Adult Learners' Week

Tomorrow sees the start of Adult Learners' Week, which seeks to celebrate lifelong learning in all its forms. Since all of you lovely people are adult learners, we’re a big fan of lifelong learning at UWTSD Swansea Libraries! We also know that it can be tough if you’re returning to education after a bit of a break, or even if you’re going from one course to another. We hope you’ve all survived this year ok, but do take a look back at our study tips series from earlier in the year when members of library staff, and Study Support Tutor Mary Davies Turner, used their personal experience to offer some advice on academic success.

We’re not the only ones with advice to share. Learning Skills Wales have got some top tips on using lifelong learning to support your career, as well as some useful websites where you can find more help.

If you’re a mature student, we have some study skills books especially for you, as well as lots of books with more general study skills advice. For the time being , though, with exams behind you, try to enjoy the summer break!

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Mary Davies Turner

We end our series on part-time study with a guest blogger – Dr Mary Davies Turner, Study Support Tutor with Student Services. Mary offers study skills support for students at UWTSD Swansea, so if you need a bit of extra help with planning or writing your assignments, or if you’re baffled by referencing, it might be a good idea to get in touch with her! Mary’s contact details can be found on Student Services’ Academic Skills Support website along with all sorts of useful tips and guides. Well worth a look! Here’s Mary with some really useful advice to help you manage your academic work:

Mary Davies Turner

Writing tips and strategies for the part-time research student

If you’re a part-time research student, the chances are you’ve commitments outside college – family, work – that eat into your time and make it difficult for you to find sustained periods for study. That was my own experience, during my Phd, and is still, when I am struggling to find time and space to write my research papers. One of the problems you may have is that you have long breaks between writing, when the thread of continuity is broken and your mind, occupied with other pressing things that belong to daily life, has left your studies on the back burner. There are things you can do to help.

Date your writing so that you know what is current and if you are working on several drafts, put a note, ‘Current’, or ‘Use this one’ alongside the date.

Don’t ever break off from your writing without leaving signposts to where you are going next. At the time, your ideas for your next section are all clear in your mind and you are sure you will remember and pick them up again when you return to your writing. So often, that doesn’t happen. So, leave yourself directions – notes, a quick outline of your structure, main ideas – for when you return.

Have a notebook with you wherever you go. That is your connection to your work. In here you can make quick notes, jot down thoughts and you can do what Peter Elbow calls ‘bits of writing’ – a quick sentence, or two.

Peter Elbow, a Professor of English and Director of the writing programme at the University of Massachusetts, is the man who came up with the idea of Freewriting. He developed this writing strategy as a way of getting over his own writer’s block and to help his students get over theirs. But it is not only useful and helpful for that problem. Freewriting is a way of writing something substantial, and often meaningful, and nearly always useful, in a short time. So popular is his technique, that in recent years it’s ‘gone viral’ around the world and spawned conferences dedicated to his approach. Peter himself describes it as:

“The most effective way I know to improve your writing.”(Elbow, 1998, 3) Here’s how you do it:

Write on paper

Write for 10 minutes 

Write in sentences – whatever comes into your mind.

Let yourself go off on tangents

Don’t stop

The crucial rule here is ‘Don’t stop’. So what do you do if you can’t think of anything to say? You can write, ‘I can’t think what to say’ as many times as it takes until you get going; you can repeat the last sentence – one word repeats are not allowed. You must write in sentences.

The beauty of this technique is that it makes you keep going. So often, we start a piece of writing and we hit a block and we stop. When you freewrite, you are not allowed to do that. You have to keep going and that pushing through is something, the more you do it, the more you will be able to take into your structured writing. Don’t worry about going off on tangents – see where they will lead you. After you have completed your ten minutes, read over your piece. Somewhere in there you will find a thought, a nugget of an idea which you can take and develop.

Let me know how you get on!

