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Student Skills Development Assistance

Students learn many important skills during their university education. Many of these are taught actively in Trent University courses, while others are not taught, but instead self-learned and refined through practice. This page provides information on developing these self-learned skills.

These skills may not be specifically taught in courses at university, but they are a valuable asset to any student's knowledge base. Below is a list of courses and services which can help with building these skills, as well as links to internet sites that may help in the development of these skills.

Contents

Searching for and Organizing Information

The skills of searching for and organizing information are the foundations on top of which good essays, reports, and projects are completed. These skills provide the understanding of the subject, as well as direct much of the content of the finished product.

Researching and Finding Information

The skill of searching out information has changed significantly in the last decade, with the widespread introduction of the internet. More information is available at one's fingertips than ever before. Finding good quality information that is needed has, as a result, become more complicated.

At Trent, Bata Library is a centre of information searching. Bata Library provides training and aids to help people find what they are looking for:

The internet has quickly become a primary source of information. Keep in mind, however, that the internet is only one of many possible sources. There is a lot of useful information that is not found on the internet. Further, the quality of some information on the internet is low, because practically anyone can put up a web site, and not everything on the internet is fact... some is opinion and "facts" that are unsubstantiated. Be certain that you are using reputable sources when gathering information from the internet.

Finding information on the internet can be a challenge. There are literally billions of web pages available, and many are changing and being added daily. Recent statistics indicate that internet indicies actually index less than 15% of the internet, and that they are slow at keeping up with changes. See "Accessibility and Distribution of Information on the Web", a web page summarizing an article in the journal Nature. Despite these problems, internet indicies are still a good a primary way to find information on the web.

Internet indicies can be divided into two main categories:

  • Subject Guides (also called 'Directories')
    Contain 'subject trees', where information is organized by categories. Good for searches where you are starting out (and are unfamiliar with the subject area, and for searches that are very broad. Yahoo is a good example.
  • Search Engines
    Contain web site information that can be searched by keyword. Many search engines also provide a subject guide listing for the sites they have indexed. Good for searches where you know exactly what you want and can identify key words to narrow your search. Examples include Alta Vista Canada and Lycos.

There are many guides out there to finding information on the internet. Below are a few good sites:

For a list of internet indicies, see Yahoo's "search engines and directories" category.

Here is an example of how you can use a search engine to find information quickly. Google is one of the larger search engines available on the internet.

Using Google you can search for web pages by keyword: e.g., for information about air pollution, use the key words "air" and "pollution". But Google's search system provides the user with more options to refine the search:

Google Search Objective: To Find Pages Containing... Type in Search Box
either "air" or "pollution" (i.e., pages that contain both words, as well as pages that contain only one or the other word). Pages with the exact phrase will be put first. air pollution
both terms "air" and "pollution" (i.e., pages that only contain both words) +air +pollution
the exact phrase "air pollution" "air pollution"
both terms "air" and "pollution", but not the word "indoor" (pages containing all three terms will not be included in the results) +air +pollution -indoor
the phrase "air pollution", but not the word "indoor" +"air pollution" -indoor

Note that this is the syntax for searching Google; other search engines may require somewhat different syntax. Check for search tips on the search engine's site.

Below is a list of sites dedicated to helping find information:

In most Trent courses you will be asked to search for information from references outside of those provided in the course. However, first year courses may provide some extra help in how and/or where to search for pertinent information.

Organizing Information (course notes, etc.) and Time

As course information is collected, it needs to be organized. As a course proceeds, keeping information organized is a benefit to performance on tests, reports, and exams. Since everyone thinks somewhat differently, there is no universal system that works for everyone. But there are some general guidelines that can help individuals better organize their work.

Here are a few web sites that may help with tips for better information organization, saving time, etc:

  • Get Organized Now!
    "You're about to discover hundreds of tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life!"
  • Organising Your Time (Study Skills Online)
    A concise discussion about time management as a university student.

Exams: Studying for and Writing

If you would like help organizing your time and/or studying effectively, the Trent University Academic Skills Centre can be of help. They offer one-on-one assistance, as well as seminars on specific topics.

