1. Getting someone to write your assignment (also called ghost writing or contract cheating)

Did you know that having a friend, family member or anyone other than yourself write your assignment – paid or not – is considered a breach of academic honesty?

You may discuss your assignment with a friend, but you have to do the actual writing yourself (because you want to learn!). And paying someone or a writing service to write your assignment is a definite no-no. Neither is it acceptable for you to write an assignment for another person.

You can stay clear of this situation by starting early on your assignment. Don’t be afraid to seek help from lecturers, librarians and Learning Advisers. In this way, you can count on yourself to start and complete your assignment writing and meet the submission deadline.

2. Working in groups but submitting individually

Quite often, you could be asked to work collaboratively on a group assignment. You may find yourself sharing similar content through the exchange of information and ideas.

Do take note, however, if you’re asked to produce and submit individual reports. While you may share similar content with your group members, you’re expected to develop your own answer and write the report in your own words.

One way to avoid submitting the same piece of writing is to make your own notes (preferably in your own words) during discussions. Check out the note-taking and paraphrasing resources on StudyWISE in iLearn.

3. Citing fake resources and falsifying data

When you cite scholarly sources such as journal articles in your writing, you’re demonstrating that you can critically evaluate and use them to support your thesis.

Assignment markers are well-versed with the subject, so responsible writers wouldn’t mislead them by providing false or non-existent literature. Similarly, responsible students wouldn’t falsify data in a research project. It is a breach of academic honesty if citations and data are fake.

Again, start your research for your assignment as early as you can. This allows you more time to find and evaluate credible and good sources for your assignment. If you need help looking for resources, talk to a Research Librarian at the Library Info Desk.

4. Uploading Macquarie University’s course materials to websites

It may have crossed your mind to help your peers by sharing course information – such as notes, a lecturer’s Powerpoint slides, assignment questions and guidance notes – with them on the Internet.

Don’t do it. Course materials are the intellectual property of the University and you need to ask for permission from your lecturer before you can share or distribute. Find out more about copyright here.

5. Pretending to be someone else and vice-versa

Sometimes you may feel that you’re not fully prepared or that you’re not feeling well enough to sit for a quiz or an exam. It may be tempting to ask another person to sit for the exam on your behalf. Or, another student might approach you to do so. Don’t.

Such behaviour is considered as a very serious breach of academic integrity and can stop you from earning your degree.

Early in the session, check your unit guides for procedures if you’re ill on the day of an exam. Also, exam preparation need not be a stressful activity. Look at the exam prep strategies on StudyWISE to be exam-ready.

6. Sabotaging and obstructing

You may think that it’s a harmless prank to change your friend’s lab results. Or that it’s okay to withhold information from your group members. Or that forgetting to return library books or breaking laboratory equipment is no big deal.

The fact is that even small actions which sabotage and obstruct another student’s academic work, progression or completion of study are also considered breaches of academic integrity.

Where can I find out all about academic integrity?
The new Academic Integrity Module (which is on iLearn under Student Support) will equip you to fully understand academic integrity.

But how can you get the most out of your tutorials? Here are four strategies suggested by the Learning Skills team and WriteWISE leaders Amanda Fernandopulle and Michelle Vo.

1. Get connected
Uni can be an isolating experience. It’s possible to go through the whole day without speaking to another person. That’s not ideal – not only because it makes you lonely, but because a surprising amount of learning at uni occurs via peer-to-peer interactions. Tutorials, therefore, are a great place to connect with and learn from fellow students.

To do this, try to get to know your classmates while you’re waiting for your class to start, or arrange a study group with others from your tute. Who knows? Aside from supporting one another in your studies, you could be making some lifelong friends.

2. Prepare yourself
Have you ever gone into a tutorial ‘cold’ with no preparation? If you’ve done so, you may have found it’s much harder to keep up with what’s happening, and you may even get bored.

