Some Key Issues for Returning Students 2012

Some key issues for you as returning students

• Important changes at NTU– Grade Based Assessment– Tutorials for returning students– Course changes

• Important issues– How will this year be more academically stretching?– One year closer to graduation– Services & support – Your involvement in the course

Grade Based Assessment• NTU has produced a 5

minute introductory film about Grade Based Assessment to provide an overview of this topic

• Today we’re just going to introduce the topic

• We will come back to this later this term

• Short Discussion Activity

• We’re going to watch the film • Please discuss in pairs and small groups any questions that

immediately occur to you from the film• We’ll have a few minutes to discuss them as a group

Course Changes

• Key course changes this year– Feedback on coursework – 3 week turnaround now formally part of institutional

practice– Course structure & processes– Changes in course personnel

Academic tutorials

• Purpose of the tutorials– Academic integration– Students developing the approaches and skills needed to succeed in this subject

– Social & Professional– Students feeling that they belong within the course community & increasingly in

later years looking at future career

• Short discussion activity– How did you find the tutorials useful last year?– What would you like to gain personally from the tutorials this year?

How will this year be more academically stretching?

• University courses are designed to be more stretching as each year progresses, some key differences include:– More independent learning– Extended projects

• Short discussion activity1. What your expectations about the academic challenge of this year?– How do you expect to be working?

2. During last year, what did you find challenging about independent learning?– What was the best piece of independent learning you did?– & what implications does that have for how you work this year?

Services & Support

• Academic Support– If you have an academic query, remember you should normally start with the

lecturer/ module leader– Additional academic support is available from the library and specialist staff

within the schools

• Library– The library offers workshops designed to help you engage with more complex

course work and use more sophisticated databases.

• Student Support Services– NTU offers extensive student support available at the Student Services Centres – You’ll be able to find more information about services offered in the ‘returners e-

zine’ emailed out during Welcome Week

• Student Charter– The Student Charter lays out expectations for the roles of the University and for

students themselves

One year closer to graduation

• There are a few key messages to share

• All students– Your CV will be improved by building up a portfolio of paid and voluntary

experiences– It’s best to start developing these experiences now, rather than leaving it late

into the academic year – Advice is available from Careers & Placement Service website and facebook

pages

• 2nd year students – don’t leave it to the final year & consider taking part in Acceler8

Your involvement in the course

• Course reps

• This year there will be the following opportunities for your feedback to help develop the course– Programme committee– Course leader/ student meeting

• Some of the key changes implemented due to feedback in the past few years include:– Staggering submission dates– Feedback provided online– Timings of taught sessions– Increased opportunity of working in schools– Opportunities to meet other year groups– Supporting students with dyslexia in receiving extensions to work & submitting

work in appropriate ways– End of year show for year 2– Streamlining format of NOW/ improved training in the use of NOW