Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Academic Support

5 Most Important Factors When Choosing a College

By Leave a Comment
College is one of the biggest steps that you can take in your life and it should be carefully planned out. You need to consider several factors that can be tied to your goals, career field and personal preferences. Time spent planning before you choose will be well invested later on.

Career Field

If you are sure of your career choice, it is imperative that you pick a school that has a quality degree program. Many schools are known for having challenging and quality programs for engineering, business, agriculture and numerous other degrees. You can find a program that matches your career choice by checking placement by college ranking. These services rate colleges by different programs, cost and various other factors. This helps you to have a better idea of what kind of school you will be attending.

Financial Aid

College can often be expensive, depending on the type of degree that you’re getting. It is worth taking the time to visit the college’s website and looking over the available scholarships, grants, loans and other financial aids that are available. This can often be a determining factor in your choice, but do not discount a school just because of expense. You may be eligible for financial aid that could cover most of the costs and leave you paying very little out of pocket.

Class Offerings

Schools should have a wide array of degree options and class scheduling to work with your needs. You can look for such options as:

  • an extension campus in your area
  • online classes
  • night classes
  • correspondence classes.

These options are a necessity for those who have to work, have a family or other obstacles that make attending normal day classes difficult. That is why making sure your school has ample scheduling choices for you can make a difference in your educational experience.

Campus Life

If you will be living on campus, you’ll want a college or university that has an active and varied schedule of student activities. This can include activities such as:

  • intramural sports
  • student clubs and associations
  • student government
  • concerts
  • trips.

These things can make campus life more enjoyable and give you a much needed break during the year. When you visit the campus, take time to go to the student activities office and check out what is available. These events will give you a chance to socialize and meet new people, which is one of the best parts of the college experience.

Student Employment

The college should also have an active and well organized student employment office. This service helps you to locate a job as you approach the end of your college years. They also offer resources on various careers, job counselors and more. This is a definite must to give you an edge when it comes time to apply for your dream job.

When you plan ahead for college, you have a greater chance of success and enjoyment. What college would you consider attending?

Filed Under: Academic Support

E-learning is the future of learning

By Leave a Comment
Logotype for Chamilo, a learning management system

Image via Wikipedia

E-learning has been around for some time. With so many students computer literate, it is imperative such a medium be given importance. E-learning is an excellent way of building interactivity in education.

What ails e-learning? Many schools and colleges like to go the e-learning way. But that would mean investing large amounts of money and finding an e-learning service provider who will make the educational products.

This definitely involves time and money. And educational institutions that primarily run on fees would not be able to afford this.
E-learning should be supported by governments. If they want better students, and in the future better human resources for their nations, governments should realize the importance of their participation in this area.

E-learning can be combined with regular instructor-led education. The combination of both can give students the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt in a better way.

E-learning is an excellent substitute for tests and exams that students do not like. By designing assessment programs that actually test the practical knowledge of the students, e-learning can do away the redundant paper-based system of testing knowledge.

More and more students are finding this medium of instruction exciting and fun to learn. They achieve a near one hundred percent knowledge level. With an Internet connection, it becomes easier for students to refer information on the Internet, whilst learning on the web.

E-learning is the future of learning. The time has come to redefine the paradigms of education and learning. This medium surely is the answer for that shift.

Filed Under: Academic Support, Fine Arts Tagged With: , ,

OpenCourseWare ? An academic resource to learn subjects taught in Harvard in your home

By Leave a Comment
100_9661

Image by hdaniel via Flickr

OpenCourseWare is a virtual learning environment. The idea originated at MIT. The Hewlett Foundation also partnered MIT to create OpenCourseWare.

OpenCourseWare records all activities that happened in the classroom, and makes it available to users over the Internet. Extra information like notes, and tests are also provided.

Several top universities make such course ware available over the Internet. An Internet user has free access to the study materials, and can also freely download it. No additional privileges are given. People using OpenCourseWare might not be able to contact the professors who taught the subject in the classroom.

Learning through OpenCourseWare is considered an activity of one’s own interest. Employers do not consider anyone for employment based on OpenCourseWare education credentials.

OpenCourseWare is usually used by people who want to enhance their knowledge on a particular subject. Some of them would not want to spend money on full-time education, or be interested in degrees. They would only want someone teaching them the subject.

Even established professionals use OpenCourseWare to update their knowledge. They learn from such a medium in their free time.

OpenCourseWare indicates the transitioning of knowledge to become very highly available and free. No more is knowledge commoditized or being monetized. With OpenCourseWare everyone has the power of knowledge by them. And this encourages genuine competition in the world.

