Study Skills for Music Technology Students
Study Skills for Music Technology Students
Dr. Christina Anagnostopoulou, School of Music
The Module
Students on the BSc in Music Technology are required to complete a Level 1 module, Music Technology Study Skills. The module is run over two semesters and involves 30-40 students.
The module is taught by a number of staff and covers a range of topics including essay writing, making a presentation, Internet searching, theories of learning, databases, HTML, hardware, operating systems and time/stress management. The purpose of this module is to prepare students for university study.
The module involves a commitment of 2 hours a week and the methods adopted combine lecturing with practical sessions.
The ICT Element
The module uses Queen's Online for Learning and Teaching (QOL) to make all course materials available e.g. PowerPoint Slides, handouts and general module information. The tutor uses the email facility within QOL and students can email the tutor. Students are also introduced to a range of ICT applications to support a range of generic skills:
- Word processing to support essay writing
- Excel to support storing and analysing data
- PowerPoint to support presentations
Incentives to Innovate
The module was introduced when staff realised that the students were not skilled to cope well with university study.
Support
Initially the module required a lot of input from staff but this was largely because it was new material. Also, the practical sessions have to be run twice because there are not enough facilities within the School to accommodate all the students.
Evaluation
The module is evaluated through the normal evaluation process. The students are very positive about the modules but asked that the software application practical session be changed: They thought that teaching Word was unnecessary. They also asked to have more lectures on HTML, and more on time and stress management.
Effects of Teaching Innovation
Teaching processes:
- The method of delivery is a mix between a teacher centred approach and a learner centred approach. Some classes are rather lecture oriented but others e.g. student presentation and round table discussions are more learner centred.
Learning processes:
- There is more dialogue between peers and between students and the tutor.
Learning outcomes:
- Develops the students bibliographic, oral presentation, team working, report writing and ICT skills;
- Develops the students as independent thinkers.
Management of the module:
- Students can access all necessary materials from the web in a more flexible and efficient way (for staff and students).
Looking Forward
The module will be changed this year in line with changes to the course in general. There will be a greater focus on 'programming skills' and less on the ICT skills. The ICT skills will be addressed, in part, through attendance at the ICT Induction session run by Information Services, Training and Assessment Unit. The tutor would also like to explore the use of computer based learning and tutoring systems to support students skills developments.
