Academic Skills Practice

Table of Contents
Week 1: Introduction to Academic Study Skills.............................................................................3
Week 2: Academic Integrity............................................................................................................4
Week 3: Time Management.............................................................................................................5
Week 4: Giving Presentations.........................................................................................................6
Week 5: Reflections.........................................................................................................................7
Week 6: Academic Writing.............................................................................................................7
Week 7: Note Taking.......................................................................................................................8
Week 8: Referencing Your Work....................................................................................................8
Week 9: Sources and Searching......................................................................................................9
Week 1: Introduction to Academic Study Skills
Arden University is a reputable U.K. university that provides both distance and blended learning
options. Meanwhile, it brings together students from many nations and backgrounds. As a result,
every student has a unique variety of characteristics, strengths, and shortcomings. Such talents
and capabilities aid a student's academic learning, while their weaknesses are often a hurdle. As a
graduate student, I have highlighted my strengths and flaws below.
Curiosity, self-learning capacity, and learning from errors are three of my primary attributes
Curiosity: Curiosity is defined as a desire to study or understand something. The more people
are curious, the more they are likely to discover new things. Since I was a child, I've always been
on the lookout for unique facts or perspectives. Often True, I used to seek information that was
unrelated to my academic pursuits at times, but such knowledge enhanced my persona and
courage. And, right now in Arden University, this thrust of knowledge or curiosity is aiding me
in fully immersing myself in my topic.
Self-learning Capacity: Self-learning is the process of learning for oneself. The requirements in
this situation are self-confidence as well as a strong thirst for further knowledge. Curiosity is also
beneficial in this situation. This quality has enabled me in thinking independently and developing
my own sense of purpose throughout my life.
Learning from errors: To err is human. But to repeat the mistakes is imbecile. As a graduate
student, I not only identify my own errors but actively seek out those of others. This trait keeps
me from making the same errors. I further discuss with my study participants at Arden how we
may learn from our missteps.
Contrariwise, lack of attention, procrastination, and impatience are the major weaknesses that
have kept me back.
Lack of Attention: I often lose focus when studying, particularly while studying for an extended
period of time. The primary concern is- my brain starts getting weary of paying attention for
lengthy periods of time.
Procrastination: The act of putting off one's major work refers to procrastination. I delay a lot
when it comes to finishing my academic studies. As a result, I sometimes had to rush at the last
moment to get the job done before the deadline.
Impatience: I attempt to obtain or accomplish things as fast as possible. And as a result of it, I
often make rash decisions. Those choices almost always end up being dangerous for me.
Improving weaknesses: Any student's shortcomings result in disadvantages. And in order to
improve as a student, he must learn from his mistakes and find a solution to remove them. I've
tried a few different approaches to minimize my flaws as much as possible.
Long periods of study are to blame for my loss of attention. As a result, I've split my time for
studying into two halves. Previously, I just studied at night, but now I study twice daily. This
allows me to study for a shorter period of time. As a result, I'm able to focus better.
I procrastinate because I had a misconception of myself. Now, I make my self-assessment on a
regular basis in order to break the harmful cycle. In addition, I keep a to-do list to ensure that I
complete all of my tasks before the deadline.
Being detail-oriented has been a good idea to overcome my impatience. Now, I wonder why the
outcome is taking so long? Or what should I do to improve my task? And so forth.
These are the three methods: dividing study time, self-assessment and to-do list, and paying
attention to details that I utilized at Arden University to improve my weaknesses (Burns &
Sinfield, 2012).
Burns, T. and Sinfield, S., (2012), Essential study skills: The complete guide to success at
university. Sage.

