UPU0001 - Learning Skills
This guide is designed to support you with learning skills and help you to prepare for further university studies, provides tips and tricks for completing your assignments.
Click the tabs below to find books, journal articles and other resources for your assignments.
Communications Toolkit (ebook) 3rd Ed. by
Transition to tertiary studies -- Research skills -- Academic writing -- Refining your writing -- Face-to-face communication.
Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780170243612Publication Date: 2014
Resources for Writers with Readings by
The integration of up-beat skill instruction, a wealth of exercises, and the availability of a supplemental lab manual makeResources for Writersthe most complete resource for developmental writing at the paragraph to essay level.
Call Number: 808.0427 LONISBN: 9780205651733Publication Date: 2008-10-23
Communication skills toolkit : unlocking the secrets of tertiary success 3d Ed. by
The Communications Toolkit is a valuable and practical resource guide to enable students to develop effective communication skills.
The text helps students make a successful transition to tertiary studies, develop effective research skills for their discipline, approach academic writing with confidence, refine their writing skills, and enhance their face-to-face communication experience.
Call Number: 378.170281 GREISBN: 9780170184762Publication Date: 2010
Eight ways at once 2nd Ed. by
This book introduces and explains the revisions to both Gardners and Blooms models and outlines over 200 classroom strategies.
Call Number: 372.01 MCGISBN: 1740911180Publication Date: 2005
- (Gray, 2015) Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges Peter Gray, Ph.D., is a research professor at Boston College, author of Free to Learn and the textbook Psychology (now in 8th edition), and founding member of the nonprofit Let Grow.
- (Wallis, 2005) The New Science of Happiness For most of its history, psychology had concerned itself with all that ails the human mind: anxiety, depression, neurosis, obsessions, paranoia, delusions. The goal of practitioners was to bring patients from a negative, ailing state to a neutral normal, or, as University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman puts it, "from a minus five to a zero." We needed to ask, What are the enabling conditions that make human beings flourish? How do we get from zero to plus five?"
The Study Skills Book by
Is there a secret to successful study? The answer is ‘yes’! There are some essential skills and smart strategies that will help you to improve your results at university. Using proven techniques and tips to help you focus your efforts and develop successful study skills and strategies, THE STUDY SKILLS BOOK provides practical answers to questions such as: What do lecturers expect from you in a tutorial? What’s the best way to plan an essay or dissertation? Where should you concentrate your efforts for maximum impact? This book is an essential practical resource for all students who want to improve their performance and succeed in their studies: All key study skills are covered including essay writing, revision and exams, tutorials, and dissertations Practical solutions are presented for the most common problems A common-sense, no-nonsense approach is offered using practical checklists and tips This handbook has been written by experts and extensively tested on students to help you focus your efforts, troubleshoot your problems and thrive at university. “Every aspect of university life is covered – my tip to other students is to have this book on their desk and use it – (it) has been a great help”, Sarah Scott, Student “This book really is a must have for any first year student!! Easy to read, intelligent and the best help a first year could ever want!”, Alastair Ross, Amazon reviewer “This book really will be a godsend to you during your time at university. It's like my bible now - I'm so glad I bought it!”, Fi Wordsworth, Amazon reviewer
Call Number: 371.30281 MCMISBN: 9780273773313Publication Date: 2012
Assignment Support
"... as soon as you are enrolled, whether you’re studying on campus or online, you should do a tour of your library’s website so that you will know what the library can offer you" (Grellier & Goerke, 2018, p.5).
Communications Toolkit (ebook) 4th Ed. by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780170401623Publication Date: 2018The Communications Toolkit is a valuable and practical resource guide to enable students to develop effective communication skills.
The text helps students make a successful transition to tertiary studies, develop effective research skills for their discipline, approach academic writing with confidence, refine their writing skills, and enhance their face-to-face communication experience.
Learning Theories
Explore interactive Learning Theory Conceppt Map and get familiar with key concepts and paradigms of learning theories.
VARK modalities
The VARK modalities theory was developed by Nail Fleming (19970 and identify 4 most common categories to defind learning styles:Visual, Aural, Verbal, Kinesthetic.
Take a VARK questionnaire to find out how do you learn best and develop additional individual effective strategies for learning and improving your communication skills:
Books
The learning styles helper's guide by ISBN: 1902899105
Note taking and reading strategies
Books
Tricks and Tips
Learning Videos
How to use a planner - time management
ECU Support: Tricks & Tips
FAQ: How can I manage my time more effectively?
