28 August 2006

Academics launch guide for "Smarter Students"

Students arriving at university for the first time this autumn have been given the ideal guide to success by two University of Dundee academics.

"The Smarter Student: Skills and Strategies for Success at University" by Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, published by Prentice Hall, offers students practical tips on how best to deal with the demands presented by their new learning environment.

"Arriving at University can be a daunting - as well as an exciting - time for any student and there are a multitude of new challenges to face," said Jonathan. "They are entering a study environment that may be quite different from anything they may have experienced before and they have to navigate their way through that, as well as cope with significant changes to their social and support networks."

"What our book provides is a practical guide to organising yourself for study, all the way through from Fresher’s Week to Graduation."

The book caters for students of all ages and backgrounds at a time when a wider variety of people than ever before are entering Higher Education.

"We are seeing a wider and wider variety of individuals - in terms of their academic achievement, age, work experience and nationality - joining university every single year," said Kathleen.

"There is a challenge there for universities to find a common level for teaching a growing number of students, and at the same time it is becoming more and more the student’s role, often for the first real time in their life, to take on the responsibility of filling the gaps between their own skills and what’s required of them to succeed. We felt a no-nonsense study guide like ours would be an invaluable aid."

"We had many kinds of students in mind when we wrote this book and we hope that it will meet their personal needs, regardless of experience or background."

The Smarter Student’s Study Guide looks set to become an essential reference manual for students. It covers individual tasks in sixty-seven bite-sized chapters - ideal for busy students to dip in and out, gleaning the advice and inspiration they need as they encounter every new experience throughout their university career. Whether they’re a new student, they want to hone their skills, or are simply up against an assessment crunch-point and don’t know where to start, book should help them achieve the most from their university life.

The authors, Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers, both work within the University of Dundee’s Learning Enhancement Unit. Both have been teaching and lecturing for over 25 years and more recently have specialised in the area of transferable skills, running academic skills courses and a Summer Re-sit School with great success.

Jonathan is a co-author of Pearson Education’s ‘Practical Skills’ series for developing scientific study skills and Kathleen has co-authored a new book on academic writing, ‘Just Write’, published by Routledge. Between them, the authors cover both Arts and Science backgrounds.

Features of "The Smarter Student"

• Extensive coverage from Freshers’ Week to Graduation and getting a first job.
• Organised chapter-by-chapter around the key experiences every student will face - with lots of practical checklists and tips providing solutions to common problems.
• Clear design so students can immediately access the information they need.
• A common sense, no-nonsense approach, without patronising assumptions.
• Explanations of educational jargon, including a comprehensive glossary.
• Aimed at all undergraduates: new students unfamiliar with studying independently; good students under pressure to perform well; and weaker students looking for help with their study and organisation skills.

To request a review copy please contact:
Katy Robinson on 01279 621 259 or email katy.robinson@pearson.com

To request an interview with the authors please contact:
Roddy Isles on 01382 384910 or email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk