Roland was in Group 1, and the presentation delivered by his group is available at this link:
COMP1900-2008-Roland: assignment 2 part b presentation
Group 2 demonstrated the broad variety of ways in which the data collected over the two week period could be visualised. A good comparison of the merits of spreadsheet and database use also featured. I also liked the conclusions drawn by the individuals in the group about the key areas in which they could improve their time management.
It would appear a more significant discussion of the effectiveness of study occurred when the presentation was delivered than is apparent on the embedded online presentation. This is perhaps a weakness more of the concept of sharing presentations online than the presentation itself: in many cases, it is more appropriate to spend time engaging with and responding to the audience than have all points listed on the PowerPoint slides. Indeed, this was a technique I employed in my presentation, when I asked questions of my fellow group members when I delivered the presentation in person.
On a minor note, the presentation is let down in some areas by typographical (spelling and grammar) and typesetting (appearance of text) problems, that may have been solved by some more thorough proofing.
Overall, another good insight into the lives of working and studying university students well worth having a look at.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Another take on study effectiveness: Harry
Harry, a member of group number 5 features on his blog his group's study effectiveness presentation. Here's the link:
Harry Kim COMP1900 Assignment: Powerpoint slide
Harry's group did a very good job in comparing the usefulness of spreadsheets and databases as methods of storing data, and highlighted situations where the each would be of more use. It is a shame that the nature of the online presentation precludes the embedding of dynamic presentations as a demonstration of the usefulness of this tool would have been welcome.
Harry's group was correct in concluding that their results seemed not to be consistent with the work-study hypothesis, which was in contrast to the results from my group including Anthony and Marie. Much like my group, Harry's group pointed out that a small sample size prevented more definitive conclusions, and it was a good move to look to the literature to find more comprehensive studies - including the study from which the hypothesis was drawn.
Overall, a good presentation worth looking at.
Harry Kim COMP1900 Assignment: Powerpoint slide
Harry's group did a very good job in comparing the usefulness of spreadsheets and databases as methods of storing data, and highlighted situations where the each would be of more use. It is a shame that the nature of the online presentation precludes the embedding of dynamic presentations as a demonstration of the usefulness of this tool would have been welcome.
Harry's group was correct in concluding that their results seemed not to be consistent with the work-study hypothesis, which was in contrast to the results from my group including Anthony and Marie. Much like my group, Harry's group pointed out that a small sample size prevented more definitive conclusions, and it was a good move to look to the literature to find more comprehensive studies - including the study from which the hypothesis was drawn.
Overall, a good presentation worth looking at.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thoughts on COMP1900 students
I don't know if it's the fact that I've been at uni for four years, or maybe it's just ingrained in my mind but I really can't believe the complete cheek some of the people in the class are showing towards the course. So for those that aren't quite up with the etiquette, here's how you generally behave at university:
JB
- You don't question the merit of an assessment piece in the assessment piece. Period. You just do them, because they're set. Assigned. Hence assignment.
- You stay quiet and do what you're told to do in tutorials. For goodness' sake, playing around on the laptop and not responding to the lecturer should have been left at school.
- You don't backchat. Ever.
- Finally, if you want to have the respect of your peers, you don't boast that you're smart enough to leave work to the last minute. I'd love to ask you how that plan goes for you at the end of your degree.
JB
My own study effectiveness
As you can see, my life at the moment would probably be a case of 'all work and no play'. That is certainly true, and the thing that is probably getting me through all of this is the knowledge that this time in three weeks this semester this hard work will be all over and will be worth it - if I pass all my courses I can relax before getting my graduation certificate on the 1st December.
Upon reflection, though, I could not say for certain that all those hours of study have been overly effective. I think blended into the hours that I earmark as 'study' is also a great deal of distractedness, dithering and procrastination. I don't believe, however, that having a job on top of the number of subjects I am currently undertaking would in-and-of-itself improve my study effectiveness. At the time of the survey I was pretty stressed, and I think having to deal with getting to and from work and spending time doing work away from my study comittments would only have added to my stress.
I am fully aware that there is room for improvement in my study effectiveness. Having employment would be ideal - I miss the volunteer work I used to do with St John Ambulance before this year. I would also benefit from having a scheduled recreational activity to do during the week or on the weekend, to break up my study time.
A complication that arose during the surveying phase for our group was the inclusion of sleep in the 'leisure' category. This therefore rendered that category less-than-useful, since there ws no way to isolate how much sleep I was getting or how much free time I enjoyed. This can be seen in the following graph of my Week 2 survey (click for larger view):
In contrast, by allocating sleep to a category of its own, it improves the sensitivity of the other categories and allows them to be seen. A graph of the same data reflecting this change is featured here (click for larger view):
Overall, I think that this task has provided an excellent opportunity to audit my own study behaviour, just at the right time before my exams begin. Although large changes may not be possible before exams start, I can at least ensure that my study for the next three weeks is productive and focussed. I can then focus on implementing more integral changes for next year when I start my medical degree.
