Introduction
The report is divided into three tasks which include portfolio, group presentation ad literature. The portfolio section discusses the key university support services and conducts reflection on university and peer members can access the support services for students. The second section is a group presentation that mainly focuses on describing the benefits and challenges of being a university student. The last one is a literature review that discusses the key studies of a specific topic which helps new students in improving their academic skills properly. All three sections help in maintaining students learning and betterment in their skills or knowledge.
Portfolio
Key university support servicesThe Waltham international college is a well known and prestigious educational institute located in barking, United Kingdom. The student union is established in the college which works for providing the student support services for the welfare and support of the students when facing any kind of issues or difficulties in the premises of the college. The university provides a wide range of support services for the students under the student union of the university (Bedewy, et. al., 2015). The support services include the educational, career, and personal needs of the students. WIC has a variety of ways in which the study programs for the students. Students are provided with student advice support in which the non-academic issues can be resolved using calling or email for advisor assistance. For complex issues, students can get appointments for one-to-one advice for issues like budgeting, funding inquiries, student finance, and money management. Library resources are provided for the students’ support to help the completion of their studies. E-resources can be used by students 24 hours a day along with training for professional staff. Language support for higher education is taught for developing academic familiarity in the English language for students support (El-Daw, et. al., 2015). Health care, mental health, and wellbeing support are provided for student support that is suffering or experiencing personal difficulties to cope with the college struggle. Disability and dyslexia support are also provided by the student union in which disables like learning difficulties or medical conditions are supported for the students in WIC. Equality and diversity support are provided for the students by the student union to build a learning environment for equal opportunities and rich diversity of students in the university. |
Importance of university support services to studentsThe university support services for the students are very important for the well-being and comforting students in the new environment of the college or university which are required to be coping with the surroundings to perform well in the academics for the students (Ghanizadeh, 2017). The student union provides support services for the students to help them in various situations that they are experiencing and provide them with various options to improve their conditions and enhance their efforts in their academic and other interests. The results will be helpful for the students who seek advice from the advisor for understanding the situation of college and how to cope with the college situation. Students who are suffering from any kind of metal or health disease can access these services in which support for the range of activities is provided to ensure the progress and development of the students by the students union (Hebert, et. al., 2015). The student support services in university contribute to the quality of academic success and learning experiences of the students. The effective student services connect the students to the culture of the university which will also connect them in academic, social, and emotional form along with the growth and development in the studies of students in college and university. The various support services in the university will help the students in various situations to improve their academic performance for their future aspects in life. The students can access the support services in case of any difficulties or issues being faced by the students in academic life or personal life. The university will help the academic performance of the students in the campus who are experiencing any kind of inconvenience due to a different kind of problems can access the student union support services which will help the students from career to personal life issues with advisor’s help in the conditions of difficulty. Thus, the university student support services are very important for the students to cope with the culture, working and academic style of the university which can hinder their opportunities due to discomfort and lack of access to the services (Jarrah, et. al., 2019). Reflection on university and their peers accessing support servicesThe university provides student support services for the students to seek help in the conditions of difficulty and issues. The student support services can also be accessed by the peers of the students who are seeking advice for the well-being and services provided for helping students in academic performance and other services of the students. I have experienced and accessed the university support services which are proved to be helpful for me as coping with the new environment and stability in the academic and personal space is very difficult which is made easy from the support services (Junco, 2015). My peers have also accessed the student’s support services to help me in the new year of academic sessions. The university provides support services in the conditions of difficulties or any cultural issues being faced on the university campus. The students support services advice and counsel the students and their peers for the improving performance of the academic health which will benefit them in various types for the enlightening future. The future opportunities and chances for better academic results are also provided by the student support services to me who helped me in various situations to help the conditions and support the experience of the university which is different from the school environment and life (Khan, et. al., 2017). This need to be in the mind of peers of students such as mine culture and experiences before the university entrance was different and I learned many things from the students support services to handle the situations on unfavourable corners as things will pass on. The peers can use the students support services with the help of advisors and other staff of the student union which are present 24*7 to help the peers and students in the campus of the university to teach them the coping techniques for the involvement of the situations and handling the various conditions in the personal as well as academic lives of the students. The support services are present for supporting the students in conditions of health care, mental health, career, educational, emotional, trauma, and other various kinds of situations that are required to be dealt with the conditions of students to help them. |
