Featuring...
                   ...Weekly Study Tips from Dave Hurlow, Head of the Centre for Teaching and Learning

• Monday 9 August, 2010  
• Tuesday 27 July, 2010
• Tuesday 20 July, 2010
• Monday 12 July, 2010
• Tuesday 6 July, 2010
• Monday 28 June, 2010
• Thursday 24 June, 2010

• Monday 7 June, 2010
• Thursday 1 June, 2010
• Wednesday 14 April, 2010  
• Friday 9 April, 2010
• Friday 19 March, 2010
• Friday 26 February, 2010
• Friday 12 February, 2010

 Monday 9 August, 2010

Dear Students,
 
This week have a look at this guide to surviving the exam period. Take some time to read this carefully – you may just find it useful. As ever, if you need more information, please email me at the address at the bottom of the email.
 
INTRODUCTION
It is that time of the term again, and no doubt you are thinking about how you can best use your time to prepare for them.  Students sometimes feel that exams are designed to trick them. Actually, exams are an important part of your teachers’ assessment plan, to make sure that you have satisfied the learning outcomes of your courses. If you understand how exams can be an advantage in your learning, and work out how to have some control over the process, you might start to enjoy them, especially if you have not done so before…

WHY DO WE HAVE EXAMS?
Lecturers use exams to check that you really understand the material, and that the work you are doing is entirely your own. Exams are intense and produce very focussed work.  Your other assessments do not have these features, or not to the same degree. Some other advantages:

• Answers can be shorter than if you were doing an assessment.
• Your teachers will indicate on the paper how much each question is worth, which helps you see how important each one is, and also gives you an idea of how many points to make or how much time to spend on it.
• Reference lists and in text references do not need to be as detailed (usually just the author’s name is enough).
• While you must do your best to write clearly and correctly, a few wrong spellings and grammar errors will be overlooked (but if lecturers can’t understand you they will have a hard time giving you marks).
• As long as you have kept up with your reading, your other assessments and your revision throughout the term, you will find that an exam is less pressured, compared with continual assessment throughout the year.
  An exam forces you to take stock of what you have (or not!) learned. If you look on this as a challenge to ensure that you have satisfied the requirements of the course, you will find it interesting and satisfying.  Don’t be paralysed by what you don’t know, as that won’t help you.  To help you prepare for an exam, re-read your Scheme of Work (SOW). Think about these questions:
   
  • Have you achieved the course outcomes?
  • Do your notes and handouts correlate with the topics outlined in the week-by-week scheme?
  • Have you missed a class and studied the handouts and/or seen your lecturer?
  • Are you clear on what is being assessed in the exam - the whole course or just the second part of the term since the midterms…?

The answers to these questions are of crucial importance and will help you decided what topics you review and in how much depth. 

REVISION STRATEGIES THAT WORK – if you do them!
1. Organise your notes.  In exams, students can often visualise the page they need to answer a particular question, so add to your notes to make them memorable!  You don’t really have time to rewrite them in full, so use highlighters in a logical way to make the page standout (eg Yellow for examinable topics/chapter headings, pink for important quotes (including the author), green for equations or examples etc. 
2. If you like to doodle in class, make sure your doodle is relevant to the topic!  Pictures of the different items needed for a certain kind of function for a hospitality or events course can be fun to try and draw as well as a useful memory aid. (Make sure you label them as well!) If you leave the left hand page of your notes blank, you will have space to add these useful doodles later.
3. You can condense your notes to main points, key phrases and/or examples.  The examples, or key phrases that you recall from the notes you have made in class or while revising can as helpful triggers during the exam.
4. A study group where each member re-teaches a topic and takes questions is a useful way to check how much you and your group know.  Or you can record yourself and listen to the recording while you drive or travel by public transport.  You and your study group can swap recordings of different topics as well.
5. Revision exercises prepared by your teacher will give a good outline of what you need to know or be able to demonstrate under exam conditions.  Use these activities and prepare similar test questions with your study group. 
6. Ask your lecturer which topics you must know, and which topics may be part of elective questions. 
7. When studying, always have a pencil close by to add questions, comments, and comparisons to your notes.
8. Before you start a revision session, give yourself a question (or questions) to answer.  This will help you to focus.
9. Some students work better in shorter spells – give yourself a reward (a program, a chat, a walk) at regular intervals to help you stay with your program.
10. Use odd moments to revise.  Pull out you notes while you’re waiting for the bus, or in between classes.  Think about possible questions while you’re going for swim or doing the washing up...
11. Listen to your teacher.  He/she will give you hints, sometimes obvious (“This has been in the exam before…”), sometimes not (“You will have trouble with your spreadsheets unless you understand this formula…”), as to what they consider to be essential to your understanding of their subject. 
12. Ask questions in class. Teachers are generally passionate about their subject and communicating it clearly, so ask them questions to help them see that a) you are interested and b) what you do not understand.

