Postgraduate Essentials

1. Postgraduate Essentials Online induction to the course

2. What is PG Essentials? • 6 time released modules each live for 1 or 2 weeks • Forums with access to ~90 brilliant minds! • Chat rooms for real time discussions • Videos of real supervisors and students discussing their experiences • Surveys, quizzes and downloadable tools

3. How does it work? • An online learning course hosted in LEARN • You will have 6 modules to work through • Getting Started • Getting Organised • Working with Your Supervisor • Searching the Literature • Writing a Literature Review • The first Year Review • You have access to the materials after the course has finished • Each module is supported by course staff • You work through the course at your own pace, as, when and where it suits you

4. How does it really work!? Through your participation and input! • Communicating and interacting with other postgraduates is vital if you are to get the • most from this course. • You can use the chat and forum facilities to discuss your experiences and explore • concerns and problems with other • postgraduates. • Peer support and peer resources are a vital component of the course. You will have so much to learn from each others experiences. • Use the site as a way to explore this resource.

5. The course team • Tutor: IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN? • Each week a specially selected tutor will be on hand to offer specific advice, information and ideas for discussion around the current topic. You will have a new tutor each module • Moderator: • A current PhD student will be on line throughout the course, prompting discussions and pointing to useful sources of advice and information

6. Your Role • Get involved! • Post on the forums • Take the information you need from the session – it is flexible so you can use what is useful and go at your own pace. • Let us know if there are additional sources of information or support you would like to see in the course

7. Lets get started... This part of the course will help you log on to PG Essentials and get started. Follow along with these slides for a tour of the course…

8. What’s LEARN (VLE) LEARN is an online learning environment that packages many different tools together in a single place along with learning resources to facilitate a student’s learning. A student does not have to be physically present in a classroom to interact with their tutors and fellow students, and can therefore continue learning whether doing research in the field or simply from home where time allows.

9. Login to LEARN To login to LEARN follow these instructions: Login to MyEd and click on the ‘Studies’ Tab

10. Login to LEARN cont. Find the LEARN channel (you will see a list of courses you are enrolled in) Click on the PG Essentials course.

11. PGE Course Contents Once Logged in you will see the screen (on right) with the main navigation bar. This bar will help you navigate all the main sections of the course: Course Content Assessments Discussions Chat Who’s Online

12. Course Content The main course content page will show you the all the course modules as they become available in folders (like on the right) Clicking on the folders will take you to the actual course material that is the heart of the course. The modules all have certain icons to help you work more efficiently on the course (next slide)…

13. Module Icons Every Module will have a table of contents that you can navigate on the left hand side of the screen and icons (circled red in image). These icons behave exactly as described: Notes – lets you take notes Print – creates a printable document of any page Bookmark – lets you bookmark pages for easy reference Start, Previous, Next and Last – allow you to navigate the pages in the learning module you’re in.

14. Assessments This course has several online assessments you will be asked to complete. WebCT says they are timed and graded, however they are not. The assessments you are asked to complete as part of PGE are designed for self reflection, to prompt you to start thinking about the things you should be thinking about in the first 6 months of your PhD.

15. Discussions The Discussion forums are available for a variety of purposes. We encourage you to use them as much as possible. The way PG Essentials is designed, means that the more you put into the course, and the forums, the more you will get out of it! Note:We expect all participants to show professionalism and courtesy in the forums at all time. Please refrain from using offensive language and treat each other with respect.

16. Chat The Chat function will allow you to enter the PGE chat room and have live discussions with tutors and your peers. To do so, just click on the ‘Common Room’ as indicated here.

17. Who’s Online The Who’s Online link in the Navigation Menu will show you everyone who is currently logged into the course. This is useful if you would like to send instant messages or chat requests to fellow students or tutors.

18. Extras Help Section The help section for the course can be found in the ‘Welcome’ module on the course contents page. Here you can find the FAQ and System Requirements for the course. FAQ The FAQ should answer most questions but should your question not appear, there is contact info by which you can reach us directly. System Requirements The system requirements will tell you what the minimum computer requirements are to run the course, and includes links to all the needed software and updates, should you not meet these requirements.

19. Good Luck! That is everything you need to know to get started. Feel free to log in and explore. As new modules are made available the corresponding forums will become available for topic relevant discussion. For now, head over to the postgraduate lounge and introduce yourself!