Focusing your topic

Help with choosing an assignment topic and breaking a topic down.

LRC staff have been going in to a lot of groups over at UCP (University Centre Peterborough) and also holding 1:1 dissertation sessions with students this year. One skill lots of students find difficult is deciding exactly on what specific topic to pursue. As it was World Thinking Day this week, we thought it an ideal opportunity to think a little about this in our blog. Please note: the examples used below are used to show a process rather than as a recommendation of a good title. Always check your topics with your tutor.

1) Start with a large general topic of interest - something you are naturally interested in, but also which is relevant to your course.
 For example, Marketing, Social media,  employment law, blood, health and safety, mental health.

Image (CC0) by Mohamed Hassan https://pixabay.com/en/light-bulb-inspiration-ideas-2652929/

2) Is there an aspect of that topic more specifically that interests you? Can you break it down further? If you have a few options, note these down and as you start searching consider going for the topic which gives you the most results/ resources which you can use. If you are getting too many results, you probably need to consider breaking it down further.
Following on from the examples above, you might decide to focus on digital marketing, twitter, equal pay legislation, white blood cells, fire safety, depression.

3) Can you break your topic down (or be more specific) by providing a context?
For example, within a particular industry, in a particular setting, in a particular environment, within a particular sport, within a particular type of organisation, within a specific species or within a certain profession.
Continuing with my examples we might choose,

• Digital marketing in the hospitality industry
• Use of twitter by broadcasting companies
• The impact of equal pay legislation on the entertainment industry
• New developments in fire safety in the hospitality industry
• White blood cells in dogs
• How depression is portrayed in TV soaps. 

You may find results then on one context and be interested in seeing if you can apply it to another context or to make a comparison between them.

CC0 image by qimono https://pixabay.com/en/question-mark-pile-question-mark-2492009/ 

4) You then may want to be even more specific. You could define this further by age group or particular sort of restaurant, by country or time period. You could also define by a particular goal or aim. If you have started searching as you go, again, you might have seen certain issues coming up more frequently and there may be particular aspects trending currently. Choose an area where the resources exist and with information you understand. Make sure it is relevant to your course subject.

So again, how about,

• Use of digital marketing to teenagers by fast food chains.
• Comparison of the use of twitter by different Radio stations to encourage customer feedback from their audiences.
• The impact of equal pay legislation on the film industry, particularly in Hollywood.
• What changes are the hospitality industry implementing to reduce fires in kitchens?
• The causes and treatment of low white blood cell count in domestic dogs.
• How the portrayal of depression in TV soaps has changed over the last 5 years.

 If you need any help with finding resources to help you decide what to use as your topic, please ask a member of staff in the LRC. We can also combine this with a classroom session on searching for information (e.g. databases).

National Student Money Week

National Student Money Week

This week is National Student Money Week and the theme chosen by the National Association of Student Money Advisers  this year is "Where I live". Their website has a selection of resources  to help students manage their rent and bills.

These include a cost of rent calculator which is an Excel spreadsheet which helps you to budget for rent and bills and a video on understanding your energy bills.

Budgeting

Budgeting is a skills everyone needs to understand and most of us have to do it ourselves. See the video below from the Money Charity on making a budget and using it to manage your money.

Other websites which you may useful (but note some take payment from advertising) are

The Money Saving Expert website student guide

Save the Student website was started by a student and has been developed as a student money guide since he left.

The Money Charity has a student guide which you can download for free (or pay to order).

Nationwide (other Building Societies are available and we are not giving Nationwide any endorsement by linking to this!) has an educational game for 16+ based on a spy mission which aims to teach about finance - interesting as an e-learning tool if nothing else. They also have other budgeting games for younger ages. ESOL or Inclusive learning students may find these useful (eg. shopping to a shopping list within a budget).

E-safety

Safer Internet Day

This week (6th) was Safer Internet Day, providing a focus for young people especially on saying safe online. The official campaign this year promotes the use of social media to build others up, not to tear them down. It is not enough just to stop cyber-bullying, but we should also be looking to use social media in a positive way. We can all make a positive difference.

The slogan this year is "Create, connect and share respect: a better internet starts with you".

The website has some short videos including a rap.

For 14-18 years olds, the theme particularly is showing empathy. This is putting yourself in someone else's shoes and showing them understanding.

See the video below (there are also signed versions available).

The site also has a quiz which is downloadable or you can do it online - How does the internet affect your day to day life and your friendships online?

One teenager, Trisha Prabhu, gave a TEDtalk a few years ago called Rethink before you Type where she explains how she sees the problem and proposes a solution.

Harry Potter Book Night and Time to Talk Day

Harry Potter Book Night

This week we have celebrated Harry Potter book night with Fantastic Beasts themed activities: word searches, colouring sheets, displays and a niffler hunt. 

LRC mascot Chester displaying the niffler hunt prize.
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Harry Potter Book Night display
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Time to Talk Day

1st February was Time to Talk Day. According to a BBC article two thirds of UK adults have no one to talk to about their problems. The government is even talking about introducing a loneliness minister.  Time to Change introduced Time to Talk Day this year to encourage everyone to talk. Their focus is talking about mental health, but conversational skills (part of good verbal communication skills) are an important skill to have in life generally - including at College and in the workplace. Kent University website quotes a study from the Association of Graduate Recruiters saying that communication comes second in the top ten of skills shortages amongst graduates.

Some important tips are to listen first, use open questions, respond with encouragement and enforcement and share back.

Resources on verbal communication skills

The LRC has several e-books on communication skills including Alan Barker's Improve your Communication Skills.  You will need to use your network login to read this. 

