Dictionary of UCC Terms

Getting to know your way around a new college and a new environment can be daunting at times. You are bombarded with loads of new information from the college as well as your academic department. There is no need to stress about not getting the UCC 'language' down because the Peer Support Team has developed a Dictionary of UCC Terms which you can access by clicking on this link.

Resources

This section provides you with information regarding resources that UCC has in place to assist you in making your life as a student a bit easier. In this section you will find information on the library, Skills Centre, study resources and additional resources.

Library Resources
Skills Centre Resources
Study Resources
Additional Resources

Library Resources

UCC Library provides you with with access to a wide range of physical and digital resources to support your learning and research. Watch the two short videos below for information on the different Library services, how to borrow and return physical items, and the different spaces available for study and collaboration.
(Note: While the second video is focused on the Boole Library, the demonstrations it includes are also relevant to users of the Brookfield Health Sciences Library)

Always ensure that you bring your UCC student card to the Library. The below video shows how your card allows you to access the Library buildings and services.

UCC Library also provides you with access to a wide range of online resources to support your learning and research. Since you are a current student in UCC, you can access the electronic resources for educational purposes only. If you require access to full-text licensed content, you will be prompted to log in. This allows the resource to identify you as an authorised UCC user. To log in, you simply enter your UCC IT Account details in the applicable fields to gain full text access to the resource. Click on this link to view a screenshot of what the login page looks like. Your IT Account details consists of your student email address (studentnumber@umail.ucc.ie) and your password which is your Student IT password. Click on this link to view a screenshot of the full content access login page. To view the full list of useful guides for using electronic resources at UCC, you can click on this link. For any questions or queries, you can email the Library Resources team who will be happy to assist in any way possible.

UCC Library has also developed various self-directed Canvas modules that offer training on information searching and Library Resources. For more information on taking any of these courses, you can visit the Library Resources on Canvas page.

Skills Centre Resources

The Skills Centre provides a free and friendly, dedicated, responsive and active learning space for the enhancement of study skills, writing technique, presentation skills and more. They are committed to further contributing to a positive and successful student experience for you here in UCC. The Skills Centre will enhance your student experience through the provision of customised workshops and sessions. These sessions will help develop and enhance your skills should you choose to utilise their services.

Additional to the group sessions, one to one appointments and drop-in sessions that the Skills Centre offers, there is also a wide variety of resources available covering essential guidelines for you as a student in UCC. These resources are based on common questions about academic writing, general skills and research, exam preparation and specific assignments within your course. To access and download any of these resources, you can visit the Skills Centre page on the UCC website or drop into the skills centre in the basement of the Boole Library. When you enter through the turnstiles, just follow the yellow footsteps!

Below is an introductory video to the Skills Centre and the helpful resources they offer.

Study Resources

When it comes to studying for a test or exam, things can get very stressful very fast. To help you avoid unnecessary stress, you have access to a wide variety of resources and tools in UCC and your academic department to assist you in making a success of, and even enjoying your study time! As mentioned in the previous section, you can visit the Skills Centre to access and download the necessary study resources. You will also automatically be registered for the Keep Learning with the Success Zone course on Canvas for guidance and resources to assist you in navigating your college journey.

Additional to the above resources, you can download the Life Matters Study and Exams Guide presentation slides on study and exam performance by Dr Margaret O’Rourke and Kate O’Connell or the Study Skills presentation slides by Lisa Halton, Occupational Therapy UCC. Alternatively you can also download the Starting Study at Home guide.

Additional Resources

- Assignment Resources

As mentioned in the previous sections, you can find some excellent resources on the Boole Library Website to guide you in managing your assignment. There is helpful information regarding planning your essay, assistance in identifying the resources that you need to effectively do research as well as searching the databases effectively. For students who are writing in the sciences, the Royal Chemistry Association offers guidelines around reading in that specific area. Additional advice regarding assignment preparation can be found on the Harvard Writing Centre Pages.

Building your academic vocabulary can initially be challenging, but being able to express yourself clearly using the appropriate language is a skill that takes time to develop and improves with practice. You can visit the Manchester Academic Phrase bank that was developed by Manchester University to guide you and assist you in improving your academic vocabulary.

When working on college essays, you can make use of the Skills Centre's Assignment Calculator to help you break down the steps of writing an essay into achievable stages, to help you plan your college work in advance without feeling overwhelmed.

- IT Resources

If you want to get a head start and brush up on your Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) skills, you can follow this link for access to free resources. These may also help if you are working on an assignment after hours and cannot access your library account but need to format your work. Remember, as a student in UCC you have full access to the G-suite through your email. This is a valuable resource and you should become familiar with it as soon as possible. The Skills Centre also deliver training sessions on Microsoft Office skills.

When utilising Office 365, you can find excellent built in literacy supports called Immersive Reader. Microsoft Immersive Reader is a free tool in Office 365 Online that supports literacy development for students regardless of age or ability. It uses proven techniques to improve reading comprehension, language learning and decoding for students with dyslexia. You can click this link for a short video explaining what Immersive Reader entails. Office 365 and all its tools are aimed at being used online. However, with the Immersive Reader Offline Extension you can use Immersive Reader without internet connection. You can follow this link to download the offline extension.

For students who might struggle with writing difficulties, it is very important to work on developing touch-typing skills. You can reach out to the Skills Centre for information about the touch-typing training they offer. Additionally, MS Office 365 offers speech recognition which could be a powerful tool when writing/typing is not an option due to writing/stamina difficulties. Essentially it allows you to speak to the computer (in MS Word, Outlook and PowerPoint) and it will type what you say. You can click on this link to watch a short video about Dictate Speech Recognition.

