london south bank university · 2010-07-05 · team and leadership skills 54 spiritual wellbeing 55...

personal development plannerfor undergraduates

2006/07

LONDON SOUTH BANKUNIVERSITY

p e r s o n a ld e v e l o p m e n t

p l a n n e rf o r

u n d e rg r a d u a t e s

2 0 0 6 / 0 7

w w w. l s b u . a c . u k

Published by CLSD, London South Bank University, 2006Contributions by CLSD, Student Union, Sports, Access and Widening Part i c i p a t i o n

Special acknowledgement to Robin Graham, Academic Development Off i c e r, who put a lot of work into developing theplanners and to Brad Coales, the originator of the planners

Designed & typeset by Phil Bushell – 020 888 99744Printed by ????????????????????????????????

© London South Bank University 2006

the vice chancellor

Dear Student

For any of us to make real pro g ress in a new care e r, course or job, knowing where to find

i n f o rmation and advice is crucial. It is with pleasure, there f o re, that I recommend this

Personal Development Planner to you.

However well pre p a red we think we are for any academic activity, we can always do

better if we improve our study skills. This Planner will help you in this process. It will enable

you to reflect on the current level of your skills and suggest ways by which you can impro v e

them. It includes ways to audit yourself and also contains a dire c t o ry of re s o u rces pro v i d e d

by the University together with a list of people you can contact for advice and support .

As improving your personal skills is, of course, a continuous activity, the Planner is also

designed to re c o rd your pro g ress over time.

The Planner is an exciting tool and the University will be looking closely at how it is used

and seeking your feedback in order to make it even more effective for future generations of

students. Your views will be most welcome.

I wish you all the very best at the start of your career at London South Bank and hope

that this Planner plays its part in making your time here re w a rding and successful. We would

be delighted to hear any comments from you about the Planner and any improvements you

can suggest.

S i n c e re l y

Deian Hopkin

Vice Chancellor London South Bank University

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNER

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contents contents

www.lsbu.ac.uk/learningsupport/pdp


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Personal details 9

Timetable 10

Coursework planning 12

Useful telephone numbers 13

Academic calendar 2006-07 14

Abbreviations 18

SKILLSIntroduction 19

Reflection 19

What’s it all about? 20

Skills and aptitudes employers want 20

Won’t I learn all the skills I needon my course? 20

Benchmarks (QAA) 20

Additional skills 21

Personal Development Planning 22

Evidencing 22

Benchmarks (LSBU) 23

Diagnostic audits 24

Senior tutors 24

Skills audit 25

Personal Development Plan 28

Personal Development Planning Tools 28

What is learning? 36

Surface learning versus Deep learning 36

Learning styles 38

Learning strategies 38

Recalling what you've learnt 39

Exams and revision 39

When it's all over . . . 39

Learning how to learn – resources 40

Finding information 41

Communication skills 42

Effective communication 42

Speaking 42

Presentation 42

Group work 43

Managing group work 43

Listening 44

Writing 44

Reading resources 44

www.library.lsbu.ac.uk 45

Where can I practise these skillsoutside formal lessons? 45

Plagiarism 45

English language development 46

Numeracy 47

One-to-one sessions 49

Other resources 49

Computers 50

Computer resources 50

E-learning and Blackboard 51

Student Union 52

Course representatives 52

Sport, Recreation and Employability 53

Skills through sport courses 54

Team and leadership skills 54

spiritual wellbeing 55

Students with dyslexia 56

Students with disabilities 56

Student Advice & Careers Guidance 57

Workshops 57

Development plan 58

CAREERS & EMPLOYABILITYCareers and employment 60

Where to look for part-time work 60

Learning through work 61

Part-time work 62

Type of work 62

Broaden your horizons 62

Preparation 63

Learning through working 63

Autonomous learning 63

Jobshop 64

A student’s perspective 65

Placements 66

Placement resources 66

DIY 66

Learning communities: mentoringand ambassador work @LSBU 68

Graduate recruitment & disability:support offered to students & graduates 70

Useful information 71

Seven ways of challengingunfair discrimination 72

Graduate recruitment programmes 73

Destinations of Leavers fromHigher Education 73

Employability resources 74

Concise career guides 74

Careers guidance 75

Caxton House 76

Covering letters 76

Targeting 77

Tips 77

Curriculum Vitae 78

Application forms 79

Psychometric tests 79

Telephone Interviews 80

Preparation 80

Interviews 80

Questions 81

Career paths 82

Handling rejection 82

Postgraduate study 83

Taking time out to travel 83

Career management 84

Graduate careers in a changing world 84

Choosing a career 85

Creative job hunting 86

Self employment 86

Working overseas 86

When to start? 87

Self knowledge 87

Coping with rejection 88

Getting help 88

. . . some final hints 88

BENCHMARKScareer management skills 90

Benchmarks: Communication Skills 93

information searching skills 99

information technology skills 103

learning how to learn 107

Numeracy 110

N a m e :

Te l e p h o n e :

M o b i l e :

E m a i l :

Course title:

Course Dire c t o r :

R o o m :

E x t :

LSBU student number:

R o o m :

E x t :

In case of emerg e n c yplease contact:

personal details



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t i m e t a b l e



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s e m e s t e r o n e

M o n d a y

Tu e s d a y

We d n e s d a y

T h u r s d a y

F r i d a y

S a t u rd a y

S u n d a y

Things to do:

s e m e s t e r t w o

M o n d a y

Tu e s d a y

We d n e s d a y

T h u r s d a y

F r i d a y

S a t u rd a y

S u n d a y

Things to do:

useful telephone numbers



13coursework planning


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s e m e s t e r o n e

date set i t e m due date

s e m e s t e r t w o

date set i t e m due date

Accommodation off i c e : 020 7815 6417

C a reers Guidance: 020 7815 6710

I n t e rnational & European Off i c e : +44 20 7815 6189

J o b s h o p : 020 7815 6431

C L S D : 020 7815 6400

University General Enquiries: 020 7815 7815

N i g h t l i n e : 020 7631 0101

N u r s e ry : 020 7815 6565

N U S : 0871 221 8221

P e rry LibraryR e n e w a l s : 020 7815 6625General Inform a t i o n : 020 7815 6660

S p o rts Depart m e n t : 020 7815 7812

Student Loans Company: 0800 40 50 10

Students Union Reception: 020 7815 6060

Student Advice Bure a u : 020 7815 6060

O t h e r :

On-site security emergency number: 020 7815 2222

academic calendar 2007- 0 8



15academic calendar 2006-07


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June 2008 July 2008 August 2008

Caxton House on Borough Road

i n t ro d u c t i o na b b re v i a t i o n s

I n t roduction

The main focus of this section is skills: skillsthat will help you achieve your fullpotential at university, skills that will helpyou get the job that you want, and skillsthat will help you throughout your life.

This is not a ‘how to do it book’; it is a‘make you think’ book, although we haveattempted to include a few handy hints. Itis intended to:■ Grab your attention■ Make you think■ Encourage you to plan■ P rovide links to re s o u rces that will help

y o u

But, just like everything else at universityand most things in life, y o u have to do thework. There are many people and manyre s o u rces available to help you, but youhave to decide to make use of them.

The message is to plan now and avoidpanic later.

To use this book you should re a dt h rough the various skills sections and thinkabout how they affect you:■ Do you have the skills you need?■ A re they adequate for what you want

to do?

Only you know what you want to do,t h e re f o re you have to take responsibility forfinding out what skills you need to achieveyour objectives.

If you do not know, then there arere s o u rces listed within this book to helpyou find out. These materials include webbased re s o u rces, publications, and people.All of them are free.

This book includes a planning section.It is designed to help you decide what youneed and to plan what are you going to doto achieve what you want.

C a rry this book with you, read it fro mtime to time, and reflect on your plans.Planning is only the preparation for yourj o u rney; putting your plan into action iswhen that journey begins. Remember, anold Chinese proverb states: ‘The journey ofa thousand miles begins with a single step’.

T h e re is another old Chinese pro v e r bthat says: ‘A book is like a garden carried inthe pocket’. Carry this book in yours (butremember to take it out and read it fro mtime to time!).

R e f l e c t i o n

T h roughout this planner you will see thet e rms ‘reflect’ or ‘reflection’. This is anaction that is key to the learning pro c e s s .The purpose is to understand why thingshappen so as to allow us to minimise thebad and maximise the good.

If something you don’t like happens,d o n ’t just forget it – take time to thinkabout why it happened and how youmight prevent it from happening again.S i m i l a r l y, if something good happens, don’tjust bask in satisfaction – take time to thinkwhy it happened so that you can re - c re a t eyour success in the future .

A b b reviations used in this planner

A U Athletic Union

C S D Computer Services Depart m e n t

C V C u rriculum Vi t a e

C L S D C e n t re for Learning Support and Development

M B T I Myers Briggs Type Indicator

P D F P o rtable Document Form a t

P D P Personal Development Planner/Planning

Q A A Quality Assurance Agency

L S B U London South Bank University

L S B U S U London South Bank University Student Union

www.lsbu.ac.uk/learningsupport/pdpwww.lsbu.ac.uk/learningsupport/pdp

SKILLS

1918


additional skillsw h a t ’s it all about?

SKILLS

2120

SKILLS

Additional skills

In addition to Core Skills and skills re l a t e dto your course, there are other skills andaptitudes that you will need to maximiseyour employability:

Verbal communication skills: U s i n gspeech to express ideas, provide inform a t i o nor explanations in a way that is easilyunderstood by others who are unfamiliarwith the topic.

Written communication skills:P roducing grammatical, well expre s s e d ,easily understandable and interesting textabout topics that may be unfamiliar to there a d e r.

N B : The above communications skills arec o m p l e m e n t a ry to communications CoreS k i l l s .

Te a m w o r k : Working with other peoplein a co-ordinated or complementary wayin order to meet an objective or completea task.

M o t i v a t i o n : The ability to inspire othersand oneself into action.

E n t h u s i a s m : A rdent and lively interest ore a g e rness to complete tasks in a cre a t i v ew a y.

L e a d e r s h i p : C o n t rolling and org a n i s i n gthe work of others by setting objectives,giving instructions and monitoring pro g re s s .

C o m m i t m e n t : Dedication to a cause or tomeeting agreed objectives.

O rganisational skills: Working out howto schedule available re s o u rces and activitiesin order to meet agreed objectives.

P roblem solving: Identifying options,gathering information about theirs u i t a b i l i t y, and then systematically usingthese to choose the best option.

Social confidence: Establishing a goodr a p p o rt with strangers and/or feelingconfident of your position in unfamiliars i t u a t i o n s .


W h a t ’s it all about?

SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLSLondon South Bank University’s ‘MissionStatement’ says: ‘The University will provide opport u n i t i e sand a supportive environment to all of itsstudents and offer relevant and challengingcourses in preparation for futureemployment, to the benefit of London,the surrounding boroughs, and the widerworld. It will develop imaginative policieson admissions which offer the widesto p p o rtunities and enable students toachieve their full potential. Providing anexcellent student experience will be thepriority for all staff, supported by care f u l l yfocused academic and student services t h a tp rovide students with the knowledge,personal and core skills necessary to asuccessful care e r. ’

Skills and aptitudesemployers want

R e s e a rch has shown that employers ofgraduates want them to have a range ofskills and aptitudes in addition to theiracademic qualifications. There f o re, tomaximise your future employability, youneed to develop these skills and aptitudesduring your time at university.

Wo n ’t I learn all the skills Ineed on my course?

Some courses will assume/re q u i re a cert a i nlevel of skill upon entry. Some courses will

aim to teach new skills. Some courses willseek to build upon and develop existingskills. Some courses will teach skills in ab road context, others will teach them in aspecific context.

H o w e v e r, whilst your course will teachyou what you need to know to gain aqualification, you may need to developother skills to help you find employment.You may also need to improve and developskills to enable you to succeed on yourcourse and to achieve your full potential.If you find your course more demandingthan you expected, you may need to boostyour skills to the level re q u i re d .

Benchmarks (QAA)

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) is anational body that monitors the quality ofHigher Education provision in the UK. It hasp roduced national Benchmark Statementscovering most academic subjects. Thesebenchmarks set out what areas of subjectknowledge and skills graduates in anyp a rticular subject may be expected topossess upon completion of their studies,re g a rdless of where they studied. This doesnot mean that degrees will becomes t a n d a rdised, but that there will be cert a i nminimum standards of the knowledge andskills that all graduates in a part i c u l a rsubject should possess.

The introduction of benchmarks is av e ry recent initiative, and universities arec u rrently in the process of beginning toincorporate them into their courses.


benchmarkspersonal development planning

Benchmarks (LSBU)

As part of the process of implementingbenchmarks, London South Bank Universityhas developed its own internalbenchmarking system to identify the skillsthat you are expected to have acquired, ordeveloped, by the completion of each levelof your studies. These skills are knownwithin the University as Core Skills and areseen as the skills that are essential to yourachievement on your course and yoursuccessful transition to employment uponcompletion. These Core Skills are seen asgeneric (ie: applicable to everyoneregardless of course) and are oftencomplementary to, or additional to, subjectspecific skills.

There are four levels – Levels 1, 2, 3,and Level M.

Benchmarks are currently in place for thefollowing Core Skills:■ Information Searching ■ Career Management ■ Information Technology ■ Communication ■ Learning How to Learn■ Numeracy

There is also an additional level – Level 0(Zero). This reflects the minimum skill levelsyou will ideally possess, at entry, to be ableto progress successfully through yourchosen course. (Of course, certain subjectsmay require a higher level of a particularskill at entry, or even as an entryrequirement, dependent upon the natureof the course).

Many of these benchmarked skills are


SKILLS

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Personal DevelopmentPlanning

Personal Development Planning (PDP) isabout reflecting, planning, acting andreviewing, so it’s a four stage cycle. Youreflect on the strengths and weaknesses,plan some goals you want to achieve toimprove your learning, put these plans intoaction and then review your progress.

You may come across PDP in some ofyour units, or as a process with your tutor.Ideally you should keep a record of yourreflections and achievements. The processof doing this can be helpful to yourlearning as well as providing a usefulwritten record on which to base yourCV or from which your tutors can

provide you with a reference.Here at London South Bank University,

booklets such as this one are known asPersonal Development Planners. You canfind a framework for the reflect, plan, actand review process on pages 30-35.

Evidencing

A key concept throughout this book is‘evidencing’. This means demonstrating orproving that you possess particular skillsand attributes. In the context ofemployability, it is not sufficient to simplyclaim that you have the skills and attributessought by a prospective employer. You willneed to be able to provide evidence tosupport your claim.

With some skills, such as your academicsubject knowledge and subject relatedskills, this is not so difficult as you will havebeen examined on these and should beable to produce documentation toevidence your achievements.

The process becomes more difficultwhen you come to skills and attributes(such as some of those listed in the sectionon Additional Skills) that were notnecessarily part of your course, but arenevertheless required by a prospectiveemployer. You will need to think abouthow you can evidence your own skills andattributes. Examples could include skillsdeveloped during previous employment,part-time employment, participation insport, clubs and societies, voluntary work,family and domestic life – Remember,whatever skills you claim to have youshould be able to evidence with examples.


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SKILLS

skills auditdiagnostic audits

Skills audit

This skills audit is for you to complete. You should use the Diagnostic Audits available fromwww.lsbu.ac.uk/learningsupport/pdp to help you identify what skills you have.

Firstly, list what qualifications you have in the space below.

Qualification title: Level: Grade:

Have you attempted the Diagnostic Audits? � Yes � No

If so, are you confident that you have appropriate entry level Core Skills in:

Information Searching � Yes � No

Career Management � Yes � No

Information Technology � Yes � No

Communication � Yes � No

Learning How To Learn � Yes � No

Numeracy � Yes � No

If you answered No to any of the above, then think about what areas of those Core Skillsyou need to acquire/develop, or whether you need to work on the skill in general. Enter yourthoughts in the space on the next page.


SKILLS

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already included in the content of variouscourses/units, although they may not bespecifically mentioned within the courseliterature. Over time, these benchmarkswill be explicitly built into more and morecourses and will be identified in thelearning outcomes of particular units.

Benchmarks can be found on pages90-112.

Diagnostic audits

The University has produced ‘DiagnosticAudits’ so you can assess your skills inareas covered by the benchmarks.

These are not pass/fail types of tests,just a self assessment of how confidentyou are with the benchmarks so you canbuild up a profile of your strengths andweaknesses. They can then help youformulate your Personal Development Planby focussing on those areas you want toimprove to help you gain better marks. Itworks like this: in order to be able to copewith study in Year 1, it would be good ifyou were confident with most of thebenchmarks at Level 0. As you go into yoursecond year you could aim to be confidentwith the relevant benchmarks at Level 1and so on.

You will find the diagnostic audits atwww.lsbu.ac.uk/learningsupport/pdp.Click on Personal Development Planning.

Senior tutors

London South Bank has a scheme wherebyyou are assigned a personal tutor. Thisperson is sometimes known as the SeniorTutor but may also be called a Personal orProfessional Tutor. (In some departmentsthey may be referred to by another title.)Their role is to offer you guidance andsupport, particularly on academic mattersbut also on other issues that may becausing you concern.

This Personal Development Planner isa useful tool in structuring the meetingswith your tutor. If you begin to use itbefore your first meeting, your tutors maybe able to identify areas where they maybe able to help you with your developmentplans. In the second semester, your tutorcan help you review the progress you havemade. So, read on about how to identifyyour strengths then work with your tutoron pages 30-35 planning how you canimprove your opportunities for successfulstudy and employability.


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skills auditskills audit

Think about what skills/personal attributes you need to acquire/develop. Are there part i c u l a ra reas that you need to develop, or do you need to work on the skill in general – note yourthoughts below.

I need to acquire/develop the following skills/personal attributes:


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C o re skills that I need to develop:

Then think about what skills/personal attributes that you have and how you can evidence them – list them in the space below.

I have the following skills/personal attributes:


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C o re skill: A rea of development:

Skill/personal attributes: A rea of development:

Skill/personal attributes: I can evidence these by:

pdp toolspersonal development plan

S M A RT GOALSThis model compliments the GROW modeland may assist you in setting your goals.The theory behind it is that if your goalsa re :

Sp e c i f i cMe a s u r a b l eAc h i e v a b l eRe a l i s t i cTi m e d

. . . then you have more chance ofachieving them.

Specific: This means clearly identifyingwhat it is you want to achieve, eg:‘ I m p rove my maths’ is not really specific.Either ‘Improve my overall maths ability’ or‘ I m p rove my ability to solve equations’ isb e t t e r.

