Understanding University: a guide to another planet

171 Pages·2006·1.93 MB·English

by  Christine Sinclair

Understanding uni pb 3/3/06 12:52 pm Page 1
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Understanding University n Understanding
A Guide to Another Planet d
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• Does university seem like another planet? s University
• Does everyone else seem to speak another language? t
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• What can you do to make the grade?
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If these are the kind of questions you are asking yourself, then this is the A Guide to Another Planet
i
book you need. After the excitement of being accepted, the reality of life n
at university or college can be daunting, but help is at hand. g

This practical book guides new students through the terminology used at U
university and shows you: n
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• what a student needs to know v
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• how to be accepted by other students and lecturers
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• how to get the best out of your institution and yourself s
• how to communicate using appropriate language in higher i
t
education institutions y
• how to learn the conventions of your specific subject area
• how to be confident and competent in your new world.
All new students find the move to university slightly bewildering, but with
this book you can be one step ahead. The author has spent time talking
to students across a broad range of different universities and uses her first-
hand experience as a basis for the book.
Understanding Universityprovides a lifeline for new students in further and
S
higher education offering everything from practical advice on studying, to i
n
explanations of frequently used terms. If you don’t know the difference c
between a seminar and a tutorial or want to know what ‘matriculation’ la
means, then this is where to start. ir
Need a little assistance? Just open this book. And remember - you are
not alone.
Christine Sinclairis a lecturer in the Centre for Academic Practice and
Learning Enhancement at the University of Strathclyde, where she works
with staff and students on all aspects of teaching and learning.
(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:4)(cid:14)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:14)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:14)(cid:15) CHRISTINE SINCLAIR
www.openup.co.uk (cid:1) (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:5)(cid:6) (cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:2)
UNDERSTANDING
UNIVERSITY: A GUIDE
TO ANOTHER PLANET

UNDERSTANDING
UNIVERSITY: A GUIDE TO
ANOTHER PLANET
Christine Sinclair
Open University Press
Open University Press
McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill House
Shoppenhangers Road
Maidenhead
Berkshire
England
SL6 2QL
email: [email protected]
world wide web: www.openup.co.uk
and Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2289, USA
First published 2006
Copyright © Christine Sinclair 2006
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of
criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or
a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for
reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd
of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP.
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-10: 0 335 21797 4 (pb) 0 335 21798 2 (hb)
ISBN-13: 978 0 335 21797 7 (pb) 978 0 335 21798 4 (hb)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
CIP data applied for
Typeset by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk
Printed in Poland EU by OZGraf S.A., www.polskabook.pl
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Activities at university viii
List of figures ix
1 Introduction: which planet are we on? 1
Why this book was written 1
Different ways to use the book 2
2 How do they manage to talk like that? 5
In the right places at the right times 6
Changing language: from ancient texts to texting 7
Language and power 10
Getting exposed to powerful language 11
Educated language and the language of education 13
Conclusion 16
3 Joining an academic tribe 18
The language of your subject 19
How a subject changes from school or college 21
New words and new meanings 22
Signs and symbols 24
Other shorthand expressions: jargon, abbreviations
and acronyms 25
Conclusion 27
vi CONTENTS
4 Take me to your leader! How to find out about the tribe 29
The lecturer as guru or guide 29
What lecturers might do in classrooms – and how to
respond 31
Other activities 38
Lecturers in context 44
Conclusion 47
5 What do you have to do to be accepted round here? 49
Getting in 50
Staying in: getting good marks 53
Leaving with a qualification 82
Conclusion 85
6 I thought I was the only one who felt like an alien 86
You are not alone 87
Signs of belonging to a group 91
Your decisions about belonging 95
Assertive language 96
Informal and formal groups 98
Students in context 102
Conclusion 106
7 Real and virtual environments 109
Universities are changing 110
E-learning and virtual learning environments 113
Netiquette – how to avoid offending people online 116
Universities are changing 117
Conclusion 119
Afterword 120
Glossary 121
Appendix: comments on questions 146
References 156
Bibliography 157
Index 159
Acknowledgements
The example of an essay written in text and its translation in Figures 2.1 and
2.2 are reproduced with permission from the Sunday Herald.
The first extract in Figure 2.5 is from a story entitled ‘I Can’t Stop Loving
Him’ published in Blue Jeans in April 1979 and is reproduced here with permis-
sion from D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd.
The fourth extract in Figure 2.5 is taken from Customer Relations for the Intro-
duction of Autocheck, produced by London Buses Training Centre, Camberwell
in 1987 and is reproduced here with permission from Transport Trading Ltd
and SCOTTSU Consultants Ltd.
The illustrations are by Harriet Buckley.
Activities at university
There are hints and tips in the book about use of language in a range of uni-
versity activities. These are across several chapters, but the following contents
list may be useful.
1 Lectures 31
2 Seminars and tutorials 33
3 Workshops and labs 35
4 Reading 39
5 Problem-solving 39
6 Placements 43
7 Written assignments 55
8 Examinations 67
9 Projects 72
10 Giving a presentation 72
11 Reflection and planning 74
12 Group work 100
List of figures
Figure2.1 Concern over the language of texting 8
Figure2.2 Translation of example of texting 9
Figure2.3 Preferences in sources of language 13
Figure2.4 Irregular verbs 14
Figure2.5 Four texts 17
Figure3.1 Textbook language 19
Figure3.2 Language issues in different subjects 20
Figure3.3 The Greek alphabet 25
Figure3.4 Abbreviations used in SI units 27
Figure4.1 Lecture prompts 34
Figure4.2 Seminar prompts 36
Figure4.3 Workshop and lab prompts 38
Figure4.4 Reading prompts 40
Figure4.5 Some stages experienced in developing as a student, with a
particular emphasis on problem-solving 42
Figure4.6 Problem-based learning prompts 43
Figure4.7 Placement prompts 44
Figure4.8 Organization chart for a university, showing the lecturer and
‘tribe’ in context 46
Figure5.1 Checklist for starting university 52
Figure5.2 Prompts for supporting statement, interview or personal plan 54
Figure5.3 Sample essay: literacy – from school to higher education 56
Figure5.4 Sample report: quality assurance during contract review and
design cycle (based on a case study) 59
Figure5.5 Breaking down an essay question 61
Figure5.6 Meanings of essay instructions 62