UCC DSS Academic Skills
Training Workshop
The Month Off
Month Off - Details
• The Month off is from:
– Friday, 28th March, 2014 to
– Sunday, 21st April, 2014 inclusive
• You are counting down to exams…
• This is followed by a Study/Review week from:
– Monday, 22nd April 2014 to
– Friday, 25th April 2014.
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Summer…and Autumn Exams
• Summer exams begin on:
– Monday, 28th April to
– Friday, 23rd May 2014.
• The Autumn Written Examinations or ‘Repeats’
run from:
– Tuesday 5th August to
– Friday 15th August 2014.
• If you fail a Summer exam you will have to repeat
it in the Autumn, regardless of your Summer
plans.
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This is really not something you
need!!!
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The Month Off- What’s the Point?
• First, complete existing assignments
• Then, prepare for the summer exams by:
– Reviewing your notes for:
• Content, references, exam hints and tips
– Completing your readings:
• Core texts, recommended readings and background or extra
reading around exam topics
– Practising exam techniques:
• Identifying patterns in exam formats from past papers,
writing against the clock and reviewing these practice essays
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I’m not the only one who says so…
• “This time is probably going to be your most
stressful time all year, so make sure to keep
your study month as free as possible from
distractions from your college work. We often
think of this as a month off but really this time
can be the busiest for you so you don’t want
to be still finishing up on an assignment you
didn’t get done on time and distracting
yourself from the study for the big exams in
May” (UCC College Road).
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Your Notes
1. Have you sorted all your notes out and filed them
logically, either electronic or paper based?
–
–
Where are they?
Are they labelled clearly with dates, topics etc?
2. Do you know what the notes discuss or refer to?
–
–
Can you remember the lecture?
Maybe swop them with your friends…copies only!!
3. Have you checked out the materials, books, articles
mentioned by your lecturer and noted by you?
–
Maybe your friends did (if you didn’t!!)
4. Can you identify the hints and tips buried inside?
5. Why not use Cornell template as Table of Contents?
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Your Reading
1. Core texts and recommended readings
– Check your Book of Modules, course and in-class handouts
and Blackboard
2. Background or extra reading around exam topics
– Again, check all of the above to see what’s recommended
– Email/ask lecturer if interested in writing on specific topic in
exam
– Talk to librarians
– Remember identify key search terms and use those in
Google Scholar, UCC databases and online with decent
websites (ac.co.uk/edu)
3. See previous workshop on Reading Skills (ask Maeve).
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Practising for Exam
1. Review your notes for hints and tips
2. Check out past papers and identify patterns
within
3. Email/talk to lecturers re what can be
expected from exam paper i.e.
similar/different to previous years?
4. Practice answering some questions from
previous years to end study sessions, against
the clock!
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Now that’s done…
• Ok, you’ve:
–
–
–
–
–
Finished any assignments that were due
Tidied your notes
Located relevant readings
Sourced the relevant past papers…
Figured out what topics are:
• Likely to or nearly always come up
• Essential to your understanding of subject
• Necessary to progress to 2nd year
• Now, what time do you have:
– Between now and start of exams in May?
– Between each exam?
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Diaries and Planners
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•
•
•
•
Paper diaries – page a day, week per view
Weekly & monthly planners –Word templates
Wall planners – Easons
Google calendar – part of your email account
Calendar on mobile phone:
Insert appointments,
deadlines and reminders
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First Things First
In order to study you need to know:
– What needs to be studied?
– How to access that information?
– When you study best?
– What time you have available to do it?
– What other commitments do you have?
– How the exams work?
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Task Analysis
1. What is my goal?
a. Do I have everything I need to achieve it?
b. What do I need to do before starting this?
2. What are the rules and guidelines associated with task?
a. What is the word count or exam duration?
b. When is it due/how long do I have?
3. What are the steps to achieving it?
a. What first? Second? Third?
4. How will I know when it is done?
a. What are the indicators of success?
5. What next?
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Plan your Study
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Main Tasks
• Review information and content from during
the year in your notes, readings and essays
• Become familiar with exam patterns,
expectations and layouts
• Learn and memorise
• Apply your learning to sample exam questions
• Repeat…these steps, not the exams….!
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Suggested Memory Techniques
• Have an opening line learned off as a trigger to
start you writing for each question
• Memorize key definitions and assumptions
• Summarize points of disagreement/controversies
• Devise a list of criticisms/evaluative comments
• Draw conclusions
• Use Mindmap or Flash Cards to record:
– Your introduction
– Concise statement of question/main points
– Concluding thoughts
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Memory Tricks: Mind Maps
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UCC – a changed place…
• During the ‘Month Off’ UCC changes
– UCC population triples overnight…
– Absolutely, no seats in library, though do try basement areas!
– All computers in labs full, make sure you’re registered for
wireless
– Printing backed up badly, put everything on stick and print in
town
– All course texts gone, get them now!
– Desk reserve area of library packed, get in early.
– No parking – get the bus, pool cars
– Restaurants packed, then deserted – bring a packed lunch!
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