Measurable: This means having somemeans of knowing when you haveachieved what you set out to do, eg:‘ I m p rove my overall maths ability so that Ican successfully complete all the q u e s t i o n sin the entry level Diagnostic Audit.’

Achievable: This means that your goalshould be something that is within yourreach. If you set your goals so high thatthey become impossible, then you have setyourself up to fail. Sometimes it is simply acase of ‘learning to walk before you canrun’, eg: ‘Refresh my knowledge of basicmaths before attempting to re-take thatmaths GCSE that I failed at school’.

Realistic: Just because something isachievable, does not mean that it is re a l i s t i c .It may be quite possible for you to achieveyour goal, but is it realistic when youconsider the time and re s o u rces availableto you? This is often a question of balanceand deciding upon your priorities; beinghonest with yourself is import a n t .

Timed: This is about setting yourselfdeadlines. If you don’t set yourself a timefor doing something by, you can put it offi n d e f i n i t e l y. Similarly, if you don’t allocatetime for doing something you may neverfind the time to do it. A good plan is to setyourself a date for overall achievement ofyour goal, with other dates along the wayfor achieving specific parts of it.

SWOT ANALY S I S

St re n g t h sWe a k n e s s e sOp p o rt u n i t i e sTh re a t s

This tool is useful in a variety of situationswhen you want to analyse where you areand plan the most effective way forw a rd ,taking both internal and external factorsinto account. It enables you to play to yours t rengths and maximise opport u n i t i e s ,whilst recognising your weaknesses andminimising threats to your success.

S t rengths: In the area of personaldevelopment, strengths are the positiveaspects over which you have dire c tc o n t rol because they are internal to you,eg: skills/attributes and qualifications.


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Personal Development Plan

Having identified the skills that you need todevelop, you now need to create apersonal development plan.

You need to consider what re s o u rc e sa re available, what time you have available,and what priorities you have. There are anumber of models that can help you withthis exercise – consider the following as atoolbox from which you can select asre q u i red. You will also find that these toolsa re multi-purpose and can be used to helpyou with other tasks.

( To help you formulate your personaldevelopment plan, you should also refer tothe re s o u rces listed within this book.)

Personal DevelopmentPlanning To o l s

GROW MODEL:A journey of self discovery

Go a lReality CheckOp t i o n sWi l l

Goal: In this model, it is suggested thatyou should have both short term and longt e rm goals. These should be specific andmeasurable. This means that you break thetask down into smaller parts that can becompleted over time to accomplish a larg e robjective. These goals, must be clearlyidentified (specific) and you must knowwhen you have achieved them (measurable).In other words, if this is a journ e y, you

must know where you want to go, andhow you will know when you have arrived.

The short term goals are places that youpass through on the way to your finaldestination.

Reality check: This means being honestwith yourself. You need to establish exactlyw h e re you are starting from; so if you havecome this far in the process withoutcompleting the Diagnostic Audit youshould think about doing so now. To re t u rnto your journ e y, even if you know yourdestination you cannot plan your ro u t euntil you know your point of depart u re .

Options: This is where you need toidentify the re s o u rces that are available tohelp you achieve your goals, and to selectthose that are most appropriate to yourc i rcumstances. To re t u rn again to yourj o u rn e y, this is the route planning stageand is where you select the mosta p p ropriate means of transport .

Will: This is your commitment to action,the motivation that will carry you thro u g h .The feelings of achievement that youexperience as you accomplish your shortt e rm goals should help keep you goinguntil you achieve your long term goals. Yo uneed to be clear why you are starting outon your journey and what you hope toachieve by completing it – what awaits youat your destination.


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pdp toolspdp tools


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Weaknesses: In the area of personaldevelopment, weaknesses are the negativeaspects over which you have contro lbecause they are internal to you. eg: underdevelopment or lack of skills/attributes andq u a l i f i c a t i o n s .

O p p o rtunities: These are positive extern a lfactors or conditions that you do not havec o n t rol over, but can take advantage of.

T h reats: These are negative external factorsor conditions that you do not have contro lo v e r, but can minimise the effect of.

A SWOT analysis is usually conducted byc o n s t ructing a table like this:

The templates on these pages are toenable you to practise with the toolsd e s c r i b e d .

All of these tools can be used eitheri n d i v i d u a l l y, or in combination to help youf o rmulate your own personal developmentplan on pages 0 0 – 0 0.


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GROW MODEL TEMPLAT E SWOT A N A LYSIS TEMPLAT E

G o a l

S t re n g t h s We a k n e s s e s

O p p o rt u n i t i e s T h re a t s

Reality check

Wi l l

O p t i o n s

S t re n g t h s We a k n e s s e s

O p p o rt u n i t i e s T h re a t s

S M A RT GOALS TEMPLAT E

S p e c i f i e d ?

M e a s u r a b l e ?

A c h i e v a b l e ?

R e a l i s t i c ?

Ti m e d ?

pdp toolspdp tools

Using the G R O W Model, setting S M A RT Goals, and carrying out a SWOT analysis mighthelp you to draw up your plan and plan to deal with any obstacles that might arise.


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Having identified what skills/personal attributes you need to acquire/develop, you now needto plan how you are going to do so. The following four pages provide you with a template todevise your own Personal Development Plan for the coming year.


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I want to acquire /develop the followingskills/personal attributes:

To do so, I am going to:Ta rget dates (when doI intend to do this by:

Obstacles that Ianticipate to carry i n gout my plan:

How might I overc o m ethese obstacles?

What help/advice mightI need in carrying outmy plan?

pdp toolspdp tools


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Use this section to adjust your plans if necessary – Remember a SWOT analysis might alsohelp you to review your pro g ress and consider your options. N B : t h e re is a second planningsection at the end of the diary section.

How have I/ will Io v e rcome theseo b s t a c l e s ?

Do I need to adjust myp l a n ?

Do I need any furt h e rh e l p / a d v i c e?

Remember the ‘Plan, Do, Review’ principle – Use the ‘do/review’ boxes at the bottom of eachpage in the diary section to note your short term goals and to review your pro g ress. Use thissection to monitor your overall pro g re s s .


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When will I review myp ro g re s s ?

P ro g ress made inc a rrying out my plan:

Obstacles that havearisen in carrying outmy plan:

s u rface learning versus deep learn i n gwhat is learn i n g ?

Unless you already live locally, you mayhave very little local knowledge when youfirst come to London South Bank. You maya rrive at London Bridge station and use amap to guide yourself to the University, oryou may ask for directions. You may thenmemorise your route: left out of LondonBridge station, keep going until you re a c hB o rough Road, turn right and keep goinguntil you see the University. Initially, youmight feel unsure as to whether you havegone too far and missed your turning, oryou might turn too early and lose yourw a y. You will eventually memorise yourroute to and from the station by learn i n gto recognise landmarks along your way.

Memorising a route may get you toand from the University, but it would notconstitute 'knowing' the area. This is agood example of ‘surface’ learn i n g .

Over time you may learn other ways ofmaking the journ e y, by walking anotherroute with friends, by asking them whichroute they take, by spending time lookingat a map, or even by exploring the variousside streets. Eventually, you will be able totravel a number of diff e rent ro u t e sbetween the station and the Universitywithout conscious eff o rt, and you will beable to adjust your route at will if, forexample, a road was closed. As youbecome more familiar with the area, youwill even be able to give directions too t h e r s .

This is similar to the process by whichtaxi drivers acquire 'The Knowledge' and isalso a good example of 'deep' learning. Inthis way, over a period of time, inform a t i o nis acquired, applied, reflected upon,revised, added to, and transformed intok n o w l e d g e .

But even this is not enough – landmarkschange over time, roadworks take place,t r a ffic flows are changed. In order to re m a i ne ffective, it is necessary to continuallyreview and, if re q u i red, revise theknowledge that has been acquired. Thisp rocess should be ongoing thro u g h o u tyour course, and once you leave (when itis then re f e rred to as 'life long learning' or'continuing professional development').


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What is learn i n g ?

“ I n f o rmation is not knowledge.”John Le Carr é

T h e re are two types of learning, surf a c el e a rning and deep learning: 'To really learnsomething we need to understand it.L e a rning something by rote or memorisinga formula does not necessarily mean thatwe are able to apply what we have learn t . '

S u rface learning: This is where learning isseen as a means to an end. eg:

O b j e c t i v e – get a job

M e a n s – pass a degre e

T h e re f o re learning is often seen as passingassignments and exams by recalling or re -cycling information in response toq u e s t i o n s .

Deep learning: H e re, learning is seen as ap rocess of understanding and applyingi n f o rmation to create knowledge. Thisinvolves reflecting upon new inform a t i o nand relating it to our existing knowledge toi n c rease our overall understanding of asubject. Assessment is seen as part of thel e a rning process and not the end re s u l t .Results and feedback become the basis forf u rther learning. In the process, diff e re n tunits within a course become related tof o rm an overall knowledge of the subjecta rea.) that you can use to review youroverall pro g ress this year and to makeplans for your next academic year.

S u rface learning versusdeep learn i n g

'THE KNOWLEDGE'We are all familiarwith the LondonTaxi or 'BlackCab'. Whatmay not be sowell known isthat all ofL o n d o n ' sLicensed Taxi drivers have had to gain'The Knowledge' before they are able toply their trade.

To gain their 'All London' Licence,drivers must have a detailed knowledge ofthe 25,000 roads that are within a six mileradius of Charing Cross. They also need am o re general knowledge of the majorroutes across the rest of London. Thisknowledge is gained by learning 400 'ru n s 'a c ross London together with the locationof all major buildings and landmarks. Thisp rocess normally takes between 18 and 36months. Applicants are extensively testedon their knowledge and must then pass anadvanced driving test before they can bea w a rded the coveted 'Green Badge'c o n f e rring their status as a licensed Londontaxi driver.

In the opinion of the Society ofP rofessional Licensed Taxi drivers, ‘TheKnowledge re q u i res the same amount oftime and eff o rt as a university degre e . ’


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recalling what you’ve learn tl e a rning styles

Recalling what you'vel e a rn t

L e a rning how to learn is probably the mosti m p o rtant skill that you can acquire .H o w e v e r, no matter how well you havel e a rnt something, recalling and using whatyou have learnt, especially in the pre s s u reof an exam situation, is a skill in itself.

Much of what you learn at university isstill assessed by exams. There f o re you oweit to yourself to develop the skills that youneed for success in this crucial aspect ofyour course.

Exams and re v i s i o n

T h e re are actually two distinct sets of skillsre q u i red for exam success – re v i s i o ntechnique and exam technique. These arere f e rred to in more detail in the 'Core SkillsS u rvival Guide'.

When it's all over . . .

Reflect on your experience while it is stillf resh in your mind.

What problems did you experience? ■ We re you able to answer the re q u i red

number of questions? ■ We re there questions for which you

w e re not pre p a red? ■ Did you run out of time?■ Did you run out of things to write?

What were the causes of thesep roblems? ■ What could you do diff e rently next

t i m e ?■ We re you well pre p a red? ■ We re there gaps in your revision? ■ Did you begin your revision early

enough? ■ Did you plan your exam time effectively

– did you spend too long on anyp a rticular question causing you to ru nout of time on the last one, or even notto answer enough questions?

If your revision planning or technique waspoor and you could only answer twoquestions, that is bad enough. Imagine ifyou had revised thoroughly and that it waspoor time management during the examthat meant that you did not allow yourselfenough time to answer each question –how bad would you feel then?

This is a common mistake – if you haveto answer three questions in three hoursand you only answer two, the maximumthat you can score overall is 66% (and thatwould re q u i re obtaining 100% of themarks available for each question.)Assuming you average 65% for eachquestion answered and you answer allt h ree questions, then your overall markwould be 65%. If you only answer twoquestions then your overall mark wouldonly be 43%. If you half answered the finalquestion your overall mark would still onlybe 54% (again assuming a 65% averagefor a fully completed answer).

G e n e r a l l y, the more you have written,the harder it becomes to pick up moremarks by writing more. So make a plan


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L e a rning styles

We all have our own pre f e rred learn i n gstyle. Aw a reness of this can assist us in thel e a rning process. Aw a reness of ourp re f e rred style of learning can also assistthose who teach us to respond to ourneeds, by tailoring their delivery to includethat style. Even if this does not happen, byunderstanding our own pre f e rred learn i n gstyle we can develop ‘learning strategies’to help us overcome diff e rences betweenteaching and learning styles.

T h e re are many models of learning styles.One model looks at how we tend to useour senses to filter information; this modelcategorises our pre f e rences for learn i n gi n t o :■ Vi s u a l■ A u d i t o ry■ R e a d / w r i t e■ Kinaesthetic (Doing)

By finding out about your pre f e rred way ofl e a rning, you can develop effective anda p p ropriate study skills. But it is import a n tto remember that ‘no one mode is superiorand there is no superior profile. Althoughour academic institutions may be stro n g l yread/write, life is much more varied. Andyou can be successful with almost anycombination.’ (w w w. v a r k - l e a rn . c o m) .

L e a rning itself is a skill which can bel e a rned. It includes skills such as managingtime; organising yourself and youre n v i ronment and your life; managingassignments and exams; taking notes andreading effectively and eff i c i e n t l y.

L e a rning strategies

The better you know yourself the betterthe learner you will be. Knowing thephysical, environmental and psychologicalfactors that can affect you will help youto manage your study and plan somestrategies. The re s o u rces at Caxton Housea re available via the web: w w w. l s b u . a c .u k / c a x t o n or call in to discuss your l e a rn i n gneeds at Caxton House in Boro u g h Road.

While you are studying here at LondonSouth Bank, your tutors are responsible forteaching you… but Y O U a re re s p o n s i b l efor learning! What you learn here abouthow to learn will greatly enhance youre m p l o y a b i l i t y.

When asked what he’d gained fro muniversity study that helped him get a job,one graduate replied, “The ability to pickup new skills quickly.” An employer states“ We want people coming on board whocan take responsibility … we need peoplewho are able to cope with prioritising …someone who essentially will try and planand organise.” These skills are ones youcan learn at university as you learn how totake responsibility for your own learning andput effective learning strategies in place.


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finding inform a t i o nl e a rning how to learn – re s o u rc e s

Finding inform a t i o nOnce students spoke of ‘reading for ad e g ree’ as in ‘I am reading Law at SouthBank University’. This term is not usedmuch now because you will be usingi n f o rmation from a variety of sources inyour study and assignments – books,j o u rnals, videos, encyclopedias and theWorld Wide Web.

To get the best information, you will use:■ the Library Catalogue to find books,

videos and titles of journals available■ l i b r a ry databases■ our website for journal articles, re p o rts,

financial data and for an index toprinted or electronic journal art i c l e s

■ web search engines like G o o g l e to s e a rch the web. But beware, you mustbe selective and critical about what youf i n d

The Library website (w w w. l i b r a ry. l s b u .a c . u k) is the best place to start all youri n f o rmation searching. It provides links todatabases, and includes the full text of over5,000 journals, newspapers and pastexamination papers.

Finding information can be fun, but itcan be overwhelming, confusing andd i fficult. To help you through this maze,t h e re are many sessions delivere dt h roughout your courses to help developyour searching skills. It is very import a n tthat you do not miss out on these courses.Your first term would be a good time toattend the information searching courses.

The Library website also provides accessto many self learning materials, includingour own Information Quest. There is also afull range of downloadable and printableHelp Sheets in PDF form a t .

In addition to the web based re s o u rc e s ,you should approach the enquiry desks inthe libraries to get help about sources forassignments and how to use those sourc e s .The Library should be your first choice whenyou need help and advice to get materialfor any kind of assignment or pro j e c t .


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and stick to it. A typical example might beas follows: ■ If you have three hours, you might

allow five minutes to read the papert h o roughly and make sure that youunderstand exactly what each questionmeans before you decide which ones toa n s w e r. (Remember, you must be ableto answer the question that is on thep a p e r, not the one that you would liketo be there.) You might allow fiveminutes at the beginning of eachanswer to map out a short essay planidentifying the points that you want toinclude in your answer. You then havefifty minutes for each answer with tenminutes left at the end to read thro u g hyour answers and rectify any mistakes,or include any last minute flashes ofi n s p i r a t i o n .

To help you succeed in exams, Skills ForL e a rning in Caxton House runs revision andexam workshops.

L e a rning how to learn –re s o u rc e s

C o re Skills Survival Guide: Paper copiesa re available from Caxton House Reception.It is also available online at w w w. l s b u . a c .u k / c a x t o n.

Study skills workshops: Open to allstudents. Sessions are advertised across theUniversity and at w w w. l s b u . a c . u k /c a x t o n. Further information is availablef rom Caxton House Reception (020 78156 4 0 0) .


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g roup workcommunication skills

about how you like to have lecture sd e l i v e red to you. The University also hasother equipment available for studentsto use in presentations such as datap rojectors, laptops, televisions, still andvideo cameras, all of which should beavailable within your Faculty. Ask yourtutor for details of how to access thesere s o u rc e s .

R e m e m b e r, a presentation should notbe a bad experience and with the rightplanning it should be enjoyable. Most ofthe presentations you will give will be inf ront of your tutor and course mates, ande v e rybody will have to give pre s e n t a t i o n s ,not just you. Try to relax and you may evenenjoy it. Above all your presentation shouldbe a learning experience; when it is over,ask for feedback and reflect on what wentwell and what did not.

G roup work

At university you will encounter manysituations where you will be expected towork in a group. It may be part of yourcourse and it may even be an area of workwhich will be assessed.

G roup working skills are part i c u l a r l yvalued by employers as many workingsituations re q u i re team work.

G roup work is a working style whichcan be particularly effective where the taskswhich have to be carried out are complexand re q u i re significant use of judgementand decision making. Individuals have theirown strengths and weaknesses, their ownways of looking at things and appro a c h i n gp roblems; so groups of individuals

collaborating can bring together a highlevel of global expert i s e .

G roup work is effective whenindividuals’ imagination, knowledge, skillsand awareness can be pooled. Sharingresponsibility allows greater confidence indecision making, and the decisionsthemselves are likely to benefit from adiversity of input and have more authority.

Working collaboratively can often beexciting and stimulating as you spark ideaso ff your colleagues; there is much satisfactionto be gained from achieving a result whichis collectively achieved and which is beyondthe scope of a single individual.

Managing group work

Because of the nature of group work, youhave got to be able to get along withpeople. Group work is only effective whenthe members of the group respect andt rust one another.

Working in a group should be al e a rning experience in itself as you will bewith new people whom you can bounceideas and thoughts off .

