Start building your academic success
Welcome to your guide to learning, support, and assessment at university. We'll help you understand how to succeed academically, what to expect in your studies, and where to find support along the way.
Personal Academic Tutoring
As a student, you'll be assigned a Personal Academic Tutor, a member of academic staff who supports your academic development throughout your studies.
They can help with:
- Monitoring your academic progress and performance
- Explaining assessment expectations and feedback
- Supporting your study skills and academic development
- Advising on adapting to university-level learning
- Connecting you to specialist support services
Our top tips for making the most of your tutor are:
- Ask for help early to support your success
- Come prepared with questions and take notes
- Discuss your feedback and progress
- Be open about challenges
- Attend meetings regularly
Ways of learning at university
University learning is interactive, independent, and intellectually challenging. You will experience different teaching formats designed to develop your knowledge and critical thinking skills. Success at university requires active participation, preparation, and engagement.
Some of the different ways you might be taught and learn include:
Lectures
Lectures are large-group teaching sessions introducing key ideas and research, often supported by slides and recordings.
Your role:
- Prepare with pre-reading
- Take structured notes
- Interact with lecturer and peers when asked
- Review content afterwards
Seminars
Seminars are small-group discussions (10–20 students) led by a tutor, focusing on analysing, debating, and applying ideas.
Your role:
- Prepare activities and readings in advance
- Contribute to discussions
- Ask questions
- Engage with different perspectives
Laboratory or practical sessions
Laboratory or practical sessions are designed for you to develop hands-on skills, and apply knowledge through experiments, technical activities, demonstrations, creative work, or professional simulations.
Your role:
- Check guidance and prepare in advance
- Take part and collaborate with others
Online learning
Online learning takes place via University online learning platforms, such as Canvas.
Every module will have a Canvas course, which provides assessment details, course materials and guidance and lecture recordings. Tutors will regularly communicate key information with you via Canvas and your University email
Your role:
- Engage with online materials, guidance and interactive activities
- Check Canvas and your University email daily.
Independent Learning
A significant part of your learning happens outside scheduled sessions. This might involve:
- Organising and managing your own time
- Conducting research
- Reading academic literature
- Revisiting and summarising notes
- Preparing assignments
- Revision and assessment preparation
- Reflecting on and developing your academic skills
Independent learning means taking responsibility for your progress and learning, and developing study habits which work for you.
Additional learning experiences
Depending on your course, you may also take part in activities such as:
- Group work and peer-learning
- Small group tutorials or one-to-one sessions
- Placements
- Field trips
Understanding how you'll be assessed
Assessment at university evaluates how you think, analyse and apply knowledge.
Assessments may be formative, meaning they don't contribute to your grade, but give you the opportunity to practise and receive feedback, or summative which means they contribute towards your grade.
Common assessment types include:
- Essays: analytical and discussion-based writing
- Reports: structured, evidence-based
- Portfolios and reflective writing: exploring your own experiences, approaches and learning
- Presentations: individual or group
- Exams: closed-book, open-book, online, oral
- Projects and case studies
- Multimedia projects: creating videos, podcasts, posters
- Dissertation or research projects: extended pieces of work
What makes university assessment different?
University assessments focus on critical analysis, not description. You will need to use of academic research and reference your sources. Good assessments develop independent arguments, supported by evidence and show consideration of multiple perspectives.
Assessment marking and feedback
For all assessments you will be provided with clear guidance and a marking criteria, which tells you what the marker is looking for to achieve certain grades.
Markers will be looking for different things dependent on your subject area, but marks will often reflect the quality of your analysis, depth of understanding and ability to communicate clearly to a reader or audience. Criteria may include:
- Critical engagement with sources
- Clear, well-structured arguments
- Evidence-based reasoning and analysis
- Academic writing and clarity
Do you understand university marks? They can be quite different to previous levels of study. In general:
- 70% plus is a distinction or first class, given for outstanding work.
- 60–69% is a merit or an upper second class, given for a very strong performance.
- 50–59% is a pass or lower second class, meaning work meets required standard.
After completing assessments, you will also receive feedback. Feedback will help you identify strengths, understand areas for improvement, and develop future work.
It's really important to engage with your feedback, ask tutors any questions you may have, and consider how you might apply feedback to future assessments.
Maintaining your academic integrity
All work must be your own, and you must not plagiarise other people’s work. You will need to:
- Support your ideas and arguments with evidence and academic sources.
- Acknowledge the sources you use by referencing them accurately.
- Follow University and assessment guidance on academic integrity and using generative AI.
Managing your time
Allow yourself to settle in. Anticipate time at the beginning of the year for practicalities, such as orientating yourself within your new course, becoming familiar with a new environment and getting used to new study and life routines. No-one expects you to know exactly what you’re doing immediately.
Create a semester plan. As soon as you can, look out for important dates such as assessment deadlines. Are there any particularly busy points or clashes? Work backwards from these and plan the steps you need to take to prepare for them. Is there anything you can start working on early?
Create regular routines so that your studying patterns become a habit. Removing decisions about when you need to be studying will allow you to focus more on your learning.
Protect periods of ‘no-study’ in your routine. This will allow you to feel rested and healthy so that you can study effectively, whilst allowing you to fit in other priorities, alongside enjoying the many other opportunities available at University.
Your key takeaways and further support
Success at University is a process. Your skills, knowledge and confidence will develop over time, and support is always available. Most importantly, be curious, willing to learn, and seek help when you need it.
Remember to:
- Engage actively in your learning. Attend classes, engage with activities and resources, ask questions, learn from tutors and peers.
- Take responsibility for your own independent study and time management.
- Make the most of your tutors. Attend personal tutor meetings and use office hours.
- Engage with support services such as the Academic Skills Centre for guidance with your academic, digital and mathematical skills.
What you can do now
- Reflect on the skills and experiences you already have which will help you study at University. What areas might you need to develop further?
- Explore the Academic Skills Centre’s Transition to University Canvas course. This will guide you in more detail through key skills including managing your time, note- taking, research, referencing, participating in classes, starting assignments, and digital skills.
And finally, try to remember:
- Marks in the 60s are strong and respected
- 70%+ is exceptional, not average
- Your marks and confidence will likely develop over time through carefully engaging with feedback and developing your skills and understanding.