Learning and Teaching Unit
The first few weeks at university are exciting and challenging for new students, especially for International students who often find that every day brings a new experience. This information site provides useful information and hints about making the most of your first few weeks at university.
The more you know about the University and its expectations, the easier it will be for you to make a good start. If you arrive in Adelaide a few weeks before your study period begins, you will have time to find good accommodation, unpack and be able to put all your energies into your studies by the time classes begin.
The University runs free workshops and activities before classes begin. For International students these workshops take place during orientation. During orientation you will be able to enrol in your program, meet your Program Director or program advisory staff and take part in sessions designed to help you adjust to life as a student and to life in Adelaide.
Following your first week of orientation, you can participate in academic induction activities for all students enrolled in your degree program. At this time you will get to know your way around your campus, find out about the facilities and services available and learn what to expect from your program and its courses. You will also have opportunities to meet staff and students and to make new friends.
Come to the Learning and Teaching Unit on your home campus and speak to staff to find out how to enrol, what you have missed and what you can do to catch up. Some of the workshops offered during academic induction week are available online. These include the Making the transition to university studies and the Online @ UniSA workshops.
You will also need to speak to your lecturers to find out what you have missed in your courses.
Many International students experience homesickness at some point in their studies; this is very common and should decrease when you make new friends and settle in. Adjusting to life and study in Australia is challenging for many people. If your homesickness affects your health and studies, you will need to speak to someone.
The Learning and Teaching Unit has Counsellors who can help you with issues such as homesickness. Counsellors can be contacted at the Learning and Teaching Unit on your campus.
There are a number of ways you can meet local students. The first opportunity is during the University’s academic induction week where you will meet lots of students doing the same course or enrolled in the same program. This is a good time to talk to other people because everyone is new and feeling the same excitement and nervousness as you.
Another way to meet local students is through UniLife which has a range of clubs and societies where you can meet other students with similar interests. These clubs and societies include recreational, cultural, religious, sporting and special interest clubs. There are Students Association offices on all campuses.
There are computer pools and barns for student use on all the University campuses. Once you are enrolled and have your computer username, you will be able to access the system. As part of your orientation, the University runs free Online @ UniSA workshops. These are also available online. If you have never used a computer before, speak to the staff at the Learning and Teaching Unit on your campus.
You will attend different kinds of classes at university, including lectures, tutorials and practicals. During the lectures you will be in a large room with many students and the lecturer will talk for around fifty minutes while you take notes. In tutorials you will be with smaller groups and take part in the group discussions. In the practical sessions you will develop your practical skills by applying the theory learned. Apart from classes, you will also learn through reading, writing, discussing and accessing online resources.
Although these various experiences may not always seem to be connected, your task as a university student is to bring all the information together to develop your understanding of the topics covered. You will be given your course information by your lecturers either as a booklet or online. This will tell you the details of lecture topics, tutorials and textbooks required as well as the assessment requirements for each course. You can use this information to plan your semester as discussed in the 'Making the Transition to University Study' workshops during academic induction week or in the online workshop of the same name.
Making the transition to university studies online workshop.
There are many and online resources and workshops that you can use to help you get the most out of your lectures, tutorials, reading and other learning tasks that you do as you study. There are a few you might find useful at the start of the year.
Online resources:
Online workshops:
More information providing helpful advice about what to do on your first few days in Adelaide is available from the Learning and Teaching Unit website.
