Study at university is like a full-time job that requires commitment, and cannot just be added on to a range of other interests. It differs in many ways from study in other educational settings. A major difference is the independence and self reliance expected of students in their study. This idea concerns:

In this chapter, we discuss the implications of independence and self reliance for the way you approach your studies. Assistance with time management is also available from university learning and personal support services.

The study “mindset”

The units that you study present information, concepts and theories. It is expected that you will understand these fully. In addition, you must think critically and analytically so that you can evaluate and apply the knowledge, concepts and theories to different situations. You also need to think about the information from international and global perspectives, and to communicate your thinking clearly and appropriately orally and in writing.

This means that you must do more in your written work than merely describe the concepts and knowledge, which will not get you good marks. There are times when you do need to provide definitions and an overview of concepts and theories, but such information usually only functions as an introduction for your integration of ideas, critical analysis and application, in relation to the issue, topic and task.

Integration of information and critical and analytical thinking are central to the idea of independence in study. It means that you take an objective approach to the knowledge, concepts and theories. Such an approach is necessary so that you can:

This emphasis may differ from how you approached your study in other educational settings. For instance, you may have expected there to be one right answer, or two sides to an issue or topic. In your university studies, you need to understand that there are multiple views surrounding a topic or issue. The suitability of the view that you develop, often by synthesising several views, depends on the perspective from which you look at the issue.

Such a concept of the relativity of knowledge applies to all the business and economics disciplines. In accounting, for instance, particular accounting situations are interpreted in terms of the Standard Accounting Concepts, and in econometrics and business statistics, a set of data is interpreted in relation to a particular purpose, or the needs of a particular user.

Your ability to operate in the way explained above is based on you understanding the nature of academic enquiry and discovery, as we explain in the next section.

2.2 Academic enquiry, discovery and independence in study

Academic enquiry and discovery are concerned with the development or advancement of knowledge in a field of study, which occurs through research and investigation. Students engage in academic enquiry and discovery, to some degree, when they integrate and apply knowledge, concepts and theories to different situations. Thus, in university study, there are:

When investigating an issue for an assignment task that is based on evidence from the literature, you need to overview and integrate the range of views surrounding the issue or topic. When you have formed your response and structured your written work to express this, you must indicate to your reader how you have arrived at that view. That is, the ideas and views that you read in the literature function as the ‘building blocks’ of your response. In your writing, if you do not explain to your reader the evidence or the building blocks for your view, you are only expressing opinions. These are ideas unsubstantiated by evidence and are not valued in university study.

Figure 1 depicts the situation in relation to a topic in a unit that relies on views in the literature. Note how decision-making in the manager’s role is seen from different perspectives by different authors.

In a unit such as econometrics and business statistics, you may be required to analyse a set of data from a perspective of, for instance, a marketing manager, or a city council. Thus, the information in the data that would be relevant for the former would be on aspects such as sales, while for the city council which is concerned with providing services, the emphasis would be on the city’s population and its needs.

Thus, in units that rely on data such as econometrics and business statistics, you need to analyse the data, form a perspective on the issue from the data analysis, and then select from your data to support the viewpoint you have developed.

In a unit such as economics, it means being able to distinguish between facts and value statements.

2.3 Approaching study in the faculty disciplines

As you continue with your faculty study, you will realise that the approaches to knowledge in the disciplines of the faculty differ in some ways. Understanding such variation will help you adjust your thinking and approach across your units of study. This is particularly applicable if you are a double degree student and studying across two faculties.

For instance, when you are studying a first year law unit in your Business and Economics degree, you will be presented with problem question assignments. You approach and think about these, and structure information differently, than you would for essays in a unit such as management, or, for example, reports in a marketing unit. You are using different forms of data and evidence, and applying critical analysis in ways that are particular to the unit and its discipline.

The approach that the disciplines take to knowledge is reflected in the way information is put together in the texts and in lectures. These exemplify the characteristics of the particular discipline.

To develop some understanding, you should think about your units in terms of:

The type of data and information used;
The way data and information is integrated, analysed and critiqued;
The way data and information is used as evidence in addressing issues and topics;
The way data and information is presented in written form.

This will help you to develop the appropriate ‘mindset’, or ‘way of looking at the world’ that is characteristic of the discipline that you are studying and writing in.

In the next sections of this chapter, we discuss learning through lectures, tutorials, reading, and working with your class mates. This will help you to study efficiently and effectively.