There are also several web pages devoted to helping students improve their study skills. Check out some below:

  • HOW TO STUDY: A Brief Guide (William J. Rapaport)
    Describes 10 points to better studying habits, as well as links to several other sites with further help and guidance.
  • Not the 13th Grade Page (James Hayes-Bohanan, Ph.D)
    "I have created this web site to help students learn how expectations in college differ from those in high school, and to provide specific help toward success in college. The opinions expressed here are my own, but you will find that most other professors share many of the same goals. If you have any doubts, ask them!"
  • Study Skills
    (P.A. Canavan, teacher and guidance counselor)
    "Designed to Help Students Do Better In School"


Tips for writing an exam:

  • Get a full night's sleep the night before the exam.
  • In the exam, before starting, take the time to read the exam instructions carefully. If you have any questions raise your hand.
  • Write your name and student number on all booklets & papers you hand in at the end of the exam.
  • Start with questions to which you are more confident answering, and work your way towards questions you find more difficult. This accomplishes two things:
    • your best work will be completed first, when you are least tired
    • the more familiar answers are often completed more quickly, allowing more time to think about and answer more difficult questions
  • Regulate your time. An exam is time-restricted, so figure out how long you have to work on each question, and stick to that time. For example, in a 3 hour (180 minute) exam totalling 100 marks, you should allow about 18 minutes for a 10 mark question.
  • For large questions, organize your answer into paragraphs, using a page in your exam booklet, before writing your final answer.
  • Answers should be succinct and to the point. Don't wander off topic.
  • Take time to read and edit your answers.
  • Ensure your answers are legible.
  • Unless otherwise informed, spelling and referencing is not required in time-limited exams.
  • Don't leave early unless you are certain you have perfect! Take time to review answers and ensure you have not forgotten anything.

Mathematical Operations and Working With Numerical Data

The Trent University Academic Skills Centre can be invaluable in developing mathematics skills. They offer one-on-one assistance, as well as seminars on specific topics.

There are a few sites dedicated to providing general math resources for students, including:

  • The Math Forum
    "Our goal is to build an online community of teachers, students, researchers, parents, educators, and citizens at all levels who have an interest in math and math education..." Includes a significant section on math resources and a student center.

Scientific Notation

  • Scientific Notation (author?)
    A brief but complete explanation of how scientific notation works.
  • Scientific Notation Lesson
    Courtesy R. H. Logan, Instructor of Chemistry, Dallas County Community College District, North Lake College.

Significant Digits

Units of Measurement and Unit Conversion

This topic is reviewed in many first year science courses at Trent, including first year ERS. It is expanded on in second year science core courses. The additional resources listed below may also be of use.

Logarithms

Logarithms are useful in several areas of science, including statistics, chemistry, environmental science (pH scale for example), etc. Because they are not commonly encountered in everyday living, they are unfamiliar to many and may seem more difficult than they actually are.

The following web sites may help clarify what logarithms are and how they work.

Basic Statistics

Basic statistics are essential to most science disciplines, and are a foundation on top of which more advanced statistics are built. Any scientific endeavour where data is collected will likely involve statistics in investigating the results. Basic statistics include, for example, calculation of means and variations about a mean, comparison of means, and calculation of statistical significance.

The following web sites may help with solving some of the basics of statistics, but this subject covers a wide area, and there are several 1st and 2nd year Trent courses devoted entirely to this subject (see below). You will also find several books in Bata Library and in any bookstore dedicated to this topic.

Chemistry

Chemistry is required as part of an science environmental degree at Trent. The majority of environmental problems require chemistry to understand how the problem works, and how to solve the problem.

While the basic and quick web sites below about chemistry cannot replace a chemistry course, they could provide an alternate way of looking at a topic, or serve as a reminder about a concept.

Computer Software

This section is dedicated to helping with using computer software. There can be a large number of different versions available for different software, and they may differ considerably in how they operate. Try to match the version of software you are using with the page(s) you choose to use.

You can also visit Trent's Information Technology web site. They run a technical support centre (email: techsupport@trentu.ca , phone:748-1011 ext.5014) and can answer many questions about software on Trent's network.

Working with the Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME/XP/Vista Operating System

There are a lot of different versions of Windows out there! The most common 'flavours' found on campus are Windows XP (currently on Trent's network) and Windows Vista. If you are trying to solve a particular problem, remember that the different versions of Windows operate somewhat differently, so be sure to match up the version you are using with the version described in the help source.

Working with the Macintosh Operating System

The following web sites can provide help with using the Macintosh Operating System. If you want to see a more complete list of macintosh information check out the web site of the Trent Macintosh Users Group (TMUG). Note that there may be some differences in how to solve problems and learn tasks, depending on the version of operating system you are using.