Reference

Peter Elbow, Writing Without Teachers, 19998, Oxford: OUP

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Jess

We’re a studious bunch in the library and there are still a few of us with some thoughts to share about part-time study. Today we hear from Jessica Lawson-Hughes, who works as a Library Assistant in Townhill Library. Jess graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies and Art History here at Swansea Metropolitan University (as we were then!) in 2011 and went on to gain an MA in English Literature from Swansea University and a PGCE in post-compulsory education and training from Swansea Met. Jess is clearly a master of time management as she completed her full-time Masters while she was also studying on her part-time PGCE. She’s got some fab tips to offer!

Jess

Part Time Study: Make it Work for You

Jessica Lawson-Hughes

So you’re thinking of studying part time but you’re unsure how to manage another commitment?  I say take the leap!  Yes it’s likely to be difficult at times but the rewards will certainly outweigh the sacrifices…  

Employers and educators have long extolled the virtues of part time study.  From an employer’s perspective the skills required to juggle work and study will highlight values of commitment and an adeptness at time management, whilst educators tend to welcome the wealth of life experiences part time students bring.  With an increasingly competitive jobs market and potential applicants more highly qualified than ever before, gaining that extra qualification can really help you stand out from the crowd.  In terms of both personal and professional development the sense of achievement attached to acquiring a new qualification is unrivalled.

Having just finished studying for a part time qualification myself I understand some of the apprehensions part time students face: at times it can feel like you’re juggling anvils, particularly when assignment deadlines draw near.  So here are some top tips to help you maximize your studying potential:

 

Keep a digital record of your references and interests

You’re likely to read a lot of useful material and if you’re anything like me you’ll soon forget its origins.  Creating a personal blog will allow you to record your references digitally as you browse the web, and build up an electronic database of useful material.  Make the space work for you: your blog needn’t be too wordy, or even look publishable.  This is your space to make as colourful and engaging as possible: think of it as an ideas hub and try including a couple of relevant tags linked to useful web sources, videos and articles of interest.  And don’t forget to share content with your peers, as gaining other opinions on pertinent themes can really help develop your thinking around a topic.       

Check out what the professionals are reading

Have you trawled through the suggested reading list and found little of use?  If you ever find yourself at a loss for research material try looking at what the professional authors are reading.  Most academic authors will include a bibliographical list of their research at the end of their texts and some of these references are bound to yield results. 

Make every day count

When studying for a part time course no day is a write off.  Even days where you’ve not planned to study can be productive insofar as doing something useful.  The trick is harnessing this productivity: be it five minutes spent skim reading that library book that has sat on your shelf for the last fortnight, or a quick mind map of your thoughts around a topic.  Oftentimes the most serendipitous study encounters spark the best results.   

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Sam

Next up in our series of part-time students/library staff, we have Samantha Scoulding. Sam is an Assistant Librarian at Swansea Business School Library and one of the regular contributors to this blog. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature already under her belt, she made the decision in 2004 to become a professional librarian and enrolled on a course in Aberystwyth University. Here she tells us about her motivation and some of the challenges she faced:-

Sam

By June 2004 I had been working  as a library assistant at Swansea Institute Of Higher Education (as it was back then!) for 8 years and decided it was time to get serious about my career! I had always intended to qualify as a professional librarian but had somehow never got around to it. The thought of giving up a steady job to go back to university in Aberystwyth full-time was a daunting one, so I settled upon a different route towards achieving the same goal – I enrolled on the MSc ILS course as a distance learner. Luckily for me I was given financial support and encouragement by my employer and was appointed to a Trainee Librarian post while I studied, gaining valuable on-the-job experience at the same time.

Becoming a student again eight years after leaving the education system was certainly a challenge. I had to learn new skills such as writing reports and business plans – something I’d never had to do for my first degree in English Literature! Time management was also a big factor, it wasn’t easy fitting in all the reading and assignment writing around my normal working hours, although I was given some time in work to do this as part of my vocational training which helped a lot. The biggest challenge however was the isolation of being a distance learner. It’s not easy trying to motivate yourself without regular lectures, tutorials and the camaraderie of being around other students studying the same course (and going through the same problems) as yourself. I got around this by going to the residential study school once a year, making heavy use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and various student forums, plus keeping in contact via email with fellow students…even picking up the phone to call my lecturer (in tears on one occasion!) when I was struggling to cope.

