VIU International Academic Support : January 2015

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Learning Matters -- a terrific VIU 'in-house' resource

http://learningmatters.viu.ca/topic/prepare-and-take-exams

Learning Matters (learningmatters.viu.ca) is VIU's digital learning commons. It covers the following 6 topics --

When you click the drop-menu for each, you can find a wealth of multimedia information and knowledge such as the above video.

You can also search in the top right corner of the webpage for any topic you want to learn more about. Explore this valuable resource before you embark on the overwhelming amount of information Google can provide.

Monday, January 26, 2015

For BBA and PDDB Students -- new drop-in just for you

Starting next week (February 5th) .. just for BBA and PDDB students. Come by for help with your English, whether to improve a skill you feel is week, fill in a gap in your knowledge, or to have a critical eye look at an assignment (hopefully not the day it is due).

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Communicating with your university teachers — Top Tips

One of the best tools for success at university is having a positive relationship with your teachers. This entails establishing a strong line of communication, and you knowing your professor well and your professor knowing you well.

This is not always easy as university teachers are usually very busy and not always available to talk. They may not invite such communication, so it is up to the student to be pro-active and initiate it.

There is a great deal of advice on the internet about this topic as the following Google search shows.

Here are some top tips:

Have a brief (5-10 minute) face-to-face discussion with your teacher in his/her office in the first or second week of class to discuss questions you have about the class or any assignments. This shows the professor you are serious about his class. Questions should be focused. Use his/her office hours.
If you are writing a paper that has a thesis, before you go too far in your research and writing, ask your teacher to look at your thesis and give you feedback.
In class, try to ask or answer questions. Your professor can see that you are engaged in the class, and are making an effort to learn and participate.
When speaking to your teacher, say their name correctly. Watch what other students call him. Ask him what you can call him. In email and cover sheets, spell his/her name correctly.
For any serious assignment where you are unclear about the instructions, or about some part of what you are doing, contact your teacher. 2 minutes with him or her could save you two hours or possibly a very poor mark.
It is important to use feedback from your teacher to improve your subsequent efforts. If this feedback is unclear, ask your professor to explain it. It you did not receive any feedback, then ask for some.
Whatever you do, don’t be a nuisance. Don’t bother or annoy your teacher with too many questions.
Try not to show your ignorance. Make sure you have read the course outline and any assignment instructions.
Never embarrass or make your professor lose face.
Don’t be late if you make an appointment with your teacher. And never forget to show up.
Tell your teacher that you want to learn and that you like the class.
Thank your teacher to show your appreciation. (But don’t be phony.)
Don’t ask or beg for a better grade. However, if your teacher has clearly made a math error, this is acceptable.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Discussion Groups this week

This week's Academic Language Development Group will be discussing vocabulary, with a focus on idioms and informal language.

Friday's Global Roundtable topic will be 'communication', with a focus on social media.

Come out and join the conversation, and improve your English.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Discussion Groups this week

Both discussion groups are meeting this week -- today and tomorrow.

At today's Academic Language Development Group there will be a workshop on 'working in groups' provided by BBA student Rosa He. The other half of the time will be a discussion on this topic of 'group dynamics'.

The topic for the first Global Roundtable meeting of the year on Friday is "Communication -- email vs. texting" How do you prefer to do digital communication?

See you there. Bring a friend.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Student Success Week and Video Resources

This week is student success week, a great opportunity to learn some strategies that will help you be more successful in your studies and happier in your life. (Click on the image below to go to the full calendar of events.)

The week culminates in CRANK it up ... for Success! on Friday. There are a variety of workshops you can attend on this day. To see the schedule and register for the workshops, go here:

Finally, you can view interviews from last year with international students about 'what helps me learn'. (Click on the image below to go to the videos.)

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Welcome back and more

Happy New Year to all returning students.

We hope you had a great winter holiday and have returned to VIU with energy and enthusiasm.

English Language Support (Degree, Diploma, and Certificate Programs) is here again to support you with a variety of language support services and programs. The poster below provides the basic information. One major change is that Bruce Cornwall has come on board and will be working with Les Barclay in 2015.

We encourage you to come to our first discussion group tomorrow (January 8th) -- it will be an open discussion, meaning we can talk about anything related to academic language. One possible topic is the academic word list; another is how to use feedback from last semester to better succeed this semester. Please come out and share your ideas.