Academic support

As a student at Massey University, you have access to a wide range of study support services and resources that are designed to help you enhance your academic skills at all levels of study.

These can be sourced from:

• One-to-one support - An appointment with a Learning Consultant
• Writing Consultants in the Manawatū library - Ask a question or get feedback on an assignment
• Electronic resources - Learning resources you can view online
• Stream – located on Massey’s virtual learning environment, you can ask short questions or submit an assignment for review of its academic tone and focus
• Printed resources – Information that you can download for free, or alternatively, visit a campus to pick up resources
• Workshops and seminars –Sessions to help you develop your academic skills. Available to internal and distance students

One-to-one support

In order to help you study more effectively and develop key academic skills that enable you to write well written assignments, you can book an appointment to talk with a Learning Consultant. This is an opportunity for you to explore your approach to your assignment and discover ways of meeting your writing goals.

Do any of the following apply to you?

• Wondering if you have provided a logically developed argument in your assignment.
• You want to know how to interpret an assignment question.
• Feeling a little confused as to why you get marked down for the analysis of your assignments.
• Feeling overwhelmed with study, work, family and social commitments.
• Rushing to get assignments done.
• Wanting to know how you can study more efficiently for examinations.
• Struggling to integrate ideas in to your literature review.
• Wanting to express ‘your voice’ more clearly in your assignment.

If you answered yes to any of the above, please contact your nearest Centre for Teaching and Learning to book an appointment (see below or right-hand side menu).

• Albany campus contacts
• Manawatu campus contacts
• Wellington campus contacts

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Writing Consultants in the Manawatū Library

Writing Consultants can answer your questions about academic writing and study skills or give you feedback on your assignments structure, focus, paragraph structure, flow, presentation, use of sources, and referencing.

No appointment needed but appointments are available.

Writing Consultants are available on Level 1 of the Manawatū Library during semesters 1 and 2 at the following times:

Monday to Thursday: 9:30am to 9pm

Friday: 9:30am to 4pm

Electronic resources

We have a wealth of academic support resources available online which all Massey University students are welcome to utilise. Materials have been developed by experts and are designed to enhance your academic skills. You can also learn of useful strategies to help you with your time management, note taking and memory skills.

OWLL (Online Writing and Learning Link)

OWLL contains detailed information, interactive content, and online workshops on essay and report writing, referencing, study techniques, computer skills, and more. Some key features include APA Interactive, which makes APA referencing easy, and the Assignment Planning Calculator which creates a custom timeline for planning, researching and writing an assignment.

Maths First

The Maths First website is designed to promote individual learning in mathematics and is committed to helping you achieve success in your studies. You’ll find resources, exercises and quizzes on several topics including arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry and calculus. If you’re studying maths, you’ll also find a number of other resources to assist you in making course choices.

Video resources

A range of video resources are available to you in the Resources for Students playlist of Massey University’s YouTube channel (http://www.tinyurl.com/ctlvideos2014).

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Stream

Simply log in to Stream and locate the course– Academic Writing and Learning Support. You will find two useful services here:

Academic Q and A

You can ask questions in this forum for academic issues relating to study and assignment writing skills.

Pre-Reading Service

This is a service which all distance students and first year internal students can access. Students can submit a draft assignment and a Learning Consultant will look over the work to ensure that the appropriate academic guidelines have been followed by providing feedback on structure and focus, style and presentation, sources and referencing. You can find more information about the pre-reading service here.

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Printed resources

A range of information sheets are available from the Centre for Teaching and Learning. You will find most of this information, as well as the Academic Writing Guideline Book, in the Online Writing and Learning Link web pages and can be downloaded for free.

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Workshops and seminars

Throughout the year, each Centre for Teaching and Learning hold various workshops and seminars providing useful strategies on topics such as essay writing, referencing and advanced writing. View the workshop and seminars web page for information on topics, dates, and venues. If you missed a session, some workshops are viewable through the OWLL.

• Upcoming workshops

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Last updated on Friday 26 May 2017