Due to personal circumstances I decided against completing my course to Masters level but I did successfully gain my professional qualification – PG Dip ILS – in December 2008 and am now working for UWTSD Swansea as a fully-fledged Assistant Librarian. The main lessons I took on board from my distance learning experience are; don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, learn in bite-sized chunks (don’t look at the marathon ahead, concentrate on the current hurdle) and push your boundaries…you’re often capable of more than you think!

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Suzanne

Today we're hearing about some tips Suzanne Taylor has picked up as a part-time student. Suzanne is an Assistant Librarian at Townhill Campus and is currently hard at work on her dissertation for a Masters in Library and Information Studies, which she has been studying as a distance learner with Aberystwyth University. Prior to that, after leaving school, Suzanne graduated with a BA(Hons) in Literature and History and went on to complete a PGCE in Primary Education, both of which were full time courses.


Suzanne Taylor

Suzanne

This could be entitled…..Things I wish I known sooner….

Returning to being a student after a break of many years was exciting, but also daunting and before I could start on my dissertation, I had to complete lots of modules, all of which had assignments.  Through trial and error, I picked up strategies along the way to help me organise my writing. I hope you find them useful.

Sometimes it is easy to get side tracked and before you know it your deadline is looming and you’ve written 3,000 words about how to sharpen a pencil, when really you were supposed to be writing an assignment on how to improve writing skills! I found it helpful to write my assignment question in the centre of a large piece of paper and deconstruct the title to determine what I’d really been asked to research. This also helped me get over the initial stage of not being sure what to write, especially as I found that putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard) is often the hardest part when starting an assignment.

Once sure of the question, I would mind-map the assignment by briefly listing anything that I already knew about the topic. This helped to identify areas where I needed to find more information. I also found it useful, as I began to research, to keep adding brief notes to the mind-map, including the page numbers which had relevant paragraphs or good quotes. Then, I could come back to those pages once I began to write my assignment. I would also briefly list any different points of view on the mind-map, so that I could see if I needed to find a counter-argument or a quote to back up my point of view.

Finding appropriate literature for your research can sometimes be difficult, so if I found a good article in a journal, or a key chapter in a book, I would look at the references the author had listed and search for those which were relevant for my assignment. If I was looking for online journals, I found that lots of databases had folders where you could store the articles whilst you searched and then email them to yourself to read at a later date, a really useful tool if you were running out of time.

I also realised, after spending  far too long trying to find the reference for a key quote I’d used in one assignment, where all I’d written down was ‘Smith, 2008’ (!), that it was essential to keep a good record of books and articles that I’d found. I would open a new Word document for each assignment and as I made notes, add any new book or article references to the document (it’s quite helpful to split the document into two categories: 1) References, for direct quotes or paraphrasing and 2) Bibliography, for things I’d read but hadn’t quoted or paraphrased in my writing), but there are also computer programs which will help you with your references, making the job even easier.

I think with all study, it is a case of finding what works for you. I’m now half way through my dissertation and the one tip I would give is to focus on an area which you find really interesting, crucial I think, as the dissertation may take over your life……J

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Celia

With apologies for the disruption during the network failure, we continue our series on study tips and experience with Celia Solari, one of our team of Library Assistants at Swansea Business School. Celia left secretarial college at 18 and has a great deal of experience working as a secretary in the legal profession. She completed a part-time, two year Access to Higher Education course whilst still working part-time before then enrolling on a full-time undergraduate programme. Celia graduated from King’s College London in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in English Language and Communications/Linguistics. Here’s what she has to say:-

Celia

Celia Solari

I’m sure you’ll have heard some, or all, of the following many times, but I do think they’re worth bearing in mind:

Be organised and put aside time each day for your studies, but don’t set yourself unrealistic targets – it’s important to maintain a good work/life balance.  If you can, try getting up an hour (or two) earlier than usual and use this time for reading/writing assignments.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve by doing this.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, however silly they may seem.  If you don’t understand something, then it’s likely that your fellow students won’t either, but in my experience, they don’t want to look foolish by asking the obvious!  They’ll probably be pleased that you took the initiative.  However, constantly interrupting lectures/seminars could become a bit of a pain for your fellow students, so if there’s something that you’re really not sure about, then ask to see your tutor privately.

