9. Time management

With exams approaching in January students must come up with a plan on how to manage their time more efficiently. There are many distractions at this time of year with Christmas just around the corner so it’s important to have your plan in place at an early stage and that you stick to the new schedule.

                                              

The first objective is to figure out what tasks are important to you. Then you should make a timetable to factor these tasks into your day. Here are some tips to help manage your time better:

Do

·         Set reminders on your phone to ensure you stay on the right track with your timetable.  

·         Set daily and weekly goals, these goals work as a good motivation.

·         Take non-essential tasks out of your schedule to save this time for more important tasks, such as studying.

·         Break big tasks into smaller sections to allow you to manage them easier.

·         Inform your family and friends of your new timetable, this can help to avoid distractions.

Don’t

·         Overload your timetable as it important to relax and have some down time.

·         Cut sleep times to gain extra hours in your day.

If you keep to these simple rules you will be on the right track to the exam results you want. It will also relieve some of the stresses involved in sitting exams. It's important to remember that your time management skills might take some time to develop. If your timetable is not going as well as planned then you should stay positive and change your schedule if needs be.

 

7. Compiling a Literature Review

As part of my communications module, I was assigned the task of compiling a literature review on the demands put on employees in the workplace today. The overall word count for the assignment was 500 words. In the main body of the literature review, I included sections on  multi-skilled workforce, team orientation and effective communication.

I then took one sub-heading at a time and searched web sources and books for information. I browsed over a number of articles on the topic and highlighted the articles which I found were most reliable and informative. I then returned to these selected articles and took a more in-depth look for information which I could use. By taking quotes and statistics from these articles, it enabled me to back up the statement that there are now more demands on employees today.

I had a few difficulties during my review, one problem being that I found valuable information on a topic but the source was unreliable. As a result of this I couldn’t use the information in my review.

Another problem I had was getting all my information into the review without breaking the word count. By dividing certain areas into sub-headings it allowed me to include all the information without breaking the restrictions which were put in place.

I finished my literature review by writing my conclusion and referencing my sources through the Harvard referencing style.

1. Effective Note Taking

Effective note taking is a skill which is essential to all students. Preparation is key in accomplishing this skill so it’s important to have all the necessary equipment for each class. For example if you haven’t got a notepad you could get some pages from a classmate but these pages often end up being lost which is no help when exam time comes around.



Another valuable preparation method is to research the topic which is due to come up in class. This allows you to gauge what information is important within the specific area which is vital as not every word needs to be written into your notes. By preparing in this way and by paying attention in class you should now be in a position to determine which information is significant.

When you are writing notes it’s important to put a format in place. For example, you could use a highlighter to distinguish the major points in each class. You could also use different coloured pens for headings, sub-headings and for writing other key points. Another tip would be to put spaces between each section instead of trying to stuff all the writing onto one page. This will be helpful when you return to study the notes. If you have time in class diagrams or charts can also be beneficial.

When your notes are created it’s helpful to read back over them a short time after the class. This could be seen as tedious if exams are a few months down the line but it helps to refresh what you have learned.

10. Effective Revision/Exam Techniques

With exams results being an essential part of most college courses, it’s important that students prepare well in advance of their exam dates. By doing so it improves your chances of being successful and also gives you time to concentrate on certain sections which you may be weak in.

A good way to start is to ensure that the notes you take in lectures are neat and not clustered. By doing so it saves you from spending hours making new notes when this vital time could be spent studying instead.

When I have my notes organised I concentrate on one specific section and read through my notes on this section a number of times. When I have finished reading this section I then make a new list of key words which will help trigger the rest of the information.

After covering each section I then read my list of key words to make sure I can remember the information which it has been linked to. When I am satisfied that I have a good knowledge of the subject, I then read through my notes and make sample exam questions. This helps to expose the sections which I am weak in and gives me time to increase my knowledge of the area.

On the day of the exam I like to get to college at least 90 minutes early. This gives me a chance to read over the key words on each section. I understand my revision techniques mightn’t suit some people but hopefully this blog has assisted you in some aspects of revision.    

4. Effective Presentations

I recently presented an oral presentation as part of my communications module. I contemplated doing the presentation on Dublin GAA so I asked my peers for their opinion on my idea and got both positive and negative feedback. I decided to change my topic to Dublin City as Dublin GAA isn't a topic most people can relate to. This is essential as you could lose the audiences interest if they are not keen on the topic.

During the process, I had a few problems which hindered my progress. The main problem was that the information I gathered was too in-depth for my five minutes slot. I had to break down my information and cut out sections which were too time consuming. A way to avoid this problem would be to time yourself talking during the early stages of the process. By timing each section it gives you a good indication of the overall timescale of the final presentation.

The next step is to find information that links each slide together as this allows you to move from slide to slide without changing the topic too much. For example I closed my slide on Temple Bar by speaking about the price and quality of Guinness, before moving on to my next slide on the Guinness storehouse.

Q cards helped me stay on the right track during the presentation as it allowed me to read information off the cards instead of turning to read off the screen. This was important as it enabled me to face the audience at all times.