Learning & Teaching

Hours

You may already be aware that the style of learning in higher education is very different from that which you experienced at school. One of the most immediate differences you might notice are the hours you may be expected to study. These will vary from course to course, but it will not be unusual to find yourself at a lecture at 10am and then discover there is not another class until 2pm that day! Alternatively you may find there are days when your timetable is completely full, or days when you have very few or no classes. You can also find yourself working late in the evenings or early in the mornings to complete coursework or assignments. It therefore makes sense to manage your time as effectively and efficiently as possible - a couple of hours between lectures could be a good opportunity to do some reading or research in the Library for that piece of coursework which is looming!

Lectures

The style of each lecture will vary from subject to subject and from lecturer to lecturer. Essentially however, the lecture is designed as an initial step for introducing topics to the student. It is not impossible to ask questions during a lecture, but as some lecture theatres in the University hold up to 300 people students are usually expected to listen and take notes while the lecture is delivered. Lectures usually run for an hour.

Seminars

The seminar is designed to elaborate on the topic introduced in the lecture. The style of the seminar again varies between programmes, but generally it comprises of a smaller group of students, (approximately 12 or so), who can raise questions and discuss issues arising from the lecture. In some seminars, students are asked to prepare a paper which is used to start the discussion, or they may be required to perform a practical exercise or workshop related to the topic.

Tutorials

Like lectures and seminars, tutorials can vary between programmes. They are designed to allow students to discuss matters in greater detail and on a more intimate level. Tutorials might be formally structured within the timetable, or they may simply be ‘spaces’ in the timetable where a student can meet with their tutor to discuss any issues with subjects or coursework. In addition to this, each student is assigned a personal tutor who will arrange meetings with the student during the year to discuss issues of a more general nature.

Assessment

Students at the University are assessed using a combination of coursework and examinations. This helps to remove the, ‘all or nothing’, element which some may remember from school exams, where a bad performance on the day due to nerves for instance, could mean failure.
In this way, it is possible for students to have a number of marks ‘in the bank’ through your coursework and so help to remove some of the pressure at exam time.

Semesters

The semester system has been used abroad for many years and involves splitting the academic year into two parts. Both Semester A and Semester B each last approximately 15 weeks. 12 of those are spent being taught in Lectures, Labs, Seminars etc. and the final 3 weeks will be used for exams. Semester A begins in September and Semester B in February.

Modules

Within each semester a student will usually complete 3 modules. Each module will cover a specific topic, most of which are compulsory parts of your programme, although you will have some flexibility in terms of choosing between some optional modules as you progress to the latter stages of your degree.

To complete a module it is reckoned that around 175 hours of work is necessary prior to your exam. Half of this will be spent in class and the other half spent in private study or research in the library. At the start of each semester you will be given a timetable for classwork and you can decide when it is most appropriate for you to study privately.