IN THE EXAM
1. During the pre-reading time, read the questions carefully to check:

• The number of questions you must answer;
• Which questions you must answer;
• The number of marks you can get for each question;
• The kinds of answers you need to give;
• How to use the answer sheet if there is one.

2. READ THE QUESTION! - Any teacher will tell you how frustrating it is to read the answers of a student who has studied, but not read the question or instructions carefully enough…  See below for some examples:
 
1. Briefly explain… (no detail needed)
2. Give an example… (one example, no more information needed)
3. List 5 items… (5 dot points)
4. Section 1 Multiple choice (10 marks)
5. Section 2 Short answer (20 marks)
6. Section 3 Essay (30 marks) (You need twice as much time on section 2, and to spend the same time on section 3 as for 1 and 2 combined.

Use the lecturer’s time guides to help you.)
 
1. Stick to your recommended times, rather than going over time on a section.  If you have time, come back to the question later.  Allow time to check your answers and never leave the exam room before the time is up!
2. If you run short of time, make notes to show examiner at you were planning to say.
3. Try to be neat and careful with spelling but don’t use liquid paper.  It wastes time and does not earn you extra marks for neatness!
4. Answer the questions you feel most confident with first; this will help you gain confidence.
5. The type of instruction, as well as the marks allocation, will help you decided how much detail you need.
6. If you are not sure, eliminate all the ones that you know are wrong, then guess. 
7. When you have objective, factual questions, note: Key words – same, many, always, sometimes, never, more, less, best, least, generally, usually, to some extent; Negatives – do not include, identify those that are not.
8. For multiple choice or t/f questions, think of your answer before you read the options, then select the best match!  Make sure you read all the options so you choose the best answer.
9. Underline direction words to help your mind focus on exactly what you are being asked.  If you do not know what these words mean, find out!

• ANALYSE
• COMPARE
• CONTRAST
• DEFINE
• DESCRIBE
• DISCUSS
• EVALUATE
• EXAMINE
• EXPLAIN
• IDENTIFY
• ILLUSTRATE
• JUSTIFY

Good luck!!
 
Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Tuesday, 27 July 2010 

Dear Students,
 
I thought I would write this week about the importance of all facets of your communication here. We hear a lot about professional performance and the need to look professional when on campus, but what about written communication? I hear from lecturers who receive emails from students that have no subject content and no salutation at the start. This type of practice is not professional and not the way you will be required to communicate in the workplace. I also receive emails from students who do not even sign off with a name. You run the risk of confusing people or offending people if you do not write a professional email. Some people may not even read your email if it doesn’t have a subject and doesn’t address the person you are writing to, so there may be serious consequences as a result.
 
The common mistakes are
• No subject content
• No salutation (Dear Mr/Mrs......)
• Spelling mistakes
• No explanation for the email – not enough content or information
• Not polite
• No sign off at all (Kind regards...)
 
If you know how to write a good informative professional email you may think this is common sense, but believe me when I say lots of people do not communicate in a professional manner via email.
 
What you need to do
• ALWAYS write a subject
• ALWAYS address the person you are writing to
• Set a context for your email in a polite concise way
• Check your spelling before you send it – it is not professional to have spelling mistakes. We all make mistakes but you can at least check the spelling as you would in an essay
• Re read it a few times before you send it
• Sign off in a polite way using  - King Regards, Regards, Best Regards. Is it not really necessary to use ‘yours sincerely’ etc as these are commonly used for letters.
• It is a good idea to include your student ID as well at the bottom or in the subject line
 
Try and resist the temptation to send a quick email in anger. Just as we should try and resist arguing without thinking, we should show the same restraint when communicating via email or indeed sites like Facebook. The facebook phenomenon is also something that needs to be addressed. People do not always realise that social networking sites are generally open for other group members to see. BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU WRITE. As with emails, think before posting – if there is the slightest chance your words will be taken out of context or if you think your comments about someone (a professional or otherwise) will be taken negatively, think long and hard before submitting the message. Also monitor images of yourself. Potential employers are increasingly checking these sites. A flippant comment or unprofessional image could potentially have serious consequences.
 