For technology-professionals, OpenCourseWare is an excellent medium to be updated on the latest and greatest technologies. Plenty of universities make available free video-based courses on their websites. Just type OpenCourseWare in your Internet search engine to view them.

Filed Under: Academic Support, Fine Arts Tagged With: , ,

How to write non-plagiarized content

By Leave a Comment
Original Article - Rampant Plagiarism Part Two

Image by william couch via Flickr

The Internet is like an ever-expanding universe. Tons and tons of content is added everyday. More and more writers are writing for a variety of topics. People are consuming more content than ever. The Internet has become the single most touch-point for all information needs. People go to the Internet for everything. It could be medical information, legal information, financial information, and what not.

To supply such needs more content has to be pumped into the Internet. Writers are needed to write more to supply the demand of the knowledge-seeking Internet surfer. But writers face a serious issue here. They are always pressurized to write content that is non-plagiarized.

Some writers get caught frequently in the plagiarism net. This could be in-intentionally so. They might have written something that is exactly the same as another sentence written in some web-page in the Internet universe. In a long article, the matches might be many. And the writer would have a high percentage of plagiarism to his or her name. Even when the writer knows it has not been intentional.

So how to avoid it? Here are some tips…

  • When writing from another source, re-write in your own words
  • When using terminologies and word-phrases from another source, surround these words with your own words.
  • When writing medical information, write long sentences around medical terminologies.
  • Be original and creative.
  • Use humor and informal language.
  • Don’t use others ideas. Use information. Check if the information is correct.
  • Research from a variety of sources. Don’t just stick to one source.
Filed Under: Academic Support, Funding Tagged With: , ,

Use Tech To Catch Instances Of Internet Plagiarism By Students

By Leave a Comment
Jewish Children with their Teacher in Samarkan...

Image via Wikipedia

Make passionate appeals to students that copying material from the internet is not the right way to proceed. However, it would be an utter folly on the part of the teacher to presume that students will accept this and act accordingly. Youngsters have the tendency to be very shortsighted in their approach. In such a scenario, teachers would do well to make smart use of technology to overcome the problems created by technology.

It does not take a lot to convert the submissions of the students into a computerized format. Once it has been computerized, this information can be searched online to find whether any information has been copied from the internet.

Another option is to setup a team that shall analyze the submissions to find out basic grammar and spelling mistakes. This is usually an indication that the work has been outsourced and has been performed for a very low price. It is pertinent to note that students will never be prepared to pay thousands of dollars to get a research paper done. They will try to get it done at the cheapest price possible. Low price invariably attracts poor talent. This can be understood from the quality of work.

Teachers would also do well to keep track of the submissions of students and identify patterns from their work. A student who consistently performs ordinarily exams but makes high quality submissions may well be using the brains of another individual to get the homework done. He or she may be suffering due to lack of intellect when it comes to practical exams that must be performed by the student.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , , ,

Online Plagiarism ? The Very Future Of America Is Dependant On Its Cure

By Leave a Comment
United States, Colorado, United States Olympic...

Image by iceman9294 via Flickr

How did America become a superpower? The current standing is based on the amount invested in research and development by the government and private organizations ever since the Second World War. The research and development took place primarily for military purposes. However, the improvement in technology was soon brought into the world of civilian people.

Companies recognized that using technology to improve the quality of their services will help them earn more money. This is how America became a superpower. It owes its success to countless researchers who used their knowledge and skills to generate new ideas and create newer products.

Ask your students whether America would have become a superpower had these researchers cleared their exams and obtained their grades by plagiarizing stuff from the internet? This should help you send a message across that students are not just spoiling their future but also the future of their country by adopting such an approach.

America has been the target destination for the most brilliant minds in the world simply because it provided the best atmosphere for research and creativity. Companies were prepared to pay individuals on the basis of their ideas alone. However, one cannot simply come up with ideas out of thin air. One needs a lot of work and effort before such ideas get converted into action.

In order to survive the competitive race, it is important for America to invest in research again. This is possible only if American students stay honest and avoid using the web to copy material down to get good grades in the short run.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , ,

Plagiarizing From The Web ? Explain How This Will Never Work In The Long Run

By Leave a Comment
Traditional freelance writer work system.

Image via Wikipedia

The problem of plagiarism amongst the student community has become a very serious one after the spread of the internet. It is possible to pay a few dollars to a freelancer working from developing country to get a research paper written without any effort whatsoever. The individual given the job may simply copy a previously written research paper or may create a new one by mixing a few past papers available online.