You may be returning to education after a long break and be feeling apprehensive about ‘fitting in’ to student life.  Most of my fellow students were around 25 years younger than I was (I was 47 when I graduated), but I can honestly say that this wasn’t a problem. In fact, I was informed by one fellow student, “You’re pretty cool for an old bird”. I took this as a compliment!

You might find that there are times when it seems impossible to juggle your family life and your studies, and the thought of withdrawing from your degree course seems like a good idea.  If this does happen, don’t try to struggle through; talk to your course tutor to see if they can help.  You may find that taking a couple of days off from your studies can help you to see things in perspective.

I hope you’ll enjoy student life as much as I did!

Celia makes a particularly good point about asking questions if you’re not sure. That goes for the library too! Those ‘stupid questions’ that you’re a bit embarrassed about are often the most helpful to everyone, so please ask.

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Philippa

Today we hear about Philippa Price’s experiences as a part-time student. Philippa is an Assistant Librarian in Townhill Library, offering subject support to Education staff and students. She enrolled on the part-time PGCE in post-compulsory education here at UWTSD Swansea in October 2011 and graduated in June this year. Here are some tips she picked up along the way:-

Philippa

Philippa Price

Enrolling on a part-time course whilst working full-time was certainly a daunting process, particularly as I know the lecturers who teach on the course quite well and was keen not to ‘show myself up’ in front of them! As it turns out, though, with some organisation and forward planning, the course was hard work but manageable and very rewarding. I wondered why I hadn’t done it years ago!

The most useful strategy I adopted along the way was to do ‘something’ every week. It didn’t have to be a big ‘something’, but I found just reading and making notes from a chapter or a journal article each week really helped me to keep on top of things without my studies taking over my life.

In my undergraduate days, I was definitely a pen and paper girl, handwriting notes and essays when I could. Since then, though, I’ve come to see the benefit of keeping notes on a computer, even if it means typing them up from my notebook. It makes it so much easier to move them around and group them together into different arguments when preparing for an assignment! I find it helpful to write in full sentences and paragraphs when writing notes from reading and to keep assignment questions and topic areas in mind so I don’t go off on a tangent. Quite often, when it came to gathering my notes together for an essay, a significant chunk of it would already be practically written. That’s a good feeling!

My other top tip would be to keep up with your referencing as you go along, especially if you start cutting and pasting notes to organise them. You don’t want to forget where you came across that insightful comment or useful quote, so cite as you make notes! Writing your reference list or bibliography as you go along also saves so much time at the end of the assignment.

 

If you're not sure how you should be referencing your reading, you'll usually find a set of guidelines on your course handbook. We also have lots of books in the library that can help you understand how and why to reference.

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Caroline

This term, we’re sharing some of our experiences of part-time study with you. We hope you find some useful tips to help with your own studies, or at least take some comfort in the fact that we’ve been through it too! Following on from Hannah earlier in the week, we continue our series with Caroline Mitchell, our Clerical Assistant who is based at Swansea Business School Library. Caroline studied her HNC in Business right here at this university (though we were known as Swansea Institute of Higher Education back then!) and found it a really rewarding experience. Here is her reflection:-

Caroline

Caroline Mitchell

September 2006 was the start of something new for me… I enrolled on the part-time HNC Business Course. You could say it was a scary first day with lots of doubts and questions - would I be able to do this? Will I enjoy the course? Will anyone else talk to me? Can I do this? I had not done anything since a BTEC Business course when I was 19, but recently my husband had completed his MA Photography course which made me think maybe I could also gain a new qualification.

I got through the first day and found I enjoyed it, the other students were nice and friendly and the lecturers were lovely too. Pam Murray was an inspiration and made the lectures fun and informative. I found it tough when assignments were due, but with the help and encouragement of the staff and my family I managed to get through them. It is definitely worth finding a good spot to get comfortable and relaxed in, which will help you get in the correct frame of mind to write the assignment. The Library has lots of resources available, whether it is a book or journal, or even the online databases. I am one of these learners that are easily distracted so it would have to be complete silence for me to concentrate and get the work done. As the term went on I looked forward to each week to see my class mates again and in anticipation of what the lecturers would be like.