If you need more help please let me know (send me an email!)
 
Regards,
 
Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Dear Students,

A lot of you will have to deliver presentations soon, and for many, the idea can be horrible. People often think that you have to be born into standing in front of people and talking, but this isn’t the case.

NEWSFLASH! – You too can become a great public speaker. You can learn. Practice makes perfect.

I started teaching 8 years ago, and I was so nervous I used to make myself sick. I learned to turn those nerves around and started to believe in myself, and while I still get some nerves before I speak in front of people, they don’t rule me anymore, I use them to my advantage.  I’d be worried if I didn’t feel nervous.

NEWSFLASH! – Being nervous often means that you are passionate about it and want to do well, so that’s a good thing. Make that nervous energy work for you. No nerves at all could mean that you don’t really care about it. The most seasoned performers – musicians, comedians, actors etc often say they still get nervous.

You should treat your presentation the same as any assignment and plan it beforehand.

It needs an introduction, body and conclusion. Write out a plan outlining the main points you will talk about, then write the presentation around this.

When you have written the presentation and practiced it a few times to see if it fits the time limit, you could then write the main points on cue cards. These are small pieces of card, similar to a business card which have the main sections or points to remember from the presentation. If your lecturer has permitted you to use them, they could help you to remember the different sections.

You should start by grabbing the audience’s attention.

Start with a statement or question. If it’s a fact/statistic it could be a surprising or shocking one.

If you start with a question it also gives you some breathing time, because the first 40 seconds will be the most nervous time, until you get comfortable. Introduce what your presentation will be about and why you are talking about it.

Be confident and enthusiastic. A great presenter can hold the audience’s attention no matter what they are talking about. This is because they seem passionate and enthusiastic about the subject. We don’t like watching boring or unenthusiastic TV presenters do we? If you are confident and interested in your subject then the audience will feed off your energy too. If you speak in a monotone voice and seem bored, the audience will start to feel it too.

If your lecturer has said you can use visuals, that’s fine. Think carefully about how many and when you are going to include them. You could consider using pictures towards the middle of the presentation to briefly take the attention off you for a few seconds. This could again give you some breathing time to check any notes you have, if you are permitted notes.

At the end you will probably need to answer questions.

You could introduce this part by saying ‘I’d now like to open the floor for any questions’.

Remember – everyone will have some nerves before they present. You are not the only one!

Remember – you know more than your audience. Your audience doesn’t necessarily know anything about the subject, so you are controlling the presentation. If you make a mistake and you introduce the second point in the wrong order, it doesn’t necessarily matter, because only you know the mistake. As long as you include all the points you intend to then you’ve done ok.

Remember – smile!! Your warm inviting personality will wash over the audience, and they will feel comfortable with you.For more information click here http://www.icms.edu.au/support/study-a-writing-support/oral-presentations.html or go to Blackboard – Organisations – Centre for Teaching and Learning – Course documents – Presentation skills or, as always, come and see me. My door is open.

Bye for now,
Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Monday, 12 July 2010

Dear students,

Group work is a common element to many subjects here in ICMS but can often cause stress for lots of students. I see many of you who say that they cannot get in contact with their group members or that no one has emailed them and they don’t know what’s going on. Think about the business world. We would never engage in a project without ensuring we have the contact details of everyone involved. A group project in ICMS should be no different.