Upon reflection, though, I could not say for certain that all those hours of study have been overly effective. I think blended into the hours that I earmark as 'study' is also a great deal of distractedness, dithering and procrastination. I don't believe, however, that having a job on top of the number of subjects I am currently undertaking would in-and-of-itself improve my study effectiveness. At the time of the survey I was pretty stressed, and I think having to deal with getting to and from work and spending time doing work away from my study comittments would only have added to my stress.
I am fully aware that there is room for improvement in my study effectiveness. Having employment would be ideal - I miss the volunteer work I used to do with St John Ambulance before this year. I would also benefit from having a scheduled recreational activity to do during the week or on the weekend, to break up my study time.
A complication that arose during the surveying phase for our group was the inclusion of sleep in the 'leisure' category. This therefore rendered that category less-than-useful, since there ws no way to isolate how much sleep I was getting or how much free time I enjoyed. This can be seen in the following graph of my Week 2 survey (click for larger view):
In contrast, by allocating sleep to a category of its own, it improves the sensitivity of the other categories and allows them to be seen. A graph of the same data reflecting this change is featured here (click for larger view):
Overall, I think that this task has provided an excellent opportunity to audit my own study behaviour, just at the right time before my exams begin. Although large changes may not be possible before exams start, I can at least ensure that my study for the next three weeks is productive and focussed. I can then focus on implementing more integral changes for next year when I start my medical degree.
Study effectiveness presentation
Last Tuesday, a group comprising myself, Anthony and Marie delivered a presentation summarising the results of the surveys we completed gauging the time each of us spent each day doing a variety of activities including study, work and recreation.
My section of the presentation specifically related to answering the hypothesis put to the class that around 10 hours of part-time work each week was related to improved study effectiveness than either no part-time work or excessive amounts of work. You can view the presentation I delivered in the embedded Slideshare below:
My section concluded our combined presentation - to make more sense of this, please make you way to the blogs of Anthony (1st presenter) and Marie (2nd presenter). When you read their blogs, you will likely see the answers to the open-ended points in my presentation when I handed over to them to talk about their study effectiveness.
Overall, it was tentatively concluded that the hypothesis was reasonably accurate and that around 10 hours each week of part-time work resulted in more effective study, with a more definitive answer to be reserved upon the completion of a more thorough study.
My next post will describe how I consider my own study effectivness to have been.
EDIT: I have altered the posting time to have this post come after the posts reflecting upon my time.
My section of the presentation specifically related to answering the hypothesis put to the class that around 10 hours of part-time work each week was related to improved study effectiveness than either no part-time work or excessive amounts of work. You can view the presentation I delivered in the embedded Slideshare below:
My section concluded our combined presentation - to make more sense of this, please make you way to the blogs of Anthony (1st presenter) and Marie (2nd presenter). When you read their blogs, you will likely see the answers to the open-ended points in my presentation when I handed over to them to talk about their study effectiveness.
Overall, it was tentatively concluded that the hypothesis was reasonably accurate and that around 10 hours each week of part-time work resulted in more effective study, with a more definitive answer to be reserved upon the completion of a more thorough study.
My next post will describe how I consider my own study effectivness to have been.
EDIT: I have altered the posting time to have this post come after the posts reflecting upon my time.
Reflecting on my time: the second week
The week from Monday 29 September to Sunday 5 October made up the second week of the survey of daily activites undertaken as part of assessment for COMP1900. This was the mid-semester break at the University of Queensland, and having the daily activities survey coincide with this week presented some challenges. First and foremost, it certainly wasn't a business-as-usual week, meaning that there was no time occupied by classes and my time travelling was dramatically reduced since I didn't have to commute each day.
On the other hand, universities traditionally make mid-semester breaks a week for personal study and assignment completion, and this was certainly the case for me during this week. I had one assignment due by electronic submission early that week, with a further three due the week after the break. Knowing exams were coming up, I deliberately studied for each subject at the time I would usually have had a lecture, practical or tutorial.
I'm afraid to say that I attempted to study each day of the break. The total time earmarked for study amounted to 63 hours, which included the 19½ hours I would normally have spent in classes. How effective those hours were however is another story, and is one I will leave for a later blog post about my overall study effectiveness.
