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Join the briefing on exams and wellbeing support for MSc Economists. Learn about support services, exam preparation, time management, and more. Visit www.menti.com and use code 98.68.82 to participate.
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Exams and Wellbeing Briefing for MSc Economists 30 April / L3 Presenter: Alex Karalis Isaac Go to www.menti.com and use the code 98 68 82
Which Warwick charity do you wish to support as part of PTES? • Scholarships help to ensure that students from all backgrounds can benefit from a Warwick education. • Warwick in Africa funds Warwick students to travel to Africa to teach English and Maths to young learners in disadvantaged communities. • The Hardship Fund offers emergency support to students facing unexpected additional demands on their budget. • The Warwick Cancer Research Centre funds research at Warwick to help people in the local community live better with cancer. To vote for your charity: Go to www.menti.com and use the code98 68 82
Topics for today’s briefing • Support and wellbeing • Preparing for exams • Degree results/classification • PTES • Q&A • Social Event
Network of support: • Residential Life Team • Dean of Students’ Office • Personal tutors • Health Centre • Student Funding • International Student Office • Chaplaincy • Security/ Police • Student Careers and Skills • Students’ Union Advice Centre • Local services wellbeing.warwick.ac.uk
Further information on accessing our services 024 7657 5570 wellbeing.warwick.ac.uk Wellbeing Support Reception is based at Senate House
Wellbeing Support Services Website https://warwick.ac.uk/services/supportservices
Wellbeing System wellbeing.warwick.ac.uk Students can submit an enquiry by signing into the system using their usual IT services log in
Wellbeing Support Self Help information https://warwick.ac.uk/services/studentsupport/wellbeing/
Wellbeing Support Services Managing Exam Stress - Taster
Breaking The Stress Cycle 1 Limit what you let in 2 Let the stress/tension out
Exams Exam preparation • Office hours – feedback, advice • Online resources • Exam rubric • Past papers • Exam period: Term 3 weeks 3-4 (4th May – 18th May) • Support during exam time • Wellbeing drop-in sessions https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/current/msc/resources/wellbeing Illness during exams
Exams Exam timetable https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/current/msc/resources/exam_timetables Preparation in advance of the exam • Revision strategies • Preparing for exam writing Strategies during the exam • Time management • Choosing and answering the question
Exams Revision process has three or more phases • Phase 1: Information gathering • Phase 2: Revisit and remodel notes • Phase 3: Revisit and remodel notes again
Exams Before the day / on the day • Check start time and venue • Equipment • Arrive in plenty of time • Read the instructions • Answer the correct number of questions
Exams Time management in the exam • Plan your time carefully - e.g. 4 questions in 3 hours (180 minutes): - 10 minutes choosing questions - 40 minutes per question - 10 minutes checking time at the end • Do your time management planning in advance • Write done the finishing time for each question and keep to it - if necessary come back to the question later
Exams Choosing your questions • Read through the whole paper, not just the parts that you think you might be interested in. • Read carefully/ read carefully again/ check after a few minutes. • If you need to answer a question from each section, glance through all the topics to give yourself as wide a choice as possible. • Pay attention to allocation of marks. • Don’t waste too much time choosing questions, but choose carefully – then don’t change your mind!
Exams What is the question asking? • Read through the information carefully • Identify the problem that needs to be resolved • Select the formulae that need to be applied • Accurate working and attention to sequence and detail • Set out clearly and legibly • Generate ideas: e.g. mindmap • Make a plan/structure: Key Words • Identify formulae and equations presented in words • Check you have answered all aspects of the question
Exams What is the question asking? • Introduction: context, your approach (what, how & why), refs • Main Points: all aspects of question / logical order / different points of view (critical approach) • Conclusion: sum up answer – justify your view Different to writing assignment essays • Need to reference but not to same extent • Less time, therefore less information • Concise structure • Choose any structure that enables you to prove a point (thesis statement)
Exams Some common errors/problems • Poor choice of question • Answers not properly structured • Waffle and repetition • Not answering the question • Not showing a critical approach • Writer’s block • Lack of confidence • Leaving the examination room early Make some time to plan how to avoid these
Exams Some final words of advice • The first 50% of marks is easiest to obtain • Next 25% more difficult • Last 25% most difficult • If you are running out of time, two half answers may be worth more than one whole • Spend last 10 mins checking your work - numbered all answers - spelling - handwriting - all steps in calculation shown
Degree results – June Board • Exam marks will be released shortly after MSc Exam Board on 25th June • Module pass mark is 50% • The mean mark for our core modules is typically around 62% • To obtain a mark of 70, your work needs to be very good • Although we do use the full marking scale of 0% to 100%, in practice marks of above 80 are quite rare (<10%, typically) • Further information on Exam Schemes is given in the MSc Handbook
Degree results – November Board • November Board determines if you will be: • Awarded the degree and with distinction or merit • Permitted to resubmit the dissertation • Awarded a PG Diploma or PG Certificate or fail the MSc • We also give prizes for the best performance
Exams Resits • To resit an exam you must have passed more that 50% of taught modules at first attempt • Scheduled to take place 2nd – 6th September • Resits are capped at 50% Mitigating Circumstances • Submit Mitigating Circumstances Declaration form: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/current/msc/resources/mitcirc • Include evidence to support your claim • Any mitigating circumstances must be declared at the time they occurred prior to June exam board
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2019 • Regarded nationally as the primary measure of PGT student satisfaction in UK. • Wednesday 24th April to Friday 14th June 2019. • Warwick takes PTES results seriously as a way of considering how to improve teaching and learning at Warwick. • Benchmarking against other universities so we can understand our results relative to Economics courses elsewhere. • The Graduate School will contact non-responders.
Structure of the PTES (1) • A short survey – should take about 15 minutes • Questions are in the following areas: • Learning and teaching on the course • Engagement • Assessment and feedback • Dissertation • Organisation and management • Resources and services • Skills development • Institutional Questions (Welcome programme, communication, where do you study, value for money) • Rate your overall level of satisfaction (OSS) • PTES also provides the opportunity for you to add free and anonymous comments, which are very useful
Structure of the PTES (2) • You will be asked to provide a response to a series of statements using the following scale: • 1. Definitely agree • 2. Mostly agree • 3. Neither agree nor disagree • 4. Mostly disagree • 5. Definitely disagree • 6. Not applicable
Incentives and prizes We really value your participation in the PTES, so the Department are offering you some incentives: • For every PTES response from Economics students, £3 goes to your chosen charity and £2 into a prize draw, if 55% response rate is reached. • Three PGT students will be drawn at random to win a Red Letter Day voucher. • Lots of things to do with the voucher!
Examples of how we’ve acted upon your PTES (and other) feedback • Organised weekly lectures in the Spring Term to study real maths analysis in the MSc curriculum. • Will develop the core macro and micro modules to incorporate new theoretical material and applications. • Provided provisional mark distribution for the Micro and Macro January exams. We will also be extending exam feedback to include statements on what was done well and poorly by the cohort for each exam paper for MSc students in September 2019. • Agreed to introduce 15 minutes reading time in the Micro and Macro January exams. • Plan to introduce new coursework in Micro, Macro and Econometrics A and reduce the weighting of the final exams next year. • Daily drop-in sessions with the academic and pastoral support team. • Coffee and Cake sessions with three senior members of staff. • Redesigned the process of allocating dissertation supervisors at an early stage.
For PTES enquiries, please contact: Bozena Beauclair bozena.beauclair@warwick.ac.uk or Kelly Taylor k.e.taylor@warwick.ac.uk Annual class photograph Postgraduate Social 21st May 2019