers theoretical approaches to learning,
studying and academic writing – and to the social and political dimensions of teaching,
learning and studying…
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