Learning & Support
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The elements the student may expect to play a role in learning

Excellent student support and the best learning material available are two of the most important pillars upon whic our services are built. The following are the most important of learning and support resources available to our students:

• Course professor
• Academic tutor
• Course Study Guide
• Course Website
• Textbooks
• Course CD
• Academic Guide
• Local support group
• Learning management
• Administrative staff
• The continuous assessment process

These categories are discussed below.

Course Professor

Every course has a course professor who is a specialist in the particular field. The professor is responsible for the following:

• The hotline (Website e-mail message board) between you, the professor and your academic tutor
• The Course Study Guide
• The assessment process
• Keeping the course Website up-to-date with current learning material
• Sending messages to students through the course Website
• Compiling the FAQ list for the course
• Personal notes to guide students to resources and references, as well as reminders which are placed on the course Web-page

Course Study Guide

The Course Study Guide serves as a navigation instrument, steering you through a particular course. The following topics are normally included in the Course Study Guide:

• Introduction to the course
• Course information
• Prescribed learning material (textbooks)
• Study process for the course which includes individual and group work
• Advice on academic support resources
• Programme schedules (also called programme calendar)
• Assessment activities
• Course study hints
• Study skills

Course Website

The Course Website is a content-rich education website created by professors, providing academic support for faculty and students. The following are some services that are available on a course Website:

• Messages from the course professor
• A research area with the best research tools available for finding the most valuable and relevant material available on the web
• Internet links to discipline-specific websites
• Internet links to virtual libraries, other students and professors
• An online writing centre that provides links to online directories, thesauruses, writing tutors, style and grammar guides, and additional tools
• Chat rooms that facilitate communication between students and with the course professor
• Other communication tools
• Study tips

Companion Website

Companion websites have become the new way of facilitating on-line education. They provide the necessary interaction between the student and the textbook. Companion websites add a host of activities, information and self-test opportunities to the excellent texts and provide an ideal environment for quality Objective Directed Learning. The following elements may be available as features on Companion Websites:

• Web Destinations with links to material-related websites
• Numerous links to websites related to student success and study skills
• Writing Resource Centre's links to directories, thesauruses, writing tutors, style and grammar guides, and additional tools
• A research area that saves time finding the most valuable and relevant material available on the web. The research area provides a resource library that includes links to tutorials, virtual libraries, Internet resources and more. Each link is annotated to expedite your research.
• Brief articles stemming from each chapter of the particular textbook
• Message Board from which the student can take note of events and discussions
• A Chat Room that allows communication between students and with the author about pertinent questions and topics

Textbooks

Only the latest edition textbooks are prescribed. All textbooks are written by world-renowned authors and are packed with pedagogical features, state-of-the-art design and cutting edge style. These easy-to-use books are focused on learning outcomes and are deliberately selected to reinforce learning and increase comprehension.

The following pedagogical features (in-text learning aids) are prevalent in most textbooks:

• Chapter outlines
• Chapter learning objectives detailing what you need to know
• Chapter summaries
• Key term lists
• Self-evaluation questions
• Quick checks (quick-fire questions)
• Review questions
• Application questions
• Case application and questions
• Check lists
• Margin definitions and notes
• A wide range of graphics
• Full-colour artwork
• Team exercises
• Appendixes
• Indexes

Academic Tutor

A registered academic tutor, who has certain qualifications, is appointed to assist you in the learning process. His/her tasks are mainly the following:

• Give general guidance and advice during the learning process
• Give advice on the content of the course material when necessary
• Arrange regular face-to-face contact between peers (this could be through a local support group or any other arrangement)
• Facilitate the prescribed group work
• Be a sounding board to students
• Facilitate all prescribed self-assessing activities
• Facilitate all other prescribed assignments, projects and practicals
• Act as invigilator during formal assessment sessions (tests)
• Assess the prescribed assignments on behalf of the course professor
• Assess the prescribed tasks on behalf of the course professor
• Assess the prescribed group work on behalf of the course professor
• Assess the workbook on behalf of the course professor
• Communicate with the course professor when necessary through the CU Website
• Submit prescribed reports to the Faculty
• Act as counsellor

Course CD

Course material accompanies all courses as part of the learning material supplied (with no additional costs). Although the content of the Course CDs vary substantially with each course, some of the features listed below are generally included.

