Academic and Personal Development

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• use various digital tools to enhance your learning
• value the strategic impact of reflective practice in academic and personal development;
• work together;
• recognise how you and others use time and its impacts on how you organise all your goals and

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• use a variety of digital tools to help you learn;
• work towards being a reflective learner;
• work towards being an independent learner;
• use university documents to give you an overview of what is expected of you.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• what it means to be an independent learner;
• how teams and groups work together
• reflective practice in student and professional life;

Topic 1: Becoming an Independent Learner

• Understanding your study documents

Note: Programme specification/ module specification / Blackboard session / student handbook or notes etc.

• So what is an ‘independent’ learner?

Notes: Why is this important /working WITH fellow students/ knowing where and how to get information / knowing how to get help / managing stress / understanding your library and referencing your work

• The value of being reflective

Notes: What this is / a professional approach to life-long learning / how to do it (in prep for reflective portfolio)

Topic 2: Being Digitally Literate

• What it means to be digitally literate

Notes: An overview of the area eg. Key online competencies Online identity, collaborating online, online learning, tools .e.g scoop, efolio, Blackboard.

• Digital tools 1

Notes: Blackboard Developing your eLibrary skills

• Digital tools 2

Notes: Efolio, scoop etc and what they can do.

• Learning online

Notes: Working in groups online, online etiquette

Topic 3: Getting Organised

• Understanding how we use time

Notes: Recognising how you use time / multi and/or linear tasking – when to / balancing your goals / identifying your ideal study space/time management strategies. On line discussion re their own approach to time.

• Understanding laboratory experiments

Notes: Be clear what is expected of you/ understand the purpose of the experiment / record your data clearly / plan and write up afterwards / reflect on what you did– include work on time.

• Becoming a real team player & presenting your work

Notes: Students given texts/handouts that discuss this topic. In groups they devise a presentation based on how they worked through the information and worked as a group. Being reflective is vital. Feedback on this given. Presentation feedback

The areas to cover are: different types of working groups / setting ground rules / planning who does what / recognising potential problem areas / what to do when things go wrong .

Topic 4: Informal Assessment

• Writing your reflective portfolio

Notes:This is a time for individual / group sessions / reflection is across all subjects during the semester / planning the portfolio / collecting evidence for your portfolio e.g. feedback comments from tutors and marks.

Teaching and learning methods

Learning activities include individual work on exercises, supported by tutorial/workshop sessions with tutors; writing an individual reflective document on own learning using suitable software tools; working in groups online.

Teaching methods include: lectures, supported by exercises; tutorials/workshops to support learning; printed notes available through Blackboard and/or through your module lecturer.

Assessment strategy

There is no pass/fail assessment in this semester. You will be expected to complete all assessment elements. You will be given extensive feedback on your performance to prepare you for the following semesters.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.