Reading and Notetaking Tip Sheet 
Weekly Planner and Instructions
Tips for Planning Your Semester
Learning Videos
Books
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is a time management methodology where you work for 25 minutes followed by a short 3-5 minute break. You repeat the same cycle 4 times and take a longer break.
Pomodoro Technic Tools
- Tomato TimerTomato Timer is a flexible and easy to use online Pomodoro Technique Timer.
- Clockwork Tomato (Android)Clockwork Tomato is an established Pomodoro app that’s specifically built for Android devices.
- Forest (iOS, Android)Forest is an app that helps you stay focused on the important things in life.
Planning for Careers
Government websites
- Job Outlook - find out more on the demand for jobs in different industries.
- MyFuture - myfuture provides resources to explore career pathways and tools to develop self-knowledge to help with career decision-making.
- 100 Jobs of the Future - is a research project that aims to look at the future of work in an increasingly technologically-driven society.
- Jobs & Skills WA - is the funding program in Western Australia for Vocational Education and Training (VET).
- Volunteering WA - Volunteering WA makes a difference by connecting thousands of volunteers to many community organisations and help you acquiring new skills and find your career path.
- My Skills - find and compare the outcomes, durations and locations of nationally-accredited training from registered training providers.
ECU Support
On-line Community
Tricks & Tips
- Templates for Resume and Cover Letters (Microsoft Office)
- Sample Resumes (Youth Central)
- Templates for Cover Letters (The Guardian)
- How to address key selection criteria (Seek)
Books
Group work, Attendance and Engagement
ECU Support
Book Group Study Room:
- Joondalup Library: 31.107, 31:108, 31.109, 31.110, 31.114, 31.301, 31:302, 31.313A, 31.313C, 31.318, 31.319
- Mount Lawley Library: 8.308, 8.318, 8.403, 8.404, 8.409, 8.410
- Bunbury Library: 3.101H, 3.101K, 3.101L, 3.101M, 3.101N
To book a room, visit ECU Spatial Information System (ECUSIS) and log in using your ECU login.
- Select Room Bookings.
- Select ML Library (Mt Lawley), JO Library (Joondalup) or BU Library (Bunbury) for room locations.
- Select the room you would like to book.
- Select the day and time you would like (2 hour booking per day only).
- In the Meeting Title box, type in your student number.
- Click Make Booking
- Your room is now booked. You will be sent a booking receipt to your student email account. Note: If you do not receive a receipt, an error may have occurred and the room is not booked.
- Log off from the booking system.
Books
Learning Video
LinkedIn Learning: Working and Collaborating online
Reflective Oral Presentation
ECU Support
Book Practice Space via ECUSIS Room Booking:
- Joondalup Library: 31.114, 31.107. 31.108, 31.109, 31.110. 31.319
- Mount Lawley Library: 8.303
- Bunbury Library: Ask the Library staff to book the Library Seminar Room for your practice.
- Academic Skills Essentials: PresentationsPresenting individually or in a group is a common assessment task in most courses. This tip sheet will guide you through the steps of planning, structuring, writing and delivering a professional oral presentation.
Books
On-line Community
- QUT - Australian ePortfolio Project . Reflective Writing Practice
- Toastmasters Western Australia: Become the Speaker and Leader You Want To Be
Tricks & Tips
Presentations Tools
Use Body Language to Rock Your Next Presentation / Stanford Graduate School of Business
It is important to know yourself, your personality type, learning style, what is meaningful to you to define your life and career goals. We encourage your to complete the tests below to discover your strengths, your weaknesses and draw up your development plan.
- Procrastination TestProcrastination can cause problems at work or school, in your relationships, and with your health, among other things. Find out why you procrastinate and how potentially damaging it could be by taking this procrastination test.
- Career Aptitude TestThe free career aptitude test consists of 30 questions and takes only 5 minutes to complete.
- Holland Code career assessmentThe Holland Code (RIASEC) refers to both career theory and professional choice based on personality types. It was created by a well-known American scientist, psychologist, John L. Holland.
- How good are your communication skills?How can you find out how good your communication skills really are? Take this short quiz to find out.
- Anxiety self testThis brief questionnaire will ask you about symptoms of anxiety and some other related issues
- Perceptual Modality Preference SurveyThe seven perceptual learning styles are print, aural, interactive, visual, haptic, kinesthetic, and olfactory. This survey will help you identify your preferable learning styles and can help you plan your future learning experiences.
