How to Succeed At University--International Edition. Danton O'Day
talk at you for the entire lecture and continue this for every lecture for the duration of the academic year. Sometimes the sessions will consist of watching pre-recorded lectures, especially in very large classes that have many different sections (the same lectures offered at different times). This saves the lecturer having to repeat the same lecture to several different classes. Recorded lectures may also be made available for viewing online. Sometimes the class will be team-taught—several lecturers will share the teaching of the material with each talking on his or her area of expertise. The lecturer may be an extremely organized and well-prepared speaker or the lecturer may be disorganized and simply ramble on for the lecture period. You will be exposed to a wide range of knowledgeable people with varying abilities and methods to communicate that knowledge. Regardless, you will have a tapestry of experiences that will affect your life and your beliefs for as long as you are here to enjoy them.
Labs and Tutorials
Many subjects will have laboratory practicals and tutorial sessions in addition to lectures. In general, labs and tutorials will have many sections offered at different days and times and you will be given a choice of which to attend. The class size will also be smaller as a result.
Did You Know?
In some science subjects you may be given a choice whether to take just the lecture portion of the class (with reduced credits) or both the lecture and laboratory sections. However, enrolling in the laboratory portion of a class concurrently with the lecture section appears to enhance learning outcomes. A study found that introductory chemistry students enrolled in both lecture and laboratory sections obtained higher grades and were less likely to withdraw from the class compared to students who only took the lecture section.7
Laboratory sections are offered in science classes and consist of demonstrations and hands-on exercises. You may be required to work individually, with a partner or in a group. A lab manual that outlines the experiments and their step-by-step procedures will usually be provided. In some labs you will have ample time to finish your work, while in others every second will count. So make sure to read the lab manual and prepare well in advance.
The format of tutorials will vary depending on the subject. In areas like physics and mathematics where extensive problem solving is required, tutorials may consist of question-and-answer sessions where you can get help with your homework. Short tests or quizzes may also be given during tutorial sessions. At other times tutorials will be similar to lectures, with a professor or teaching assistant elaborating a certain topic; however, due to the smaller class size there will be a greater focus on class interaction and more opportunities to ask questions.
Online Courses
At this time, the use of online courses varies widely with the university. All universities use the web to communicate information. Some instructors present their material online but the extent varies quite dramatically from full web courses to notes to simply the class outline and schedule. This approach is changing rapidly with the use of university web portals and technologies like Blackboard that make class content easy for professors to put online and for students to access. Most if not all aspects of the subject can be presented online. Students can also access their marks and communicate with their teaching assistants and professors.
Some subjects are entirely web-based, without the need to attend classes. Lectures, readings and any other necessary materials are made available on a dedicated portal. Other features these classes may offer include discussion boards where you can interact with other students. Your grade is based on assignments submitted online. You may also be tested using multiple-choice quizzes available at the website. Note that some online classes may still require taking supervised exams at a campus location.
Did You Know?
With the proliferation of web-based courses, entire degrees can be obtained online. Of course, such an approach is not practical for all fields of study; areas like the sciences include many subjects that require hands-on laboratory or tutorial work. In addition, studies suggest that employers prefer degrees obtained the “traditional” way. One survey of hiring executives found that given the choice between a candidate with a traditional degree and a candidate with an online degree, 96% of employers would hire the applicant with a traditional degree. Some reasons given for this choice include the candidate’s lack of peer interaction and practical classroom experience, the employer’s perception that an online education is less demanding and the potential for academic dishonesty.8
University Facilities and Resources
You should get acquainted with the resources the university has to offer. It’s likely that you will use one or more of them over the course of your student career. Although the name and organization of specific facilities dedicated to each of the following services may vary from university to university, each institution should offer these services in one form or another.
Admissions and Student Services
Most universities will have an admissions office and student services centre or similar facilities (e.g., office of the registrar) that provide information and assistance to current and prospective students. The admissions or registrar’s office is one of the most valuable resources for students that the university has to offer. When you first register you will find that you will be inundated with reams and reams of paper. Don’t throw this stuff away! Read it before you recycle it. Of particular interest to you will be information about academic counselling available through student services. In some universities, you will be assigned an academic adviser who will keep track of your progress and help you deal with any problems that arise. Either way, it would be very wise of you to talk over your programme with a counsellor to make sure that it is in order. You would be amazed at the number of students who have to scramble around in their third or fourth year to get a complete, acceptable programme for graduation.
At the student services or registrar’s office you can also get detailed information about fees and financial support (e.g., loans and scholarships), obtain official documents (e.g., academic transcripts) and take advantage of various support services (e.g., personal or academic counselling). The student services office is also a centre for career counselling and job placement (or if not will tell you where those services exist).
These facilities are important for other reasons. You can get detailed information about the degrees available, recent course changes and existing specialty programmes. If you have specific problems with your classes, the staff can help you. Often it’s left up to you to make sure that you are enrolled in all the classes you think you are. Here you can find out if you are. If things aren’t going well, the staff can also give you the lowdown on how many subjects you can fail and still be admitted next year or what you have to do grade-wise to remain in good academic standing.
Student Liaison Officers
Students who are intending to go to university will most likely make their first contact with either the staff at the above-mentioned facilities or a liaison officer. As their name implies, the student liaison officers (also school or education liaison officers, depending on the institution) act as go-betweens for students and the university. They will provide you will details on the specific university they work for. Most often, you will encounter these people during university recruitment days at your high school. They will be extolling the positive aspects of their institution. If you are having trouble deciding which university to attend, they may help you make up your mind.