2 Sources of help This assessment course is designed to be self-contained. However you might like to access the following sources for support and guidance if you need it. These sources include: U529_1 Key skills – making a difference: This OpenLearn course is designed to complement the assessment courses. It provides detailed guidance and activities to help you work on your key skills, gives examples of key skills work from students, and helps you prepare and s
1 Developing information literacy skills This Key Skill Assessment Course offers an opportunity for you to select and prepare work that demonstrates your key skills in the area of information literacy. This unit provides you with advice and information on how to go about presenting your key skills work as a portfolio. In presenting work that demonstrates your key skills you are taking the initiative to show that you can develop and improve a particular set of skills, and are able to use your skills more generally in your
Learning outcomes After studying this course, you should be able to: demonstrate a strategy for using skills in information literacy over an extended period of time monitor progress and adapt the strategy as necessary, to achieve the quality of outcomes required evaluate this overall strategy and present outcomes from your work, including citations and a bibliography.
5 Effective use of information technology The purpose of this course is for you to create a portfolio of your work to represent you as an effective user of information technology (IT) within your study or work activities. This will involve using criteria to help you select examples of your work that clearly show you can use and improve your IT skills. However, by far the most important aim is that you can use this assessment process to support your learning and improve your performance overall. Using information technology skil
4 Structure of the assessment courses This key skill assessment course does not have specific questions with word limits and no statements indicating you include, say, an essay or a report. Instead, as you tackle the course you need to ask yourself ‘Which pieces of work show my skills and capabilities to best advantage?’ When you have identified and selected evidence of your skills, you must then relate this evidence directly to the criteria. This method of building a portfolio is based not on providing right or wrong a
9 Notes to help you complete your assessment To complete your assessment portfolio, include a contents page to show what evidence you have included for each part. An example of a suitable format for the contents page is shown in Figure 1 above. Click here to view Figure 1 (PDF, 1 page, 0.1MB) Although the requirements of Parts A and B are listed separately you should think of
1.1.7 Using the memory buttons Calculations involving several operations can also be carried out in stages. One way to do this is to use the '=' key part way through the calculation. You can also use the calculator's memory. The Windows calculator has a number of memory buttons, shown in Figure 2, to help y
1.1.4 Simple arithmetic operations To perform a simple arithmetic calculation: Enter the first number in the calculation (for example '123') using one of the following methods: Using your computer keyboard's numeric keypad, which (if you have one) is on the right of your computer keyboard. Check to see whether the Num Lock indicator light is on and if it is not press the NUM LOCK key. Using your computer keyboard's numeric key
6.3 Referencing Once you start using the web for study and research, you'll see how convenient it is to find information that you can use for course notes, essays or reports. One of the most important of all your study skills is the ability to summarise information from other sources in your own words. Whenever you make use of any information that has been created by someone else, the author and the source must be clearly identified and acknowledged through the use of proper referencing. Providin
6.2 A different way of writing A word processor allows you to type text directly into your computer. You can then edit the content using functions such as delete, cut, copy and paste, and undo.
Because this is possible, you may begin to work in a different way. Instead of planning and drafting your work by hand, you can type in notes and ideas, develop them into paragraphs, and then move the paragraphs around to form a coherent essay or report. When you're checking whether your work is in a sensi
6.1 Introduction As a student, you're likely to engage in a variety of writing tasks. You'll almost certainly handle significant amounts of text and, depending on your course, perhaps also numbers or diagrams. This section looks at the different way that you write using a computer, and also provides some referencing advice.
Introduction One of the most fascinating and productive ways of using your computer for study is connecting to the internet to access the extensive amount of information available on the web. Such a diverse range of material brings its own challenges. It's therefore useful to know how to search effectively. Have a look at our Web Guide (accessed 8 November 2006). The BBC's Webwise online course (accessed 8 November 2006) will also help you become a confident web user. This
The benefits of conferencing There are a number of reasons why you should put time and effort into conferencing: You get support when you need it (in exchange for giving support to others). You have a richer vein of experience to draw on, because you can pool examples, references and ideas. A group can often produce better work than an individual. One person might put forward a thought or idea, often not completely formed or finished. Someone els
4.2 Why online conferencing is useful Online conferencing can make a big difference by making you feel part of the learning community, connecting to other students and keeping you motivated. It's a help to know that other people are struggling with the same issues as you, and that you can share problems and ideas at any time of day or night. It's also a good way for students to work together, rather than individually. Group working is becoming an important element of many courses, partly because it is increasingly the way t
Introduction As a student, you may have access to online conferencing. What can you do to help conferencing work well? This section discusses the reasons why online conferencing is useful, its benefits, how to make online conferencing work for you, and some of the typical problems and solutions relating to it. “Conferencing gives me the chance to think about what I'm going to say – so I find it much easier to make a w 3.4 Managing your time online One of the greatest challenges of using your computer for study is fitting in your online activities around the rest of your life. Online time isn't timetabled or contained in the way classroom learning is. So it can sometimes be difficult to avoid being interrupted by what is happening around you. Below are some suggestions for managing your time online. There is more detailed information about online conferencing in the next section. Log on to 3.2.1 How might you use it? Chat has its limitations for serious discussion, but you may find it helpful to keep in touch with other students. You might ‘meet’ with other students in your group by arranging a time once a week when you can all be online. It can really help to know that there are others out there with problems similar to your own. 3.2 Email Email involves sending an electronic message from your private mailbox to one or more named individuals. You can do this from any computer, whether you're at home or elsewhere. While it's quick and easy to send an email, don't expect an immediate reply. Although some people have constant access to their email, many others log in occasionally. Email is often a convenient way to contact your tutor, so be sure to add their address to your electronic address book! 3.1 Introduction One of the most useful and rewarding things you can do with your computer is use it to communicate with your tutor, other students, and course staff. If you like exchanging ideas and information, sharing support with other students, asking questions and getting feedback from your tutor, then online communication can add a whole new dimension to your learning: “Email from another student really kept me going 2.6 Back it up It's a good idea to get into the habit of regularly backing up your work files – things like your notes and assignments. This involves making a copy onto another storage device such as a floppy disk, CD-ROM or memory stick. If anything goes wrong with the hard disk on your computer and you lose all your data, it's some compensation to find that you have a recent copy of your files. To avoid losing important system files that run your computer, back them up using a data storage system
