Working independently
During your studies, it’s likely that you’ll often be asked to undertake assessments both as a group with other peers on your course and individually.
Students will often be encouraged to work cooperatively with their peers throughout their studies, but it’s important to check the brief of any assessment you are going to undertake to understand when you are cooperating and when you might be committing collusion.
Therefore, use your own voice, ideas and analysis in your assignment submissions unless it says otherwise. Working with another student on a piece of work that is supposed to be only yours is known as collusion and is a form of academic misconduct.
Similarly, if you share your own work – whether it be references or revision notes that someone makes use of to create work that is significantly similar to your work – you can still be considered as colluding, which can lead to a misconduct allegation. This rule also applies to any open-book exams you might undertake during your degree.
Conduct a SWOT analysis
Sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation or know where to start when learning independently.
Conducting a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) can be a good way to understand your current learning habits and styles and identify what you might need to focus on or support/training you might need to improve your learning skills. Once you’ve identified areas for improvement, take some time to discover useful material (such as books, videos etc) to help you develop your skillset further.
Set aside dedicated time
Setting aside dedicated time in your diary to find a quiet space for you to work on any assessment or coursework is a great start, where you can try to tune out any distractions. See if you can identify a similar timeslot each week to fit in independent study so you develop a regular routine, whether that’s reading a book or journal, writing, or organising your notes from your lectures.
Take care of your wellbeing
Another key aspect for successful independent learning is to take care of your wellbeing. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, finding time to exercise and eating a balanced diet. And be sure to be spend time with friends and family to break up how long you spend studying and working so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
If you do feel like you need support with your wellbeing, our Student Services team is here to help.