Learning Support
The purpose of this page is to link you to various forms of learning support that are available to students of the University.
Disclaimer
This page displays links to some material that is not owned by Notre Dame. We have sought permission to link to these resources but this permission does not mean that the host organization will support our use of the materials. It is important that any questions and problems about your learning support needs be directed to University of Notre Dame Australia staff and not to these other organizations.
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Information Literacy
What is Information Literacy ?
An information literate person is one who:
- recognises the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed
- finds needed information effectively and efficiently
- critically evaluates information and the information seeking process
- manages information collected or generated
- applies prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understandings
- uses information with understanding and acknowledges cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information
Bundy, A (Ed), Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practices, Australian and New Zealand institute for Information Literacy, Adelaide, 2004 (available online)
Information Literacy at Notre Dame
Many first year programmes have a formal information literacy element in the programme. In these programmes you will receive instruction in the core information seeking skills you will need.
If you are enrolled in a programme that doesn’t have this instruction built in then this page is intended to provide you with pathways that will help you to find your way through the maze of information retrieval.
Information Literacy standards
Our information literacy work is based on the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework (Bundy, 2004). The framework specifies standards and learning outcomes and stipulates the attributes, knowledge, and skills that characterise the information literate person.
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Learning Support Tutorials
At the Fremantle Campus the Student Life Office co-ordinates a series of tutorials each semester that address specific topics in the area of Learning Support. These range from generic information about how to get the most from a lecture to tutorials which explain the use of a specific information finding tool such as a database. Classes are run by academic staff or librarians, depending upon the topic.
Please call to the Student Life Office to see the full list of tutorials and to sign up for the classes. Alternatively you can click here to see the ‘Mentoring and Support’ webpage
Library Reference Services
A reference service is a Library service that aims to help students to understand and meet their research needs. Each Library has a help desk which can provide you with a basic reference service. More complex questions can be referred to a Liaison Librarian.
The University Library has a Liaison Librarian associated with each of the University’s Schools. These staff can be contacted via email for advice on how to tackle research problems in their areas and how to use library resources effectively.
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Online Learning Support Resources
These resources provide a way for remote students and those needing assistance out of normal business hours to access Learning Support materials. The resources are broadly categorised to help you find what you need.
Using software applications
- Atomic Learning provides micro tutorials explaining how to use common software applications. This is by subscription and is available only to students of the University.
Information Finding Skills
- Pilot – Notre Dame’s online information literacy tutorial introduces you to navigating the information seeking cycle and major research tools
- InfoSkills – Newcastle University’s information literacy and academic integrity tutorial. A very clear and thorough tutorial.
Searching the web
Study Skills
- Academic Skills Resources – The Learning Centre at University of New South Wales presents this comprehensive list of guides and tips covering a wide range of academic study skills
Oral Presentations
Referencing
Throughout your academic work you must be scrupulous in acknowledging the sources in which you found the information you relied upon in compiling your work. This process is known as referencing. Referencing must be done in accordance with a referencing style.
There are a range of referencing styles used at the University. You should use the one your course co-ordinator has asked you to use. You can use these links to access PDF copies of the various referencing guides used at the University:
APA support
Students using the APA style might find useful support material at the APA Style website.
Style Guides or Manuals
You will also find print version of major style guides in the various Library collections. Use the name of the style and conduct a ‘general keyword’ search in the Library Portal.
Final decisions about what styles are to be used and whether they have been used properly are determined by the Schools of the University.
Endnote
All open access PCs on the campuses provides access to the Endnote application. This software aims to manage your references for you and to assist in the creation of appropriately structured references and footnotes.
The help desks at the various libraries can loan you a copy of the Endnote software that you can install on your personal computer or laptop for the duration of your studies.
The following sites offer some Endnote advice:
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Learning Support Texts
There is a lot of information available from freely available websites that you will find useful but don’t overlook the value of published texts that address the various aspects of Learning Support. Each of the libraries at Notre Dame holds a range of texts that you may find useful.
The following are some of the headings that will help you find useful texts when using the Library Portal’s Search function:
- Academic writing
- Database Searching
- Dissertations
- Internet Research
- Internet Searching
- Legal Research
- Report Writing
- Study Skills
Learning Support Handouts
These handouts were developed by the School of Education (Fremantle).
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