The very nature of group work involvescommunication and you have to be ableand willing to communicate with the othermembers. Often problems arise within ag roup situation because of a lack ofc o m m u n i c a t i o n .

A group situation is also a gro u presponsibility and, when problems do arise,it is up to the group as a whole to corre c tthose problems; addressing pro b l e m sshould not be the responsibility of just oneor two individuals.


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Communication skills

Being able to put your message acro s se ffectively is an important skill. Whether atu n i v e r s i t y, at work, at home, or withfriends, we are constantly involved in thep rocess of communication.

E ffective communication

E ffective communication is vital;development of the necessary skills re q u i re spractice. Below are some ideas about themain areas of communication – speaking,listening, writing and reading – and howthey are used at university. There are alsosome tips about where you can get adviceon practising these skills.

S p e a k i n g

Communicating clearly and effectively inspeech may be used to inform, influence,guide, teach, persuade and enlighten, sothe skill relies on your ability to translateideas and knowledge into speech. It is notjust a matter of being able to speak clearly;the focus is on communication.Communication involves the ability both too rganise the thoughts, ideas andi n f o rmation in your head and to composethe sequences of words needed to expre s st h e m .

At university you will need oralcommunication skills in the followingactivities: participating in seminars andg roup work, giving pre s e n t a t i o n s ,explaining issues in committees.

These activities will provide you witho p p o rtunities to develop and demonstrateskills that you will need in your futuree m p l o y m e n t .

P re s e n t a t i o n

Most courses will, at some time or another,re q u i re you to give a presentation, often asan assessed part of your course.

Giving a presentation needn’t be toopainful if you follow some basic ru l e s .P resenting information effectively is a skillyou will also use in your future career so itis worth developing your ability andconfidence now.

The first step to take is to find out whatyour tutor wants in terms of the contentand the style of the presentation. Your unitguide will contain information explainingthe marking of your presentation; anyadditional information should be obtainedf rom your tutor.

The key to good presentations is in theplanning – you need to pre p a re a piece ofwork that is interesting and informative toyour fellow students and tutor. You can’tjust read out an essay or re p o rt withoutconsidering the nature of your audience;your delivery needs to capture theira t t e n t i o n .

A presentation is visual and as such youshould use visual aids where appro p r i a t e .Vi rtually all rooms will contain a dry w i p eb o a rd and/or an OHP (overhead pro j e c t o r ) .Use these to your advantage. They canhelp you explain a complicated idea asmany people find visual aids morestimulating than just spoken text. Think


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l i b r a ryl i s t e n i n g

w w w. l i b r a ry. l s b u . a c . u k

This site contains library information andaccess to re s o u rces including electro n i cj o u rnals and newspapers, databases andpast examination papers.

I n f o rmation Quest is an online coursethat will equip you to re s e a rch youra s s i g n m e n t s / p rojects utilising all availablere s o u rc e s .

the Library website also provides accessto a wide range of online, self learn i n gmaterials including IT skills, information skills,study skills, and subject related materials.

F i n a l l y, the website provides a full rangeof downloadable and printable Help Sheetsin PDF format which explain how to use,and get the best from, library re s o u rc e sand facilities, including books, journals, CD-Roms, and also databases. (NB. PrintedHelp Sheets are also available free of charg ef rom points within the libraries). In additionto the web based re s o u rces, there are alsopeople who can help and advise you athelpdesks and information points withinthe libraries.

W h e re can I practise theseskills outside form a ll e s s o n s ?

You may find the English LanguageDevelopment workshops helpful. (See thesection on English.) There are also StudySkills workshops on speaking skills,notetaking (Learn to Learn), essay andre p o rt writing and reading skills (Learn toL e a rn) – contact reception at Caxton Housefor more details.

Go to: w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n gs u p p o rt / p d p – or ring 0207 815 6400.

P l a g i a r i s m

Plagiarism is using the ideas and/or word sof others without acknowledging them.It is a kind of intellectual theft, a seriousacademic crime! At university you will beengaging with other people’s ideas in textsand in lectures. You are expected toincorporate these ideas in your course workto demonstrate that you have read widelyand understood the theories and ideasassociated with your discipline. However,you MUST acknowledge where you gotthe ideas from. Plagiarism can be deliberateor accidental; either way it is unacceptable.Actions that can be seen as plagiarismi n c l u d e :■ Using too many words and phrases from

the original sourc e■ Building on someone’s ideas without

c i t a t i o n■ Copying from another source without

c i t i n g

How to acknowledge the ideas(citation): You can quote directly from theoriginal source. If you do this you mustcopy the exact words and put them inquotation marks, and document the sourc ea c c o rding to a standard documentationstyle eg: Harv a rd. This includes inform a t i o ntaken from the web. Information sheetsabout the re f e rencing style will tell youhow to set out the citations and re f e re n c e seg: Help Sheets 30 & 31 from the PerryL i b r a ry.


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To ensure the group meets its objectives,it is advisable to use formal processes, eg:re c o rding decisions. This helps to maintainthe boundaries between work andfriendship. Being too sociable can interf e rewith the purpose – which is to achieve theassessment task.

L i s t e n i n g

Oral communication is really a two partp rocess, the second part being listening.

At university you will be faced withmany situations where your eff e c t i v elistening ability is crucial. A good opport u n i t yfor effective listening is when a lecturer givesyou lots of information in a concentratedtime span. On such an occasion it isi m p o rtant to be able to listen carefully toe v e rything and to distinguish between themost and least important parts.

Listening is part of everyday experience.In a work context, listening may involvet rying to understand spokencommunication in difficult circ u m s t a n c e s ,especially when accuracy is expected.Accuracy may take the form of literalaccuracy (correctly hearing and re c o rd i n gthe words spoken) or accuracy of content( c o rrectly interpreting the words you hear).

Wr i t i n g

Written communication is another essentialskill. It is generally expected that graduateswill have well developed writtencommunication skills, as most coursesre q u i re written course work. However, in

many jobs, written communication oftenmakes special demands.

Often the grammatical andc o n s t ructional quality will have to beespecially high as the reputation or ‘image’of your employer may depend upon thep resentation. Good presentation isp a rticularly important for anything which ispublished or distributed widely, even withinan org a n i s a t i o n .

In relation to instructional or teachingmaterials, the welfare and safety of otherpeople may be at stake; re s e a rch re p o rt smay affect the profitability of a business,documents delivered to clients may havelegal implications, proposals may clinch orlose deals.

U s u a l l y, there is the further pre s s u re ofworking to a deadline. Most org a n i s a t i o n swork to very tight timescales, so the abilityto produce well written documents quicklyis a re q u i rement of the job.

O p p o rtunities to develop your writingskills at university include: writing re p o rt s ,essays or dissertations, student journ a l i s m ,c reative writing, compiling personal pro f i l ed o c u m e n t s .

Reading re s o u rc e s

Finding and accessing the books andj o u rnals that you will need to read, andre s e a rching your subject are also skillsin themselves. The University libraries(w w w. l i b r a ry. l s b u . a c . u k) provide al a rge number of re s o u rces to help you.


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n u m e r a c yenglish language development

N u m e r a c y

N u m e r a c y, as a general skill, does not implythe use of complex mathematics. Rather, itinvolves being able to understandquantifiable data when it is expressed innumbers or re p resented graphically.

If you are studying on a maths basedcourse you will normally have some priormathematical qualification. However, evenif your course does not re q u i re anysignificant ability with numbers, your futureemployment might.

Vi rtually all jobs involve handling data ofone sort or another, and much of it isquantifiable (stock levels, number of fre ebeds in a hospital, test results in a schoolclass, salary ranges, prices, etc.). Measuringsuch data, seeing how it changes overtime, comparing sets of data with onea n o t h e r, and re p o rting the results aretypical components of org a n i s a t i o n a lactivity and especially of management. Thiskind of data is usually presented in thef o rm of tables, graphs or charts and it isthe ability to work with these that lies atthe heart of numeracy in jobs rather thanthe ability to do calculations. Usuallycomputer programs (such as spre a d s h e e tapplications) do most of the work involved,so it is the ability to conceptualisenumerical data which is cru c i a l .

Of course there are some jobs whichdemand high level mathematical skills butthese will usually re q u i re a degree in anumerate subject as an entry qualificationand so will be easy to identify when youcome to explore occupations in detail.

N B : Even if numbers play little part in yourcourse or your employment can youcalculate how much interest you will payon your overdraft, credit card or studentloan? Which is the best mort g a g e ?Which is the best pension?

Numbers – re s o u rc e sIf you find that you need a little extra help,Skills For Learning at Caxton House ru n sworkshops and one-to- one appointments.

Workshops normally available in semesterone include:

I n t ro d u c t o ry sessions: Want to get ahead start with your maths? Come and jointhis session to get information on help withthe mathematical or statisticalelements/units of your course.

Examination techniques: Get yourselfready for your mathematical or statisticalexaminations. Tips, advice and practice willbe given in this session.

C o - o rdinates & graphs: C o - o rdinates; toplot points on the co-ordinate axes; scale(definition); how to choose a suitable scalewhile plotting a graph; graphs of straightline; graphs of functions.

E l e m e n t a ry algebra: A l g e b r a i coperations (collecting like term s ,simplification), factors, expandinge x p ressions with brackets.


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47

You can paraphrase ie: put the ideasinto your own words. You will still need toacknowledge the source. It is unacceptablejust to change a few words; you mustsummarise the ideas in your own sentences t ru c t u re and your own word s .

Quoting and paraphrasing in this way isknown as citation.

What to acknowledge: You do N O Tneed to acknowledge generally knowni n f o rmation, but you MUST a c k n o w l e d g eideas that are not generally known andideas that interpret facts. The idea ‘Blair’splan to implement top up fees is unpopular’is not a fact but an interpretation, so youneed to cite the source.

Why use citation?■ To acknowledge other people’s ideas■ To show you are including other

p e o p l e ’s opinions■ To support an argument you are making■ To enable readers to track the material

you have used

Remember you are expected to include‘ l i t e r a t u re’ in your assignments; you willgain marks for demonstrating that youhave used a wide range of sources B U T i fyou do not acknowledge these sources youa re guilty of plagiarism!

English languaged e v e l o p m e n t

Each semester, The CLSD offers two typesof English language development classes,n a m e l y :

1 . Classes for international students whohave not studied in English and who wantto improve their ability to communicate inEnglish. These classes take place in bothsemesters. Subjects off e red include:■ General English and Study Skills■ Academic Writing and Grammar■ Advanced English■ Business English■ Study Speaking

English one-to-one sessions to discussEnglish language and study skills such asessay writing, taking English languageexams, pronunciation, etc. are also available.Materials for self access in various form a t sa re available in the Language Centre(Student IT Services, Southwark campus).Classes for postgraduates are available.

2 . Classes for students who have studied inEnglish and who want to improve theirability to write and read for academicpurposes. Classes take place in bothsemesters and are off e red twice in eachs e m e s t e r. Classes for postgraduates area v a i l a b l e .


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n u m e r a c yn u m e r a c y

Trigonometrical identities:Trigonometrical identities; evaluation oftrigonometrical ratios; applications oftrigonometrical identities in simplifyingtrigonometrical expre s s i o n s .

To book any of the above sessions pleasecontact the Reception in Caxton House(020 7815 6400) .

One-to-one sessions

Either drop in at the advertised times, ormake an appointment in advance if youwould like one-to-one advice on a specificissue.

N B : It may help to attend one of the abovesessions before dropping in.

Other re s o u rc e s

Some courses provide their own additionalmaths re s o u rces, including diagnostictesting, support materials and maths/numeracy skills embedded in thec u rriculum. These vary from course tocourse, there f o re you should ask your tutoror Faculty Office if there are any additionalre s o u rces available for your part i c u l a rc o u r s e .


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A p p roximation & estimationRounding, significant figure s

Fractions: Highest common factor,addition, subtraction, division,multiplication of fractions, types offractions, least common multiple.

Simple linear equations: S i m p l eequations; solving simple equations; hard e requations. Simultaneous equations –Solution of two linear equations in twounknowns; inconsistent equations;dependent equations; solving simultaneousequations by the method of elimination;solving simultaneous equations by themethod of substitution; solvingsimultaneous equations graphically.

Quadratic equations: I n t ro d u c t i o n ,graphs of quadratic equations, solvingquadratic equations.

P o w e r s : I n t roduction, the multiplicationrule, the division rule, negative powers,power of powers, fractional powers.

P e rc e n t a g e s : Definition, converting ap e rcentage to a fraction, a fraction to ap e rcentage, converting decimals top e rcentages, calculations involvingp e rc e n t a g e s .

D e c i m a l s : Definition of a decimal,e x p ressing a fraction as a decimal,multiplication and division of decimals,c o n v e rting decimals to fractions, addition,subtraction, multiplication and division ofd e c i m a l s .

The straight line: Definition of a straightline, equation of a straight line, graphs ofline, equations of straight lines.

Workshops available in semester two arelikely to include:

Calculus 1: d i ff e rentiation: Formulas; tofind the derivative at a point; rules forfinding derivatives.

Calculus 2: higher derivatives: To find thesecond derivatives of a function; maximumand minimum points of a curv e .

F requency distribution: G ro u p e df requency distribution for a continuousvariable; grouped frequency distribution fora discrete variable. Measures of averages –mean, mode and median.

Simple linear equations: S i m p l eequations; solving simple equations; hard e re q u a t i o n s .

Simultaneous equations

S t a n d a rd deviation: S t a n d a rd deviationof ungrouped data; standard deviation of af requency distribution; standard deviationof a grouped frequency distribution.

Statistical graphs: Bar charts, pie chart s ,line graphs.


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e - l e a rning and blackboardc o m p u t e r s

E - l e a rning and Blackboard

E - l e a rning is the delivery of learn i n gmaterials and communication facilities overan electronic medium. London South BankUniversity uses Blackboard (Bb), which is av i rtual learning environment, enabling you(and your tutors) to:■ S h a re learning re s o u rces ■ Communicate and collaborate■ Evaluate your pro g ress.

The Blackboard software runs on thei n t e rnet, allowing you (and your tutors) tohave flexible access as it can be used onand off campus and at any time of the day(or night). In order to access Blackboardyou will need a computer and an intern e tb rowser such as Internet Explorer 5.5.

The browser settings need to enable JAVAand cookies.

S u p p o rt for Blackboard is provided byStudent IT Services. More information onthe implementation and use of Blackboardat LSBU can be obtained from the website:w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / b b /.


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C o m p u t e r s

Computers are part of everyday life formost people now. Here at London SouthBank, computers are available for allstudents to use and some faculties havetheir own computer labs. Altern a t i v e l y,t h e re are open access facilities at theSouthwark Campus’ Student IT Serv i c e sand at the East London and Essexc a m p u s e s .

You will be re q u i red to use computersf requently whilst at university to do thingssuch as pre p a re re p o rts, write essays,analyse data, and send and receive email.

S u p p o rt is available for you: there aremany services and people throughout theUniversity who can answer your questionsand point you in the right direction if youwould like some help or are experiencingp roblems. The key is to start early, get usedto using the systems, so that you ‘don'tpanic’ just before your deadline.

Computer re s o u rc e s

Both Student IT Services (w w w. l s b u . a c . u k /l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt / i t s u p p o rt) and Library(w w w. l i b r a ry. l s b u . a c . u k) websites off e ri n f o rmation on f ree IT training sessions, heldin October and in Febru a ry / M a rch inS o u t h w a r k ’s Student IT Serv i c e s .

These sessions are on the fundamentals(although you do need to know how touse a mouse), and include things like ani n t roduction to Wo rd (word pro c e s s i n g ) ,file management (how to save your work),the Internet, and email for beginners.

T h e re are further sessions on how to

use the library catalogue, and how to findreal information via databases and electro n i cj o u rnals using the Library website.

The Student IT Services website givesfull information on its facilities, includingdetails of available software and onlineweb re s o u rc e s .

Help sheets are available in hard copyand online explaining all aspects of serv i c e sp rovided, how to access them, and how touse them eff e c t i v e l y. Free printed copies ofall the help sheets are available from pointswithin Student IT Services. Student ITS e rvices is also developing onlinei n f o rmation on IT re s o u rces for students.

F i n a l l y, because you know it makessense, back up your work at fre q u e n ti n t e rvals and check the LRC website forhealth and safety hints on using your PC!


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s p o rt, re c reation and employabilitystudent union

S p o rt, re c reation ande m p l o y a b i l i t y

H E A LTHY BODY = HEALTHY MIND

The provision of the sports facilities andp rogrammes at the university complementsthe academic demands of study byp roviding opportunities to deal with stre s s ,help prevent ill health and provide personaldevelopment routes.

Employers want to see that their futures t a ff will be healthy and have had arounded educational experience.

R e s e a rch proves an active person willfind himself/herself with more energy tou n d e rtake his/her work and will re q u i refewer days off due to ill health.

The University provides the following,

which can be accessed at aff o rdable ratesby all students, 52 weeks of the year:■ 45 station fitness suite■ F ree weight training are a■ M u l t i - s p o rts hall■ S p o rts treatment programmes including

a romatherapy; reflexology; massage andp h y s i o t h e r a p y

■ Wide range of fitness and relaxation classes including Tai Chi; Yoga; circ u i t s ;dance and aero b i c s

Even if you are not sports mad there ares u fficient opportunities for you to stayhealthy and fit while you undertake yourd e g ree. The breadth of activities andcourses allows all students to leave LondonSouth Bank with their employability gre a t l yenhanced through their participation ins p o rt .


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Student Union

The Student Union offers manyo p p o rtunities for you to develop your skills.A p a rt from the obvious fine tuning of yoursocial skills within their bars and at socialevents, the SU is responsible for therunning of most organised studentactivities.

The SU facilitates student societiescovering a wide range of social, cultural,political, external and course basedactivities. As a student you will have theo p p o rtunity of becoming involved, both inthe running of these societies and also inthe running of the SU itself.

The SU also provides a number ofemployment opportunities for students. Itis also responsible for the student sport sclubs that are run through the AthleticUnion. Participation in student sportp rovides further opportunities for sociala c t i v i t y, skills development (leadership,teamwork, etc.) and for keeping fit.

Course re p re s e n t a t i v e s

All courses throughout the university areresponsible for ensuring that each yearstudent re p resentatives are elected tore p resent students’ views at Course Board s .

These Boards are held at regular interv a l sto discuss course related academic matters.Involvement as a Course BoardR e p resentative is an ideal way to developcommittee and negotiating skills.

