How you'll study
Teaching and assessment methods vary depending on your course and whether you're at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Teaching and assessment methods vary depending on your course of study, but we offer an exciting and dynamic range of activities to get you thinking - and doing.

Undergraduate
Group work, seminars, exams, placements

Typical teaching methods could include:

• Case studies this is where you'll get to look at how real-life events have had an impact on what you are studying. Law students will look at real legal cases, while marketing students could study strategies used by a famous company to get us to buy their products.
• Group work - two heads are better than one! An opportunity to work with your fellow students on a piece of work or project. You'll work together, sharing ideas and knowledge, which may involve you giving a presentation on your findings.
• Lectures - your chance to benefit from the expertise of those who know. A lot of information can pass from the lecturer to you in a couple of hours and the notes you take will be invaluable for your course work and exams.
• Practical fieldwork - an opportunity to escape from the lecture theatre or laboratory and maybe even get your hands dirty! This is where you'll pick up the practical skills that go alongside the theory.
• Seminars/tutorials - where you can get together in smaller groups to look in more depth at the issues raised in lectures. You can add your own thoughts and opinions which can often lead to a debate. Tutorials are normally on a smaller scale than seminars which often include oral presentations. You'll get experience of presenting a topic - a highly valued skill by today's employers.
• Work placements - the chance to gain some crucial, hands-on experience of the working world, which could involve a few weeks to a full year in industry.

Study time
The University's official teaching day runs from 8am to 4.30pm Morning session, and evening begn 5pm - 10pm:

• Examinations - test your ability to work and cope under pressure. They're normally held at the end of each semester. A revision period will give you chance to study in-depth for your exams.
• Oral presentations - the delivery of a topic, either individually or in groups, usually to your fellow students in small tutorial sessions. For example, computing students may be asked to present the design of a new information system.
• Project work - involves working on a problem in-depth either individually or in groups to arrive at a solution or answer to a set problem.
• Reports/essays - written ways of relating your understanding of a particular subject. This could involve critically evaluating a topic and coming up with your own answer with evidence to back up your conclusions. English students, for example, may be asked to write an essay about on a particular aspect of a novel.
• Dissertation - An extension of the essay involving an in-depth critical study of a subject and compilation of an extensive report. Forms a major part of your final year assessment. Social Sciences students can expect to produce between 8,000 to 10,000 words.