  • MacAssistant Tips and Tutorial Newsletter
    "MacAssistant Tips and Tutorial Newsletter is an electronic magazine for users of Macintosh computers. ...I feel that a newsletter that actually tells you how to use your Mac more effectively is much more useful to the novice and intermediate users."
  • Mac OSX Hints
    Thousands of tips and troubleshooting advice provided by users.

At present, there are no Trent courses which require the use of a Macintosh computer.

Working with Presentation Software (e.g., Powerpoint)

The most common Presentation software used on campus is Powerpoint, made by Microsoft. It is available for both Windows and Macintosh, and there is a free Powerpoint viewer available for both platforms. Another less commonly used software is Presentations by Corel, and there are lots of others.
The links below focus primarily on using the software Powerpoint. See also Creating a Multimedia Presentation (below) which provides links to sites describing how to make a better presentation (i.e., layout, design, organization).

Working with Word Processing Software (e.g., Word)

Working with Spreadsheet Software (e.g., Excel)

Excel is installed on most of Trent's local networks, and is more commonly used in Trent University courses. Be aware of the spreadsheet version (and platform) you are working with... there are differences between versions that may be significant to your task(s) at hand, depending on what you are trying to do.

Working with Statistical Software

There are a few different applications used to work with statistics on campus. This is partly because statistics is more complicated, and there are several different approaches to the interface and to generating statistics.

Three common statistical applications used on campus are SPlus (by Insightful Corp.), Statistica (by Statsoft), and SPSS (by SPSS Inc.). The links below are grouped by application. As with all software, be aware of the version you are working with, as there may be significant differences between versions.

SPlus


Statistica


SPSS


York University maintains an excellent collection of links on all things statistical:


Creating PDF Documents (Free Options)

PDF (portable document format) is a file format that is now commonly used in the computer world. It provides a standard format that many applications in various computer platforms can read (some can also create them). PDF was created by the company Adobe, who makes and distributes the free Acrobat Reader software. They also make the commercial software Acrobat, which can create and edit PDF files.

Mac users can already create PDF documents free. The OS X operating system on the Macintosh allows one to print to PDF format from any application.

Windows lacks this ability, although some software can save as PDF. There are some free windows applications that can create PDF files; some are listed below. Although they lack many of the features offered in Acrobat, they create PDF files that can be read on any computer.

  • CutePDF
    "CutePDF Writer (formerly CutePDF Printer) is the free version of commercial PDF creation software. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". This enables virtually any Windows applications (must be able to print) to create professional quality PDF documents - with just a push of a button!"

  • PDF995:
    "Pdf995 makes it easy and affordable to create professional-quality documents in the popular PDF file format. Its easy-to-use interface helps you to create PDF files by simply selecting the "print" command from any application, creating documents which can be viewed on any computer with a PDF viewer."

  • PDFCreator
    "PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDF files from nearly any Windows application."

  • PrimoPDF
    "FREE! Convert to PDF from any application by simply 'printing' to the PrimoPDF® printer - it couldn't be easier! Within minutes, you can create high-quality PDFs by converting from Word, Excel, and virtually any other printable file type."

Working With People / In a Group Environment

It is common in the workplace to have groups or teams of people working together to accomplish a task or goal. On a large scale, any company or organization is a group working together to accomplish multiple goals. For instance, all the workers at Trent University, including faculty, staff, and administration, are working together as a group to accomplish several goals, one of which is providing high quality undergraduate education for students. On a smaller scale, there may be a group or team that is formed to focus on a specific task, for instance studying the problem of mercury contamination, and producing a report.

Working in a group successfully requires some special skills. Problems occur in group work that do not arise in individual work, and there are ways to successfully resolve these problems.

In most group activities, there tends to be one that is the leader or organizer, and problems can occur if more than one 'fight' for control, and problems if no one in the group wants to be the organizer. Most groups that are working towards a common goal benefit from management and organization. This requires an individual (for a small group) to do a little extra work to keep the group together and coordinated, as the group members do their part towards accomplishing the group's goal.

Usually there are group members that do more than their share of the work, and those that do less than their share, and this can be a problem if the difference between the two becomes extreme. Sometimes this results from group members who pay great attention to detail and take more one than their share to work with these details, and sometimes it results from members who do not commit themselves to the group's goal, and do not contribute their share of work. In the former case, it is partly up to the group member who sees these extra details to bring it to the group's attention, so the work can be discussed and distributed, rather than taking on all by themselves. In the latter case, it is up to all the group members to encourage the group member doing less work to contribute their fair share. Sometimes these issues require a decision by the group organizer, and sometimes there will be required mediation by the instructor to resolve an issue.