The Vice President Societies and StudentDevelopment is responsible for pro v i d i n gtraining for Course Board Repre s e n t a t i v e s .This training is designed to buildconfidence and enhance the eff e c t i v e n e s sof student re p resentatives, by pro v i d i n go p p o rtunities to develop the necessaryskills. The Course Board Repre s e n t a t i v eHandbook explains the role, duties andresponsibilities of a Course BoardR e p re s e n t a t i v e .

Each year students elect five full-timestudent officers, four of whom are based inthe offices on the top floor of the StudentUnion building and the AU President whois based in the Sports Centre in the LondonRoad building. All of them are there tohelp you.

For more information on the StudentUnion see the Student Union Handbook;visit the Student Union website; read theStudent Union magazine; or better still visitthe Student Union (situated in Keywort hS t reet) in person.

Student Union Reception (020 7815 6060)


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spiritual wellbeingskills through sport

With one of the larg e s tscholarship and bursaryp rogrammes in the UK University sector, LSBU s u p p o rts sports men and women from i n t e rnational standardto regional re p re s e n t a t i v elevel. In the past few yearswe have had over 40 eliteathletes on our pro g r a m m e .

In confidence

If you want to talk to someone aboutanything that is troubling you, then wemay be able to help.

Who are 'we'?

We are the official Chaplains to theU n i v e r s i t y. Although we are each appointedby particular churches and faith groups, wesee our role as one which is not confinedto religious people. Because we areindependent of University stru c t u res andbecause we operate on the basis ofcomplete confidentiality, you can talk to usin confidence so that, unless you wish it,no one else will know who you are or whatwe have discussed.

As chaplains, we also seek to initiateand support activities in the University forthose who want opportunities to pray,worship, study and discuss issues re l e v a n tto faith. Our leaflets and flyers give furt h e rdetails of these opport u n i t i e s .

The Chaplaincy office is situated in CaxtonHouse. We can be contacted as follows:

R e v. Frank Hung( C h u rch of England) Te l : 020 7815 6419

020 7928 8912020 8542 1612

e-mail: [email protected]

Rabbi Gavin Broder (London Universities Jewish Chaplain) Te l : 020 7380 0207

Islamic StudentsLondon South Bank University StudentUnion's Islamic Society can be contactedvia the Student Union reception in theStudent Union building in Keyworth Stre e t(020 7815 6060).

Location of prayer ro o m sPrayer rooms are located on the gro u n dfloor of the Borough Road building, next toEdric Hall.

(G11 Brothers prayer room, Sistersprayer room is opposite). Wudu facilities forb rothers are available in the nearby men'stoilet, and in the sister's prayer room fors i s t e r s .


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Skills through sportc o u r s e s

The University runs a wide range of coursesspecifically relating to sports coaching,leadership and administration that are allnationally accredited and recognised. Forexample the University is a Sports CoachUK accredited premier centre and as aresult delivers generic sports trainingseminars throughout the year. Coachingcourses are run for students and the localcommunity and include Rugby andBasketball Level 1. Any student, whetheron a sports course or not, can join thesecourses at reasonable rates.

The department also runs a sport sambassador scheme, placing qualifiedstudent coaches in local schools andcommunity groups. Coaches can re c e i v ebursaries of up to £7 per hour to delivercoaching which helps to break down localc h i l d re n ’s perceptions of university life.

Team and leaderships k i l l s

Students are able to develop theirleadership and organisational skills thro u g htheir involvement in the University clubsand teams which are organised thro u g hthe Athletic Union. These clubs include arange of competitive and non competitives p o rts and there f o re they pro v i d eo p p o rtunities for everyone to get involved.In addition to the formal clubs at theU n i v e r s i t y, a number of re c reational leaguesa re run for those wishing to take part at aless serious level. The personal benefitsg a rn e red from involvement in thesep rogrammes are just as significant.

M o re information can be found atw w w. l s b u . a c . u k / s p o rt s or by contactingthe Sports Department reception on 020 7815 7812.


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Borough RoadEntrance

SistersPrayerRoom

BrothersPrayerRoom

Men’stoilets

CSD

Security

advice and guidancedyslexia and disabilities

Student Advice & Care e r sG u i d a n c e

Student Advice & Careers Guidance hasbeen established to help you adapt touniversity life and begin planning yourpersonal development. The Unit isresponsible for providing advice to helpstudents develop strategies for impro v i n gtheir academic and personal skills. Thesea re essential for successful adaptation touniversity life, personal eff e c t i v e n e s s ,employment and further study. Advice andguidance is also off e red to students whomay be considering changing their courseand taking a new direction in their studies.

The Team also has a specialist advisorfor International Students who covers allgeneric issues plus advice on immigration,v i s a ’s, registering with GPs and much more .This advice can be located on the websitealso. The Team provides a broad range ofs e rvices, which we constantly review andadapt to meet your needs. These include:workshops, quick query sessions, one-to-one appointments.

Issues we can help you with include:■ accommodation and settling in■ mitigating circ u m s t a n c e s■ c o n c e rns about university life■ c u l t u re shock and adjusting to change■ exam anxiety and stre s s■ finance (budgeting, debt, applying for

financial assistance such as Access toL e a rning Funds, Charitable Funds, etc)

■ personal/emotional concern s■ s t ress management

Look out for our flyers and handouts onLSBU noticeboards and pick up points.

Wo r k s h o p s

Each semester, the Team produce ap rogramme of workshops covering manya reas of personal development such asadjusting to university life; budgeting; debtmanagement; dealing with problems; stre s smanagement; healthy living; personale ffectiveness programmes and advice fori n t e rnational students.

For more information about these work-shops look out for flyers and adverts onnotice boards around the University, or checkout: w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt /a d v i c e.


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Students with dyslexia

Dyslexia is a disability which although‘hidden’ can impact significantly upon thelife of an affected individual, particularly inacademic term s .

Dyslexia support is available to all dyslexicstudents at LSBU to help them cope withthe academic and personal needs arisingf rom dyslexia. The range of supportavailable includes initial screening; dyslexiaassessment; study skills; ‘one-to-one’ adviceand guidance; and special assessmenta rrangements. Specialist equipment ands o f t w a re is also available. If you are eligiblefor the Disabled Student Allowance you mayalso apply for one-to-one dyslexia tuition.

Students who think they may haved i fficulties related to dyslexia are welcometo make an appointment with one of theL e a rning Support Off i c e r s .

R e s o u rces S u p p o rt can be accessed by calling020 7815 6405.

The University’s Dyslexia SupportHandbook is available from Caxton House.Additional re s o u rces can be accessed atw w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt /

d i s a b i l i t i e s. Further advice is contained inthe University publication Enabling Yo uwhich is also available from Caxton Houseand at w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt /d i s a b i l i t i e s.

Students with disabilities

Disabilities support is available to allstudents at London South Bank Universityto help them cope with practical, academicand personal needs arising from theirdisabilities. The services on offer includeneed assessment; one-to-one advice andguidance; equipment assessment; personals u p p o rt systems; and special arr a n g e m e n t sfor studying and assessment.

R e s o u rc e sS u p p o rt can be accessed by calling020 7815 6405

The University’s Disabilities SupportH a n d b o o k is available from Caxton House.

The University publication Enabling Yo uis available from Caxton House atw w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt /d i s a b i l i t i e s w h e re you will also find linksto other helpful re s o u rc e s .


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MOHAMMAD MAHBOUBI BSc Computer Science, Year 1

“The Disability & Dyslexia Support staff in Caxton House gave methe confidence I needed to undertake my course. They arr a n g e dp rovisions to assist me, such as giving me advice about claimingthe Disabled Student Allowance, providing me with a British SignLanguage communicator and a note taker, and I knew the DDSs t a ff were there to talk to when I needed them, which meant a lotto me.”

case file

O L A D I M E J IO L A G U N J U

“I was havingd i ff i c u l t i e sgetting fundingf rom my LEA.The LSBUP e r s o n a lD e v e l o p m e n tAdviser helped

me establish what I was entitled to ands o rted out my application. As a studentcoming into university after a long break instudying, the diff e rent establishments andf o rms and can be confusing. Without thec o rrect funding I wouldn’t have been ableto continue on the course. I have sinced ropped in on a regular basis whenever Ineed some information about universitylife. Last year I changed my course,t r a n s f e rring onto the second year of CivilEngineering. I found out all I needed toknow about the process – from what form sto fill in, to how I stood with my studentloan and fees. I have also used the serv i c efor immigration advice and inform a t i o nabout Home Office application.”

case file

development plandevelopment plan


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R e m e m b e r : that the Diagnostic Audits linked to the Level 1 Benchmarks are available onlineat: w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / l e a rn i n g s u p p o rt / p d p. These are based upon the skills that you shouldhave upon completion of Level 1. They are also the same skills that you should have at entryto Level 2.

Use this section to review your pro g ress over the past year and to note anything that youwant to work on next year. These columns have been left blank for you to format howeversuits you best.

l e a rning through workc a reers and employment

windows and similar outletsLocal papers advertise vacancies. Get

these magazines or newspapers on the daythey are published (they will be fre e l yavailable in your local library) and contactthe employer without delay. Fre epublications such as M e t ro ( a v a i l a b l eoutside railway stations) are also useful.

If you have specific skills and experienceto off e r, re c ruitment agencies in your locala rea may be interested in you.

L e a rning through work

Most students now work while studyingsimply to help pay the bills. Fort u n a t e l yLondon has a thriving market for part - t i m ework especially in retailing and off i c ework.

The university has set up a jobshop tohelp you to find work. Registration isonline at: w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / c a re e r s /j o b s h o p, and you can use the jobshopfor up to two years after you finish yourcourse. Vacancies are advertised and youcan apply to as many or few as you want.

L e a rning through work is very diff e re n tf rom studying at university but it is just asvaluable to employers when you graduate.

Some of the features of learn i n gt h rough work are :■ Much of the learning takes place by

p e rf o rming tasks rather than by learn i n gabout them

■ L e a rning is often problem based. P roblems need to be defined, solutionsdevised and implemented, outcomesneed to be evaluated and findingsp resented to others in the team

■ L e a rning takes place without a teacher (ie, it is autonomously managed)

■ Much learning happens in teams■ Sometimes ways need to be found to

do things in new ways (creativity andi n n o v a t i o n )

To learn from work in a systematic way it ishelpful to keep a log or diary of what youhave done and equally importantly of whatyou have learnt about yourself. Learn i n gt h rough work is experiential – that is youl e a rn by doing something and thenreflecting on the experience. Suppose, forexample, that you had worked as part of ateam. What was the size of the team, howoften did it meet, and what was the gro u pt rying to achieve? What was your ro l e ?What problems did the group encounter?If you were doing the whole thing againhow would you alter what you did to get abetter outcome? In answering questionslike these you build up a portfolio of skillsthat will help you when you graduate.


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C a reers and employment

It may seem strange to say that it’s nevertoo early to start thinking about how toget a good job when you leave university.However it is likely that you have come tou n i v e r s i t y, in part at least, to improve yourjob prospects. A key message of thisplanner is that there are things you can dostraight away that will improve yourchances of getting a good job when yougraduate. The aim of what follows is to tellyou what those things are .

The graduate job market is highlycompetitive. Employers want four things:■ A good academic track re c o rd■ Transferable skills (sometimes called

employability skills) which include goodcommunication skills, teamwork,leadership, problem solving, adaptability.Employers will also want evidence ofthese skills

■ Some employers may want knowledge and skills gained directly from yourd e g re e

■ Many graduate jobs need IT skills

Of course university is partly about gettinga good degree but it should not involvestudying every minute of the day andnight. You can improve the effectiveness ofthe time studying by improving your skillsin reading, note taking, essay writing,giving a seminar presentation, eff e c t i v ediscussion and information searc h i n g .IT skills are also important. Englishlanguage skills and numeracy may alsoneed improving.

I m p o rtant as your degree or diploma is,employers will also judge you on two other

criteria: your work re c o rd and your extra-c u rricular activities and intere s t s .

W h e re to look forp a rt-time work

S t a rt at the J o b s h o p. It has been set upspecifically to help LSBU students find outabout part-time and work experienceo p p o rtunities. The service is web based.Membership is open to all LSBU studentsand some ex students (those who leftwithin the previous two years. Membershipgives you access to the vacancies that areupdated daily online. Register at:w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / c a re e r s / j o b s h o p a n ddecide which jobs you want to apply for.Most employers will want you to apply bysending them a curriculum vitae (CV). Theemployer then interviews and selects thesuccessful applicant.

J o b c e n t re plus is the next port of call.The London Bridge Jobcentre plus(confusingly located in NewingtonCauseway at the Elephant and Castle,not London Bridge) has a part n e r s h i pa rrangement with the Jobshop and wes t rongly encourage all LSBU students tovisit the student team there to discuss youroptions. Once you have re g i s t e red withthem, you can access details of vacanciesf rom the Jobshop website and telephonethem to arrange an interv i e w.

Many part-time jobs are nevera d v e rtised. Ask politely but firmly in localshops and stores. Have a copy of your CVready to leave with the shop manager orwhoever is in charge. Keep an eye out fortraders advertising vacancies in shop


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l e a rning through workingp a rt-time work

a job in itself, which means that you haveto put eff o rt in, but the more eff o rt youput into getting a job the more likely youa re to find one that suits your needs.

P re p a r a t i o n

B e f o re embarking on your job search, it isadvisable to assess your skills and intere s t s .This will not only boost your confidenceand enable you to clarify what sort of jobyou are looking for but it will also help youwith your CV and interview skills.

L e a rning through working

L e a rning through working is a way of usingthe part time work you have done (or willdo) as a student to help you get a jobwhen you graduate.

L e a rning at work is very diff e rent fro ml e a rning at a university but just as valuablein terms of getting a graduate job. Muchof the learning takes place through actuallyp e rf o rming a task or role rather than byl e a rning a theory or its application.

Autonomous learn i n g

The learning is often problem based.P roblems have to be defined, solutionsdevised and implemented, outcomes needto be evaluated and findings presented toothers in the team. The learning oftentakes place without a teacher (ie: it isautonomously managed). Managing yourown career learning, in turn, needs good

communication skills such as negotiation,tact and persuasion.

To learn from work in a systematic wayyou need time to re c o rd and reflect onwhat you have done and, as import a n t l y,what you have learnt about yourself. Soi m p o rtant is this topic that the University isc u rrently investigating ways ofincorporating learning through workinginto its degree pro g r a m m e s .

A very important aspect of these skills isthat, to acquire them, you do not need tohave done work relevant to your degree orwork that is high in social status. To give anexample, fast food catering is not re l e v a n tto most degrees at London South Bank butit does involve often high levels ofteamwork, good communication skills andthe ability to work under pre s s u re .

All jobs can help to develop your skillsand improve your prospects in thegraduate labour market.

For example, a bar job involves youlistening and responding to whatcustomers want, working with other bars t a ff and the bar manager and handlingcash in a commercial environment. Yo u rp a rt-time job there f o re can be used asevidence on your CV or at an interview toshow that you have developedcommunication skills, teamwork andbusiness aware n e s s .

Working can also demonstrate yourability to multi-task (juggling your coursewith your part-time job), awareness ofcustomer services (prioritising, focussing onindividual needs, handling complaints etc.)and will probably allow you an opport u n i t yto use your judgement/intuition.

Bear in mind that paid employment is



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P a rt-time work

It is a fact of life that most students needto work at some stage during the course oftheir studies.

Although many students become timemanagement experts by juggling studyingwith work and family commitments and/oran active social life, there is no doubt thatthis pre s s u re can be stre s s f u l .

Type of work

The types of work that a student mayu n d e rtake are many and varied. Studentsat LSBU in the last few years have workedat everything from hot air balloonoperators to website designers, withmasses of bar, restaurant, off i c e ,telemarketing and leisure industryo p p o rtunities mixed in.

Employers offering part-time work anda d v e rtising for students are looking forbright, alert people who can ‘hit theg round running’. Not too much time isspent on training people into part - t i m epositions in general.

Transferable skills, which are such af e a t u re of re c ruitment in the graduatelabour market, are constantly requested inthe part-time market also. For example,communication skills including anunderstanding of English as well as theability to listen and respond to instru c t i o n sis almost always essential.

Teamwork (the ability to work within ag roup) and organisation and timemanagement skills (which you will cert a i n l ydevelop by juggling work with a universitylevel course) are also highly prized bygraduate employers.

B roaden your horizons

D o n ’t sell yourself short. Use all yourexperience and skills when applying for anytype of part-time work. Although the usualstudent jobs such as bar work are oftens e rvice related, don’t be afraid to bro a d e nyour horizons. Be realistic as to what youcan and cannot do but remember thatLondon offers a wealth of opportunities, souse them.

Looking for a job is often re f e rred to as


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ROSALIND MIDDLETON BSc Forensic Science, 2nd Ye a r

“I was really pleased to get a part-time job with a prestigious lawchambers (Two Garden Court Chambers) through the JobShop.I t ’s perfect for me as they off e red me flexible hours during termtime and some F/T work during the vacation period. My degre eis in Forensic Science and I’m hoping to get into Scene of Crimeor Forensic Archaeology when I finish, so this P/T job in the legalworld really helps to add value to my CV and gives me theo p p o rtunity to see the impact of forensics from a diff e rent angle.I t ’s helped my finances also, of course.”

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In an attempt to give a student perspective on the whole skills/study/career mix,we regularly invite a soon to graduate student to reflect upon their ownexperiences and to share their thoughts. Here is the re s u l t :

N i c k ’s Guide to getting through uni and getting a job

‘ To give you the background to the wisdom I amabout to bestow on you, I should probably tellyou a bit about me and my LSBU care e r. I leftschool with pretty poor marks, studied general artand design at art college, instead of doing‘ A’ levels, and then went on to study photo-j o u rnalism. I then moved to London to find work.My jobs ranged from folding of jumpers and saleof suits in Bond Street, project managing amagazine and a short work placement at ana d v e rtising agency. This really gave me quite acompetitive advantage over my fellow students. I expect you’re asking, “competitive advantage –

what is he talking about?” Well, you’ll know what I mean when you all become competitors inthe job market and you’re all applying for the same jobs! The advantage is that my workexperience taught me that, out in the ‘real’ world, companies don’t employ a qualification on abit of paper – that just gets you into the interview – they actually employ the skills,competencies and aptitudes that you have to help them make money or solve pro b l e m s .

When you think about yourself as a set of skills it puts a slightly diff e rent perspective onyour studies. Instead of only working hard on things you’re going to get marked on, and justconcentrating on getting the best mark you can, you also try to acquire as many skills fro myour given subject as possible. This means not just working on the part of the subject that youhave to write an essay on, or that is likely to be in the exam, but trying to absorb as muchknowledge as possible at every opport u n i t y. It’s also well worth trying to add some things tothat competence list that your course doesn’t off e r. This will help make you stand out from theother students who will be your competition in three or four years’ time.