Getting started

• In the first meeting, introduce yourselves and exchange contact details.
• Talk about the assignment. Break it up into small sections – write a timeline.
• Discuss the group members’ skill sets and use the individual talents of members. Play to your strengths.
• Produce a ‘contract’  - a document that outlines who will do what in the assignment and when it will be done.
• Set goals, timelines and keep an agenda.
• Decide on the next meeting.
What if someone is too shy to talk?
• Encourage them by using their name and asking them directly for their views.
What if you are too shy to talk?
• Prepare for the meeting. Write down your views so that it is easier for you to contribute.
What if someone dominates and talks too much?
• Someone will naturally start things off – don’t confuse this with being dominating. Someone needs to chair the meeting and lead the discussions. In the first meeting this will have to happen somehow. If you can choose someone to do this before the meeting then that’s great, if not it will happen naturally the first time, but you must nominate someone for the next meeting.
• Change your chairperson in every meeting to avoid the same person speaking all the time.
• Avoid a dominant person by ensuring everyone speaks and has their views heard. 
What if some people do not make a contribution?
• Make sure you all bring the initial contract to every meeting.
• Whoever is the chairperson needs to  re-cap over the allocated tasks at the start of each meeting.
• If a person is not doing his/her part, ask why? Is it because the task doesn’t suit the person? Have the tasks been allocated correctly?
•  You may need to write a description of each person’s contribution.
•  If you cannot get any work out of one person – check contact details, check that they understand and inform your lecturer.

What if someone doesn’t come to the meetings?

• Call them! If they answer listen to them. Give them a chance to explain why they haven’t attended.
• Was the time/place communicated to everyone in enough time prior to this meeting?
• Does everyone have everyone else’s contact details? This should have been done in meeting 1
• If the person continues to be absent, a review of the contract is necessary.
• If the person repeatedly ignores meetings and emails/calls, your lecturer needs to know this.
What if you don’t like someone in the group?
•  This could happen. Be respectful and courteous; remember, you are developing vital skills for the workplace.
Treat others as you would expect to be treated.

Keep your lecturer informed of what you are doing as a group. He/she will not be able to help you if they don’t know what has been happening in the group.

Please email me if you need more help. I’d be happy to meet you and your group to sit in on a meeting to see if everyone is working to the best of their abilities.

Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Dear Students,

It’s week 6 which means many of you will be doing Mid term tests. This week is just a quick email from me wishing you all the best for these tests. Take time a day or so before your test to re read your course notes etc. Don’t panic and try not to do too much revision the night before or even the day of your test. It is usually too late then and this practice will only make you more stressed. It’s important to schedule lots of ‘down time’ into your study plan, as regular breaks will give your brain time to absorb the information you have just read. Strategies you put in place now will serve you well for your end of term exams as well. Try doing some revision, then go for a walk and relax for about an hour. You will find that when you come back to your work you know more than you thought and you won’t feel so tired.

If you are worried about reading lots of facts, you can try recording them onto your iPod or portable device. Students have often found they get good results listening to notes when they are exercising.

Everyone works differently. You just have to find the best way for you. If you need more advice or a different face to talk to, email me and we can talk about things in the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Good luck everyone. If you’re sensible and keep calm, then you’ve started the journey to doing well.

Reminder about PALS! Do you need a tutor is any of these subjects?

BBA103 Business Economics
BUSL250 Basic Business Law
BUSL350 Marketing and Management Law
ACCG121 Accounting Fundamentals
ISYS123 Intro to Information Systems and Technologies
MGMT116 Facilities Management
HRM107 Organisational Behaviour, Human Resources
ACCG231 Managerial Accounting

If so, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it outlining which subject you need help with. The tutors are all ICMS students who have very kindly agreed to help. They have all obtained high marks in these subjects. This service is free!!

 Monday, 28 June 2010

Planning your assignments
 
Dear Students,
 
Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s week 5 already and no doubt some of you have essays/reports due in the coming weeks. If you haven’t already, you need to start planning them.
What’s the best way to plan an essay or report? There are many ways you can plan, but please DO something. Get whatever is in your head down on paper – as soon as it’s written on the page it ceases existing solely in your head and therefore instantly becomes something more than just an idea. If you are a visual person you could try mind maps to plan and build up the content of your essay.
 
Many students read too much before they start their essays and write pages of pages of notes. The result is often lots of scribbled notes and absolutely no idea where to start or how to order the notes. Try writing a rough plan around the essay title/question first. One A4 page is enough. Write the 3 parts of the essay down and start to build it up with bullet points. You could also roughly estimate how long each section needs to be based on the word count specified by your lecturer.
 
Intro – (MAXIMUM 20% of total word count – for a shorter essay of 1500 words I would aim for 10% - 150 words – 1 paragraph)
 
• Background
• Introduce main topics as they appear in the body
 
Body
• Paragraph 1 - Topic sentence --> Supporting sentences --> Concluding sentences
• Para 2 - Topic sentence --> Supporting sentences --> Concluding sentences
 
Etc...
 