The Skills you Need website has a section on conversational skills as well as other areas of communication.

Kent University careers service has a section on speaking and listening.

BBC Skillswise has a very simple communication skills quiz.

Cengage has a listening quiz on their website.

Diversity Day 2018

Diversity Day

This week the College has been celebrating Diversity Day and the LRC this year used their stall to focus on 100 years since women in this country got the vote. We created a table quiz where students were asked to match the year to each country when women got the vote. Nearly everyone got Saudi Arabia right with 2011, but the others were tougher. It was hard to believe, for example, that women only got the vote in Switzerland in 1971 and in Portugal, it was 1976. 

We also had a word search - remember to hand these in at the LRC for the chance to win a prize - and some bookmarks to take away. As a backdrop we had a display of inspirational women which many found interesting.

LRC Diversity Day stand
Photograph: Peterborough Regional College

Diversity

Diversity is about celebrating our differences. There is a saying of Muslim origin:- "A lot of different flowers make a bouquet". Also, Stephen Covey has written "Strength lies in differences, not in similarities". This relates especially to teams in the workplace as well as groups in College.

Finally, have a listen to this short clip from a Radio 4 programme. It gives a scenario which could be said to test whether we unconsciously harbour racist and sexist attitudes - known as implicit bias. See what your first thought is when you hear it!

18th January - Thesaurus Day

Thesaurus Day (18th January 2018)

This week we look briefly at how a thesaurus can help you in your college work and show you where to find one.

What is a thesaurus?

Oxford Dictionaries define a thesaurus as a book that lists words in groups of synonyms and related concepts.

The most famous thesaurus is probably Roget's Thesaurus.

A thesaurus will help you find words that mean the same (synonyms) or similar as a particular word. (You may also find opposites). This can help when you are trying not to repeat the same word in a sentence, an essay or presentation and you want a different word to make the sentence read better.

A thesaurus will help you with similar keywords when using a search engine or looking for information in a library catalogue or online resource. (In this example "look for" would be found alongside "search").

A thesaurus can help you build your vocabulary as it will teach you new words, but in this case it is best to look at examples of how the word is used in sentences and to check a dictionary definition first before you use it (see pitfalls below).

How to use a thesaurus

If using a printed thesaurus, you need to find the word for which you want alternatives at the back of the book first (a sort of index). This gives you a page number where you find the group of similar and related words. The LRC has some thesauri at shelfmark 424.

The LRC provides access to the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus (4th edition) as part of it's subscription to Oxford Reference Online (a collection of online specialist Dictionaries). You will need to log in with your network login and password and search for the thesaurus. Then use the box on the left hand side to search for the word within the publication or alternatively use the letters A- Z across the screen to navigate. LRC staff can also help you.

Microsoft Word also has a built in thesaurus feature which may be useful (but is not extensive). Just right click on the word for which you want an alternative and select "synonyms" to see a list of possible words.

A free online thesaurus you can trust is
Collins Thesaurus  (www.roget.org does not appear to be the genuine publication online!).

The pifalls of using a thesaurus

There can be problems with using alternative words from a thesaurus especially if they are words you have not heard of before. Some words have more than one meaning and you need to make sure you use the right one.
The video below explains (albeit simply) the layout of a thesaurus entry and how to use it wisely and make sure you choose the right words.

Note-taking from reading

Note-taking from reading

Last week, we focused on reading for your assignments. This time, we are looking at the process of taking notes as you read.

Each person needs to find the way that works best for them. Some students will prefer to be more traditional with linear notes like lists and bullet points. Others will prefer to be more visual and use mind maps and spider diagrams. Some will write freehand on paper and others will prefer to type using a computer. Below, are a few tips (largely taken from the further reading resources below) which are relevant whichever way you use.

Photo CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/student-concentrated-preparation-1178024/

• Prepare beforehand - remind yourself what you are taking notes about and what exactly you are trying to find out. This will ensure that from the outset you are aiming to keep your notes relevant.

• Decide how you want to organise your notes. Are you going to have different page for each theme or argument?  Remember to number your pages as well as you go so that you can read them back in the right order!

• You may want to start by highlighting or underlining text. This is especially useful with e-books as you can save highlighted text in different colours and annotations and access them from your bookshelf (remember to log in first). Please don't do this in library books!

• Notes should be brief. Avoid full sentences. Create your own abbreviations and use them consistently.

• Leave space before moving to a new point so you can add details later (perhaps from another source).

• Don't try and write down everything. Initially try reading without your pen in your hand (or hands on the keyboard/ mouse) to resist the temptation to do so.

• Try and write in your own words where possible. This shows you have understood what you are reading and you will need to do this when you come to write your assignment anyway.

• Note viewpoints and arguments, not just facts, making sure you also note who the viewpoints belong to. You may want to decide on a specific way to record your views as you go along.

• Note names and quotations exactly including page numbers and resource details for your citations and bibliography.

Sources and further reading 

The LRC has Stella Cottrell's book The Study Skills Handbook (shelved at 371.3) which has a section on note-making.

We also have an e-book Improving your study skills: study smart. Study Less. by Shelley O'Hara which has a chapter on taking notes. Read this in college or outside using your PRC network login.

ARU has a note-making guide which covers note-taking from lectures as well as from reading.

The SkillsYouNeed website also gives some useful note-taking advice.

OneNote

PRC computers have OneNote software on them so you can create your own online notebooks with sections and add notes, links, images etc. A useful feature is that the URL of anything copied from the internet is automatically added. There is of course other software and apps available which you may prefer to use.