2.4 Lectures and your learning

If you are an on-campus student lectures are a very important part of your learning. Broadly speaking, the lecture provides you with the general layout and important approaches for your topic for the week. Often, you will also be engaged in the lectures in activities that will deepen and expand your understanding of the topic. This will save you time in the long run, as you will leave the lecture with greater understanding of the topic, providing you with a clearer direction for your further work and study on the topic and the subject.

Even though you may be able to download Powerpoint slides, you should attend your lectures. The slides usually only provide a framework of the topic. It is in the lecture that fuller explanations and activities to increase your understanding and knowledge are provided. Attending lectures also helps you to feel part of the faculty and the university by giving you the opportunity to develop networks with other students. You will probably find that even a brief discussion of an aspect of the topic with a fellow student will help your understanding.

To get the most out of lectures, you should approach them in a systematic way. This means preparing before the lecture and following up on your understanding after it.

2.4.1 Preparing for the lecture

As we have already explained, the units you study have different styles and emphases, as do your unit lecturers.

You may feel ‘lost’ when you begin a unit because the ideas, and the language used to express them, are new and unknown. It may also take time to orient yourself to your lecturers’ individual styles of communication. If you are an international student recently arrived in Australia, you may have difficulty initially understanding the Australian accent. Some of your lecturers may also have accents from other language backgrounds, which will take time for you to get used to. It is important in these situations to be active rather than passive by preparing for the lecture.

2.4.2 Reading before the lecture

Before the lecture, you should try to get an overview of the points and issues to be discussed from your reading. Not all items on the reading list need to be read in full at this stage. Your purpose is to gain an overview of the ideas, vocabulary and phrases related to the topic. The text for the unit may be the most appropriate item for your pre-reading.

You can also make a list, or glossary, of any new vocabulary and language which are specific to the unit, writing the meanings next to these.

If English is not your first language, this practice will help you to become familiar with the topic’s specific language and concepts and is invaluable preparation. You may not have heard such language in spoken form before, especially with an Australian accent!

2.4.3 Using Powerpoint slides

Students may think that the lecture slides will provide them with all they need to know about the topic and therefore not attend lectures. The slides however, are not a substitute for lecture attendance and usually only include the topic’s main points. If the slides are available before the lecture, you can use these to advantage in preparing for the lecture. You should aim to:

2.4.4 Thinking about the topic and the subject

The topics that you cover in your weekly program build up to form a wide and deep view of the unit. Placing the topics into the overall unit structure will help you study with understanding and meaning. This underpins your ability to integrate ideas and to think critically and analytically about your study material, as well as to evaluate and apply it to new situations in assignment and exam questions.

Thus, you should try to build a picture of the unit as a whole in your study. You can do this by:

In this way, you are not studying isolated pieces of information. You are seeking meaning and understanding. This approach will most likely mean that you will find your study more interesting and enjoyable because it makes more sense to you. If you are motivated in this way, you will probably get better grades in your studies (Biggs, 2000).

2.4.5 Talking to your classmates about your weekly topics

Many students find it useful to form study groups with a few classmates and meet informally for an hour or so each week, before or after the lecture. It is a good use of time and there are several advantages. With your study group friends, you can:

2.5 Taking notes in the lecture

You should take an active rather than passive approach to note taking. This will enable you to work efficiently and effectively, and get maximum benefit from your study time.

There is no one ‘correct’ way to take notes. You need to develop a style that suits your way of studying. For instance, some students like to take a lot of notes, whereas others record only key words and points and mainly listen to the lecture to assist their understanding. In developing your own style, it is useful to consider other students’ styles. In a study group, you can look at each others’ styles, and learn from each other. However, the following points will assist you as you are developing your style.

You should always arrive at the lecture on time. In the introduction, the lecturer often overviews the learning objectives and the material to be covered, most often linking it to the previous week’s lecture. This helps you form a framework or structure in your mind for the details that follow, helping you to better understand and situate the information within the context of the unit.

If English is not your first language and you are not yet familiar with the Australian accent, you should try to sit close to the front in the lecture. In this way, the lecturer’s body language and facial expressions help you understand the spoken message.

Use a note-pad to take notes. You should not take notes on scraps of paper. Make sure the layout of your notes is clear. You should include any relevant information regarding the source of your notes. For instance, it is a good idea to write down the unit, the date of the lecture, the lecture’s title, and the lecturer’s name.

If you download Powerpoint slides for the lecture, make sure there is ample room around the slides on the paper to record all necessary notes.