I studied Marketing but I also made it my business to familiarise myself with dtp softwarepackages and learn how to design websites. I also worked on my general IT skills.

I t ’s those extra competencies, along with achieving a good mark, that have just helped mes e c u re a job with some very cool design and marketing consultants who work with massivebrands in the fashion and cosmetics industry. ”

N i c k ’s top tip“If you wanna get good marks, leaving essays till the night before can have a detrimentala ffect on the likelihood of that, so if you can start things early and get them out of the way,you’ll feel much better. (And going out with your friends without an essay deadline nigglingthe back of your mind is more fun anyway). So that’s all the wisdom I can give you. I hope ithelps! Good luck with your studies and have fun!”

NICK CLARKBA Marketing

a student’s perspectivej o b s h o p



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not the only way of gaining the skills thatgraduate employers want. Employers alsovalue skills gained through, for example,being active in a student society or sport sclub, mentoring, or voluntary work in thec o m m u n i t y. However, you must be able toevidence the skills that you have acquire dt h rough these activities. There f o re ,reflection and Personal DevelopmentPlanning (PDP) are vital. At issue here is awider question about what you want fro myour time at university. Graduate employerswill not judge you only on academic re s u l t s ,however important those qualificationsmay seem.

J o b s h o p

w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / c a re e r s / j o b s h o p

The LSBU Jobshop is an excellent re s o u rc ewhen looking for jobs and has a diverserange of vacancies on off e r.

The LSBU Jobshop, in Caxton House, isa professional vacancy handling service tohelp students find part-time, casual,t e m p o r a ry, and vacation work. TheJobshop now also has a section for full-time vacancies. The service is available fre eto all current London South Bank students.To use the service, students must firstregister with the Jobshop. This can be doneo n l i n e .

The Jobshop website provides access toan online vacancy list, together with muchhelpful advice and guidance. To p i c sc o v e red include information on Tax andNational Insurance, and details concern i n gI n t e rnational Students and employment.


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CHINEDUOKORROBEng Electrical& ElectronicEngineering,Year 3

“I was reallypleased to geta summer

placement job in 2004 as an AssistantManager (Borough Programmes and BidAssessments) with Transport for London(TfL). The placement is one of the LondonFirst schemes on offer through theJobShop. My placement with TfL wasn’tdirectly related to my course but I gainedsome very valuable transferable skills and,of course, earned some money. Forexample, my time management skills weredeveloped by having to juggle a numberof projects with very tight deadlines all atthe same time.

I’ve made some good friends that I’mstill in touch with and its always hardleaving a place where they have greatItalian coffee!

I’ve gained a lot personally andprofessionally from this placement.Employers are always happy to hear thatthe working environment isn’t alien to youbecause it shows you can settle in quickly.Based on my experience, I’d definitelyrecommend placements to anyoneinterested in work experience or findingout more about life in an industry they’dlike to work in.”

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p l a c e m e n t sp l a c e m e n t s



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P l a c e m e n t s

What is a work placement?A work placement is an opportunity togain practical experience at an appro p r i a t elevel in a workplace setting over as t ru c t u red period of time.

B e n e f i t sPlacements carry course, career andpersonal benefits, including:■ I m p roved academic perf o rm a n c e■ S o u rce of ideas for final year pro j e c t s■ Chance to apply theory learnt on course■ Enhanced employability through work

e x p e r i e n c e■ Long term employment possibilities

(many companies retain more than70% of their work experience re c ru i t s )

■ Knowledge of possible career option■ Good, up-to-date re f e re n c e s■ I m p roved self confidence■ You get paid – yes, work placements

a re paid at the appropriate rate for thejob – so you earn while you learn

NB: Placements can be hard to find andcompetition can be tough. Planning aheadis vital if you want to maximise yourchances. You should begin applying early inyour second year (first year of an HND).

Placement re s o u rc e s

Placement Off i c e rMany courses have a linked PlacementO ff i c e r. Enquire at your Faculty Office tofind out whether there is one for yourcourse. If so, this is your first point ofcontact when looking for a placement.

Workshop and events We provide support in getting placements(including CVs, application forms, interv i e wtechniques, and psychometric tests).Quick queries and interviews with a care e r sadviser are also available. The Care e r sL i b r a ry has extensive employer inform a t i o n .C u rrent placement vacancies area d v e rtised on the Jobshop website;w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / c a re e r s / j o b s h o p.

D I Y

Although many traditional graduateemployers have established placementp rogrammes, many other placements arenever actually advertised. They are obtainedby making speculative approaches topotential employers. You may well have toadopt this approach. Collect details ofemployers in your pre f e rred field( i n f o rmation is held in the Careers Library ) .For advice on how to make your appro a c h ,contact your Placement Off i c e r, or speak toa Careers Adviser.


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LOUISE GRACEBA Hons Marketing

Q U A L I F I C ATIONS: A Levels (Geography,General Studies) & GNVQ Business Studies

JOB TITLE: Marketing Assistant

JOB DESCRIPTION: Administration, Market Research, Planning,Account Management, Client Liaison

Louise has now graduated but this is what she said wheni n t e rviewed after she re t u rned from her placement year

“My reasons for taking a year placement were based upon my background. I came straightf rom school, had had no ‘real’ work experience, and I knew I needed opportunities to getsome. The benefits of a work placement were that they provided real opportunities to incre a s emy employability upon graduation.

I managed to get the placement through the University, but it was not an easy task. Thenumbers of jobs available through the University Placement Officers were good, but there wasno guarantee that they would be in the area where I wanted to work. I held out andeventually a marketing position came up, I applied and was accepted. It wasn’t easy but I wasd e t e rmined to make it happen.

The job provided a great experience of the work environment. It was something that wasnew to me and certainly opened my eyes to what marketing was really about. The experiencep rovided a practical basis and was certainly demanding. The skills I used during my placementw e re all and everything, from time management, to computer skills and presentations. Theplacement helped me develop and hone my skills to quite an advanced level.

Life in university is quite sheltered and being on a work placement, if like me you have nowork experience, is an ‘eye opener’ to what really happens. The units and skills you learn anddevelop on your course are used on a daily basis.

You may think a particular unit isn’t related to your degree but, trust me, it wouldn’t bet h e re if it wasn’t, which is the way I felt about accounting before my placement. Balancesheets and budgeting are a huge part of most jobs.

If you are considering going on a year work placement, I would advise everybody to startlooking early! Jobs just don’t mysteriously appear. They take hard work and dedication. Don’tcopy text out of the placement handbook and send it off to a company hoping for a re s p o n s e .Use your real reasons for wanting to take part .

I think that my placement will also help me immensely in my third year. I’m now definitelyin the rhythm of getting up at 7am. Working for the past year has made me want to get mycourse finished and get back out to work.

After my year placement I feel more confident about re t u rning for my third year andgraduating. It’s given me a taste of what the outside world is like and now I want to get outt h e re and do it.’

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L e a rning communities:mentoring and ambassadorwork @LSBU

Mentoring can help you develop yourl e a rning skills. The work is varied andi n t e resting – from supporting groups ofyoung people as a Sports Ambassador tobeing a mentor working ‘one-to-one’ tohelp an individual school pupil with his/herstudy skills. In any case you will developyour employability skills through ourtraining programme, get the opport u n i t yto meet new people and to build up yourC V. There is also a chance for all mentorsand ambassadors to gain academic cre d i tfor their work through our Care e r sManagement Unit – another boost foryour CV.

Our major re c ruitment drive is in theautumn term. If you are friendly, outgoing,a good listener and enjoy working with

people you will probably be a good mentoror ambassador.

Find out more by visiting our website:w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / a w p or email us at:l e a rningcommunities@ lsbu.ac.uk.

National Mentoring Consort i u m ’sEthnic Minority Mentoring SchemeThe scheme offers the opportunity for anumber of students from a wide varietyof courses to take part in a pro g r a m m ethat is targeted at matching African,Caribbean and Asian students withemployees from large companies andp rofessional fields. Students are able togain an insight in to the ‘working world’and a taste of what would be expectedof them. Participating employers haveincluded the Foreign Office, Barc l a y s ,P r i c e w a t e rhouseCoopers, BT, ‘The HomeO ffice’, Inland Revenue, ‘The Depart m e n tfor Culture Media and Sport’ and the‘ R A F ’ .


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“My intention was to become a ‘big sister’ to my mentees. BecauseI am a student, I also feel that I can relate to pupils on an equalfooting and share my own personal experience with them.I worked at Lilian Baylis Secondary School in Kennington. I wast h e re for two years and loved every moment I spent at the school.I’ve benefited a lot from the experience. Being at Lilian Baylis hashelped me to grow and develop skills that I didn’t know that I had.I have met, and still continue to meet, interesting and fascinatingstudents. The staff support there is wonderf u l . ”

YEMI ADELAJALSBU student mentor 2003

comment

MARK SHERIDANSenior Tax Inspector, Inland RevenueWinner of the 2004 LSBU/NMC Employer mentor of the year

SHIRIN PAT E LBA (Hons) Accounting & Finance, LSBU studentWinner of the 2004 LSBU/NMC Student Mentee of the year

Mark Sheridan, speaking at the LSBU/NMC Aw a rds ceremony in the Keyworth Centre in July,spoke of the personal satisfaction he gets from being a mentor and summarised the role asbeing: “. . . about seeing the potential in someone and working with them to enable them notonly to learn new skills, but to recognise that they already have the ability, the potential, tobecome and to achieve whatever it is that they want to do.”

Shirin Patel recommends the scheme stro n g l y. “As a direct result of taking part in the scheme, Ideveloped my self confidence and learnt to strategise to develop areas of weakness which Inow view as strengths. I have already received a job offer on completion of my course in 2005,l a rgely because of the skills and confidence I developed on this scheme.”

To join the mentoring scheme, visit Caxton House and register your interest as soon asp o s s i b l e .

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d i s a b i l i t yd i s a b i l i t y

Useful inform a t i o n

W E B S I T E S

E m p l o y A b i l i t y : online careers trainingpackage for disabled students andg r a d u a t e s .w w w. n re c . o rg . u k / e m p l o y a b i l i t y.

National Network of Deaf Students:p romotes and advances development andinvolvement of deaf and hard of hearingstudents in Further & Higher Education,training and employment.w w w. d e a f a x . o rg.

National Federation of Access Centre s :network of specialist centres off e r i n gassessment and training in IT for studentsand graduates with disabilitiesw w w. n f a c . o rg . u k.

RNIB Student website: i n f o rmation forblind or partially sighted students.w w w. rn i b . o rg . u k / s t u d e n t.

O R G A N I S AT I O N S

Blind in Business Wingate AnnexeSt Alphage House2 Fore Stre e tL o n d o nE C 2 YTel: 020 7588 1885Fax: 020 7588 1886Email: [email protected]

Scope Fast-Tr a c k :w w w. s c o p e . o rg . u k

S K I L L :Chapter House18–20 Crucifix LaneL o n d o nSE1 3JW.w w w. s k i l l . o rg . u k.



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Graduate re c ruitment &disability: support off e re dto students and graduates

Assistance for disabled candidatesapplying for graduate positions:■ Advice and assistance with application

f o rm s■ Guidance on graduate selection

p ro c e d u res including group exerc i s e s ,testing and interv i e w

■ Advice on disclosure of disability and how to come across as capable andp o s i t i v e

■ Assistance and advice re g a rding Access to Work (equipment and support )

D e l i v e ry of job skills training:■ workshops specifically designed for

disabled job seekers

Dissemination of inform a t i o n :■ Monthly newsletter highlighting

vacancies with disability positivecompanies as well as case studies andsuccess stories of disabled graduates ine m p l o y m e n t

Advice on a Range of Issues including:■ Access (physical as well as to

i n f o rmation and pro c e d u re s )■ E q u i p m e n t■ Specialist org a n i s a t i o n s / s u p p o rt for

people with specific disabilities

Recommendations of companiespositive about re c ruiting people withd i s a b i l i t i e s :■ I n t roductions to employers■ Guidance on good companies

Assistance during the interv i e wp ro c e s s :■ S u p p o rting candidates during testing

(advice on extra time, arranging re l e v a n ts u p p o rt )

■ Accompanying candidates to interview if needed

Assistance and support for newdisabled re c ru i t s :■ A rranging and participating in Access to

Work assessment■ Help with obtaining support outside of

w o r k■ General advice and help with any

u n f o reseen problems related to accessor disability

w w w. o p p o rt u n i t i e s . o rg . u ktel/minicom: 020 7481 2727.


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graduate re c ruitment pro g r a m m e sd i s c r i m i n a t i o n

Graduate re c ru i t m e n tp ro g r a m m e s

Many companies that are traditionalre c ruiters of graduates have a rigid cycle ofapplications beginning very early in thefinal year of a degree course.

If you are considering applying for a'graduate trainee' position with such ac o m p a n y, you should be re s e a rc h i n gavailability during your second year, ino rder that you are ready to makeapplications early in your final year.

Visit the Careers Library for sources oflikely vacancies.

Destinations of Leaversf rom Higher Education

If you have ever wondered what otherLondon South Bank students have gone onto do after graduation, the Destination ofLeavers from Higher Education can tell youwhat you want to know.

The Destination of Leavers from HigherEducation is carried out every year by alluniversities in the UK to obtain a picture ofwhat has happened to those students whosuccessfully completed courses. We contactpast students by telephone to collect thisi n f o rmation and we also send outq u e s t i o n n a i res.

The information collected is published ina re p o rt, a copy of which is available at theC a reers Library in Caxton House. We wouldsuggest that you come to Caxton House tolook at this data.

Looking at this information will tell you(six months after graduation):■ How many people from your course in

the last few years were in employment■ How many had gone on to do further

s t u d y■ How many were still seeking work

The government also uses this inform a t i o nto see what happens to graduates.Of course, such information is keptconfidential and re p o rts do not identifyi n d i v i d u a l s .



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Seven ways of challengingunfair discrimination

1 If you feel unfair discrimination may be happening, first check and upgrade thequality of your application forms, CVand interview techniques. It is muchh a rder for an employer to discriminate ifyour application form shows that youhave thought about the career andcompany you have selected and havemet the specifications being asked for ina clear and coherent way.

2 It may be useful to think about how unfair discrimination is rationalised sothat you can confront possiblep rejudices. For example, for a maturestudent, this may mean being ‘up fro n t ’about issues like geographical mobility,pay and working with youngercolleagues. For some ethnic minorityapplicants, it may mean emphasisingthings like always handing inassignments on time. ‘Know yourenemy’ is an old proverb. If you arebeing negatively stereotyped you don’thave to conform to that stere o t y p e .

3 It may be worth thinking about, and talking to someone about, yourfeelings. Rejection can quickly generateemotions of anxiety, depression, angerand despair. This is especially true whereunfair discrimination is suspected as amain or partial cause. Such feelings areunderstandable, but may become ahindrance to doing your best in the jobm a r k e t .

4 With larger employers, some evidence about their commitment to diversity canbe gained from things like the style andcontent of their graduate bro c h u re orweb site as well as from where theya d v e rtise. Hobsons produce a DisabilityCasebook and there are now a numberof publications targeting ethnic minoritya p p l i c a n t s .

5 If you are still an undergraduate some f i rms participate in ‘positive action’p rogrammes like the National MentoringC o n s o rtium and the Windsor Fellowship.Ask at reception for details.

6 Some forms of unfair discrimination are illegal (eg: race, disability, religion). Whereevidence exists, action can be taken.

7 You have some power as a consumer.If you do feel badly treated by ano rganisation, you don’t have to goon using or recommending its pro d u c t sor serv i c e s .

c a reers guidanceemployability re s o u rc e s

C a reers guidance

We are here to help. Whether you arelooking for direction in relation to longt e rm planning or short term opport u n i t i e s ,we can give you the guidance you need.We are based in Caxton House, in theL e a rning & Development Centre, on themain Borough Road. All LSBU students arewelcome to use the service at any stageduring their course and for up to two yearsafter graduation. We have a wide range ofs e rvices and information sources to helpyou during, and after, your time at LSBU.

If you are unclear about your nextpossible step or wish to review possibleoptions, then speak to one of our Care e r sAdvisors. Careers interviews can be bookedat any stage of your course and arecompletely confidential. You can discussany aspect of your career planning with anadvisor who specialises in your area of

s t u d y. If you have been shortlisted for a jobi n t e rv i e w, you can arrange to have a mocki n t e rview to get some practice before thereal thing. Ask at the reception desk tobook an appointment.

Book an appointmentD rop in sessions run over most lunchtimesand offer you the chance to see a Care e r sAdvisor in confidence for ten to fifteenminutes. These sessions are operated on afirst come, first served basis and are idealfor CV or application form queries. Contactus to find out when the next session isbeing held. If you are unsure whether yourq u e ry would be best dealt with at ani n t e rview or at a drop in session, thereceptionist will be happy to advise you.A d d i t i o n a l l y, if your session with a Care e r sAdvisor prompts further questions, you canattend further Quick Query sessions orbook a longer interv i e w.



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Employability re s o u rc e s

w w w. p ro s p e c t s . a c . u k

This website is produced by CSU (HigherEducation Careers Service Unit) workingwith AGCAS (Association of GraduateC a reers Advisory Serv i c e s ) .

It contains a wide variety of re s o u rc e sdesigned to help you consider your care e roptions/choices, based upon your skills/attributes, qualifications, likes and dislikes.

In an exciting new development forLondon South Bank, we now have theirown interactive careers management skillsre s o u rce available online. For more detailsgo to: w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / c a re e r s.

The workshop programme ru n st h roughout the year and typically includesthe following (many of which are of generali n t e rest as well as being employmentre l a t e d ) :■ CVs and covering letters■ Application form s■ I n t e rview techniques■ Psychometric tests■ Running your own business■ Business aware n e s s■ Time management■ E ffective communication■ Team working skills■ P resentation skills■ MBTI workshop

Concise Career Guides

We produce a range of Concise Care e rGuides that, as the name suggests, pro v i d ea concise overview of many of the keytopics related to student/graduateemployment. Titles currently availablei n c l u d e :■ The Key to Your Success■ Job Hunting in a Changing Graduate

M a r k e t■ Looking for Part-time Work in London■ Finding an Industrial Placement■ Getting Started on Your CV and

Covering Letter■ Winning Application Form s■ I n t e rv i e w s■ Assessment Centre s■ L e a rning Through Wo r k■ Job Hunting Strategies for Ethnic

Minority Graduates■ Job Hunting Strategies for Students

with Disabilities■ M a t u re Graduates■ Postgraduate Study■ S t a rting Your Own Business■ C a reer Management Skills for

I n t e rnational Students■ P reparing for Success for First Year

S t u d e n t s

Copies of these publications are availablef ree of charge from the Careers Library atCaxton House (020 7815 6710).


