Education & Training
Learning Support at UTAS
The University of Tasmania provides a number of programs and resources for students who wish to develop their skills for learning at university and beyond. Below is an overview of what is offered. For more details and to verify information you need to visit their UTAS webpage.
http://www.learningsupport.utas.edu.au/
UniStart
This five day pre-semester face-to-face program aims to improve tertiary literacy, and begins to develop essential skills required for independent learning and success at university, such as essay writing, academic reading, and critical thinking. The program is supported by online resources and is also available fully online.
Drop-in Learning Support (Hobart and Launceston)
Student-led drop-in learning support programs operate at set times during the week. Support is provided by current students working as student learning mentors. Students can drop-in for help with assignment planning, writing and study skills. No appointments are necessary.
Individual Assistance
Learning support appointments are 30 minute one-on-one or small-group sessions available to students who are experiencing difficulty with the tertiary literacy and/or learning requirements of their studies. These appointments are free and confidential. These can assist address particular issues, questions or concerns related to tertiary literacy and learning and identify resources to support independent learning.
Workshops
Student learning workshops are generally one-hour sessions, led by a Learning Development lecturer, on a specific topic. These are practical sessions, teaching you about specific aspects of tertiary learning and literacy and giving you opportunities to practice and receive feedback. Workshop topics are varied and include: essay writing, exam preparation and time and study management.
Learning Resources
A number of on-line resources are available to help improve tertiary literacy and learning skills, by providing a 'just-in-time' quick reference for key skills.
Unit
Thinking and Writing at University is a 13-week, 100-level unit, which carries a weighting of 12.5%. Thinking and Writing at University develops and assesses those thinking and literacy skills essential to study at a university level. There is a particular focus on tertiary literacy (the level of literacy required to operate effectively at a tertiary level), critical analysis (higher order thinking skills such as interpretation, analysis, inference, synthesis and evaluation), and information literacy (the ability to collect and evaluate information from appropriate sources).
PASS
The Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program is an academic support program, available to all students studying in selected units. PASS offers regular, out-of-class sessions which focus on integrating course content (what to learn) with academic reasoning and study skills (how to learn). PASS sessions are facilitated by PASS Leaders - students who have previously and successfully completed the targeted unit. The sessions are informal seminars, in which students review notes, discuss readings, develop study tools, and prepare for examinations.