Sometimes I did wonder if I would be able to complete the course as it could be tough, but I stuck with it and did plenty of research (maybe too much at times) and was successful in obtaining my HNC Business Studies award. My graduation ceremony was my proudest moment and was well worth the hard work and determination.

I had planned to continue studies and get the full BA Business qualification, but this had to be postponed due to family commitments. I still hope to pursue the achievement of a BA Business qualification in the not too distant future…..

It can be tough returning to education after quite a long break, but as Caroline found the rewards are well worth it. If you're struggling to settle back in to academic work, don't forget we have lots of study skills books in the library which can help you. You're also very welcome to call in to your campus library and ask to speak to your subject librarian about accessing and using library resources. You'll soon get the hang of it!

 

Memoirs of part-time study (and a few words of encouragement too) - Hannah

It seems we’re quite a learned bunch in the library. We recently got to thinking about how many of us have enrolled in some sort of part-time study course whilst also holding down a job and juggling other commitments. Many of you will be in the same situation, feeling as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that you need to, so we thought it might be helpful to share a few ‘survivor’ stories. Over the next few weeks, some members of the library team will be letting you know about their experiences, offering a few pearls of wisdom along the way and hopefully reassuring you that part-time (or full-time) study can be really rewarding and that it’s all worth it in the end!

Hannah

Hannah Meiklejohn

We’re starting our series with Hannah Meiklejohn, who has actually just left the library to join the team in Art and Design as Assistant for the School of Visual Communications. Prior to that, though, Hannah was a Library Assistant in Townhill Library and one of our most prolific part-time students! She originally started out as a full-time student, studying for a History degree at Swansea University, but changed to part-time in the second year to accommodate a full-time job (with us!). Hannah obviously caught the education bug because the year after graduating with her BA (Hons) in History she enrolled part-time for a diploma in creative writing. As if that wasn’t enough, she completed a short introductory teaching course last year and is currently in the second year of an MA in Philosophy on UWTSD’s Lampeter campus. It’s fair to say that Hannah is quite the expert in part-time study! Here are her thoughts:-

 

The Challenges

The biggest challenge for part-time students is finding time (quality and quantity) to study.  People who have spent time away from the education system may find the process of starting an essay again a very difficult and daunting task.  Even if essay writing is not a problem, fitting university work in and around your working life is the biggest area of concern for most people about to embark on a part-time course.  This could be caused by many things, such as difficulty in effectively organizing their time; job demands; family commitments; competing demands of hobbies and other interests etc. All of these things can make part-time study difficult.

Tips

You need to already be thinking about likely problems and their potential solutions in advance.  Some people find it useful to make precise plans or a personal timetable.  This is a good idea as long as it is made flexible. Understand that life sometimes gets in the way and some days you might not be able to do the work you had set out.  Be prepared for some tasks take longer than you had planned. You will need to be able to make adjustments to your study plans.

As well as finding time to study I need to make time for hobbies and interests, family and friends, and any other personal projects, all with a full time job.  It’s hard to fit it all in, but I find it gets easier with time.  I have been a part time student for so long that it’s almost second nature to me now.  For me it helped that I went straight from full time education, into continuing with the course part time, and I have continued to study ever since.  I think the best piece of advice I can give to new part time students is to simply try it out and see what works, and then stick at it. Once the right balance has been found it becomes a lot easier. 

Rewards

Most of my history classes were on a Saturday morning which, after working a full week seemed like a horrendous way to start the weekend.  However, I got along well with the group and I was passionate about the subject so after the first week I realized it was actually an enjoyable experience.

For most people, leaning new things and enhancing career prospects are huge benefits to studying.  Making new friends, and using your mind in a different ways are also appealing aspects of studying.  You will not only gain a qualification, but you will gain confidence; satisfaction; respect from your peers, and a sense of achievement. 

 

If you’d like to read more of Hannah’s thoughts on part-time study, take a look at her article on page 14 of the current issue (no. 40) of Grad Mag.