Being Successful at University For 2nd year entrants

Every student that enters university will have different strengths and challenges in their academic, personal, and social abilities. This microcredential will support you in successfully joining Abertay University, helping you to achieve success. Each topic will start with questions for you to identify which areas of the topic you should focus on. You will also hear from Abertay students who have transitioned successfully to university and they will share the hints and tips of their success.

Throughout the microcredential you will become familiar with university systems (including the virtual learning environment), consider what attributes make a successful student and develop key successful student habits. These habits include referencing appropriately, applying an appropriate academic style to your writing, managing your time effectively and knowing how to access the university support services and activities. By the end of the module, you will be fully equipped with the tools and strategies for a successful university journey.

This microcredential will explore the foundations of the Abertay Attributes. This will help you consider how to develop your skills in relation to personal, professional, digital, intellectual helping to become an active citizen of Abertay and the Dundee communities. Specifically, you will develop these attributes through:

• Intellectual: Developing skills in university-level academic writing and referencing
• Personal: Develop successful student behaviours and strategies that work for you.
• Professional: Understand the expectations of being a student at Abertay.
• Digital: Understanding and using the university systems such as MyLearningSpace to support your learning experience at Abertay.
• Active Citizen: Recognising the many opportunities available at university and beyond, developing your skills for success.

By the end of this module the student should be able to:

1. Identify appropriate student behaviours and habits for success at university
2. Use appropriate university approaches to academic writing and referencing

1 Navigating Abertay Systems

Be introduced to and understand how to engage with Abertay systems and tools such as MyLearningSpace, MS Teams, OASIS, MyAbertay etc.

2 Expectations of University and You

Explore your own and the universities expectations of you and of the university; Consider the code of conduct; independent learning; blended learning; how university is structured; health and safety; and the Abertay attributes.

3 Understanding and Searching Information

How scholarly information is generated and disseminated; key characteristics of different information types. Planning, using and refining appropriate search strategies; online search tools; using a range of web and database search functionality.

4 Successful Student Behaviours

Develop strategies to key successful student behaviours including Defeating Procrastination, Time Management, Notetaking and preparing for classes, Growth Mindset, Accessing student support and opportunities.

5 Referencing

Understand what is meant by academic integrity, plagiarism, and the need for appropriate referencing; creating reference lists and in-text citations; use of referencing tools to manage information.

6 Sounding Academic

Explore what lecturers mean by 'academic style' and 'the right language'; Understand what is meant by and how to learn the rules of academic writing characteristics. Consider how this differs between college and university; Learn how to paraphrase. Explore how assessments, marking and feedback works at university.

7 Evaluating Information

Using appropriate quality criteria to critically evaluate information from any source to determine authority and bias.