“The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a well-recognised and large institution; the Semester Zero online orientation programme helped so many of us transition well into another phase of our academic journey.”
These were the sentiments shared by Ruth Ledua, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Education majoring in Mathematics and Computing Science.
“I finished the Nabua Secondary School Matua Programme last year, and this year knew I needed to do as much as I could to get ahead in finding my way around USP,” Ledua said.
“Semester Zero was nerve-racking at first, as I did not know what to expect; however, as a visual learner, the platform created game-like questions and left clues for us to find, making it more fun and interesting to participate in before moving on to the next level or next stage.”
“The most interesting aspect of Semester Zero was learning new things while at the same time getting tested at that stage. There was more than one attempt given; this allowed us a chance to pass any stage and was also very helpful.”
Ledua encourages students who plan to study at USP to be part of all the programmes USP offers to help them adapt to the new learning environment.
Zeltrisha Ali found out about Semester Zero through her emails and enjoyed participating in the online orientation programme.
“It was a bit difficult initially to navigate through the Semester Zero Programme as I was still figuring my way through the USP Moodle system. Eventually, it got easier for me, and I learned a lot about USP, and the concepts used throughout university life. For example, online quiz formats and the TurnItIn programme,” she said.
“The most interesting aspect of the Semester Zero programme was online learning. I was intrigued and fascinated with how students of such large numbers per course could easily attempt quizzes and find all the relevant information and resources under one platform,” she said.
Ali says she hopes to achieve her goals at USP.
“University comes with lots of distractions, so it is essential to have that self-control to keep yourself on track. With tertiary education comes a huge workload, so it is also important to manage your time wisely. Make sure to have enough time for your education and yourself,” she said.