Preparation helps you get the most out of your tutorials. Block out regular times in your week to complete the readings, questions, exercises, worksheets, and mini quizzes that are set for your tutorials. Your commute to uni may be an opportune time.

Make your preparation active. If you just skim over your readings, you probably won’t take in much of what you read. Take notes; put the information you learn into a table; use a mind map to sketch out how your readings help you understand a key concept. Visit our guide to tutorial preparation for more ideas.

When you come across something in your readings that is fascinating, highlight it so you can raise it in a class discussion. Not sure how to approach a problem? Make a note so you can ask about it in class. Preparation not only helps you understand and participate in your tutorials but will probably also help to improve your marks.

3. Participate in class
Participating in tutorials helps you and develop your skills in critical thinking and to stay focused so you can fully engage with your course material. But while tutorial participation, especially speaking in front of a group of people, is painless for some, others find it a daunting experience.

If you find it daunting, it might help to arrive at your tutorial with a pre-prepared (and perhaps even pre-rehearsed) observation or question so you have at least one thing that you can confidently contribute. Try to say something in the first tutorial of each subject. This will get you into the mode of speaking in that specific setting. And check out this advice if you’ll be discussing controversial issues.

Also note that you don’t need to wait until you have a knock-down idea before you speak. You can contribute to a discussion by building upon another student’s idea or asking another student to clarify his or her comment. Listening carefully is also an important part of participating.

4. Make the most of your tutor
Your tutors are experts in the subject you’re studying and their role is to help you in your academic development. Make the most of your time with your tutors.

Many tutors start their classes with question time. Do you have a query about a concept from the previous week’s lecture, the next assignment, or something you’d like to know about the discipline? Arrive on time so there’s time to ask your questions.

If you’re struggling, don’t be slow to approach your tutor for assistance. Make the effort to drop in or call during your tutor in consultation hours, or to make an appointment to see him or her.

We hope that these strategies will help you not only survive, but also enjoy, and get the most out of, your tutorials this session. for more information, visit the StudyWISE web pages.

• Face-to-face consultations
• E-consultations and after hours live chat via our external provider Studiosity in S2, 2018
• Online workshops
• Digital resources, including StudyWISE and the Academic Integrity Module

Standing up in front of your classmates and presenting information that you’ve only just learnt (or are still learning!), is a challenge. The first time I gave a presentation, I was a wide-eyed first year, all worked up and shaky. Between stuttering and dropping my notes, maybe public speaking wasn’t my forte.

Fast forward to my last presentation at uni; there was no trembling girl in sight. I felt confident to get my point across without making a fool of myself. Practice makes perfect, as they say, but there are some great strategies that can help you from the beginning – here they are:

• Be thoroughly prepared. It pays to know what you’re talking about. I know everyone says this but it’s true. Research is important, and you should be very familiar with the subject you’re talking about. This helps during Q&A sessions, too!

• Prepare what to say but don’t over-script it. It’s easy when you’ve done some research for your presentation to get bogged down in details. And remember, if you’re getting lost, your audience will, too! Turn all that thinking and study into a plan. Organise your subject content and familiarise yourself with the structure, sequence and main points of your presentation. After that, practise, practise and practise! It’s a step many people miss, but this way, you’ll sound more natural and confident.

• Prepare effective visuals. Think carefully about your audience and purpose of the presentation when you are designing your presentation slides. Fancy slides and animation look fun but are not necessarily professional. The KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is the best way to go about it. Remember, less is more, but don’t forget to reference your evidence.

• Relax and breathe. Stress can cause mental blocks and create anxiety. Practise giving the presentation in the days leading up to the presentation but not on the day itself. On the day, you really should be keeping your mind and body relaxed through deep breathing.

Remember, you’re not alone if you have a fear of public speaking. It is a common fear. You just need to be very familiar with your content, practise, take deep breaths then deliver it. After your presentation, reflect on how it went and don’t forget to celebrate the things you did well! This way, each presentation experience will help you become an even better presenter.

