Study success
Preparing for assignments
How to plan your time and the resources you need to prepare for your assignments.
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Assignments can be daunting, but there are a few simple things you can do to make sure you have the resources you need.
You should be told the assignment dates early on in your modules and these details are also in Moodle. Our tips will help you get a headstart on preparations.
Start your reading early
Check your reading lists for the essential texts for your modules. When you are doing the assigned readings for your lectures, seminars and tutorials, think about how they fit with the assignment questions you may do.
If you start making notes at this stage, you will have a good selection to draw on when you begin your assignment research.
Keep notes
No-one wants to be frantically searching the contents of books just before an assignment is due in.
Keeping notes and details of the books and articles you have read so you can remember useful content and quotes.
Look up books in advance
We will always buy the ebooks of essential texts for your courses if the publisher has made it available in that format. If it’s not available electronically, we have minimum levels of stock for essential texts.
However, it may be that the text you need is not immediately available. If that's the case, you should reserve it and we will email you when it becomes available for you.
Get support from Academic Services
Our Academic Services team includes the Academic Liaison Librarians, Study Skills Tutors, Digital Trainers, and Assistive Technology Advisers. Each can help you with different areas of your study practice.
The Academic Liaison Librarian for your subject area has lots of experience in finding, evaluating, and referencing relevant resources.
Book a tutorial with your subject's librarian to discuss your resource needs for your assignment.
Our Study Development Tutors offer 1 to 1 or small group tutorials. They also run workshops also run on campus, and you can talk to a Study Development Tutor about the availability of these workshops.
The Tutors can help you with improving your study strategies, reflecting on your planning process or developing your academic writing. They also have a collection of self-help resources to help you improve your study skills.
Study development tutorials
The Digital Training team run bookable 1 to 1 training sessions for most of the software and systems that are used frequently at the University.
Our Digital Trainers can help you get to grips with using applications such as Word or Powerpoint effectively for your assignments.
Digital training
Our Assistive Technology Advisers provide training on assistive software which supports your study.
They can advise you on applications which will help with note taking, reading, planning and writing.
Assistive technology
