Developing academic skills: an innovative approach.

Douglas, Shonagh

Abstract

Developing independent learning skills is a key aim of higher education (Hockings et al. 2018). A common way in which students gain expereince of independent learning is though coursework assignment. However, in order to undertake the required independent learning for this, students must first devlop academic skills such as how to find, use and incorprate informaation and how to write effectively (Thompson, Pawson and Evans 2021). RGU provide some fantasic resources and support to aid in the development of these skills, such as those offered by Study Skills and the Library. However, despite efforts at both course and university level, experience has shown that many students fail to engage in these resources. This presentation will showcase an innovative approach to raising awareness and increasing usage of these resouces. This includes: a virtual breakout room for students during induction to gently develop awareness of resources and support in a memorable way; an interactive flowchart that guides students through their first assignments with direct links to resources when required; and the introduction of feed-forward into the assignment marking process, which directs students to relevant resouces and support.

Citation

DOUGLAS, S. 2022. Developing academic skills: an innovative approach. Presented at the 2022 RGU annual learning and teaching conference (RGU LTC 2022): enhancing for impact, 21 October 2022, Aberdeen, UK.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 2022 RGU annual learning and teaching conference (RGU LTC 2022): enhancing for impact
• Start Date: Oct 21, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Undergraduate students; Higher education; University support services; Student engagement
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1898903
• Related Public URLs: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1839941 (Full Proceedings)