For more resources on giving presentations, check out Oral Presentations on StudyWISE in iLearn.

 Innovative technologies

Jim Denier (@ImpatientMaths)
Head, Department of Mathematics
Think ‘funny mathematician’ is an oxymoron? You obviously haven’t met Jim.

Ronika Power (@rkp_industries)
Senior lecturer, Bioarchaeology
This bone digger’s mission to nurture more female STEM superstars recently caught the attention of the Prime Minister himself.

Healthy people

Enrico Coiera (@EnricoCoiera)
Director, Centre for Health Informatics
When someone who is trained in medicine also has a PhD in artificial intelligence, you get some very exciting ideas about improving healthcare.

Angela Laird (@AngelaSLaird)
Senior Research Fellow, Neurobiology
Get an insider’s view on what it’s like to be searching for a cure for Motor Neuron Disease.

Secure planet

Lizzy Lowe (@LizyLowe)
Postdoctoral researcher, Biological Sciences
Everything you didn’t know you wanted to know about spiders and other creepy crawlies, from someone who loves them.

Jane Williamson (@urchinhunter)
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
As if the ‘Urchin Hunter’ handle wasn’t a cool enough, this marine ecologist spends her days hanging out in the water with sharks.

Resilient societies

Bates Gill (@batesgill1)
Professor, Security Studies and Criminology
An expert view on Asia-Pacific politics and security, and a particular must-follow for Sinophiles.

Greg Downey (@GregDowney1)
Professor, Anthropology
This popular neuroanthropologist serves up a delightfully mixed bag of ‘brain, culture and sport’.

Bronwyn Carlson (@BronwynCarlson)
Head, Department of Indigenous Studies
Bronwyn shines a light on what it’s like to be Aboriginal in Australia and is passionate about supporting young indigenous scholars.

David Christian (@davidgchristian)
Distinguished Professor, Modern History
When your course spans 13.8 billion years, there’s A LOT of things you can share on Twitter.

Prosperous economies

Nick Parr (@NickP1963)
Professor, Marketing and Management
This demographer and self-confessed ‘data lover’ offers you fascinating insights into who we are as Sydneysiders and Australians.

Martina Linnenluecke (@mlinnenluecke)
Professor, Applied Finance and Actuarial Studies
Co-author of ‘The Climate Resilient Organisation’, Martina explains the bottom line impact of climate change.

Why is note-taking important?
We are naturally forgetful beings – we forget what we read or hear very quickly. We can forget up to 40 per cent of new information within 24 hours of being exposed to it. One way to reinforce and commit important information to your long-term memory is to revisit and retrieve the information frequently, either on a daily or weekly basis. Using your notes actively will help you recall and understand important information and make your learning more effective.

What note-taking techniques can I use?
Did you know that there are a number of note-taking techniques? These include the Cornell method, linear notes, visual notes and concept maps and mind maps. Try out the different techniques and templates in StudyWISE on iLearn and choose one that suits your note-taking purpose.

What should I do after I’ve taken the notes?
Studies have shown that effective learning takes place when we transform information, so don’t let your notes compact at the bottom of your bag/desk!  Here are some ways to get more out of your notes:

• catch up with other students after class and compare your notes with theirs.
• re-read your notes after each lecture, and jot down your reactions. Were the ideas surprising? How do they relate to you prior learning or experience?
• generate questions – ask what, when, who, what, why and how. For example: “Today’s lecture was about the heuristics theory. How can I use the heuristics theory to explain the CEO’s decision-making behaviour?” or “what other theory best explains his behaviour and why?”
• write a summary paragraph of a lecture using the key words and points in your notes (tip: this is great preparation for essay exams).

Active note-taking increases your understanding of subject matter and confidence in your learning and overall, helps you succeed at uni.

For more advice on note-taking, visit the Study Skills webpage.

Last year Macquarie’s Echo360 lecture recording platform went through an upgrade and also launched its mobile app, allowing you to revise for exams, catch up on lecture content and participate in interactive quizzes and polls all on your smartphone or hand-held device.

