… aaand my exams are back!

I have extraordinary plans for my summer, but I still need to pass 4 exams before my summer can officially begin. I have to say that my exam timetable looks better this term as I don’t have four-in-a-row like last time. As interesting as I find my course and this term’s modules, there’s still a lot to do and a lot to remember.

I believe I’ve mentioned how I make my notes and revise in previous posts. I thought an inside look into our VLE would be useful, so I’m going to focus on how I use Study Direct.

“My Course” tab when I log in has been introduced fairly recently. It basically has all the information you need: This year’s modules, timetable, assessment deadlines and feedback, academic advisor’s and student reps’ contacts, course learning outcomes, as well as links to other useful websites.

My Course Tab (click to expand)

This is quite irrelevant when you are revising, but it’s still very useful throughout the year. Now to find the resources I need, I have to look for them for each module separately. Let’s take Developmental psychology as an example. On the left-hand side you have links to course- and lecture-related material (such as slides, lecture recordings, article links, videos etc.), which would open on the right-hand side.

Developmental Psychology Site (click to expand)

Example of materials uploaded to Study Direct (click to expand)

Such sites include all the information I need to stay up-to-date with my lectures (even if for different reasons can’t attend all). It’s much easier to organise your notes as you go, compared to doing it all at the end of the term. All the links provided are relevant and useful, usually mentioned in the lectures as well.

If you get stuck on a topic or have a different module-related question, you can always open a discussion on site’s forum. Your question will be answered by a tutor, lecturer or module convenor. This way you can be sure that you are going in the right direction.

Developmental Psychology Forum (click to expand)

Apart from course-related material, Study Direct also includes links to Careers and Employability Centre events, tips on writing essays, and essay checking tools (Turnitin).

There you go – an inside look into our VLE. I’ll be happy to answer any questions!