Active Participation in Class

What is active participation in class?

The fear of raising your hand in class and saying the wrong thing or sounding silly in front of your peers is a real thing for many students. In fact, when given the choice, most students choose to fly under the radar and avoid the embarrassment of speaking in class. This is something you will need to overcome as soon as possible because class participation, while sometimes scary, is crucial for getting the most out of your college education. Participation actively engages you as a student with the subject matter, while pushing you to create concepts and provide evidence for your claims.

Active participation means that you say YES to being an active voice of reasoning and through this continuously grow your knowledge and skillset. Active participation is not just important in the class, but also outside of college. Through being an active participant in your community, you become confident to express your experiences and own ideas during lectures.

Why is it important to participate in class?

Studies show that students who regularly participate in class are continuously involved with the material and are more likely to remember a greater portion of the information. Active class participation also improves critical and higher level thinking skills. Students who participate in class have studied the material well enough to introduce new concepts to their peers. This level of thinking goes beyond the basic comprehension of the text, and can also improve memory. Participation can also assist you and your peers to learn from each other, increasing comprehension through cooperation. This can in turn improve the relationships between you and your peers, and between you and your lecturer.

Tips for Active Participation

Below are four great tips to overcome the fear of active participation in class.

1: Establish a professional relationship with your lecturer | professor, it is okay to be honest and admit that you have a fear of public speaking.

2: Devise a plan to move forward. Find a way of participation that works for you, whether it is asking thought-provoking questions or commenting on the reading. Prepare yourself for success by summarising the material you would like to share with the class.

3: Work on your opinion into the discussion so you can demonstrate a higher level of thinking that goes beyond simply reading the assigned material.

4: Provide some evidence as to how you came to your opinion or conclusion. This will indicate to your peers and lecturers that you have made an effort to understand the subject. Preparation is key, so practice on your own before class. Saying it aloud once will ease the anxiety of saying it in front of your peers.

Note-taking

What is note-taking and why is it important to take notes?

As a third level student it is essential to develop effective note-taking skills to make sure that you get the most out of the time that you spend in class and during reading. At university level, the amount of information that is shared with you can be enormous. It is essential to develop a system that will allow you to record that information in a manner you can easily access and retrieve from. Note-taking is a key academic skill that allows you to record important information.

Good note-taking records the useful information which helps you to increase your understanding of the area you are studying. Effective note-taking serves as a time-saving tool for you that can produce study tools to assist you with continuous revision. Fostering proper note-taking skills will allow you to become an active and effective learner and reader helping you to analyse, reflect and question the scenarios and coursework as you go.

Note-taking during lectures

Note-taking during lectures can be difficult, but with a few strategic practices, you will develop the skill of taking clear and effective notes in no time! Efficient notetaking during lectures is important. Your lecture notes are useful in helping you to revise and recall important information, helping to increase your overall understanding of your subject area. It guides you in developing memory and writing skills, and will even assist you in preparing for exams.

The key to effective note-taking is active listening. The goal is not to write down every word that the lecturer says, but to try and make notes of the main points and scribble down your own thoughts and questions as they arise. A useful approach is the Cornell note-taking system which refers to the six R's of note-taking:

1. Record - During the lecture, record the information in the note-making section. You can use a shorthand system if you wish, but make sure you understand it afterwards! Symbols and abbreviations can also be used.

2. Reduce - Review your notes within 24 hours after your lecture. Highlight crucial headings, terminology or key people/dates. Now make use of the Cue column to reduce your notes to key words, phrases or questions.

3. Recite - Cover the note-taking area and using only the Cue words recite out loud what the lecture entailed.

4. Reflect - Think about what you have just learned. Link the key themes and topics, this will guide you in developing critical thinking skills.

5. Review - Spend time each week going back over the notes. Use the Cue words to help embed the information into your mind.

6. Recapitulate - In the Summary section, use your own words to summarise the main points you want to remember. This practice guides you in strengthening your memory and serves as an excellent way to review notes before an exam.

diagram of the cornell note taking system

Note-taking during academic reading

Do you ever jot down pages of notes while reading but still struggle to remember what you read? Alternatively, do you read through texts without taking notes and while only half paying attention? Perhaps you highlight or underline your texts but feel like maybe you’re not getting the most from your reading. If you fall into one of these categories, chances are good that you’re not getting the most out of your reading. As a third-level student, it is important to develop effective note-taking skills to ensure that you get the most from the time you spend on academic reading. The reading requirements will become more extensive, and in turn, a bit confusing and cluttered. It is for this reason that it is well worthwhile to spend time on writing effective notes that will save you time down the research / writing line.

Proper note-taking records the useful information which helps you:
- Increase your understanding of the area or text you are studying.

- Develop your memory skills.

- Develop your writing skills.

- Prepare for exams.

Mind-mapping

Another way of taking notes during lectures refer to mind-mapping. Mind-mapping is a visual thinking tool that can be used for making notes, planning an essay, studying for exams, creative inspiration, problem solving, making presentations or group study and brain storming. It is a combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangements to map out your thoughts using keywords that trigger associations in your brain. Below are some practical steps to creating a mind map:

Create a central idea
Add branches to your central idea
Add Keywords (ideally one word per branch)
Colour-code your branches
Include pictures/diagrams

Important To Know - Learning & Teaching