Week 2: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity refers to the honesty and fairness with which one conducts oneself
throughout the academic process. To maintain academic integrity, one must refrain from using
any unethical methods. For example, cheating on a test, outright duplicating others' work, failing
to acknowledge others' assistance when completing academic work, and so forth. Personal
growth is hampered by a lack of intellectual integrity. It's the equivalent of concentrating only on
short-term profit while ignoring long-term benefits.
Academic integrity, on the other hand, instils moral values in students. It forces him to rely
entirely on his talents as well as appreciate the proper person whose work has assisted him with
any academic assignment. Academic integrity is built on six pillars: honesty, fairness,
responsibility, trust, courage, and respect.
During my time at Arden University, I applied all of the aforementioned principles to reality.
First and foremost, I have never cheated during an exam or while studying. Because A.U. offers
online lectures and tests, it's simple to plagiarize from other students' work. But doing so would
jeopardize my academic integrity, and I would gain no knowledge from the course. As a result, I
haven't ever cheated in any exams.
Second, I've never plagiarized in my academic career. A university's study session is filled with
several tasks and projects. If somehow the writing in an academic paper is directly taken from
another source, it will be considered plagiarism. And I would have to deal with the repercussions
of infringement. I never plagiarized for this reason, as well as for my overall self-development.
Lastly, all academic papers need the use of primary and secondary sources. These sources must
be acknowledged or correctly cited, all through the report. The act of omitting the reference is
identical to that of direct copying. And as for myself, I've never failed to include these
acknowledgements in my reports (Bretag, 2016).
Bretag, T. ed., (2016), Handbook of academic integrity. Springer Singapore.

Week 3: Time Management

It is a student's responsibility to fulfil his academic responsibilities in a timely and effective
manner. As a result, mastering time management is a fundamental need for a student. It refers to
assigning a certain time to specified duties and completing them on time. A student must regulate
his time, ensuring that he fulfils both academic and personal commitments. Good time
management may result in increased productivity, a stress-free mind, and the capacity to save
time.
Here as a student, I have to handle my time on a weekly basis. And I have undoubtedly noticed
the stated advantages. While managing my time, I simply follow certain activities, such as
setting specified objectives or activities, prioritizing them, and allocating them to the right time
slot. A time restriction ensures that I do the task quickly. Finally, I take a break after each work
session to refresh my mind.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesda Thursday Friday Saturday
y
9am assessm Class Class assessmen Class Class assessmen
- ent t t
11a
m
11a assessm Class Class assessmen Class Class assessmen
m- ent t t
1pm
1pm Rest and Rest and Rest and Rest and Rest and Rest and Rest and
- Family Family Family Family Family Family Family
3pm time time time time time time time
3pm Exercise Exercise Exercise Exercise Exercise Exercise Exercise
-
5pm
5pm recreatio work work work work work work
- n commitme commitme commitme commitme commitme commitme
7pm nts nts nts nts nts nts
7pm Reading Reading recreation Reading Recreation Reading Reading
-
10p
m
I split the whole duration of each day into two-hour sections, as shown in the table. That makes it
easier for me to use the Pomodoro Technique when carrying out any work. According to the
strategy, we should work for 25 minutes afterwards, take a five-minute rest and repeat the round.
The Pomodoro is finished after four repetitions. As a result, each session is two hours long.
I have to attend eight online classes per week, two on four weekdays from 9 am to 1 pm. This is
also the time when I am most productive. As a result, on my other days, I complete my
assignments during the period. After that, I just relax, have lunch, and spend time with my
family. I spend the afternoon working and exercising (Nasrullah & Khan, 2015). Finally, I
reserve my evenings for solitary reading. In addition, on weekends and Tuesdays and Thursdays,
I engage in certain leisure activities such as going to movies and hangouts, painting, and so on.
Nasrullah_PhD, S. and Khan_PhD, M.S., (2015), the impact of time management on the
students’ academic achievements.