Conclusion (approximately the same length as an introduction, possibly a little shorter) – If your intro is 150 words then use this as a guide for your conclusion
• Briefly sum up the main points discussed
• Don’t repeat yourself
• Try not to include references in the conclusion – all of your research should be over by this point
• No new information in the conclusion
 
Reference List (not in word count)
• Alphabetical order by author surname or name of webpage/organisation (for Corporate authors)
• Don’t number them
 
If you estimate the word count for an intro and similar for the conclusion, you can roughly estimate how long your body will be.
For an essay of 1500 words, you could estimate 150 words for the intro, 120 for a conclusion = 270 words, leaving around 1200 for the body. You can then start to plan the different sections of the body and roughly estimate the length of each. Of course, you may write more for one topic than another, that’s fine, just keep a track of the word count. Remember, you will lose marks for not adhering to the permitted word count.
 
As always the style guide has more information, as do I. Please email me if you need help or see my section on Blackboard (under My organisations) – click Centre for Teaching and Learning – Course documents for writing, referencing and lots more help.
 
PALS is up and running. If you need supplementary help from other students on a range of subjects, have a look here first to see which subjects we are offering, then follow the instructions - http://www.students.icms.edu.au/support/academic-support/peerassistedlearningservices.html

 Thursday, 24 June 2010

Dear Students,

This week I thought I’d write about referencing. This is something all of you need to become familiar with, but unfortunately, it’s also something lots of you don’t understand or recognise the importance of learning.

At ICMS we use APA referencing.

What is it?
APA referencing (American Psychological Association) is a system that allows readers of essays/reports etc to find exactly where a particular quote/idea came from originally.

Why do I need to do it?
We need to reference to acknowledge that the ideas used in our essays have been taken from someone else. We need to admit that we have researched books/websites etc. If we take other people’s ideas and work without informing the reader the real source, then the reader will think that it is our own work. This is illegal and called plagiarism.

How do I do it?
You need to keep note of every book/website, newspaper article etc that you use in your assignment as you find them.
There are 2 main parts to APA referencing – In text references, and the Reference List

What’s the difference between in text and the reference list?
The reference list comes at the end of your essay, after the conclusion, and contains everything we need to trace the quote/idea back to its original source. In text references are shorter versions on the entries in the reference list. We don’t need all the info from the original book etc, usually just a surname of the author and the year of publication.

Can you explain in text references in more detail?
In text means exactly that – In the text of the essay, in the paragraph. When you are writing your essay, it will be in paragraphs, and if you use an idea from another book on one or two lines of the paragraphs, either just before that idea of directly after you need to place an in text reference telling the reader where the idea comes from, like this (Hurlow, 2010).

In text references for books
If you are not using the exact words from the book, you need to paraphrase them – change the words but still keep the idea of the sentence. This is how you do an in text reference for paraphrased sentences from a book.
Open brackets (write the surname of the author of the book followed by a comma, then the year the book was published then close brackets)
NOTE – we don’t need to write the title of the book – that will come in the reference list at the end.
If you use the exact words from the book, that’s ok. This is called a direct quotation. You need to have speech marks around the quote “” and then, the standard way is to have the in text reference after the quote. It is the same as for paraphrased sentences, apart from the very last thing – after the publication year you need to write the page number from the book where the quote appears. “In text references are just smaller versions of the reference list entries” (Hurlow, 2010, p3)

In text references for Websites
Much the same as books really. If you can find an author, use the surname. If you can find a year on the web page, use that.
In many cases you won’t be able to find an author or a year. If this happens, you must use the first 2 or 3 words of the title of the web page or article. (unless it is a corporate website – from a government or educational organisation – see the style guide for more info).
So the first thing you need to do is look for an author and a year of publication. If you can find an author but not a publication year, then the in text reference for paraphrased sentences will look like this (Hurlow, n.d.) – If you can’t find a year then you must write n.d.
Let’s assume now that you can’t find an author or year. You must determine what the web page or article is called. If the page is called ‘Students paying for their tuition’ then in brackets you must write the first 2 or 3 words of this title but you MUST write them in inverted commas “”, followed by n.d. (“Students paying”, n.d.)
If you use a direct quote from this page online, you must write a paragraph number where the quote came from, after the year or n.d. You must abbreviate it as ‘para’. (“Students paying”, n.d. para 5)

Books and websites in the reference list
After your conclusion, on a new page, you need to do a reference list.
In ICMS we require the title ‘Reference List’
All of the books, websites etc you have used in text need to be listed here, but if you have used the same book lots of times, you only need to list the book once here, whereas in text you would list it after every entry.
Entries need to be alphabetical order by surname or web page title – not grouped by source type (all books together etc) and also single spaced.