Literature Review
Public Administration
In this section, BA Honours is a popular course in which Public Administration is an interesting subject that has been selected and also discusses its key studies which help new students in learning academic skills in university. Public administration is an important subject for new students as it assists in transforming his or her view towards society and they are learned how to make their society a better place where all the people survive peacefully. Another main reason for studied this subject is that it helps in preparing the student for a career in government or non-profit work (Martirosyan, et. al., 2015). Public administration is the execution of government policy and it helps in improving student’s academic disciplines which studies this implementation and develops civil workers for working in public services. It is analyzed that this subject is regarded as simple and easy to understand by students who are new in the university and through the accurate reading of this subject they can easily improving and better their knowledge or academic abilities. Along with this, there is ample study material for public administration. In this, questions are mainly straightforward and there is huge overlapping with general studies papers observed. Most of the students want to study public administration to understanding how an administrator of the country is managing the public agencies, develops budgets and creates effective government policies (Muntaner-Mas, et. al., 2017). It is also examined that a large number of international students also seeks to gain public administration degree that can assist in improving their career where they can easily make difference in society and became an important part of the government. Apart from this, there are various key studies of public administration subject which are learned by new students of the university that includes:
Introduction to Public Administration:
It is an important study in which teachers discuss what the meaning of public administration is and how this will helps in creating awareness among students regarding the growth of the country. This subject helps in describing the basic principles and approaches of the PA. In this study, most of the students ask questions to the teachers and properly understand what is public administration, its nature, scope, aim, purpose, significance, and dimensions (Rabiner, et. al., 2016). This topic helps in easily evaluate the public administrator role and duties who are appointed by government authorities. By learning all these important concepts, students are taking an interest and this will improve their academic skills. It helps introduce public administration and how government manages and organises public functions in the common and what are the challenges faced by them during the management. Students mainly focus on the initial topic because this is the base of increasing skills and abilities of them and understand basic information on the topic.
Administrative Theory
It is an important topic of public administration which helps in providing information to students regarding elements, theories, and principles of the PA as a discipline. The topic assists in enhancing skills among students on how to manage any business, society functions, and activities in a better manner. It helps in learning how to manage and maintain the organization in the future (Rakedzon, et. al., 2017). It is essential for students as it helps them in making effective decision making that can assist in future career growth and reach desired goals. If any student wants to establish their business in the future so this subject and referred topic are beneficial for them to understand in a better manner. This is the topic which is learned by most of the new students in the university as it helps in enhancing their abilities and knowledge regarding how the administrator manages the government work in a better manner.
Public policy and governance
It is another important topic that helps in understanding the basic concepts such as public policy, policy analysis, public policy progress, and governance. In this topic, there are different stages of public policy procedures are discussed (Ribner, et. al., 2017). This topic helps students in understanding various public policies and processes that are required for managing government functions. Some students learn this topic as it helps them in studies regarding how to plan, execute, and assess the programs. They also learning how to align an organization’s policies with the government standards and norms which is helpful for them in future career life. If a student wants to join politics then this is a beneficial topic for them. Students evaluated how the government develops policies and strategies for the common people according to their requirements and needs and implementation procedure described adequately (Sala, et. al., 2017).
Public Personnel Administration
It is a required topic in public administration which helps in providing knowledge to students regarding issues in employee associations, processes, and systems of public governance. This topic mainly studies by such students who are interested to join a party in the future and develop a career in this field. They are willingly engaged in the class and learn detailed knowledge which assists in increasing their academic skills and learning abilities. Students also gain information and data about the importance of public administration in modern society and how this helps manage the safety system by the support of different personnel (Taniguchi, et. al., 2018). It helps in improving knowledge of learners related to the work of government personnel and how they assist the common public in their bad situations. This topic mainly aids students in encouraging their skills and abilities through which they can easily understanding administrative functions and actions.