2.5.1 Recognising and recording the main points

You should not try to write down all the lecturer’s words. Aim to record in your own words the main points and key information. The structure will be available for you if you use Powerpoint slides, or prepared lecture notes. If these are not available, you need to recognise this structure and build it into you lecture notes.

Overall, the lecture will be largely structured around main points and sub-points. You need to build this outline into your notes. If you are using linear notes, you can underline the main points, indent the sub-points, and use numbers for the ‘sub- sub-points’, and so on.

As well as the structure of ideas, information that makes up the lecture serves different purposes. Following are some of the purposes, which the lecturer will usually signal with language phrases (examples of language signals are in brackets):

The lecturer’s voice and body language which accompany the language cues will help you to recognise the purpose of the information in the overall lecture structure. For instance, for a main point, this may mean:

2.5.2 Using abbreviations

A system of note taking abbreviations will mean that you are not constantly writing words in full. Examples of abbreviation techniques include:

2.5.3 Learning styles

An implicit point from our discussion above is that different students feel more comfortable with particular approaches to, and styles of learning. For instance, some students require quiet environments for their study, while others prefer to listen to music as they work. Some students prefer to learn from written materials, and complement this with their lectures, tutorials, and electronic learning materials. Other students prefer to focus on the electronic, and to complement it with other forms of learning. Similarly, some students prefer to begin their study from a broad, or global perspective of the topic, while others prefer to begin with the details, and build up to a global view.

It is useful to try out different ways of learning, so as to broaden your study approach. If you have previously learnt mainly from reading and note taking, complement this with discussion with classmates, and use of electronic learning resources. If you have previously mainly focused on the details of a topic, try to place these into a global perspective of the topic, and if you initially take a global view, complement this with the topic details.

Regardless of what your preference is, it is important for you to exercise independence and self reliance, and try to establish your own learning style. The best way to develop and assess what learning style to adopt should be based on the extent to which it helps you to function in your studies with meaning and understanding, so that you can integrate, critically analyse and apply information and ideas effectively, and achieve the highest possible results in your assessment work.

On the other hand, independence and self reliance in study also mean that you recognise if your learning style is ineffective, and you are not understanding or performing well in your units of study. While at times lecturers or tutors may alert students to their inappropriate styles, in the end, the onus is on students themselves to reflect on and develop appropriate learning styles. On campus learning and personal support staff (see link in Introduction) are also available to assist students requiring help with particular issues or challenges.

2.5.4 Managing visual and spoken information

Many students find it difficult initially to balance the lecturer’s spoken language with the written information on overhead slides. We emphasise again that it is not necessary to write down all the lecturer’s words, nor all the information on the overheads. Only the key information is usually required.

To cope with both sources of information, it is useful to decide from which of these you gain the most, and use this as your main source. The other can then be used to deepen understanding, and as back up. For instance, if you are most comfortable with the visual information on slides, base your note taking on this, and use the spoken text for more detailed information. On the other hand, if you are more comfortable with the spoken language, use the visual to help you discern the main points and key ideas.

2.5.5 Losing concentration in the lecture

The key point here is not to panic. If you lose the thread of the lecture, simply leave a space, and continue taking notes from that point on. You can check your text, or fill in the details from a friend’s notes after the lecture.

2.6 After the lecture

Knowledge in your units of study is developmental, meaning that understandings build on those presented earlier. It is therefore important that you keep up to date with your understandings of the topics and the unit overall. If there are concepts or ideas about which you are unclear, you can follow these up in your study group, from the text, or from your tutor’s consultation time.

Try to make summaries of your lectures, either after the lecture, or at the end of the week. Not only is this a way to check that you have understood the lecture, it will also be useful in preparation for your exams when you need to review all the material covered in the unit. It will save you time in the long run.

2.7 Tutorials and your learning

Tutorials are one of the other important ways through which you learn in your university studies. Just as it is important to attend the lectures, you also need to attend tutorials. In fact, many units allocate some assessment marks for attendance and participation.

The tutorial usually is a group session, where the leader for the session is the tutor. Students are usually expected to participate in the tutorials by entering into the discussion and experiential activities.

The key to being able to participate is being prepared for the topic. Depending on the nature of the unit, preparing may mean:

Reading, making sure you understand the concepts, ideas and theories;
Completing exercises;
Being prepared to discuss issues and answer questions;
Being prepared to make comments and ask questions.