Books in the reference list
Information needs to be in this order and this order only –
Surname of author, initial of author. (year). Title of book in italics. Edition of book if you can find it.
                Country/city of publication: Publisher

Notice the second line is TABBED before the word ‘country’. APA referencing needs to be done like this. To do this, if the reference goes over onto a second line, place your cursor back after the last word on the first line and press SHIFT and ENTER at the same time, then press TAB once – it should now look like the example above and below.

Hurlow, D. (2010). How to do APA referencing in ICMS. 3rd Ed. Australia: Dave Hurlow Publishing
                House Intl Co

The next entry would begin here

Websites
The same as a book if you have an author and year. The main difference is that you need to write the date you accessed it online. You MUST use the words ‘Retrieved ........ from – and then you copy and paste the link to the page.

Hurlow, D. (2010). How to do APA referencing at ICMS.  Retrieved May 13th, 2010 from
                http://daveshomepageonapareferencing.com.au

If you don’t have an author the title of the page needs to go first – this is because of the alphabetical order rule. The year cannot go first.

Students paying for their tuition. (n.d.) Retrieved May 13th, 2010 from
                http://daveswebsiteaticmshowtodothings.com.au

Please go to the style guide on the student website for more information, or visit the APA website.

Just a reminder that PALS is now running. If you need a supplementary tutor for a subject you are having problems with, please visit here for more details.
http://www.students.icms.edu.au/support/academic-support/peerassistedlearningservices.html

If you need more help with your studies please email me for an appointment.
Regards,

Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Monday, 7 June 2010

Dear students,
 
Dave here in the Centre for Teaching and Learning. I hope week 1 was good and you had a good weekend. I wanted to send you a quick email about your Scheme of Work. Returning students should already know this, but your scheme of work should become your companion, your best friend throughout the term. This has all the information needed to successfully complete the unit.
 
When you look at it (on Blackboard), skim through it (don’t read every word) to get a quick first idea of what you need to do. Take some time to think about the tasks included in the unit. Then, go back and read through it in more detail. Now you can highlight new or key words. Key words are words that tell you a lot about how you should approach the unit, or what type of assessment is included, such as ‘evaluate’, ‘contrast’ or ‘group work’.  If there are any new words make sure you find the definitions before you start any work.
 
You will see a section on the scheme of work that tells you what types of assessments are in the subject (essay, group report etc). It is very important you read this in detail and put the due dates etc in your diary or term assessment planner.
 
Make sure you read what you will be doing week by week and insert this information into your weekly and term planners. This will make it easier for you to plan your study and social time during the week/term to make sure you are successful.
 
Always look through the scheme of work before lectures and before you begin work on the writing task or group work. If you forget what is required, go back and read it from time to time. If you need more help or if you don’t think the scheme of work is clear, come to me or your lecturer for some help. You can also find help for writing and referencing in the Style Guide. If you haven’t checked this yet, have a look at it on the ICMS website.
 
Study timetables 
You can come to me and we can create your own weekly study timetable, or you can find it on the student website here - http://www.students.icms.edu.au/support/study-a-writing-support/planners.html
 
I can also draw up a detailed study schedule for you if you think you would benefit from a strict regime. I am able to plot out 3 or 4 weeks in advance for you based on your timetable and your availability (do you have a job? Play sport at the weekend? – how long can you dedicate to study?). Please let me know if you want to discuss this.
 
Check your email and the website in the next 2 weeks for exciting news on our new P.A.L.S initiative, in which students will give up their time to help others through difficult subjects!
 
If you need anything, please email me.
Regards,
 
Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Dear Students,
 
A huge welcome to new students and welcome back to returning students.
If you are a new student then it’s possible I met you during O week. It was a pleasure to meet you all and I hope I can be of help to ANY of you over the term. If you are coming up to the library then say hello to me as you pass. I am in the ‘Academic Support Services’ office next to the library in the Pollard Resource Centre. During the term I will send you all some emails with help and advice about your studies, so look out for them.
 
