MMU Welcome Week Guide - Manchester Metropolitan University

what to
expect &
what’s expected
Independent learning
This is the learning you do outside
of lectures and classes and, for most
students, is what takes up most of
your time. It is essential to do further
reading and research beyond core texts
and lecture notes to gain an in-depth
understanding of your course content.
This will help you to get the best
results in your assignments and exams.
Independent learning also includes
group work and assignments that you do
with other students, which help you to
develop communication and other skills
necessary in life and the workplace.
Reading
Most courses will have extensive reading
lists and suggested information sources
to help you to explore the subject matter
in depth. You can learn effective reading
and note-taking strategies to help you to
get the most out of the texts you use but
most important is to ensure you dedicate
enough time to doing it in order to get
the best results.
Academic writing
Writing at university is different from
school or college. As you will need to
read widely and research a range of
views for your work, proper referencing
of information sources is essential
otherwise you could unintentionally
plagiarise someone else’s work or ideas.
You will be required to use the Harvard
System and will be taught how to do
this. Check with your student support
officer.
Assignments & deadlines
For many students the first assignment
will be a key milestone in your first year
at university. It’s important to know
that deadlines are fixed and extensions
are not normally given so make sure
you give yourself enough time to do
the background reading and research,
complete your assignment and check it
thoroughly before you hand it in. Once
it’s been marked make sure you take
on board the feedback you receive for
your next assignment and if anything is
unclear, ask for more information.
Study support
Most students at some time or another
will feel anxious about their academic
ability no matter how confident they
appear, and this is perfectly natural. The
key is not to struggle if this happens to
you - talk to your tutor or get support
from the services MMU provides, to
help you learn and get the most out of
your studies. This includes advice and
guidance from student support officers
and the online resource - ‘skills online’
- which provides resources in time
management, help with assignments,
working in groups, writing, giving
presentations and reading and note
taking.
Logon to Moodle and choose the skills
online option or contact your student
support officer for help.
W: mmu.ac.uk/studentsupportofficers
W: mmu.ac.uk/referencing
learning at
university
At university, you will be taught by staff
who are experts in their field but you will
be expected to do much more study by
yourself than at school or college - this is
called independent learning.
On most courses you will be taught
through a mixture of lectures, seminars,
practical classes and tutorials, and some
courses will also include placements.
Lectures are only a starting point for a
subject matter, which is then followed
up by your own independent study and
seminars.
Independent learning is a large and
important part of university education
and it helps you to develop the critical
thinking and complex problem solving
skills that graduate recruiters are looking
for.
starting uni essentials - mmu.ac.uk/welcome welcome week events - mmunion.co.uk/welcome
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