Initially, many students sometimes find it difficult to participate in tutorials. For instance, students with English as a second language may feel that their accent and expression styles are different from native English speakers, and so may be hesitant in speaking in tutorials. It is useful to remember that you are not alone and that many students, including local students with English as a first language, also find it difficult to participate in the beginning. Despite initial feelings of un-ease, you do need to learn how to participate by developing questioning, answering and commenting skills that are suitable for tutorial discussion. This will help you develop oral communication skills that are most important for the workplace when you graduate.

The most sign ificant point is to try to express your point clearly. This is more important than having absolutely faultless English grammar and syntax. When you have developed confidence in expressing yourself, you can then seek to tighten up on grammar.

If you feel shy about participating, the best way to prepare yourself is to think of likely questions, and compose answers to these before the tutorial. You can never predict the exact questions that will be asked, but thinking in this way helps you to develop a flexible approach to the information of your study. In study groups with your class mates, you can practise asking questions and providing answers.

You then need to be alert for opportunities in the tutorial to participate. It may mean letting your tutor see that you want to respond or comment, by, for instance, looking alert, sitting forward, or raising your hand. It is also important to approach tutorials as spaces where students and teachers are aware, respectful and considerate of others, and every member’s contribution to the learning environment is valued.

2.8 Reading in your study

Reading is another important way that you learn at university. The purpose of your reading can be to overview information before a lecture, to prepare for a tutorial, to read widely on a topic, or to find specific information for an assignment topic. Regardless of your purpose, an active rather than a passive approach is required. An active approach, in the first place, means that you read in a way for your particular purpose. For instance, if you are reading for an overview and therefore to acquaint yourself with main ideas, you read differently from if you are reading to understand material fully and in great detail.

Overall, we may say that reading in your studies is for the following purposes:

Reading to comprehend. (“What is the writer saying?”)
Reading for integration of ideas, critical analysis and evaluation. (What is the writer doing when they are saying it?)

Both types of reading are required, and are interrelated. For instance, you cannot integrate ideas and critically analyse a view expressed by a writer in a written document if you do not understand or comprehend the view being put forward.

Regardless of the purpose, both types of reading require you to overview your document first. This will provide you with a framework, or structure, for the details that follow, thus helping you to maintain concentration and get the most benefit from your reading time.

2.8.1 Reading to understand or comprehend

After surveying the piece as we have explained above, you then need to read in detail to understand the writer’s point of view. Rather than just reading and absorbing the information in a passive way, you should always be asking yourself:

A point may be expressed in one paragraph, or may cover a couple, or several paragraphs. This means that you are following and understanding the development of the writer’s viewpoint.

Sometimes reading material can be expressed in very academic and sophisticated language. It will help you to understand if you try to decode the writer’s point, and express it to yourself in simple language.

In your note taking, you extract and record the main ideas and key points. You should try to express these in your own words, rather than simply highlighting or underlining them. Extracting the key information requires you to understand the material, and this helps to maintain your concentration as you read.

If you are making notes from a written source (e.g. book or article) you should include the following information, which is required for referencing purposes:

Software, such as EndNote, is available from the library to help you manage and use your citations throughout your studies.

2.8.2 Reading for critical comment

When you understand the view that the writer is presenting, you are able to look at it from a critical and analytical perspective.

In a succinct form, critical comment is based on the following question: “What is the writer doing when they are putting forward information?”

This means being able to evaluate the view, in relation to your assignment task or topic. Questions you can ask yourself about the piece include:

Separate your notes from your personal comments. Given that you may look back at your notes, it will be impossible for you to distinguish your comments from your notes, so keep them separate.

Write a summary of your notes, or draw a diagram of the structure of the lecture. This will ensure that you understand the points and their inter-relationship as presented in the lecture.

2.9 Checklist for studying faculty units and courses

It is important that you study to ‘understand’ and be able to apply information and ideas to a range of situations. To be able to do this, you need to approach your studies in a way where you look for links in, and across, the content of your units. This contrasts with merely trying to memorise information, or learn by rote. While it is necessary to learn some processes and concepts for your units of study, a memorising approach on its own will not assist you to do well in your studies. It will also be difficult for you to be motivated. Studies show that students who look for meaning and links are more highly motivated than those who do not, and therefore are better placed to do well in their units and courses of study (Biggs, 2000).

Biggs, J. (2000), Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Open University Press, Buckingham.

Approaching study in the Faculty of Business and Economics

Introduction