Term 5 students just back from Industry Training, you may feel you need a refresher on Academic writing or referencing, or maybe just some help to ease back into life here at ICMS.
 
I will be writing to you every Monday with different study tips and help in areas such as English, reports, referencing, grammar and presentations. I will be organising some small grammar classes throughout the term as well – keep checking your emails for more information.
 
Everyone should have access to the Centre for Teaching and Learning resources on Blackboard. When you sign in check down the welcome page under ‘my organisations’ – you should see ‘Centre for Teaching and Learning’ there. All the resources are under ‘course documents’ inside – everything from referencing to interview help.
 
So good luck this term– keep calm! Have fun, and get organised. You can download the weekly timetable and term assessment planner from the ICMS website – www.icms.edu.au/support/study-a-writing-support/planners
 
For an appointment email me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
See you soon (maybe)! 

Dave Hurlow
Head, Centre for Teaching and Learning
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 Wednesday, 14 April 2010

A lot of you will have to deliver presentations soon, and for many, the idea can be horrible. People often think that you have to be born into standing in front of people and talking, but this isn’t the case.

NEWSFLASH! – You too can become a great public speaker. You can learn. Practice makes perfect.

I started teaching 8 years ago, and I was so nervous I used to make myself sick. I learned to turn those nerves around and started to believe in myself, and while I still get some nerves before I speak in front of people, they don’t rule me anymore, I use them to my advantage.  I’d be worried if I didn’t feel nervous.

NEWSFLASH! – Being nervous often means that you are passionate about it and want to do well, so that’s a good thing. Make that nervous energy work for you. No nerves at all could mean that you don’t really care about it. The most seasoned performers – musicians, comedians, actors etc often say they still get nervous.

You should treat your presentation the same as any assignment and plan it beforehand.
It needs an Introduction, body and conclusion. Write out a plan outlining the main points you will talk about, then write the presentation around this.
When you have written the presentation and practiced it a few times to see if it fits the time limit, you could then write the main points on cue cards. These are small pieces of card, similar to a business card which have the main sections or points to remember from the presentation. If your lecturer has permitted you to use them, they could help you to remember the different sections.

You should start by grabbing the audience’s attention.
Start with a statement or question. If it’s a fact/statistic it could be a surprising or shocking one.
If you start with a question it also gives you some breathing time, because the first 40 seconds will be the most nervous time, until you get comfortable. Introduce what your presentation will be about and why you are talking about it.

Be confident and enthusiastic. A great presenter can hold the audience’s attention no matter what they are talking about. This is because they seem passionate and enthusiastic about the subject. We don’t like watching boring or unenthusiastic TV presenters do we? If you are confident and interested in your subject then the audience will feed off your energy too. If you speak in a monotone voice and seem bored, the audience will start to feel it too.

If your lecturer has said you can use visuals, that’s fine. Think carefully about how many and when you are going to include them. You could consider using pictures towards the middle of the presentation to briefly take the attention off you for a few seconds. This could again give you some breathing time to check any notes you have, if you are permitted notes.

At the end you will probably need to answer questions.
You could introduce this part by saying ‘I’d now like to open the floor for any questions’.

Remember – everyone will have some nerves before they present. You are not the only one!
Remember – you know more than your audience. Your audience doesn’t necessarily know anything about the subject, so you are controlling the presentation. If you make a mistake and you introduce the second point in the wrong order, it doesn’t necessarily matter, because only you know the mistake. As long as you include all the points you intend to then you’ve done ok.

Remember – smile!! Your warm inviting personality will wash over the audience, and they will feel comfortable with you.

For more information click here http://www.icms.edu.au/support/study-a-writing-support/oral-presentations.html or go to Blackboard – organizations – Centre for Teaching and Learning – Course documents – Presentation skills
or, as always, come and see me. My door is open.

 Friday, 9 April 2010

The Four Ps of Interviewing

We know about the 4 Ps of Marketing, but how many of you know the 4 Ps of interviewing?

Preparation
Are you prepared for your interview?
Have you looked at the job description and highlighted key points/areas?
Have you looked at the company website and identified key points such as ‘when was it formed?’ how many staff? How many function rooms? How many events? Culture? Management structure?
You could even go to the venue the day before to check you know where it is/how to get there.
Is your resume ready?
Have you thought about what you can bring to the company?
Why should they employ you?
Have you thought of some examples of successful leadership, group work etc?
Have you thought about what you need to work on, what weak points you have? We all have some, don’t be afraid to be self aware and recognise both good and not so good areas.