For the Student

• Course Study Guide
• Supplementary material for each chapter of the textbook such as:
  • Chapter overview
  • Chapter objectives
  • Chapter annotated outline
  • Solutions to self-evaluation and review questions
• PowerPoint slides and transparencies
• Course Assessment Directives
• A wide range of additional course support resources
• Companion Website
• Support Websites with links to libraries, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, yearbooks, atlases, journals, indexes, and many other resources
• Academic Guide
• Study aid
• Terms and concepts
• Prospectus
• Textbook particulars

For the Tutor

• Tutor's Manual
• Tutor's Guide
• Assessment memoranda for tutors
• Various support material for tutors

General Information

• Web links to:
  • CU Website
  • Course Website
  • Companion Websites
  • Online writing centre that provides links to online directories, thesauruses, writing tutors, style and grammar guides, and additional tools
  • Self-assessment libraries
  • Skills development exercises
• Academic Guide
• Programme summaries
• Study aid
• Index to terms and concepts
• Prospectus
• Administrative procedures

Assessment

• Test programme
• Assessment activities for students
• Assessment criteria for tutors

Academic Guide

The faculty's comprehensive Academic Guide is the constant companion and guide for students and academic staff alike. It provides extensive background information and covers a wide variety of topics on Objective Directed Learning, the curriculum, the syllabus, and learning in general.

Local Support Group

Students are strongly encouraged to form local support groups (a study group). These are invaluable for discussion and mutual support. Establishing a support group counters the lack of face-to-face contact and support from academic tutors and peers in distance learning (e-learning). Support groups can involve many types of activities of which the following are some examples:

• Group discussions
• Group discussions on work done in assignments, tasks, review questions, etc
• Group problem solving
• Presentations by guest speakers and peers
• Group tasks and projects
• Group visits to business organisations, factories, etc
• Workshops

Learning Management

The following aspects of learning management are included in the course materials. These provide skills and knowledge to develop the learning, personal, social and career-related skills:

• An introductory course in study skills for students going to university for the first time. The aim is to equip students with key skills that enable success in the highly competitive era of mass higher education. Students are also equipped to cope with the increasing trend toward independent study and lifelong learning. This course includes the following topics:
  • Learning to learn
  • Managing stress and time
  • Group working skills
  • Finding information
  • Reading for study
  • Taking notes
  • Working with numbers
  • Essay writing
  • Writing reports and dissertations
  • Case studies
  • Presentations
  • Examinations
• An online writing centre that provides links to online directories, thesauruses, writing tutors, style and grammar guides, and additional tools
• Online self-assessment libraries for assessing your skills, abilities and interests
• Online skills development exercises
• Study aid on the Course CD

Administrative Staff

Academic and administrative staff maintains an open door policy and are proficient in giving advice and general support to students or potential students concerning:

• Administrative routines and requirements
• All aspects of the curriculum
• Fee structures and payment of fees
• Complaints
• Administrative questions and problems
• RPL matters
• Personal barriers to study
• Application and registration procedures
• Any other administrative matters

Continuous Assessment Process

The assessment process conducted by CU provides valuable support to students during their engagement with a programme or course by embracing the concept of continuous assessment.

Continuous assessment is an ongoing process that tracks and measures a student's achievements during the programme. Regular assessments of performance provide information that is used to support a student's development. It also enables improvements to be made in the learning process. Continuous assessment provides the ideal relationship between formative and summative assessment and embraces both types of assessment.

Summative assessment is conducted after the student has completed sections of a learning programme or course. It is, therefore, not confined to a single written examination because you are continuously assessed and are not required to write yearly or half-yearly examinations. You are credited for each assessment and these credits accumulate until conditions have been met for the awarding of a qualification.

Formative assessment refers to assessment that takes place during the process of learning and is used to support the student developmentally. It gives the student feedback during the learning process.

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