My leisure time marginally increased, partly by way of an increase in recreational activities and part through some extra sleep. The break afforded me the opportunity to have some sleep-ins and avoid the 6am and 7am starts I usually did in normal weeks. Total leisure time was 94 hours, of which sleeping made up 59 (up from 55 the week before) and where I spent 35 hours doing recreational activities (up from 26.75 the week before).
Since I did not have to commute to uni each day, including commutes at peak hour when travel is slower, my time spent travelling dropped from over 8 hours to just 3.
I spent less time studying on the Saturday and Sunday as I was beginning to become unwell, perhaps indicating a need to have reserved a bit more time for leisure earlier in the week.
On the other hand, universities traditionally make mid-semester breaks a week for personal study and assignment completion, and this was certainly the case for me during this week. I had one assignment due by electronic submission early that week, with a further three due the week after the break. Knowing exams were coming up, I deliberately studied for each subject at the time I would usually have had a lecture, practical or tutorial.
I'm afraid to say that I attempted to study each day of the break. The total time earmarked for study amounted to 63 hours, which included the 19½ hours I would normally have spent in classes. How effective those hours were however is another story, and is one I will leave for a later blog post about my overall study effectiveness.
My leisure time marginally increased, partly by way of an increase in recreational activities and part through some extra sleep. The break afforded me the opportunity to have some sleep-ins and avoid the 6am and 7am starts I usually did in normal weeks. Total leisure time was 94 hours, of which sleeping made up 59 (up from 55 the week before) and where I spent 35 hours doing recreational activities (up from 26.75 the week before).
Since I did not have to commute to uni each day, including commutes at peak hour when travel is slower, my time spent travelling dropped from over 8 hours to just 3.
I spent less time studying on the Saturday and Sunday as I was beginning to become unwell, perhaps indicating a need to have reserved a bit more time for leisure earlier in the week.
Reflecting on my time: the first week
The week from Monday 22 September to Sunday 28 September made up the first week of the survey of daily activities undertaken as part of assessment for COMP1900. It was Week 10, one week prior to the mid-semester break and it was very busy for me with two assignments due that week, one assignment the week after and three the week after that.
One of the key things that I have to report is that I accumulated 0 hours of work - I am completing above a full academic load, with classes scheduled at irregular hours and thus I don't realistically have the time available to work. In place of that, I devoted a lot of my time to study - 44 hours of it in fact. This was in addition to the 12¾ hours spent in classes - something I tried very hard that week to do as I didn't want to get behind in my lecture knowledge.
My group measured leisure to include sleep, which skewed our results considerably - I ended up having 81¾ hours of leisure, which doesn't quite sit right. When I have gone back to the data and separated leisure to be sleep and recreation, I managed to get 55 hours sleep that week, averaging just shy of 8 hours sleep each night. My time devoted to recreation and leisure added up to 26¾ hours - this included showering and meals.
Driving to uni from my home on the Southside and back each day racked up 8¼ hours of travel time over the course of the week. This probably best sums up the week for me - long and laborious!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to 'Jonathan's Study'.
My name is Jonathan, and I'm a student at the University of Queensland in Australia. This blog has been created as part of the course 'Information Access and Internet Skills' (COMP1900), and is designed to showcase the assessment I have completed thus far and outline the key concepts I have learnt throughout the semester.
Like my personal blog, 'Jonathan's Right', I've used a title for this blog that is designed to exercise the mind and is meant to have multiple meanings. One interpretation cold have the word taken as a noun, where this blog will accompany me in my study (room) while I prepare for my upcoming final exams.
Two other interpretations involve the word being taken as a verb, and relates to the COMP1900 assessment this semester, which I will detail in this blog. In this task, a study (survey) of my study (work) was undertaken to gauge time management and work effectiveness.
In later posts, I will outline the presentation I made regarding my study effectiveness, followed by a review of the things I have learnt during the course of the semester in COMP1900.
My name is Jonathan, and I'm a student at the University of Queensland in Australia. This blog has been created as part of the course 'Information Access and Internet Skills' (COMP1900), and is designed to showcase the assessment I have completed thus far and outline the key concepts I have learnt throughout the semester.
Like my personal blog, 'Jonathan's Right', I've used a title for this blog that is designed to exercise the mind and is meant to have multiple meanings. One interpretation cold have the word taken as a noun, where this blog will accompany me in my study (room) while I prepare for my upcoming final exams.
Two other interpretations involve the word being taken as a verb, and relates to the COMP1900 assessment this semester, which I will detail in this blog. In this task, a study (survey) of my study (work) was undertaken to gauge time management and work effectiveness.
In later posts, I will outline the presentation I made regarding my study effectiveness, followed by a review of the things I have learnt during the course of the semester in COMP1900.
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