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t a rg e t i n gcaxton house

be afraid to write that you are a student.Highlight any qualifications, skills andexperience that are relevant to the position,especially if the advert stated thatexperience was necessary. If the companyis one that you know, inform the employerthat you are familiar with the business.This can be very important in retail, fore x a m p l e .

Ta rg e t i n g

It is also important not to send off randomletters to any and every b o d y. Insteadconcentrate your eff o rts on employers that

you know are hiring. A stru c t u red planfocused on getting a job will provide farg reater results than a few letters sent offi n d i s c r i m i n a t e l y. Good sources of jobi n f o rmation are the Jobshop, vacancybulletins (available online) and publicationssuch as The Evening Standard.

D o n ’t forget that your covering lettershould form a single package with yourCV or application form. Rather than simplyduplicating the same information, yourcovering letter should complement yourCV by highlighting your key attributes.Use your covering letter to market yourself.With a covering letter you are able to gointo further depth than is often possible ona CV. Use this opportunity to explain keyp o i n t s .

Ti p s

■ Never post a CV to an employer without including a covering letter

■ Always send a typed application unless o t h e rwise stated

■ Try to send the letter to a named p e r s o n

■ If you are responding to an a d v e rtisement, make sure that yourletter covers all the points raised in it.Try to demonstrate that you havethought hard about the job, have therelevant skills and would enjoy workingfor their org a n i s a t i o n

■ Your letter should not be more than one page of A4

■ Use good quality paper■ Check the spelling of names and

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Caxton HouseThe careers library, in Caxton House, holdsa wide range of re s o u rces relating too p p o rtunities after graduation. Additionali n f o rmation and books for loan are locatedin the Perry Library. Information aboutspecific careers and details of further studyo p p o rtunities are both available. Theexcellent selection of handouts, re f e re n c ebooks and employer directories can assistwith career planning. There are also videoswhich cover many topics includingattending interviews and assessmentc e n t res. These are essential viewing as partof interview preparation! As well asstocking numerous vacancy sources, Wep roduced our own web based Va c a n c yBulletin. The Bulletin is compiled fro ma d v e rtisements submitted by employerswho want to fill their vacancies with LSBUg r a d u a t e s .

Opening times:9 a m - 5 p m – Mon-Fri all year9 a m - 7 p m – Wednesdays during term time

Covering letters

A covering letter is the introduction foryourself and for your CV. It will often bethe first impression which a pro s p e c t i v eemployer receives and, as such, it shouldbe treated quite care f u l l y.

Your covering letter needs to attract there c ruiters attention by immediately,emphasising your interest in and suitabilityfor the job. Introduce yourself and specifythe position you are applying for. Includeany re f e rence numbers or codes as thesemay help identify the vacant position. Thisis often vital in large companies. Explainwhy you are interested in the job and don’t


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FRANCIS THOMASBA Business Studies graduate

Francis became Head of Media Relationsfor Boots plc in 2001. His other high flyingachievements include winning thep restigious PR Professional of the Year bythe Midlands branch of the Institute ofPublic Relations in the same year.

Although Francis graduated from LSBUquite some time ago, he remembers histime here vividly and strongly encouragesstudents to use the professional expert i s eof the Careers Service to plan for theirf u t u re. He says, “I had a fantastic time atLondon South Bank. Not only did it openup my career horizons (with great supportf rom your department), I also met my wifeat breakfast in the halls of re s i d e n c e !You took a shy would be accountant andt u rned him into a spokesman for one ofBritain's leading companies.”

case file

application form sc u rriculum vitae

avoid gimmicky/flashy form a t s■ Avoid large areas of text – use note

f o rm instead of long sentences. Bre a kup text with bullet points.

■ Give the information in order of i m p o rtance for maximum impact –most important first

■ Check your spelling

Application form s

Application forms are not the gre a t e s tinvention to grace the earth, but they dos e rve a purpose. So, how do you make youapplication form stand out? Firstly,photocopy the form. As soon as you getthe form, make a copy and use that as as t a rting point.

R e - read the job description and writedown the main points, think about thequalities re q u i red for the job and think ofexamples that demonstrate your ability todo the job. The questions will have beenwritten so that the employer can obtainthe relevant information for the job.

Think about each question before youanswer it and follow all the instru c t i o n sv e ry care f u l l y. If you don’t follow thei n s t ructions the chances are that you willnot get an interv i e w. Practise fitting youranswers into the box, use all the availablespace to maximise the amount ofi n f o rmation you can include about yourself,but don’t make the form cramped.

An employer will be looking for alegible, accurate and well writtenapplication form. The employer will notwant to spend time deciphering yourhandwriting. They will want to see your

i n f o rmation laid out in a clear and easy toread format. They will also want to see anobvious interest in their company.

F i n a l l y, photocopy the completedapplication form and use it for re f e re n c ewhen you attend the job interv i e w.

Psychometric tests

Many companies now use aptitude tests asp a rt of their re c ruitment selection pro c e s s .The commonest tests that you are likely toencounter are ones designed to measureyour verbal reasoning and those thatm e a s u re your numerical ability.

T h e re are generally two types ofpsychometric test – those that test aptitudeand those that examine personality.Aptitude tests look at whether you can dothe job whilst personality questionnaires tryto establish whether or not you have theright personal style.

Aptitude tests measure numerical skills,verbal reasoning or abstract thinking andyou should pre p a re for them as you wouldany exam. Find out what you will be testedon and revise it well.

Most employers will tell you which testyou will be sitting and send a ‘Test Ta k e r s ’Guide’, which includes sample questions.

Personality questionnaires examine howlikely you are to fit into the role andcompany culture. For example, they maymatch your responses with those of asample of successful candidates. Wi t h o u tinsider information it is impossible to knowwhat the company is looking for.

The best policy is to ‘always be honest’.Avoid the temptation to guess what sort of



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C u rriculum Vi t a e

A CV, or Curriculum Vitae, is a documentwhich summarises your career andqualifications for a prospective employer.These days, many employers selectcandidates for interview from CVs ratherthan application forms. A CV is also themost effective way to present yourselfwhen writing to prospective employers onthe off chance. There are a number off o rmats that can be used, depending onyour personal circumstances and thep a rticular job you are applying for. A CVshould normally be submitted with acovering letter.

When planning your CV, you need tounderstand this crucial point: everyp rospective employer has a problem. Ino rder to be successful, you have to sellyourself as the solution to their pro b l e m .In other words, your CV has to show theemployer what you can do for theirc o m p a n y. They are not interested in yourlife story – just the pertinent details whichshow why they should consider you. Yo u rCV is, there f o re, your primarya d v e rtisement. It is often your first point ofcontact with an employer, so it’s import a n tto get it right.

Content and presentation are the twokey factors to consider when creating a CV.A good CV has concise and re l e v a n tcontent, presented in a format which isclear and easy to access.

A CV needs to be specifically tailored tothe job you are applying for. Every job hasp a rticular re q u i rements and you mustadapt your CV to reflect the aspects ofyour skills and experience that are re q u i re d

in each case. It is, however, a good idea tohave a basic ‘template’ CV that you canadapt as re q u i re d .

The first step in the process isi n f o rmation gathering. If you havecompleted the skills audit, you shoulda l ready have compiled a good deal ofrelevant information relating to your skills,experience and qualifications. The nextstep, and possibly the most crucial one, isto select the information that you aregoing to include. Be sure that every t h i n gyou include is absolutely essential to yourapplication. Anything that isn’t should notbe there .

Having decided what’s going in, nowchoose the best layout to put thisi n f o rmation across clearly and eff e c t i v e l y.

Next, begin the writing process. Chooseyour words carefully to give the impact youwant. If you can, use one word instead oft h re e .

Now check and edit your draft CV. Doesit say exactly what you want it to say? Becritical. Continue checking and editing untilyou are completely satisfied. Get otherp e o p l e ’s opinions – such as care e r sadvisors, teachers and other pro f e s s i o n a lpeople you know. Can they suggest anyways in which you could make your CVstand out even more ?

R e m e m b e r :■ Keep it brief – no more than two sides

of A4■ Include only relevant and current

i n f o rm a t i o n■ Be sparing with words and choose each

one care f u l l y■ Keep it simple, clear and professional –


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q u e s t i o n stelephone interv i e w s

have to use it wisely. Think about it as aninvestment for your future. Yo u rp e rf o rmance during the interview coulda ffect the rest of your working life.

P reparation is the key to success at ani n t e rv i e w. Once you’ve received all thei n f o rmation from an employer, do somere s e a rch and find out as much as you canabout the company and the job. Researc his useful because it will help you give betteranswers to the interv i e w e r’s questions, giveyou ideas for questions to ask, show thatyou are interested in the company, andshow that you are motivated to get thejob. Large companies will often pro d u c eannual re p o rts, bro c h u res or otherl i t e r a t u re which will give you a valuableinsight into their operations, corporatep h i l o s o p h y, and so on.

Many companies now supply a personspecification in addition to the jobdescription. This gives details about thetype of person an employer wants to fillthe post. By re s e a rching the company youa re preparing yourself for questions thatmay be asked during the interv i e w.Anticipate what these might be so that youcan answer confidently.

Q u e s t i o n s

P re p a re a list of questions that you wouldlike to ask the company. Remember thatthe interview is a two way process and assuch you should be interviewing thei n t e rv i e w e r. Use the information in the jobdescription as re s e a rch for your questions.A trip to the careers library in CaxtonHouse may also provide more inform a t i o n

about the employer and the job itself.A rmed with sufficient information, youmay be in a better position to makesensible decisions about what type ofquestions you will be asked as well asabout those that you will want to ask.

Employers will expect you to dre s ss m a rtly for the interv i e w. When doing thejob you may be able to wear what you likebut, for the interv i e w, you should still dre s ss m a rt l y. You will also be expected to arr i v eon time and not be too nervous. Havingconfidence in yourself will make theemployer have confidence in you.

Use interviews as lessons and learn fro mthem. The more interviews you do, thebetter you’ll be able to understand the ro l eof the interv i e w e r. Interviews should bet reated as positive experiences; they are notsomething to be afraid of.

Employers do not like people who lackconfidence and self worth. You’ve made itto London South Bank so be proud. Do notcriticise your course or your previous joband don’t complain; nobody wants toemploy a whinger. Never give thei m p ression that you don’t really want thejob. If you have already missed out onsomething better, the interview is not theplace to mention it. Also, do not mentionother applications as this will not cre a t eenthusiasm in the interv i e w e r.

Take along a copy of your applicationf o rm and your CV and don’t panic. Andd o n ’t forget to thank the interv i e w e r, evenif it all went wrong. They’re only human.



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answers they are looking for, as it is the relationship between the diff e re n t

p a rts of your personality rather than onep a rticular trait that will be examined. Alsot h e re may be questions that are designedto find out if you are guessing; so honestyreally is the best policy.

Telephone Interv i e w s

You’ve found your ideal job advertised onthe Jobshop website and the only contacti n f o rmation is a telephone number. Wi t hmost jobs you will be re q u i red to attend ani n t e rview which will normally mean goingto the employer’s place of work. Insteadbecause you have found a job from ap a rticularly forw a rd thinking org a n i s a t i o n ,you have to contact them and take part ina telephone interv i e w.

By giving a telephone number, obviouslythe employer would like to you to callthem. Often in retail or a service industry,w h e re there is a lot of face-to-face contactwith customers, an employer may use thetelephone as an effective screening tool.This is because they re q u i re that you have aclear speaking voice and a good use ofEnglish for that particular job.

When contacting an employer for thefirst time, always bear in mind that it maybe an interv i e w. If you treat the telephone call in the same way that you would a face-to-face interview yous h o u l d n ’t go far wro n g .

P re p a r a t i o n

Make sure you have a couple of workingpens with you so that you can write downyour answers as you proceed through thei n t e rv i e w. You will be able to refer to themlater on in the conversation and afterw a rd s .Have a copy of your CV/application form /covering letter to hand in case the employerwishes to know more information about ap a rticular area. Don’t speak too quickly, useslang, interrupt, or talk over the re c ruiter asthese are traits they will be looking out for.

Try to smile while talking, in the sameway as you would in a face-to-facei n t e rv i e w. Smiling on the telephone canmake your voice sound friendlier and helpsto control your nerv e s .

I n t e rv i e w s

I n t e rviews come in various forms and willn o rmally be based on the information yousupplied on your application form. Yo u ri n t e rview could take a variety of forms. Itcould be:■ A question and answer session with one

i n t e rv i e w e r■ A panel interview with several people

asking questions

An interview is a two way process whichgives you the opportunity to ‘sell’ yourselfto an employer. It also gives the employerthe chance to ‘sell’ their company to you.You have to use the interview to convincea potential employer that you’re the bestperson for the job. The time you spendduring the interview is valuable so you


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postgraduate studyc a reer paths

Consider your:

Covering Letter■ Did this add anything to your

application form / C V ?■ Was the tone appropriate to the job?■ Did you repeat information from your

C V ?

C V■ Did you tailor it appropriately to the

j o b ?■ Did your identify your skills clearly?■ Did you provide evidence?■ Did you emphasise the necessary skills

for the job?

Application form■ Did you answer the questions clearly

and concisely?■ Was it legible?

Postgraduate study

Getting a job is not the only option afteryou graduate. Another possibility is to goon to do a postgraduate course of study. Itis worth thinking about this option nowbecause for some popular courses it maybe advisable to actually apply in theautumn term of your final year. Pro m i n e n tin your thinking about postgraduate studyshould be why you want to do it. Sometypical reasons, some better than others,a re given below:■ I really enjoy my subject■ It will enhance my career pro s p e c t s■ I want to convert to a new career are a■ I need it for the career I have chosen

■ I don’t know what else to do■ My lecturer suggested it■ I want a fall back in case I don’t get the

job I want.

Postgraduate courses can vary in lengthf rom between 1–3 years. Normally youapply direct to the university running thecourse that you are interested in.

A big issue in postgraduate study ishow it will be financed. Financing is totallyd i ff e rent than for a first degree. You willneed to find out from the universityrunning the course what funds if anystudents have got in the past. It is verycommon for students to financethemselves or take out a care e rdevelopment loan. If finance is a pro b l e m ,i t ’s worth remembering that manypostgraduate courses can be studiedp a rt - t i m e .

For more information pick up theAGCAS booklet Postgraduate Study andR e s e a rc h f ree from the library.

Taking time out to travel

Another possibility after your final year is totake time out (typically 6 months or a year)to travel. This may be especially appealingif you have come straight to universityafter school or college. A year spent, say,travelling and working abroad can lookgood on your CV when you re t u rn. It willneed some thought and planning. Visit thel i b r a ry and have a look at some of thebooks that have been published thatwill help you get the most from youryear out.



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C a reer paths

For many people, deciding on a career pathand finding a suitable job can be adaunting task. You will probably findyourself asking questions such as: ■ What do I want to do?■ How do I know if a job is going to be

right for me?■ W h e re do I start looking?

The good news is that there ’s no need topanic! Help is available at every step of thew a y. The task of finding a career will seema lot less daunting if you have a stru c t u re dand methodical approach to the pro c e s s .The first step forw a rd is looking closely atY O U.

Self analysis is the first step in helping youdecide what you would like to do andachieve. It will help you find out: ■ The sort of person you are■ Your interests, likes and dislikes■ Your skills and achievements■ Your strengths and weaknesses.

Although there are many factors which willinfluence your choice of job, including payand availability of work, you are only likelyto be satisfied with a career on a long termbasis if the work relates to your intere s t s .Make a list of these activities.

Pick out the ones that you wouldp a rticularly like to feature in your job.

A re there any activities which you woulddefinitely not like to have to engage in asp a rt of your employment?

Handling re j e c t i o n

Competition in the labour market, even inLondon, is tough so it is not uncommon tobe rejected several times before you landyour perfect job.

The best way to take a rejection is toanalyse yourself and try to review any are a sthat you think may have caused therejection. If you failed to get an interv i e wfor a specific job, it is probably wort hlooking at yourself and making sure thatyour skills and experience match the jobyou were applying for. It may also bevaluable to look at the quality of yourapplication and review your pre s e n t a t i o n .

It is a good idea to get advice from thec a reers advisors in Caxton House to checkthe content and quality of your inform a t i o n .

If you didn’t get the job, review your p e rf o rmance during the interv i e w. Did youdo enough re s e a rch to answer the questionsput to you? We re you pre p a red? Did youhave a mock interview with a care e r sa d v i s o r ?

If you can, get feedback; mostemployers will tell you why you didn’tmake it, especially at the later stages of thep rocess. Make sure they understand youa re seeking help, not complaining.

Attitude is important; stay positive andd o n ’t take it personally. Learn from theexperience; build on it for next time. If youfeel you were treated unfairly, talk to ac a reers advisor.

Get advice: seek help and encouragementby talking to your careers advisors, friendsand family. The perfect job may be justa round the corn e r !


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choosing a care e rc a reer management

Choosing a care e r

You may already know what kind of workyou want to do when you graduate.Equally though, you may still be uncert a i n .So, how do you choose?

W h e re to start ?■ Make sure you know what your

options are . We keep statistics onwhat students have done in the past.T h e re are also sheets, called SignpostSheets that outline the options open tograduates from a given degree discipline.These can be found on the Pro s p e c t sweb site (w w w. p ro s p e c t s . a c . u k)together with a wealth of otheri n f o rmation of value to the final yearjob seeker

■ Ask yourself what kind of job you w a n t . Do you want to apply forgraduate training positions with larg ecompanies? If the answer is yes you willneed a really good application form andmany of these companies will consideronly honours graduates with a 2.1 or1st. Would you rather work for asmaller company? There may be lesscompetition for these jobs

■ What do you want from a job? Security? Early responsibility? Va r i e t y ?Pay is something we probably all wouldlike more of but bear in mind the bestpaid jobs are also often the ones whereemployers want a great deal back int e rms of time and commitment

Action points: Try a session on Pro s p e c tP l a n n e r. (Prospect Planner is a computertool that allows you to match your skillsand values against possible careers.) Ask atthe reception desk if you want to try it.Also if you are finding making a care e rchoice difficult this is a reason you s h o u l dconsider booking a careers interview to seeyour faculty careers adviser.