The app has the ability to download completed recordings for offline viewing within the app. You can download recordings while you’re on campus or using your home wifi, then watch them later when you may not have good 3G/4G reception or do not want to use up mobile data.

There are 160 rooms across campus equipped to automatically capture lecture recordings. In 2017, via the Echo360 platform, 300,000 hours of content were viewed by students, with 8082 slides viewed on average per teaching week. All this you can now access with ease through the mobile app.

“To be able to revise lecture content in the app offline, without having to use up data, will be really handy for my hour-long train commute,” says Luke Wiseman, a 3rd-year Bachelor of Science student.

How to get set up the Echo 360 app:

1. Open an internet browser in your mobile device
2. Login to iLearn
3. Click on Echo360 link in each iLearn unit you want to access the app in, then
4. Download the Echo360 app via one of the following links:
   • iOS (via Itunes)
   • Android (via Google Play)
   • Windows 10 (via Microsoft.com)

Note that live streaming is currently not available via the app (it’s only accessible on a laptop through an internet browser), but Echo360 is working on it!

Full step-by-step guides on Echo360 are available in the iLearn Quick Guides section under ‘Study’ in Student Portal on the MQ Website.

Taught in the Faculty of Arts by Rebecca Sheehan, who has written and lectured extensively about this subject, Sex, Race, and Rock (GEND230) can be taken to count towards Gender Studies and History majors, and can also be taken as an elective.

The unit is open for enrolment now. The last day to enrol is 11 March. For more information, visit the Macquarie University 2018 handbook or contact Rebecca Sheehan directly.

1. Maintain focus with ‘timeboxing’
Do you find it difficult to use small amounts of time effectively? Or do you put off starting complex tasks?  Try timeboxing!

Timeboxing involves applying pre-determined time limits to small study-related tasks. It increases your productivity by focusing time and energy on achievable goals. Timeboxing requires no special skills or equipment – all you need is the timer on your phone. Start by choosing the ‘size’ of your timebox (we suggest 25 minutes per ‘box’ as recommended in the Pomodoro Technique) and a study goal. Then commit yourself to working on your task – without distractions! –until the timer runs out.

Timeboxing is also an excellent weapon in the battle to slay the procrastination monster! Do you have a tendency to avoid challenging readings, difficult problem sets or complicated assignments? Set a five-minute timebox and work diligently. At the end of five minutes, you’ll have started the task that previously seemed unpleasant or impossible! More importantly, you’re then likely to benefit from the Zeigarnik Effect: the psychological tendency to finish tasks we’ve already started.

Pro tip: Do you need to turn off your phone so you’re not distracted while studying? You can easily find a timer online.

2. Space your study sessions
Imagine you’re preparing for a class test. Is it more effective to study in a single hour-long block the evening before the test, or to schedule three x 20-minute study sessions over the preceding fortnight? If you chose to space your study over 3 x 20-minute sessions, you’ve got science on your side! Research shows that you’re more likely to retain and recall information that you’ve learned during spaced or ‘distributed’ study sessions.

Pro tip: Are you sitting tests or exams this session? Schedule spaced study sessions into your personal timetable.

3. Prioritise sleep
It might seem counterintuitive, but getting adequate sleep is a simple strategy for powering up a study session! Sleep is fundamental to productive study because it allows the brain to consolidate information acquired during the day. If you’re not sleeping enough (or even at all!), the processes by which the brain stabilises newly encoded memory and consolidates them into long-term storage are disrupted. Sleep deprivation not only affects your ability to recall information, it also makes concentration, focus and mood regulation more difficult. To sum up: if sleep isn’t a priority in your schedule, you’re more likely to be cranky, forgetful and less able to learn effectively.

Pro tip: Do you find it difficult to maintain a regular sleep schedule? Try using Bedtime in the Clock app on your iOs device, or download Sleep Cycle for Android.