Punctual
This is one of the first things your interviewer will learn about you.
Are you going to arrive just on time, or 10 15 minutes earlier?
Have you checked the buses/trains/car parking? Give yourself more time that you initially think is necessary to travel there. You never know what might happen on the roads/trains.
Being late is the worst possible start and first impression.

Presentation
What your interviewer sees –
Are you clean? Have you showered? Do you have a suit on? Gentlemen, are you clean shaven?
Are your shoes polished?
First impressions last.
Within this we can also add ‘polite’ and also ‘personable’ – treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself.

Promotion
What your interviewer hears –
Promote yourself – use the interview time to present your attributes. Finding the line between confidence and arrogance can sometimes be difficult for some – don’t come across as over confident and cocky.
This is your opportunity to sell yourself. Refer to the resume, use examples and remember the preparation you did for this.
Be upbeat and passionate about what you do, want to do in the future. Don’t be miserable and negative. Your energy will instil confidence – your potential employer will be able to see what you will be able to bring to the company. – Passion, energy.

Good luck with any interviews you have. For more help just email me at the address below.

 Friday 19 March, 2010

This week I have put together a document for you to take a look at.  If you need help with presentations, grammar and stress management then you should definitley click here.

 Friday 26 February, 2010  

Well, week 3 is upon us already.  I’m sure that you have lots of reading to do, but what if you don’t like reading, or you are worried by how much you have to read? Well, if you don’t like reading, you need to change your outlook I’m afraid! College life and reading go hand in hand.

If you are faced with a large block of text you have to read, or multiple chapters, there are ways to get through it.

SKIM reading. This is when you cast your eyes through the whole article quickly, picking up key phrases, sentences to get the general idea of the text very quickly.

SCAN reading. This is when you SCAN the text looking for specific mentions of something. Scan your eye down the entire article quickly, underlining the mentions you need, then go back and read in more detail later.

If you have lots of chapters in a book but don’t know if you need/should read them all at this time, go through, looking at the headings/sub headings. This should give you an overview of  the content of each chapter. You can also read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to get a quick idea. The first sentence is usually an establishing sentence, with the last being a concluding  sentence, so you could get a good idea of the content from this method. Of course, it’s not a perfect way, but it could save you some time.

How many words do you read in one glance? English speakers read multiple words at once, not word-by-word reading. If you read one word at a time then this is a much slower speed than average, and this can actually decrease your comprehension. Studies show that widening your eye span (reading more than one word at a time) improves speed and also raises your understanding level of the text. If you read too slowly and labour over every word, you are more concerned about the individual words rather than the whole sentence.

 Friday 12 February, 2010

I hope week 1 was good and you had a great  weekend. I wanted to send you a quick email about your scheme of work. Returning students should already know this, but your scheme of work should become your companion, your best friend throughout the term. This has all the information needed to successfully complete the unit.
 
When you look at your scheme of work (on Blackboard),
 
1.Skim through it (don’t read every word) to get a quick idea of what you need to do in your subject.
 
2.Take some time to think about the tasks included in the unit.
 
3.Go back and read through it in more detail.
 
4.Highlight new or key words. Key words are words that tell you a lot about how you should approach the     unit, or what type of assessment is included, such as ‘evaluate’, ‘contrast’ or ‘group work’.
 
5.If there are any new words make sure you find out what they mean before you start any work.
 
6.Each scheme of work contains as section that tells you what types of assessments are in the subject (essay, group report etc). It is very important you read this in detail and put the due dates etc in your diary or term assessment planner.
 
7.Make sure you read what you will be doing week by week and insert this information into your weekly and term planners. This will make it easier for you to plan your study and social time during the week/term to make sure you are successful.
 
Remember, always look through the scheme of work before lectures and before you begin work on the writing task or group work. If you forget what is required, go back and read it from time to time. If you need more help or if you don’t think the scheme of work is clear, come to me or your lecturer for some help. You can also find help for writing and referencing in the Style Guide. If you haven’t checked this yet, have a look at it on the ICMS website.
 
Good luck and enjoy yourself.