W h e re to look for vacanciesT h e re are many ways to look for graduatej o b s :■ D i rectories: A lot of the large

companies advertise in the two maind i rectories (Prospects Dire c t o ry and theGraduate Careers Dire c t o ry) that arepublished yearly and available from theC a reers Library from around late October

■ M a g a z i n e s : P rospects for the Finalist is a magazine with vacancies for final yearstudents. It is published in sectionsduring the autumn and spring term .P rospects Today provide immediatevacancies that are relevant if you arestill seeking work when you graduate

■ The Intern e t : This is now a major s o u rce of information. Last year mostgraduate applications were madeo n l i n e

■ C a reers Fairs: These are worth looking out for; either the ones held here atLondon South Bank University or atother universities in London and theSouth East

■ R e c ruitment agencies: These may also be worth trying although manywant directly relevant experience.For a web based dire c t o ry tryw w w. a g e n c y c e n t r a l . c o . u k



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C a reer management

Your final year is an important time. Thre eyears of study will reach a climax in thefinal exams that will determine the class ofyour degree. In addition the final year isone where you will need to look at lifeafter graduation. What follows looks brieflyat some of the career management issuesfor final year graduates and at how youcan access more information, advice andg u i d a n c e .

Graduate careers in achanging world

Like any market, the graduate job market isin constant change. There has been a tenfold increase in the UK’s graduatepopulation. At the same time, larg ecompanies have de-layered theirmanagement stru c t u res and many havebecome truly globalised in their operation.On a more positive note for job seekers,the same period has seen moreo p p o rtunities created in smaller firms (theso called SME’s ) .

What does all this mean for you? Itmeans that, incre a s i n g l y, employers ofgraduates want a shopping list of skills andpersonal qualities as well as degree subjectknowledge. There is no single list of whatthese skills are. Part of your re s e a rch intoany given occupation or employer shouldinclude an assessment of what skills arei m p o rtant in that vocation or to thatp a rticular employer’s culture. However,what follows is a list of some of them o re common skills and qualities

graduate re c ruiters want of the moderngraduate: ■ People skills that include leadership,

teamwork, influencing others,understanding others and an ability toresolve conflicts

■ Self aware n e s s ie, an awareness of yourown strengths and weaknesses, aimsand values and how you impact ono t h e r s

■ Self confidence and an ability to work w h e re necessary with a minimum ofs u p e rv i s i o n

■ Social confidence■ Adaptability and a willingness to

continue learning in an ever changingworld – which includes being able tomonitor and critically appraise your ownp e rf o rmance and to cope in a world fullof ambiguity and uncert a i n t y

■ Good oral and written communications k i l l s

■ Computer literacy■ Business aware n e s s■ A range of organisational skills including

decision making, planning, prioritising,working under pre s s u re and good timek e e p i n g

■ An ability to operate in a multicultural work enviro n m e n t

■ Computer literacy and willingness to experiment with new technologicald e v e l o p m e n t s

■ N u m e r a c y■ Enthusiasm and motivation to succeed

Action point: How would you rate yourabilities in the above skills? How would youp rovide evidence of those skills to apotential employer?


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working overseasc reative jobhunting

Language (TEFL) can also be another ro u t eto working abro a d .

Action points: For more on overseas workcollect the AGCAS booklets, Wo r k i n gA b ro a d and Working in Europe – FirstS t e p s both available from the Care e r sL i b r a ry.

When to start ?

It depends what you want. If you arelooking for graduate positions in larg ecompanies some of these may have closingdates around Christmas of your final year.This is especially true of popular areas ofthe graduate job market like marketingand human re s o u rces. If you want to workfor smaller companies they are more likelyto re c ruit on an ad hoc basis as and whena vacancy arises.

Action point: Find out if the employersyou are interested in have closing dates fora p p l i c a t i o n s .

Self knowledge

Success in the graduate job market is notonly about knowing what opport u n i t i e sexist and when to apply. You also need tobe clear about what you want from a job.You also need an understanding of yourown strengths and weaknesses. After all,how can you market yourself to employersif you don’t know who ‘you’ are ?

Taking the Myers-Brigg Type PersonalityIndicator (MBTI) is a very useful way of

understanding aspects of personality.Personality is often overlooked but it is ani m p o rtant factor in career choice anddecision making. By attending one of ourMBTI workshops you can discover yourown unique profile and explore itsrelevance to your career plans and perh a p spersonal life as well.

Another very important aspect of selfknowledge is knowing your strengths andweaknesses in a team. Teamwork is centralto nearly every graduate job. Does yours t rength lie in coming up with cre a t i v eideas or implementing the ideas of others?Does your leadership style tend to thediplomatic and democratic or the moreauthoritarian? Meredith Belbin at theHenley Management College has pro d u c e dan inventory of these behaviours in a teamthat is useful to look at because teamworkand team style so often come up ongraduate application forms and interv i e w s .

Action points: For more on Myers-Briggscome book a place on one of ourworkshops. For more on the work ofBelbin check out his web site at:w w w. b e l b i n . c o m.



87

If you are restricted in terms of job mobilitydo not forget your local sources of help eg:job centres, local press & high street agencies.

Remember also that many jobs are nowon part-time or temporary contracts.All our jobs of this kind are advert i s e dt h rough the Jobshop. As LSBU studentsyou can use the Jobshop both now andfor up to two years after you graduate (seew w w.lsbu.ac.uk/jobshop for details).

C reative job hunting

C reative job hunting is an umbrella termfor a number of ways of actively seekingwork. These include:■ Making speculative applications ■ Using friends and colleagues

(networking) Remember to network;you need only one contact to start yournet. Networking and its associatedtechniques are particularly important inthose parts of the graduate job marketw h e re competition for jobs is intense.Some examples would include ‘city’jobs, marketing, human re s o u rces andmost media jobs

■ Job shadowing or interviewing peopledoing the career you are re s e a rc h i n g .Job shadowing means asking anemployer if you can come in for a shorttime (typically a day or half day) literallyto shadow a recent graduate doing thekind of work you are interested in

Action points: For more on networkingsee the AGCAS video, Can I Have a Minuteof Your Ti m e ? and our guide, Job Huntingin a Changing Graduate Market.

Self employment

The ultimate form of creative job huntingis self employment. In some parts of thegraduate job market eg: in media not onlyis networking how most jobs are filled buti n c reasingly people work on a self employedor freelance basis. In the economy as awhole self employment is also gro w i n g .

If you are thinking about setting upyour own business, it’s not just aboutfinding an innovative product or service tobase your business on, though this isi m p o rtant. You will also need to re s e a rc hthe idea thoroughly and produce abusiness plan that will generate supportand income from others. Self employmentis not an easy option!

Action points: Collect the AGCASbooklet, A l t e rnative Work Styles IncludingSelf Employment and the guide, ‘S t a rt i n gYour Own Business f rom the Care e r sL i b r a ry.

Working overseas

If you are a home student, then workingoverseas directly after graduation is not av e ry common option. Some companies willwant to send graduates overseas but thisn o rmally happens afterw a rds. UnitedKingdom citizens have the right to work inany country in the European Union orE u ropean Economic Area but this doesn’tp reclude language and cultural barr i e r s .T h e re are opportunities to work for short e rperiods through vacation work, intern s h i p sand the like. Teaching English as a Fore i g n


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SAJID OMERBSc Business and Information Te c h n o l o g yGraduated: 2002

In the time since Sajid has graduated he has successfully setup his own successful IT company, Nobel Technologies Ltd.His company develops and distributes software, wire l e s smedia content and refurbished computers to clients all overthe world.

“Never underrate the value of work experience. This is very important when seeking ap e rmanent role; my placement at British Airways eCommerce helped me significantly whenapplying for my role at Barclays Capital.”

To get the most out of your work experience, Sajid says that you should:

“Never be afraid to ask for help – e.g. ask a relative or friend for work experience at their placeof work. Work experience is a vital part of your education if you want to succeed in thebusiness world.”

If thinking of setting up your own business like Sajid, he offers the following tips:

“ D o n ’t underestimate the amount of hard work, planning and preparation involved in settingup your own business.

Always network, no matter how you feel about certain people they could always be ofsome use later on down the line. We have secured contracts with three major banks to take alltheir old computers – 5000 per month, which we refurbish and export to Africa and the MiddleEast. This came about through contacts and networking. I built up my contacts as I went along,f rom my placement and from part time jobs.

Take risks, I left my role at Barclays after one year in order to pursue Nobel – it was all ornothing. Always persist: if you keep trying to make something work it will, and if it doesn’t ,then take a step back and rethink your strategy. ”

S a j i d ’s company now employs 21 contractors and 12 programmers. He would encourage peopleto get work experience, build up networks and remain committed and he firmly believes that ifhe can do it, so can you!

p rofile: starting your own business 89coping with re j e c t i o n

Coping with re j e c t i o n

The graduate labour market is competitiveand most graduates will face rejection atsome stage. Don’t take it personally. Staypositive. Think about why you were notsuccessful and what lessons have beenl e a rnt for next time. Some employers maybe willing to give feedback on how toi m p rove your interview techniques orp e rf o rmance at an assessment centre. Ifp roblems persist or if you feel you weret reated unfairly, then see a careers adviser.

Getting help

You can use the Careers Service at any timewhile you are a student and for up to twoyears after you graduate.

If you wish to see a careers adviser for afull 45 minute interv i e w, then you will needto book this in advance by calling in personor by ringing our reception. There will bean adviser who is a specialist in the care e ra reas relating to your faculty so you maywant to book to see that adviser.

For shorter enquiries we run QuickQ u e ry sessions over the lunch time periodw h e re you can see an adviser for 10-15minutes. Ask or phone our reception ford e t a i l s .

You can use our careers inform a t i o nroom anytime it is open. It contains awealth of information on care e r s ,postgraduate study, graduate employersand latest vacancies. Past students can alsohave vacancy lists sent to their homea d d ress. You can also use our computerfacilities to job hunt on the web.

During term time we run workshops,c a reers fairs and employer pre s e n t a t i o n s .Ask at the reception or see our websitefor details.

Lastly don’t forget that if you arelooking for full-time or part-time workeither now or for up to two years aftergraduation you can use our Jobshops e rvice (w w w. l s b u . a c . u k / j o b s h o p) .

. . . some final hints

You can improve your chances by:■ Knowing how the job market works■ Knowing how well you know yourself

and what you want■ Marketing yourself well and providing

evidence of your skills■ Using the help that is available to you





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c a reer management skills

SKILL 2. SELF AWARENESS/PROMOTIONAL SKILLSBeing able to reflect on and communicate both verbally and on paper past lifeexperiences and skills in a way that will persuade employers to offer you a job.

SELF AWA R E N E S S

Level 1■ A more detailed consideration of the importance of transferable skills to most graduate

re c ruiters. Students will have given some thought to how they are going to evidence theseskills to potential employers in terms of their own past and non-vocational interests anda c t i v i t i e s

Level 2■ Experience in using expert knowledge systems as an aid to self awareness and career

decision making eg: Prospect Planner■ An awareness of personality characteristics in self awareness and career decision making

eg: MBTI, Belbin■ Students will have begun to think about what they want from work (work values) and

work ethics

Level 3■ Revision of the learning from previous levels linked to real applications to graduate

e m p l o y e r s

PROMOTING YOURSELF ON PA P E R

Level 1■ P roduction of the more detailed CV of the kind that might be used for a professional job

or sandwich placement■ An understanding of the diff e rent kinds of CV (chronological, functional, etc.) and their

relative merits

Level 2■ Completion of and feedback on the kind of application forms used by graduate re c ru i t e r s■ Experience of the kinds of psychometric tests used by some graduate re c ru i t e r s


e m p l o y e r s


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91c a reer management skills

The following is an outline of the LSBU Benchmarks for Level 1 and Level 2.

Benchmarks: Career Management Skills

SKILL 1. MARKET AWA R E N E S SKnowing the relevant employment market. Researching occupations andemployers. Commercial awareness.

Level 1■ Knowledge and understanding of the labour market that exists on graduation. Who

employs graduates? How competitive is the market? Where are jobs advertised? When isthe best time to apply?

■ Changing trends within graduate re c ruitment as a whole including the role of SME’s ■ Knowledge of the Careers and Student Employment Unit and the help it pro v i d e s■ The internet as a tool in graduate job search (1)

Level 2■ An in-depth analysis of past employment destinations from their own subject field

including from this university and use of this information to critically evaluate and assesstheir own career plans

■ W h e re appropriate an audit of the pros and cons in undertaking a sandwich year■ Postgraduate study as an option and how it is funded■ How and when to apply■ Time out as an option on graduation

Level 3■ R e s e a rch into the changing nature of he graduate market place. Economic and cultural

globalisation; dealing with constant change and ambiguity■ D e g ree specific vacancy sources (2)■ C reative job hunting as a graduate job search strategy including self employment■ Working overseas as an option on graduation including opportunities within the EEC■ Coping with unemployment/ underemployment on graduating


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communication skills

Benchmarks: Communication Skills

SKILL 1. DEVELOP AND PLAN A STRATEGY FOR USING COMMUNICATION SKILLSTO ACHIEVE OUTCOMES

DEVELOP A STRAT E G Y

Level 1■ Identify occasions when communication skills will be needed■ identify key people to support the development of plan

Level 2■ Establish opportunities for using communication skills over an extended period of time

Level 3■ Establish opportunities using a range of communication skills over an extended period of

time

PLAN USE OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Level 1■ Develop plan for main communication skills tasks■ Plan sequence of work for main communication tasks■ Identify relevant sources of information, including people and re f e rence material

Level 2■ Plan selection and use of communication skills level of expertise needed■ Choose format, stru c t u re and style that suits purpose and desired eff e c t■ I d e n t i f y, re s e a rch and evaluate from relevant sourc e s

Level 3■ Clearly identify the outcomes you hope to achieve■ Make a reasoned selection of methods for achieving quality of outcomes re q u i red,

including collating and re c o rding inform a t i o n


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93c a reer management skills

PROMOTING YOURSELF IN PERSON

Level 1■ Practice with feedback on the kind of advanced competency based interviews used by

graduate re c ru i t e r s

Level 2■ The necessary skills and knowledge re q u i red to give a pre s e n t a t i o n■ Experience of those other tasks (team management exercises, in-tray exercises) that might

be encountered at an assessment centre■ Revision on interview skills


e m p l o y e r s

DIVERSITY ISSUES IN GRADUATE EMPLOYMENTUnderstanding that unfair discrimination can occur in the graduate labour marketand that strategies exist for challenging such discrimination

Level 1■ Students will have undertaken some re s e a rch into diversity issues as they affect the

graduate labour market including their chosen specialism■ I n t e rnational students will need to be aware of any special circumstances pertaining to

them in finding part-time work eg: how to obtain a National Insurance Number.

Level 2■ A more detailed examination of why unfair discrimination can take place and how it is

r a t i o n a l i s e d■ An ability to formulate the counter strategies for challenging unfair discrimination■ The advantages of cross-cultural knowledge and experience

Level 3■ Knowledge in outline of equal opportunities legislation in the UK in relation to

e m p l o y m e n t■ I n t e rnational students will need to be aware of any special issues that pertain to them on

graduation eg: work permits, issues around re t u rning home


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MAKE ORAL PRESENTAT I O N S

Level 1■ S t ru c t u re presentation clearly and use a range of techniques to engage audience

Level 2■ O rganise and clearly present information in ways that suit your purpose, subject and

audience using comparisons, relevant examples, images, charts, video clips and models toillustrate complex points

■ Va ry use of vocabulary and grammatical expression to convey particular effects, fine distinctions and appropriate emphasis to engage and/or persuade audience

Level 3■ Communicate relevant information about a range of complex subjects in a form that suits

your purpose ,using illustrations and examples where appro p r i a t e■ P resent a synthesis of information, supporting points with evidence and presenting own

i n t e r p retation in a coherent way

READ WRITTEN MAT E R I A L S

Level 1■ Select a variety of materials needed for a purpose■ Read a range of documents including ones with graphic re p resentation of ideas■ Use diff e rent reading techniques according to purpose

Level 2■ Read a range of documents on complex subjects identifying purpose, opinion, possible

bias and distortion of inform a t i o n■ Sift materials and select appropriate information, ideas and arguments relevant to task in

h a n d

Level 3■ Read, analyse and evaluate a wide range of documents on complex subjects identifying

opinion, possible bias and distortion of information ■ C ro s s - re f e rence facts, including use of multi-media sourc e s


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95communication skills

SKILL 2. USE COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO ACHIEVE QUALITY OF OUTCOMES INORAL COMMUNICAT I O N

TAKE PA RT IN DISCUSSIONS

Level 1■ Make appropriate and relevant contributions■ Listen and respond sensitively and tactfully■ C reate opportunities for others to contribute■ Ask questions relevant to subject and situation■ Respond to questions and comments appro p r i a t e l y

Level 2■ Take a lead role in group discussions, clearly structuring what you say in an appro p r i a t e

style, using illustrations and examples where appro p r i a t e■ Respond perceptively to contributions from others, showing sensitivity to status, ethical,

cultural and gender issues

Level 3■ Take a lead role in group discussions■ Communicate relevant information about complex subjects with accuracy ■ Respond perceptively to contributions from others■ Distinguish tone and undertone of what is said■ Show sensitivity to status, ethical, cultural and gender issues■ In interviews construct appropriate narratives about self and experiences ■ Draw out inferences of questions and comments


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RESPOND TO ORALLY PRESENTED INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Listen and respond appropriately in a range of familiar social and academic contexts■ Respond appropriately to lengthy or multi-step instructions on a range of topics and in a

range of contexts■ Listen and identify relevant information from presentations on a range of topics in both

f o rmal and informal contexts

Level 2■ Respond appropriately in a range of formal contexts eg: interv i e w s■ Respond appropriately to lengthy or multi-step instructions on complex subjects and in a

range of contexts■ Listen and identify relevant information from extended presentations on a range of topics

in both formal and informal contexts

Level 3■ Listen critically and identify line of argument, bias, implication, from extended

p resentations on a range of topics in both formal and informal contexts

SKILL 3. USE COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO ACHIEVE QUALITY OF OUTCOMES INWRITTEN COMMUNICAT I O N

PRODUCE SHORT DOCUMENTS

Level 1■ Keep to main points excluding all irrelevant inform a t i o n■ Link information and ideas in an ord e red way according to purpose and audience, using

images if appro p r i a t e■ P ro o f read documents and redraft as necessary■ Check that style suits purpose and audience

