Academic Support

Welcome to the Student Learning Support (SLS) section of the Faculty of Business and Economics. The SLS team provides professional assistance to encourage successful study strategies and develop independent, active learners.

Our wide range of services includes:

• One to one support[s1] - An appointment with a Student Learning Specialist
• Senior Peer Mentoring[s2] - Be part of a study group facilitated by a high achieving senior student.
• Academic Skills Workshops[s3] –Sessions to help you develop your academic skills. Available to internal and distance students
• Printed Resources [s4] – Information that you can download for free, or alternatively, visit FBE-SLS to pick up Study Guides
• Electronic Resources [s5] - Learning resources you can view online

These services are also available for DFL students who can communicate their requirements for assistance via our student support email: fbe_sls(at)usp.ac.fj

One-to-one support

In order to help you study more effectively and develop key academic skills that enable you to understand  &  interpret assignment questions, express your thoughts clearly, meet deadlines or simply seek guidance on managing your learning, you can Drop In for one to one or group consultations on assignments or to discuss your learning challenges.

The Drop In hours are from Mondays to Thursdays: 9am to 6pm &  Fridays: 9am to 4pm only during semester.

This assistance is confidential unless a referral is made by your lecturer who may request a summary of progress.
  

Senior Peer Mentoring Programme

The Senior Peer Mentoring Programme provides discipline based support to first and second year students. These sessions are led by senior students who themselves have achieved highly in the course. The Senior Peer Mentor generally works with a group of students by involving them in active discussions, critical thought and problem solving opportunities so as to consolidate understanding and develop effective study strategies.

The sessions are free, flexible and friendly. They are run once a week and students are encouraged to participate.

To join the programme come in to FBE-SLS and sign-up for a mentor at 091 – 013 or mail fbe_sls(at)usp.ac.fj

Academic Skills Workshops

These workshops are an effort to ease the shift into tertiary learning and are run throughout the semester for the convenience of our students. The sessions are usually 1 hour long and can easily be included into hectic student schedules.

Students who attend these sessions generally find themselves making friends across disciplines and enjoy a positive learning environment.

The workshops will be conducted in 091-013.

Workshops will also be conducted through REACT so students based in the outer campuses can take advantage of these sessions. Keep a lookout for the schedule on tukutuku mail.

Click here to view workshop schedule for semesters 1 & 2, 2013.  [s6] 

 

Printed Resources

A range of study guides on numerous study skills are available in 091-013. This resource is free for student use.

Electronic Resources

Academic Skills resources are also available for viewing online.

·         Study Skills Guides

Click on the links below to open or download study guides. All files are in PDF format and opens in a new window.

Study Skills ·          Study skills (2MB) ·          Weekly schedule planner ·          Coursework planner ·          Preparing for exams ·          Taking exams     Reading ·          Active reading (3.1MB) ·          Critical reading (3.1MB) ·          Speed reading (1.2MB) Speaking ·          Seminar Presentations (0.6MB) Listening ·          Listening to lectures and taking notes

Writing ·          Academic Style (0.6MB) ·          Abstracts (0.2MB) ·          Annotated bibliography (0.3MB) ·          Assignment writing (0.6MB) ·          Connectives (0.4MB) ·          Direction words (0.3MB) ·          Essay writing (0.3MB) ·          Identifying main ideas (0.3MB) ·          Literature review (0.7MB) ·          Proofreading (0.4MB) ·          Punctuation (1MB) ·          Reporting verbs (0.2MB) ·          Research Proposal (0.2MB) ·          Research Report (0.3MB) ·          Summarising (0.2MB) ·          Using references [s7] (0.1MB)[s8]

Here are other links to sites that could prove useful to the English language learner.

 

·         The Purdue University online Writing Lab: Purdue's OWL focuses on general writing concerns as well as punctuation and grammar. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

·         Otago University: This online tutorial provides a step by step guidance on Business Report Writing http://oil.otago.ac.nz/oil/module3.html

·         Literacy Net: This site links user to stories from CNN and has various practice exercises. http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html

·         Breaking News: This site uses news stories to enhance vocabulary and comprehension for students from the intermediate level to advanced level. Stories are added weekly. Stories can be selected from the list of topics provided. http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/index.html

·      ABC Online: The site gives access to transcripts and stories on a range of current topics.  http://www.abc.net.au/   

·      BBC Learn English:The news site enables  language learners to build on their listening, reading and comprehension skills through the range of activities provided. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

·         Free Online lectures from around the World (in English): The website has lectures from universities and events from around the world and so exposes language learners to language use in various academic disciplines.

 

 

CONTACT US   │ Mondays to Thursdays: 9am to 6pm &  Fridays: 9am to 4pm  │ fbe_sls@usp.ac.fj