Week 4: Giving Presentations

The final evaluation is a course presentation. The presentation demonstrates to the instructor just
how much students learnt from the program, and the study is applicable in real-life situations. As
a result, the students' final evaluation will need a broad range of knowledge. Besides doing the
study, Students must have a well-thought-out strategy for studying it. As a result, based on the
three goals listed above, I've developed strategies for the final evaluation.
I've discussed my strengths and flaws, as well as ways to overcome them, in the preceding
sections. I've shown my academic integrity by planning my weekly schedule. These offered me
an insight into how to put a university assignment into action.
I am required to finish the whole curriculum before doing the final evaluation. Because if I don't
read all of the course materials myself, I will fall behind during the course, resulting in a bad
grade. Sometimes just having the study materials is insufficient. We, having the goal of gaining a
general understanding of the course, sometimes need to do online research, read news and
publications. This will serve as the foundation for the study.
Then we must prepare for the many assessments that the instructors will administer. This will
help us to brush up on our expertise. It's the same way that the further we study anything, the
more expertise we have at it. The evaluations must meet the specified time frame. And I must
maintain academic honesty when completing the assignment.
After that, I'll need to get feedback on the evaluations. We learn from our blunders and lack of
understanding as a result of feedback. Both pleasant and unpleasant feedback is conceivable. To
improve my grades, I should neither be too pleased by positive comments and reduce my effort
nor should I be discouraged by negative comments. Rather, I should concentrate on
improving myself on a regular basis. My duty after obtaining comments will be to correct my
errors. Before I get my final evaluations, these adjustments need also be rectified.
My following action would be to begin developing the PowerPoint presentations after finishing
the curriculum and all of the tests. The slides must include all of the relevant information. I
should prepare my speech using the slides when I finish preparing those (Van Emden & Becker,
2016). Then it's up to me to rehearse the speech prior to giving a presentation. When I do all of
these duties, I will be completely prepared.
Van Emden, J., and Becker, L., (2016), Presentation skills for students. Macmillan International
Higher Education.

Week 5: Reflections
The course instructor was consulted for comment on this phase of the assessment. After
reviewing my past work, it was determined that my English vocabulary needed to be improved.
And I concocted a set of steps to assist me in developing my abilities.
Not having much of a reading experience is the root of a lack of advanced vocabulary. One
solution to the issue is to use these vocabulary books. One learns more the more he reads. The
same may be said of vocabulary. The more one works on his vocabulary, the finer he will
become (Ferguson, 2011). There are several vocabulary books available that include thousands
of sophisticated words with the aid of books. One may develop a large vocabulary in a short
amount of time.
Whilst vocabulary books are useful in the short term, their impact may fade with time.
Thereby, Reading books, journals, and newspapers is a long-term solution. While reading, a
plethora of new words emerge, many of which get ingrained in our minds. However, this
approach requires a significant amount of work and time.
Attending a vocabulary course is another option. There will be a lot of study materials and
examinations in this course. This will teach as well as practice vocabulary simultaneously.
I've selected a combination of these stages for my own growth. I began studying vocabulary
from books. Every day, I learn at least ten new words. Also, once a week, I assess my vocabulary
memorization ability. This has become an essential component of my everyday routine. And I've
already begun to reap the benefits. Most of the time, When I encounter a new term, I instantly
realize it. At the same time, I newly began reading literature. These novels broaden my
perspectives and strengthen my personality. However, vocabulary is the most desired advantage I
am receiving. Every time I come across a new term, I attempt to figure out what it means. I often
record it in my vocabulary journal
Ferguson, P., (2011), Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment
& Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), pp.51-62.
Week 6: Academic Writing
Pushing oneself beyond one's comfort zone is what it means to challenge oneself. As a graduate
student, you may test yourself by participating in volunteer work, doing research, mastering a
new language, learning coding, and other activities. The possibilities are endless, but in order to
make use of them, one must push oneself above his current level. The practice must be
maintained on a regular basis (Bailey, 2014). Most essential, self-confidence should be retained.
As the endeavor increases, so will the outcome. The students pushing themselves in this direction
will earn more confidence and knowledge than their peers. He, earning the respect of those
around him, may have the competence to retain a leadership position over others. He may have
competence in uncommon areas. And all of them provide greater future opportunities for
him than the others. However, the biggest benefit is that it raises self-esteem, one of the most
important things in our life.
Consistent practice leads to an expanded vocabulary. It isn't something that will get better
overnight. And that's the reason I want to keep practicing till I master it.
Bailey, S., (2014), Academic writing: A handbook for international students. Routledge.