Level 2■ P roduce a range of short documents relevant to context and audience■ Synthesise relevant information from a range of sources on a complex subject and

communicate in a form that suits purpose and context

Level 3■ P roduce a wide range of short documents relevant to context and audience■ Synthesize relevant information from a range of courses on a complex subject and

communicate in a form that suits purpose and context, using illustrations and examplesw h e re appro p r i a t e


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PRODUCE EXTENDED DOCUMENTS

Level 1■ Link information, ideas and arguments within a coherent framework of sections/chapters

as appro p r i a t e■ Include relevant re f e rences and elaboration to clarify and explain complex points■ E n s u re that introduction, development and conclusion sections are mutually compatible■ P resent your own interpretation of the subject appro p r i a t e l y■ E n s u re that sources are acknowledged

Level 2■ Choose appropriate format, structuring the material and presenting arguments and

i n f o rmation in a logical sequence about complex subjects using elaboration and examplesw h e re appro p r i a t e

■ Choose, produce and place images to elucidate points in text

Level 3■ S t ru c t u re material and present arguments and information in logical sequence to suit

purpose, subject and audience, using comparisons, relevant examples, images, chart s ,video clips and models to illustrate complex points

■ Va ry use of vocabulary and grammatical expression to convey particular effects, fine distinctions and appropriate emphasis to engage and/or persuade audience

RESPOND TO WRITTEN MAT E R I A L

Level 1■ Extract relevant information, main points and line of argument from texts and sources of

re f e rence, recognise purpose, opinion, possible bias and distort i o n■ Select and order key inform a t i o n■ Make stru c t u red notes with cro s s - re f e rences and examples■ Summarise key inform a t i o n

Level 2■ Extract relevant information, main points and line of argument from a range of texts and

s o u rces of re f e re n c e■ Recognise purpose, opinion, possible bias and distort i o n■ Identify key information and supporting arguments from a number of sourc e s

Level 3■ P roduce abstracts, summaries, job applications and/or re v i e w s

i n f o rmation searching skills

Benchmarks: Information Searching Skills

SKILL 1. UNDERSTANDING THE NEED TO USE INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Understanding of the dangers of information overload■ Ability to define specific information needs■ Ability to define concepts of a topic for a presentation or essay■ Ability to use general re f e rence re s o u rces to increase familiarity with a topic■ Recognition that background information helps to focus topic

Level 3■ Ability to redefine/modify information sought on basis of material found for pro j e c t

SKILL 2. PACKAGING OF INFORMATION AND CHOOSING SUITABLE SOURCES FORR E S E A R C H

Level 1■ Understanding of characteristics of information re s o u rces: primary, secondary, journal

l i t e r a t u re, print v electro n i c■ Understanding of publication cycles, and issues of curre n c y■ Understanding the re s e a rch supply chain■ Understanding of print and electronic holdings of the home library■ Ability to select the most appropriate print and electronic sources for essay with some

g u i d a n c e■ Basic understanding of intellectual pro p e rt y

Level 2■ Ability to select appropriate subject print and electronic re s o u rces for essay without

g u i d a n c e

Level 3■ Ability to select range of appropriate subject re s o u rces for undertaking a pro j e c t


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SKILL 4. MONITOR AND ADAPT OVERALL STRATEGY AND PRESENTAT I O N

ADAPT PRESENTAT I O N / S T R AT E G Y

Level 1■ Recognise key factors of effective oral and written communication■ Obtain models and identify possible sources of help

Level 2■ Monitor use of communication skills by obtaining feedback from others and noting

choices made and judging their eff e c t i v e n e s s■ Take action to overcome difficulties and produce the quality of outcomes re q u i re d

Level 3■ Assess the effectiveness of your strategy identifying the factors that had an impact on the

o u t c o m e■ Adapt strategy to overcome difficulties and produce the quality of outcomes re q u i re d

MONITOR AND REVIEW EFFECTIVE COMMUNICAT I O N

Level 1■ Evaluate choices made at each stage of implementing communication skills strategy■ Focus on key aspects of your communication skills to develop

Level 2■ Evaluate and critically reflect on information obtained from discussion with others and

f rom re f e rence material■ Analyse factors that had an impact on the outcomes, including choice of language and

style, characteristics of the audience, level of own expertise and confidence■ Identify ways of further developing all aspects of your communication skills

Level 3■ Evaluate use of communication skills based on feedback from others■ Assess the effectiveness of strategy in terms of: realisation of purpose/impact on

a u d i e n c e / e ffectiveness of communication methods


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i n f o rmation searching skills i n f o rmation searching skills

SKILL 4. LOCATING AND ACCESSING INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Ability to use keywords to search for material on a topic■ Ability to use a library catalogue to find specific books, journal titles, books on a subject■ Ability to re s e rve and renew books■ Ability to use Web gateways and search engines to locate material for an essay topic■ Ability to use databases and full text services on LISA to locate material for an essay topic■ Understanding of electronic access anywhere in the University and off - c a m p u s■ Ability to use classification to locate all kinds of print materials in the library■ Ability to use help screens, help sheets to search for inform a t i o n

Level 2■ Ability to use truncation and Boolean search techniques■ Aw a reness and use of diff e rent levels of searching on databases■ Ability to understand and use controlled vocabulary■ Ability to limit searches by fields■ Ability to display electronic results in various orders and understand all components of

c i t a t i o n s■ Ability to use variety of Web search engines■ Understanding of interlibrary loan, access to other libraries eg: British Library and UK

Libraries Plus

Level 3■ Ability to construct complex searches and use across a range of databases, using diff e rent

user interfaces, redefining terms and repeating searches as re q u i re d■ Ability to obtain interlibrary loans and access UK Libraries Plus libraries


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1 0 1

SKILL 3. SEARCH TOOLS AND THE NEED FOR A SEARCH STRAT E G Y

Level 1■ Understanding of library catalogue as a list of the holdings of the institution■ Understanding of the Web as complex mix of free and chargeable material■ Understanding of limitation of Web materials located by search engines■ Understanding of gateways and how they differ from search engines■ Understanding of LISA as the key gateway to premium information sourc e s■ Understanding of the makeup of a database■ Ability to transfer a subject into a keyword searc h

Level 2■ Ability to select most appropriate search tool, distinguishing between indexes, online

databases, collections of online databases, and gateways■ Understand use of abstracts and indexes, and full text electronic re s o u rces alongside print

re s o u rc e s■ Understanding of other library catalogues as the way to discover holdings elsewhere

Level 3■ Ability to choose range of electronic databases, printed abstracts to undertake pro j e c t■ Ability to choose range of Web search engines and search gateways to find material for

p ro j e c t


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i n f o rmation technology skills

SKILL 7. KEEPING UP TO DATE AND CONTRIBUTING TO NEW INFORMAT I O N

Level 2■ Understanding that existing information can be combined with original thought,

experiment and analysis to produce new inform a t i o n■ I n f o rmation Technology Skills

Level 3■ Ability to create new knowledge in a project through synthesis and development of

existing inform a t i o n■ Ability to reflect on problems encountered

Benchmarks: Information Technology Skills

SKILL 1. TECHNICAL USE OF IT

PROPER, SAFE AND LEGAL USE OF COMPUTING EQUIPMENT

Level 1■ Health and Safety update/re v i s i o n■ Understanding basics of network communications and operating systems including data

storage and back up■ Use hard w a re peripherals such as scanners■ Use file security■ R e f e rencing your work (A) Data Pro t e c t i o n

Level 2■ Health and Safety update/re v i s i o n■ Basics of intro to other operating systems if appro p r i a t e■ Technology update – where is technology leading? What’s new? Peripherals, speech■ Revision of Level One■ Legal update/revision (A)

Level 3■ Health & safety update/revision ■ Technology update Update on Level 1 & 2 ■ Legal update/revision (A)


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10 3i n f o rmation searching skills

SKILL 5. COMPARING AND EVA L U ATING INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Aw a reness of issues of curre n c y, bias and authority■ Understanding of issues of accuracy, relevance, compre h e n s i v e n e s s■ understanding of presentation style used and messages this gives■ Understanding of nature of information freely available on the intern e t■ Ability to extract material by taking notes from print sources and from electronic by

printing or saving to disk■ Ability to sift main ideas of information found for constructing a presentation or essay

Level 2■ Ability to choose range of materials on topics, taking into account curre n c y, bias,

a u t h o r i t y, accuracy, relevance and compre h e n s i v e n e s s■ Ability to sift information for application in essays

Level 3■ Aw a reness of peer review process in journ a l s■ Ability to read, analyse and evaluate wide range of materials on complex subjects

identifying bias, and other factors, measuring against material already found■ Ability to sift information for project

SKILL 6. ORGANISING, APPLYING AND COMMUNICATING INFORMATION SOURCESTO OTHERS

Level 1■ Ability to keep basic re c o rds of searches made and re s o u rces found■ Ability to cite printed and electronic sources used for essay preparation as a book list■ Compliance with copyright and plagiarism ru l e s

Level 2■ Ability to create bibliography of variety of materials used to write essays

Level 3■ Ability to keep systematic re c o rds of material found for major pro j e c t■ Ability to compile a comprehensive bibliography of diff e rent types of sources: books,

j o u rnals, Web sites, videos, and use either Harv a rd re f e rencing or re f e rencing as specifiedby the course, and to re f e rence electronic materials

■ Understanding of copyright issues on the We b


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i n f o rmation technology skills

MANAGEMENT OF RECORDS (DATA B A S E S )

Level 1■ C o m p a re and contrast use of spreadsheets and databases■ Numeric v alphanumeric data■ Design and enter data■ Using queries to create simple re p o rt s

Level 2■ Use Mail Merge using database■ C reate forms and summary re p o rts ■ Use calculation tables■ Multiple search: wild card facility and logical searc h i n g

Level 3■ C reate and Use (1. Macros – to update Database, 2. Cross – database re p o rts, 3. Database

s e c u r i t y, 4. Complex summaries, 5. Indexing and norm a l i s a t i o n )

P R E S E N TAT I O N S

Level 1■ Understanding basics of slide design, produce basic slides using text■ P roduce paper and acetate output■ Use slide design, import graphics, charts, etc. into slides■ C reate handhouts from slides

Level 2■ Use animation and special eff e c t s■ Image manipulation■ Technology update, skills re v i s i o n

Level 3■ Technology update, skills re v i s i o n■ Use sound and video


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SKILL 2. USE OF APPROPRIATE PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY APPLICAT I O N S

DOCUMENT CREATION AND MANAGEMENT (WORD PROCESSING)

Level 1■ Special character sets, eg: Greek basic tables■ Simple formatting using toolbars■ Page numbering■ Use of Wi z a rd■ Basic re f e rencing (simple CV)

Level 2■ Use and create templates, document design■ C reating styles (add to CV)■ Use ‘Mail Merge’ (see databases below) and toolkits■ Use tables■ I n s e rt graphics

Level 3■ Long documents■ Use of document development tools functions such as the Outline Vi e w, and Contents

management eg: for final project or dissert a t i o n

NUMERIC MANIPULATION AND FINANCIAL DATA (SPREADSHEETS)

Level 1■ Understand history and purpose of spreadsheets (& Sage and SPSS)■ Use simple calculations■ C reate basic and varied graphs and chart s■ Understand impact of choices rows and columns■ Select print/output are a s■ F o rmat output

Level 2■ C reate and use macro s■ What if? Analysis■ Upgrade skills to latest standard

Level 3■ Update re specialist packages for maths, statistics, finance & accounting.■ Advanced What If?■ Use Pivot and other analyses■ Use advanced charting – object linking and embedding


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l e a rning how to learn

Benchmarks: Learning How To Learn

SKILL 1. TIME MANAGEMENT

Level 1 only■ Prioritise tasks and set short , medium and long term goals■ Maintain balance of work, study and leisure■ Manage distractions

SKILL 2. LEARNING NEEDS

Level 1■ Identify own gaps in learning and adopt strategies for filling those gaps■ Apply knowledge of own learning style to study tasks■ D i ff e rentiate between memorising and understanding

Level 2■ Apply deep learn i n g

Level 3■ Take responsibility for own learning Apply range of relevant learning techniques to tasks

ORGANISING SELF

Level 1 only■ O rganise tools for learning, and own physical environment to suit own learning style■ Maintain a healthy lifestyle

MANAGING INSTITUTION

Level 1■ Find sources of institutional support

Level 2■ Plan and manage own learning portfolio and be aware of institution in planning pro c e s s


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SKILL 3. DATA – COMMUNICAT I O N S

EMAIL – SENDING AND RECEIVING

Level 1 ■ A rchive old Email■ Mailing lists: join, participate in, leave mailing lists■ C reate and use address books and setup lists■ Attachments (enclosures) – reading, sending

THE INTERNET/THE INTERNAL INTRANET/THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Level 1■ S e a rch LISA■ Use Blackboard as re q u i re d■ Use search engines – intro■ Use course’s web pages

Level 2See Information Skills Benchmark

Level 3See Information Skills Benchmark

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Level 1■ Understand Internet concepts, eg: bro w s e r, web pages, URL, website, domain names and

registration, etc■ I n t ro to legal■ C reate basic web pages■ Understand legal issues such as DPA

Level 2■ C reate basic website – images, management and maintenance■ Legal update

Level 3■ Website theory & internet technology update Use access control tools


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SYNTHESISING INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Select main points from lectures and/or texts and combine in a meaningful way

Level 3■ Use information critically

SKILL 4. EFFECTIVE READING

Level 1■ Identify topic and support sentences in paragraph■ Identify areas of bias and implicit assumptions■ Separate fact and fiction

Level 2■ Skim for meaning■ Critically evaluate and analyse passages of text

Level 3■ Identify information need and skim for meaning bias and evidence

EXAM TECHNIQUE

Level 1■ Answer straightforw a rd questions, with some emphasis on critical analysis or discussion■ Demonstrate accurate factual knowledge of subject

Level 2■ Answer more complex questions with much more emphasis on critical analysis and

e v a l u a t i o n■ Demonstrate more detailed, technical knowledge of subject

Level 3■ Critically evaluate theoretical models


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MANAGING ASSIGNMENTS

Level 1■ Analyse assignment instru c t i o n s■ Analyse marking criteria■ Identify information need■ Identify best sources of inform a t i o n■ Access the inform a t i o n■ Make a plan■ Write assignments according to basic essay/re p o rt style■ Acknowledge sources of information using designated style

Level 2■ D i ff e rentiate between relevant and irrelevant data■ Paraphrase and integrate data into academic form a t■ Discuss, analyse, compare and contrast differing perspectives

Level 3■ Critique data and synthesize information in critical way

SKILL 3. NOTETA K I N G

Level 1■ Take effective notes from lectures, texts, websites etc. and develop critical skills in

evaluating sourc e s

Level 3■ Take notes from a range of sources, evaluate them and be selective in their use

T Y P E S

Level 1■ D i ff e rentiate between uses of linear and patterned notes

Level 2■ Use linear and patterned notes in appropriate context

Level 3■ Annotate text


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n u m e r a c y

SKILL 2. CARRYING OUT CALCULAT I O N S

Level 1■ Generate results to a given level of accuracy using given methods and given checking

p ro c e d u res appropriate to the specified purpose■ Use numbers, fractions, common measures, shape and space and data in calculations■ Use a calculator to check calculations

Level 2 ■ Generate results to a given level of accuracy using given methods and checking

p ro c e d u res appropriate to the specified purpose■ Use numbers, fractions, decimals, common measures, space and shape, data in

c a l c u l a t i o n s■ Use electronic or mechanical aids in perf o rming calculations

Level 3■ Generate results to a given level of accuracy using methods, measures and checking

p ro c e d u res appropriate to the specified purpose■ Use numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, common measures, shape and space, data

and statistical measures in calculations■ Use electronic or mechanical aids in perf o rming calculations


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1 1 1n u m e r a c y

Benchmarks: Numeracy

SKILL 1. INTERPRETING INFORMAT I O N

Level 1■ Read and understand information given by numbers, symbols, simple diagrams and charts

in graphical, numerical and written material■ Specify and describe a practical problem or task using numbers, measures and simple

shapes to re c o rd essential inform a t i o n■ Use numbers and simple fractions to measure and make observ a t i o n s■ Use space and shape to re c o rd simple inform a t i o n■ Use information from lists, tables, simple diagrams and graphs to help understanding■ Collect simple numerical information to help understanding■ Follow a given process or ro u t i n e

Level 2■ Read and understand information given by numbers, symbols, diagrams and chart used

for diff e rent purposes and in diff e rent graphical, numerical and written material■ Specify and describe a practical problem or task using numbers, measures and diagrams

to collect and re c o rd relevant inform a t i o n■ Use numbers, fractions and decimals to measure and make observ a t i o n s■ Use space and shape to re c o rd inform a t i o n■ Use numerical information from lists, tables, diagrams and simple charts to help

u n d e r s t a n d i n g■ Make observations and re c o rd numerical inform a t i o n■ Identify appropriate methods

Level 3■ Read and understand straightforw a rd mathematical information used for diff e rent

purposes and independently select relevant information given graphical, numerical andwritten material

■ Specify and describe a practical activity, problem or task using mathematical information and language to make accurate observations and identify suitable calculations to achievean appropriate outcome

■ Use numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages in the context of measures and make o b s e rv a t i o n s

■ Use shape and space to re c o rd measurements and make observ a t i o n s■ Use information from tables, diagrams, charts and line graphs■ Collect and re c o rd data in tests and from observ a t i o n s■ Identify and use the mathematical facts, skills or concepts that best match the practical

s i t u a t i o n


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1 1 3n u m e r a c y

SKILL 3. INTERPRETING RESULTS AND PRESENTING FINDINGS

Level 1■ P resent and explain results that show an understanding of the intended purpose using

a p p ropriate numbers, measures, objects or picture s■ Use numbers and common fractions to present re s u l t s■ Use common measures and units of measure to define re s u l t s■ Use tables, simple charts and diagrams to present re s u l t s■ Follow a given routine to reach an appropriate outcome

Level 2■ P resent and explain results that meet the intended purpose and using appropriate

numbers, diagrams, charts and symbols■ Use numbers, common fractions and decimals to present re s u l t s■ Use common measures and units of measure to define quantities■ Use tables, charts and diagrams to present results ■ Use appropriate methods and forms to describe outcomesLevel 3■ P resent and explain results that meet the intended purpose using appropriate format to a

given level of accuracy■ Use numbers, common fractions, decimals and percentages to present re s u l t s■ Use common measures of units to define quantities■ Use table, charts, diagrams and line graphs to present re s u l t s■ Use approximation to corroborate re s u l t s■ Select and use suitable methods and forms to present and describe outcomes


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