Pointers for Success at Acadia and Beyond

1. Pointers for Success at Acadiaand Beyond Following these guidelines will help you not only at Acadia, but also in your future. Dr. Shelley MacDougall & Dr. Rick Mehta With thanks to Drs. Karmen Bleile and Connie Foote

2. Pointers for Success in the Classroom • Behaviour in the Classroom • Interacting with your Professors • Group work & Class Participation

3. Behaviour in the Classroom • Attendance is important • Punctuality • Cell phones

4. Behaviour in the Classroom • Laptop use in class • Not mandatory to use in every class • Have the laptop on before class • Do not use the laptop for material that is unrelated to the course • Respect!

5. Behaviour in the Classroom • What if you are sick or have a family emergency? • Documentation and contacting the professor • Missing class, but not a test or assignment • Assignments and tests

6. Behaviour in the Classroom • If you do not have a documented reason for missing class, do not expect the same type of accommodations • Class • Assignments • Tests

7. Interacting with your Professors • How to address your professors? • Take your cue from the professor • When in doubt, be formal

8. Interacting with your Professors • Office hours • Make use of office hours • Come as soon as possible • Be prepared

9. Interacting with your Professors • E-mail • Use your Acadia e-mail address when communicating with faculty members • Check your Acadia e-mail regularly

10. What is wrong with this e-mail message? Saturday, 3:00 a.m. hey! icudnt make it ta class yesturday because iwuz out late with my budies lost nitelol. i would of been there but i slept in and woke up with like this a magorwikedhungover dude:( did i miss anything important. send me notes of what missed. oh & whats on mundays test -- 2 minutes later -- hey! whazzup man why hevent you guten back to me

11. Group Work & Class Participation • Group work • Choose group members wisely • Offer to do what you are good at • Do not be shy to state what sections interest you • Do not always do the same thing • Do not be afraid to contribute your ideas to the group • Be involved in presentations.

12. Group Work & Class Participation • Class Participation • Students often asked to discuss ideas • Feel free (raise your hand) to • ask & answer questions, • express your viewpoint. • Student-led discussions and presentations in class are common • Always be respectful of classmates and professor.

13. Group Work & Class Participation • Equality • All students at Acadia are considered equal. • If students are asked to participate, all should feel free to do so. • Classrooms and group meetings should be a safe place to speak and state your views and even make mistakes.

14. Pointers for Success Outside of the Classroom

15. Pointers for Success Outside of the Classroom • Time Management • Study Strategies • Preparation for Class • Academic Integrity

16. Time Management • How much time? • Use the course outline (syllabus) as a time management tool • Look closely at point values and allocate your time accordingly

17. Example • Testing and Grading Schedule • Class Participation – 10% • Lab reports (5) – 10% • Term Assignment – 30% • Midterm – 20% • Final Exam – 30% • It’s Monday. You have a lab report due on Wednesday and the term assignment due on Friday. What should you do?

18. Study Strategies: Making the Most of Your Time • Make sure you are well-rested • Take occasional breaks while studying • Don’t passively read over your notes

19. Study Strategies: Making the Most of Your Time • Set specific goals for each study session • Active studying • 3R: Read, Recite (set notes/books aside), Review • Most important element: Testing yourself • Try to anticipate what might be asked • Give yourself cues to help you remember the information

20. Preparation for Class • Be prepared for lectures and labs by • Read assigned chapters • Do assigned tasks (questions, reports, etc) • Forming a study group is a good idea. • Get sufficient sleep, arrive on time • Be aware of penalties for late papers, i.e.:

21. Academic Integrity • Cheating and plagiarism are not tolerated in university. • Read pp.35-36 of the 2010/11 Acadia University academic calendar. • Penalties vary. • Cheaters cheat themselves

22. What is cheating? • Passing in someone else’s words or ideas as your own • In reports and tests • Copying, buying term papers, plagiarizing. • Using the same paper in two or more courses. • Helping someone else cheat. • What is plagiarizing?

23. Plagiarism • Plagiarism is taking another person’s work or ideas and presenting them as if they are your own • Failing to cite sources of information used, • Improper use of quotes.

24. Academic Integrity • How can you avoid plagiarizing? • Read enough articles to educate yourself • Summarize in your notes, • Write your own words, • Cite any idea that was not your own • Never copy/paste text.

25. Academic Integrity • When & how do you cite a source? • You do not need to cite a source if it is general knowledge. • When in doubt, cite the source. • Check out the plagiarism tutorial on the Library website: • Tutorials

26. You Quote it, Note It • Including the findings of other researchers in your term paper makes your paper better … just give credit where credit is due.

27. Academic Integrity • If you are having difficulty with your assignment or paper, seek help from: • Professor • Academic librarian • Writing centre • Numeracy centre.

28. Key Theme: Professionalism • After graduation, you will represent Acadia and your department. Your conduct at Acadia should be that of a professional on the job, starting today, starting now!

29. Final Thoughts • Ask for help if you need it. • Use resources at the Student Resource Centre http://counsel.acadiau.ca/ . • Socialize with a variety of people. • Take time to exercise & eat healthy food. • Most of all: Do your best and enjoy the Acadia experience!

30. Questions?