The best way to reduce their intensity of this problem is to help students understand the consequences of such actions. What will happen if the student passes with very good marks on the basis of such a research paper? He or she may not have the option of purchasing marks throughout the life. Let us presume that such a freak event occurs and the individual survives by simply buying such research papers from freelancers.

What will happen when the individual gets the job on the basis of such a qualification? He or she would have the qualification only in name and would not have the necessary skills and talents. Sooner or later, he or she is going to be found out. Ask the student whether they believe that they can con a billion dollar organization by simply spouting fancy words without doing anything productive?

They may con the employer for a month or two but they will get caught once the assessment of work is done. By explaining this situation in detail, the students should be convinced that putting in hard work and doing their own research on the internet without copying anything is the best way to proceed.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , ,

Using the Internet as a Research Tool

By Leave a Comment

Today’s internet is an invaluable tool for academic research. The ability to access any imaginable type of information with just a few mouse clicks saves immeasurable time and effort. However, it is not without its pitfalls.

 

 

A panorama of a research room taken at the New... 

Image via Wikipedia

Just as with traditional research, it’s always important to judge the quality of the source. Research for academic purposes means that the sources must be relevant and credible. In other words, they should be the respected publications of the field. Academic and scientific journals are probably the best source of factual information. Not only are they the benchmark of the highest quality research, but you also have the ability to search and locate relevant material quickly. Many also provide an immediate link that is formatted for you to include in your work, giving the proper credit and citation.

 

Not every website is a credible source. Because anyone can create and upload a website, its important to examine who is providing the data, and determine if they have any credentials in that field. Prior to the internet, many people began their research with the encyclopedia. Encyclopedias were researched, complied and edited by experts in their fields, all with proper credentials. The material was fact-checked and verified before being published.

 

Today, this is not always the case, even with authoritative-sounding sites. Popularity alone does not mean that the data contained within it is valid, or even true. To get the most out of internet research, stick to academic, scientific and other authority sites in a given field. This will ensure that your papers are factual and properly cited.

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , ,

Avoiding Accidental Plagiarism

By Leave a Comment

 

 

Everyone knows that deliberate plagiarism is unethical, and depending on how the material is used, can be illegal as well. However, sometimes people write material that sounds similar to others’ work, even though it has not been copied. This can cause serious problems if the work has been put forth as being original.

Testtakingstudent 

Image via Wikipedia

Academic plagiarism is a serious offense, especially at the university level. If a work sounds too similar to someone else’s, or if it is suddenly of a different quality than the professor is used to seeing, the presumption is that it was not written by the student himself. Sometimes, though, students can become immersed in research and read so much other material that their writing begins to take on a similar tone. The student is then in a difficult position, as the burden of proof is on him to show that he actually wrote his own material.

When performing research on a given subject, let some time pass between reading and writing. This way, the words will not be as fresh in your mind, and your own style, tone and vocabulary will come through. This is actually a common occurrence, though it does happen more often to students who are not avid writers.

More experienced writers avoid this problem by reading unrelated material. This gives the mind a bit of time to clear and change gears, and helps the writer let go of these subliminal influences.

It’s also important to give credit to other sources whenever appropriate. Forgetting to cite “borrowed” material, or omitting quotation marks can have serious consequences. Always keep detailed notes, and be ready to explain how the mistake occurred.

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , ,

Free Academic Resources To Help You Succeed

By Leave a Comment

If you have papers and other written assignments, there are many online academic resources that can help improve the quality of your work. The following resources are free, and can help make the difference between turning in a mediocre assignment and one that really shines.

 

 

Grammar checkers are a great help when writing, especially when you are in a hurry. If you are unsure of certain grammar rules, or if you have no one to proofread an assignment for you, try using White Smoke or Correct English. Not only can they correct spelling mistakes, but they can identify grammatical errors, slang, inappropriate tone and other inconsistencies. The basic versions are free, but the paid versions can check the text to see if it sounds too similar to other published material.

 

Logo 

Image via Wikipedia

Project Gutenberg is a digital library of public domain works of literature. Volunteers transcribe written works and upload them to the website. Readers can search a library of thousands of works. Because they are online, it is simple to copy and paste when you need to insert quoted sections, or to compare two pieces of writing. The convenience factor alone makes this an incredible resource.

 

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (known as the Purdue OWL) is an extensive database of articles, questions and lessons in almost every conceivable aspect of writing. Every grammar and punctuation question can be answered here, and it also contains sample letters, resumes, and hundreds of how-tos. Many professional writers rely on this site for help with grammar rules as well as writing inspiration. The information here can help you turn in quality work every time.

Filed Under: Academic Support Tagged With: , ,
«Older Posts