- ProQuest Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
Merger of EBL Ebook Library and Ebrary Academic Complete. - EBSCO Databases This link opens in a new windowDatabases available on the EBSCOhost platform are:
AMED, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycBooks, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycTests, Art & Architecture Source, Business Source Ultimate, CINAHL Ultimate, Criminal Justice Abstracts, eBook Collection, eBook Open Access (OA) Collection, Education Source, European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750, Family Studies Abstracts, GreenFILE, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Mental Measurements Yearbook, Music Index with Full Text, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Regional Business News, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text, RIPM – With Full Text, Social Work Abstracts, and SPORTDiscus with Full Text. - Knowledge Unlatched This link opens in a new windowOpen access scholarly ebooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
- PsycBOOKS This link opens in a new windowIncludes chapters in PDF from books published by the APA and other publishers. Includes dgitised content of historical significance from the Archives of the History of American Psychology (AHAP) collection.
Tricks & Tips
- Ebook User GuideA step by step user guide on Ebooks
- ProQuest eBook Central Chapter DownloadsDownload this for a quick guide to using ProQuest eBooks.
- AEI (Australasian Education Index) This link opens in a new windowProduced by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), provides a guide to around 1400 educational institutions and related organisations in Australia and New Zealand.
- EBSCO Databases This link opens in a new windowDatabases available on the EBSCOhost platform are:
AMED, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycBooks, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycTests, Art & Architecture Source, Business Source Ultimate, CINAHL Ultimate, Criminal Justice Abstracts, eBook Collection, eBook Open Access (OA) Collection, Education Source, European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750, Family Studies Abstracts, GreenFILE, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Mental Measurements Yearbook, Music Index with Full Text, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Regional Business News, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text, RIPM – With Full Text, Social Work Abstracts, and SPORTDiscus with Full Text. - ERIC + ED Documents This link opens in a new windowProvides journal publications, grey literature & book sources.
Please note this Open Access database does not provide links to ECU Library subscription materials. - ProQuest Central (Current ECU Students & Staff) This link opens in a new window
International multidisciplinary database indexing a selection of journals in all subject disciplines. It is useful for a broad cross-disciplinary search, rather than in-depth in a subject.
- Harbin, M. B. (2020). Collaborative note-taking: a tool for creating a more inclusive college classroom. College Teaching, 68(4), 214–220. Abstract Collaborative note-taking is a pedagogical technique that asks students to rotate note-taking responsibilities during class meetings in a shared document. Implementing this technique helped me, as an instructor, better leverage my students’ strengths and weaknesses in an introductory American government class—though the benefits should extend to a wide range of disciplinary contexts. In particular, collaborative note-taking helped level the playing field for students entering my classroom with wide-ranging levels of prior preparation. It also provided a consistent access point for evaluating student comprehension and learning and improved the quality of classroom discussion. As a result, implementing this pedagogical approach can help foster a more collaborative, inclusive, and equitable learning environment in university classrooms.
Tricks & Tips
- How to find Journal articlesExplains various ways to find articles for your assignment
- Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
ProQuest's Academic Video Online delivers more than 66,000 video titles covering anthropology, business, counselling, film, health, history, music, and more.
- Informit EduTV This link opens in a new windowProvides content across a range of learning areas. As well as documentaries, it includes programs broadcast on pay TV channels such as The History Channel, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge and Discovery.
- LinkedIn Learning This link opens in a new windowWatch courses on the LinkedIn Learning mobile site, or with free apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android tablet; switch back and forth between devices without ever losing your place.
- Oxford Scholarship Online This link opens in a new windowAn online library, providing easy access to thousands of books in Business and Management, Economics and Finance, Law, Public Health and Epidemiology.
- LinkedIn LearningSign in with your ECU email to gain access to all LinkedIn Learning's video courses and tutorials.
- Crash Course: Study Skills
This link opens in a new window
In 10 episodes, Thomas Frank teaches you study skills! Based on introductory college-level material and scientific studies, this course takes you through the tools and skills you need to get better at studying and finishing assignments in school and beyond. - 10 Habits of Highly Effective StudentsThe vast majority of successful students achieve their success by developing and applying effective study habits. The following are the top 10 study habits employed by highly successful students.
- Panopto for StudentsWith Panopto you can create, edit and submit video assessments using a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
TED Talks: Ideas worth spreading
Need help?
Ask the Library
for access to library items, research and referencing help
New eBooks
