University study is self-directed, meaning you are responsible for your own learning and success. It is up to you to manage your time effectively in order to keep on top of your tasks. There are a few ways you can improve your experience, however, which will also help you to learn skills beyond unit content that will make you more confident in a professional context.
In brief, some things you can do to improve your academic life include:
Lectures are presentations delivered by a subject professional on a specific topic. These can be in-person or online and are a key part of study.
To get the most out of lectures:
There various class types, including tutorials, labs, seminars and workshops. While each will operate slightly differently and include different tasks, you should join each class prepared to talk and engage.
Many classes at university follow the ‘flipped classroom’ approach, where students prepare before class, practice the content during class with others, then review and check their understanding afterwards. This way of teaching encourages students to ask questions and collaborate.
To get the most out of classes:
As a university student, it is important to understand how to engage with the university, academic staff, and your peers appropriately and respectfully, both in person and online. Engaging with others online is a vital skill to develop, and it is a skill that will help you as a student as well as in your future career.
Regardless of who you email, it is important to be polite. Remember, you can’t take back anything you put in writing. When emailing with academic staff, avoid using slang and always address them with their correct staff titles.
When corresponding via email:
Example email:
Subject: CMH1001 Lecture - request for slides and notes
Dear Professor Kirkwood,
I am writing to request a copy of the presentation slides and notes from the CMH1001 lecture this week, Wednesday 29 July. I was unable to participate in this lecture during the live session due to work commitments. I am unable to locate the slides and noes on Blackboard and am currently preparing for the assessment due next week.
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards,
Gemma Gordon (she/her) Curtin ID 2090000A
The contact details for your unit’s teaching staff are listed on Blackboard. Click on the applicable unit and then Contacts. Try emailing Unit Tutors/Unit Coordinators first. Unless otherwise specified, Course Coordinators are for queries relating to your entire course, such as study plans.
Your teaching staff may set up discussion boards to communicate topics and queries, share additional resources, and encourage students to engage with each other. Functions available on the discussion board will depend on what your Unit Coordinator has activated. For some units, discussion board contributions will be part of a marked assessment, often for students to give each other feedback on assessment ideas.
Students are encouraged to use the discussion boards to engage with each other, share helpful resources, and set up study groups. As always, you are expected to engage politely and keep on topic when contributing to the discussion board.
It’s a good idea to briefly search the discussion board for answers to questions prior to emailing academic staff with your query. Chances are, someone else has had the same question and it’s already been answered by the tutor or other students.
Ensuring you have the support you need will help you have the confidence to tackle anything thrown your way. Curtin offers a range of support services through AccessAbility. If you have a disability, or physical or mental health condition, or if you are caring for someone with a disability you can apply for a Curtin Access Plan (CAP) which is a document that outlines reasonable adjustments recommended for a student.
There are also ways to make your resources more accessible to you. For example, you can apply a dyslexia font to your readings, or have some of your PDFs read aloud by Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Throughout your studies, you will collect many files, including weekly readings, sources for assignments, and different assignment versions. To keep track of everything:
Flip through the activity below for examples.
Note you may be asked to name your assignments in a certain way before submitting them to Turnitin. Check your unit outline for more information.