Other problems occur, such as personality conflict and disagreements. This is part of learning to work with people - no two people think alike, and everyone has opinions. Bear this in mind in the group environment, and remember that you and your group members are there to cooperate towards a common goal.

There are whole books devoted to developing successful teamwork skills and management techniques. Depending on your future endeavors, you will develop many of these skills through experience. In a university setting, where group work involves cooperating on studies and assignments (often with little experience), some additional guidance may be helpful. Below are some web sites that may provide some of that guidance, toward being a member of a successful team or group:

Communication Skills

Communication is integral to the success of any work. The end result of the vast majority of work is a report, presentation, or other product that communicates in some way. Communicating clearly takes practice and improves with experience, but there are a few guidelines that can help anyone communicating.

  • Having trouble in the beginning? Use an accepted structure.
    Most communications (essays, lab reports, slide presentations, oral presentations, etc.) have an accepted characteristic structure. For example, an essay usually consists (at the most basic level) of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The thesis of the essay is stated in both the introduction and conclusion, with the body consisting of points supporting and/or refuting the thesis. In many cases the course instructor will specify some requirements for the structure of the communication the student should submit.
  • Refine your communication through multiple drafts.
    After creating a first draft, review it from the point of view of your target audience. Is it clear? Understandable? Does it flow well? Is it repetative? Does it wander off the point? Edit to correct and improve the communication, creating a new draft. Then repeat the process a couple of times, working toward a final draft.
  • Have someone else look at it and comment on it.
    Another person will bring a different perspective and fresh eyes to your communication, and may find problems you missed.

The Trent University Academic Skills Centre can be invaluable in developing reading and writing skills. They offer one-on-one assistance, as well as seminars on specific topics, including essay writing, critical reading, writing lab reports, and grammar, among others.

Communication comes in many forms. Specific help and links are provided under the headings below.

Critical Reading

Most courses at Trent require the reading of material as part of the course curriculum Critical reading involves evaluating the written material on its merits, in context with the audience for which it is written, when and by whom it was written, and using several other factors. It takes more effort than recreational reading, and can involve making notes while reading. Critical reading requires critical thinking about what is read.

Below are some internet sites that provide some guidance to critical reading:

Writing

Writing is the most common way you communicate what you know and understand in most Trent courses, and in the post-graduation world, so it is important to develop this skill.

There are a large number of internet sites dedicated to helping students write well. Here is a sample:

Referencing Guidelines and Style

Referencing involves informing the reader of the source of information gathered by the writer. It is important to reference any essay, lab report, or other writing, because without referencing, any information taken from other sources is plagiarized.

There are many different styles used to reference writing. There may be some slight variation in style from course to course, and this reflects the real world, where different publications use different styles of referencing.

Data Graphs: Reading and Creating

This skill, frequently overlooked, involves the communication of data via graphics. The common saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" applies to this form of communication well, as a graph can effectively communicate a huge amount of information.

Poster Creation

A poster is basically a collection of information presented on a large space for people to view. It can be presented electronically, as on a computer screen, but is more commonly printed and posted so people can read the information. Posters can involve interactivity, and can present information in various ways.

Poster creation involves a number of skills, as well as some specific to the creation of the poster as a whole. Some of the web sites below provide assistance with various aspects of poster creation.

Multimedia Presentation Creation

Like a poster, a multimedia presentation is a collection of information presented to people. The difference is that a multimedia presentation is designed in the electronic medium to be presented electronically, such as on a web site, or via a computer.

Multimedia presentations can contain sound, movies and animation, and various forms of interactivity that a poster cannot provide. However, multimedia presentations are commonly limited to electronic media, such as computers.

The web sites below can help in design and in providing ideas for the creation of a multimedia presentation.


While there are very few Trent courses that require the creation of a multimedia presentation, this format may be valid option for group presentations and other assignments, depending on the instructor's desires and the subject.

Oral Presentation Preparation and Delivery

Several Trent courses require an oral presentation as part of the course completion. An oral presentation is yet another way to communicate information. While it can be more stressful to the presenter, it can also be much more personal and interesting.

Some of the web sites below can help with preparing for and delivering an oral presentation.

Designing a Web Page/Site

The following web sites provide guidance and tips for designing a better web page or site:

General and Multiple Skills Web Sites and Aids

The following sites are tools and aids directed toward the student. They cover multiple topics described on this page, in addition to many other topics of interest to the student developing his or her skills.

  • A Research Guide For Students
    "The goal of this Web site is to provide all the necessary tools for students to conduct research and to present their findings."