LUC The hagUe ProfiLe 1

gUideLines for stUdents
What to expect in your first year at LUC
For many of you, this will be your first year at university. But even if you have
already attended another university, it is worth your while to read through
the section below, as it is specific to LUC. This section attempts to give you
some guidelines to very practical matters that may be different from either your
secondary school or another university.
How to address your instructor
There are differences in the way students address their instructors all over the
world. The atmosphere at LUC is quite informal, but that does not mean that
you should automatically address all academic and support staff by their first
names. Usually your instructor will indicate in the first class how s/he prefers to
be addressed, with or without their appropriate title, which could be Dr. or Prof.,
or simply Mr. or Ms.
If you are sending an email message to a staff member whom you do not know,
your safest bet is to address them with their title and surname: eg. “Dear Prof.
Goto-Jones”, “Dear Dr. Hwang”, “Dear Ms. Gabriël”.
Preparing for classes
For each class your instructor will have assigned texts to read or assignments to
complete before class. It is your own responsibility to check the course syllabus and
make sure that the preparation is done in time. This is not only because you will
get more out of the class yourself, but also because your classmates will learn from
your interaction with them and the instructor. Learning at LUC is hardly passive;
rather, the many discussions, debates, presentations, and simulations in class all
build upon the texts and exercises prepared by each participant before class; the
breadth, depth, level, and sophistication of the classroom learning experience is a
collective endeavor, and you should expect to contribute actively. When reading
an assigned text, make sure you also think about it critically. Take notes, keep
records of your questions and comments, and share them in class.
* We gratefully acknowledge Prof. dr. sally Brown and her colleagues at Leeds Metropolitan University for the inspiration
that their booklet ‘a student guide to University assessment’ has given us for this section.
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Class participation
The LUC learning environment encourages and trains students to take responsibility
for their own learning process. This is not only achieved through pre-class
preparation, but also by conduct in class. Participating in discussion is key, but
so is the skill of listening to your classmates and acknowledging different points
of view. Speaking a lot does not compensate for speaking before thinking, and
mutual respect and understanding bolster an open and supportive classroom
for all.
assessment
Exams, papers, presentations, discussions and practicals are all ways to engage
your understanding of academic material, as well as to assess how much you have
learned and which level you have achieved. LUC uses continuous assessment,
the precise formulation of which will differ from course to course, in accordance
with the learning outcomes. With the short and intensive blocks, you can expect
your first assessment fairly soon. Always check course outlines for expected
preparation for the first session, and always read course syllabi carefully to see
what is expected for each assessment component. Also read the Honour Code
in this handbook carefully to acquaint yourself with the standards of academic
honesty and conduct enforced at LUC. Whenever planning and meeting the
demands on your time prove difficult, seek guidance from your tutor.
Feedback
Your instructor should return work to you within ten working days, not only
with a grade, but also with feedback that will help you to improve your work.
This is one of the main reasons for using continuous assessment and we expect
students to take this feedback into account in their future work. If there are
comments you do not understand, or you would like more feedback, contact
your instructor.
If you find that you need more support in writing and structuring arguments,
you can contact Dr. Corina Stan at the LUC Brill-Nijhoff Writing Institute. If
you need support in biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, and
statistics, get in touch with Dr. Patsy Haccou and Dr. Brandon Zicha at the LUC
Asiascape Science and Media Centre.
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