Life at university

How do students spend their study time?
Typically, full-time undergraduate students will take four subjects per semester. Teaching is done through lectures and tutorials, but some subjects will require students to attend other types of work sessions as well, such as laboratory sessions, field trips and work placements. Students are also expected to put time into study at home or in the library.

Lectures and tutorials
Most lectures are not compulsory, but students are urged to attend regularly as a lot of the foundation theory for the subject is covered in lectures. The lecturer will present material orally and may make use of visual aids and other materials. Students are expected to listen, make notes and to do preparatory and follow-up reading.

Lectures may have a large number of students attending, so to enable closer discussion of subject matter, students attend tutorials in smaller groups. At tutorials, students can expect to participate actively in discussions, take turns at presenting papers to the group and leading the discussion. Tutors are experts in the subject area and their role is to assist the students with their understanding.

Is computer literacy important?
Students will need to be computer literate, no matter what they are studying. It is an advantage if they have a computer of their own at home, but the University provides students with 24-hour access to computers on campus at a number of locations.