Week 7: Note Taking

One of the most important parts of the academic experience is taking notes. There's no doubting
that every university student need excellent note-taking skills. And there's a slew of suggestions
for enhancing that expertise. These suggestions will benefit any student, regardless of whether he
is an excellent note-taker or not: Merely writing the most relevant bits, being a good listener,
utilizing abbreviations as well as symbols, and writing with colored pens, so forth.
At the outset of my undergraduate career, I was a decent note-taker. To improve my note-taking
skills, I put my concentration on being an engaged listener and utilizing abbreviations. And it
paid well.
A good listener refers to one who can pick up on a speaker's underlying message. To develop the
talent, I had to invest a lot of work and dedication. And abbreviations are the short version of a
large term. When taking notes, abbreviations may save a student a deal of time and resources.
However, the abbreviations must be appropriate and easily understood by the reader.
Taking notes is mostly for the aim of obtaining assistance when studying. Notes, in particular,
may be quite beneficial to a student before taking a test. He won't have to go through the whole
book this way. He just has to review the notes to recall the essence of the whole subject
(Friedman, 2014). The note taker must also edit the note on a regular basis. This will aid him in
maintaining his grip on the topic for a long period.
Friedman, M.C., 2014. Notes on note-taking: Review of research and insights for students and
instructors. Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching, pp.1-34.
Week 8: Referencing Your Work
Identifying the source of any academic assistance is among the most important aspects of
academic honesty. And referencing is the technique to do this. It entails ensuring that the idea or
concept utilized in the academic paper is attributed to the original author.
We may cite books, newspapers, articles, research papers, and reputable websites as sources.
Even This study also includes a number of book and research article references. The first week,
for example, is based on Burns and Sinfield's book Essential study skills. The section on
academic integrity is then referenced to T Bretag's Handbook of Academic Integrity, published
in 2016.
The time management part entails a great deal of personal experience. Still, some of the concepts
came from Nasrullah PhD, S. and Khan PhD, M.S.'s study paper "The impact of time
management on students' academic achievements." The article "Students perceptions of quality
feedback in teacher education" by P Ferguson came in handy during the week five exam. Finally,
another research document that has been utilized to finish the week 7 study is "Notes on note-
taking: Review of research and insights for students and instructors."
The references may be done in a variety of ways. Harvard referencing, APA, MLA, Chicago are
some of the most prominent. I have used Harvard referencing style throughout the assessment.
Making in-text citations is another important aspect of reference. It applies to the section or
phrase of one's own work in which the original author's idea or notion is used (Pears & Shields,
2019). In-text citations may be done in a variety of ways. The citation within the parenthesis, in
the report, has been followed.
Pears, R. and Shields, G.J., 2019. Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. Macmillan
International Higher Education.

Week 9: Sources and Searching

The areas from where data has been gathered are known as sources of information. The primary
data source serves as a shred of proof. It's as though you're giving a direct message. Any data,
picture, graph, or other kinds of communication may be used. The true genesis of anything is the
primary source of data.
A secondary source of data, on the other hand, is anything that explains or expands on the
message of a main source of data. The primary source of data, such as a letter, picture,
government document, or newspaper, is also explicitly referenced from the source. The
secondary source, on the other hand, is not directly cited it’s like using someone else's ideas to
fulfil our own.
Multiple primary and secondary sources of data were utilized in this research. In week 8, for
example, I used original material from the book "Cite them Right: The Essential
Referencing Guide." Since this material has been extracted straight from the books, this has
acted as a primary source.
In week 3, on the other hand, I mentioned a study paper titled "The impact of time management
on students' academic achievements." However, it served as a secondary source of knowledge
since I only captured the guidelines from the book.
The straightforwardness of information is the reason for this differentiation. The citation was
much more straightforward in week 8. Week 3's ideas, on the other hand, were less straight from
the source
An approach named CRAAP is used to determine a source's reliability. To figure out that, the
approach merely asks several questions. Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose
are among them.
The chronology of the source is referred to as currency. The two pieces mentioned above were
published in 2015 and 2019, respectively, making them both recent works. The implementation
of the source is referred to as relevance. As previously noted, the data from week three has been
acknowledged in an indirect manner, but the data from week eight has been mentioned directly.
The person in charge of the source is recognized by the authority. The publisher and the author
are the authorities for both sources. The accuracy section inquires about the sources'
trustworthiness. Both publications are prepared professionally, and their statements are backed
up by proof (Wichowski & Kohl, 2013). As a result, the sources can be inferred trustworthy
finally, the objective of both the sources are respectively learning new ideas and learning how to
reference.
Wichowski, D.E. and Kohl, L.E., 2013. Establishing credibility in the information jungle: Blogs,
microblogs, and the CRAAP test. In Online credibility and digital ethos: Evaluating computer-
mediated communication (pp. 229-251). IGI Global.