Personality development and communication skills
This topic helps new students in developing and improving their personality through which they can easily participate in the class discussion and presents its viewpoint of any subject matter with fear. Respective topic assists students in gaining potential forms of etiquette, attitude, confidence, communication skills that are necessary for the rational decision-making process. With the help of studies this, students can improve their communication abilities which help them presenting perspective in front of the class and participated in group discussion that will also enhancing students’ confidence level. It is an important topic that helps students in learning how to adopt effective communication skills and how to share required information with their friends (Tanujaya, et. al., 2017). In this topic, teachers are conducting sessions where all the students should be compulsory to join in which they are focus on such students who do not always participate in classroom activity and improving their communication by this activity. The topic develops skills among students to understand themselves based on their theoretical evaluation of skills, abilities, personality, communication, values, and leadership, and motivation capabilities. To formulate a great career, personality development is important for every student which assists them in describing how to present themselves in front of others and use effective language that attracts others. Students also attend this topic class for improving their communication skills and develop a good personality.
Conclusion
From the above-described report, it is concluded that students need to focus on maintaining and managing their academic skills which help in improving their confidence level. The first section discusses the key university support services which are provided to the students and how they can effectively learn a new topic in the University for developing the best career. The second section helps in analyzing key subject different studies topics that assist students in their learning and value in their career life. It is important for students are focus on their career goals and according to this they need to take every step which helps them in providing higher growth and success.
References
Bedewy, D. and Gabriel, A., 2015. Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources among university students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale. Health psychology open, 2(2), p.2055102915596714.
El-Daw, B. and Hammoud, H., 2015. The effect of building up self-esteem training on students’ social and academic skills 2014. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, pp.146-155.
Ghanizadeh, A., 2017. The interplay between reflective thinking, critical thinking, self-monitoring, and academic achievement in higher education. Higher Education, 74(1), pp.101-114.
Hebert, A. and Hauf, P., 2015. Student learning through service learning: Effects on academic development, civic responsibility, interpersonal skills and practical skills. Active Learning in Higher Education, 16(1), pp.37-49. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469787415573357
Jarrah, H. and Al Majali, S., 2019. Creative skills acquired by university students through curricula. Opcion, 35(21), pp.752-767.
Junco, R., 2015. Student class standing, Facebook use, and academic performance. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 36, pp.18-29.
Khan, A., Khan, S., Zia-Ul-Islam, S. and Khan, M., 2017. Communication Skills of a Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students’ Academic Success. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(1), pp.18-21. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1131770.pdf
Martirosyan, N.M., Hwang, E. and Wanjohi, R., 2015. Impact of English proficiency on academic performance of international students. Journal of International Students, 5(1), pp.60-71. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=F0a4DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA60&dq=academic+skills+of+university+students+&ots=_2UxE2mi1x&sig=SqDHnC1htHHPXRDIxUScWAxZBeU&redir_esc=y
Muntaner-Mas, A., Vidal-Conti, J., Sesé, A. and Palou, P., 2017. Teaching skills, students’ emotions, perceived control and academic achievement in university students: A SEM approach. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, pp.1-8.
Rabiner, D.L., Godwin, J. and Dodge, K.A., 2016. Predicting academic achievement and attainment: The contribution of early academic skills, attention difficulties, and social competence. School Psychology Review, 45(2), pp.250-267.
Rakedzon, T. and Baram-Tsabari, A., 2017. To make a long story short: A rubric for assessing graduate students’ academic and popular science writing skills. Assessing Writing, 32, pp.28-42.
Ribner, A.D., Willoughby, M.T., Blair, C.B. and Family Life Project Key Investigators, 2017. Executive function buffers the association between early math and later academic skills. Frontiers in psychology, 8, p.869. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00869/full
Sala, G. and Gobet, F., 2017. When the music’s over. Does music skill transfer to children’s and young adolescents’ cognitive and academic skills? A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 20, pp.55-67. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X16300641
Taniguchi, T., Maruyama, Y., Kurita, D. and Tanaka, M., 2018. Analysis and classification of university students’ educational skills using a computer-assisted web-interviewing questionnaire. Procedia computer science, 126, pp.2021-2029.
Tanujaya, B., Mumu, J. and Margono, G., 2017. The Relationship between Higher Order Thinking Skills and Academic Performance of Student in Mathematics Instruction. International Education Studies, 10(11), pp.78-85.