It is that time of year again when the office closes down for Christmas and New year and the Study Weekend draws near.

Office closure

The LSE office for University of London International Programmes will close from the afternoon of Wednesday 21st December until the morning of Tuesday 3rd January 2012. You may of course continue to write to us (uolip@lse.ac.uk) and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as we return to the office. Please refrain from sending repeat enquires over this period as this will slow down the response time.

Study weekend 2012

The 2012 Study Weekend is fast approaching and will take place from Friday 3rd February to Sunday 5th February 2012.

If you have never been before, the weekend consists of short courses in many popular courses of the Economics, Management, Finance and the Social Science programmes. It has been designed to help students with examination preparation and technique. It is an excellent opportunity for students to discuss the syllabus with subject specialists, receive guidance on the curriculum, discuss issues of particular concern and share experiences with other International Programmes students.

 To read more about the study weekend, view the timetable and to book your place visit the website, here.

Please note that booking closes on Monday 16th January.

You might also be interested in watching a short film about the weekend:

You may also like to read the following blog posts:

My first Study Weekend – an External study staff member’s perspective

Study weekend 2010 a student’s perspective…

Study weekends have been designed to help you but lecturers will not go over the whole syllabus. The study sessions are an opportunity for you to ask questions and to alleviate any doubts that you may have. We have found that the study skills sessions are particularly useful and so we would encourage you to sign up for these, and they are free!  

We have also set up a Facebook event page, here. The Twitter hashtag for the day will be #swe2012

As usual we will be having a party on Friday evening and as ever we will be celebrating the successes of those students who have been given scholarships to study at the LSE and we will be inviting other graduates for you to meet.  We find that our alumni are a great source of support, information and guidance.  The party is a chance for you to relax and have fun so please do come.

Any enquiries about the event should be emailed to s.k.douglas@lse.ac.uk

Please check the FAQs about the Study weekend web page before making an enquiry.

At the Study weekend we are looking for students to participate in a video recording session which aims to bring the student study experience to life. We’ll be asking volunteers questions such as:

What is it like to study with us?

What do you like?

What are the challenges?

What advice would you give to future students?

How has undertaking the programme helped your career prospects?

Here is an example of the type of video that you will appear in:

Videos recorded at the Study weekend will be used on YouTube and in marketing material for the EMFSS courses and are likely to be featured on the UoL International Programmes website.

If you are interested in participating, please contact alice.ross@london.ac.uk

Examiners commentaries

Many of the 2011 examiners commentaries are now available in the VLE. These are important for you as they provide the ‘voice’ of the examiner, they will indicate how the examination questions should have been answered and in some cases indicate what a really good answer should look like.   Please read them carefully. There is a warning on every commentary to alert you to the fact that examiners can examine any part of the syllabus and to warn students against question spotting. Remember that you are studying for a degree not just for the examination.

Registering for examinations

Login to the Student Portal and under ‘My Account’ you will find instructions on how to register for examinations.

If you have not recieved your Portal login details or if you have forgotten them please write to uolia.support@london.ac.uk and remember to quote your student number.

Via the Portal you will be able to print off your personalised exam registration form.

The deadline for registering for examinations is 1 February 2012 unless you are coming to the study weekend where you may hand in your application in person.

It is crucial that you submit your examination entry form by the deadline for examination entry.

If you have any queries regarding examination entry you should contact the University of London examinations office (emfssexams@london.ac.uk) or telephone: 020 7862 8333.

The examinations timetable is currently being worked on an will be made available on the examinations website.

That just leaves us to say Happy holidays to all and we wish you a very happy and successful new year.

This year we have introduced New Regulations. These regulations are for some new students only. New students studying in a teaching institution should find out urgently whether they have been registered on the old or the new regulations. New Students not studying in a teaching institution will be automatically registered under the new regulations (all those registered since 1st January 2011). For these students there have been significant changes to the regulations, including the pass mark and the way that students can process through the degree.

Transfer to the new regulations is not be possible for students on the old regulations.

Please note: if you are a continuing student or have registered under the OLD regulations in 2011-12, this will not immediately apply to you.

To bring the EMFSS programmes into line with the LSE, we have adopted a change in the pass mark from 34% to 40% from summer 2012.  

This change will bring our programmes into line with the majority of other UK undergraduate awards which operate with a 40% pass mark.  This means there will no longer be a Pass category in the marking schemes for our degree course and all students will be required to achieve a ‘pass’ at the honours level of 40.  The rationale for this change is the desire to encourage students to achieve honours standards in their examinations, as they do at the LSE.  The previous Pass category will only be available for those few students who, at classification stage, fail two courses and would have otherwise been awarded a third class honours degree.

Given this is a major change to the programme regulations for existing students, the current 34% pass mark will continue until summer 2016.  By this point students need to have either graduated or completed their programme of study, or will be automatically transferred to the new regulations and continue on the 40% pass mark.

All Honours class boundaries remain unaltered, as illustrated in the single Marking Scheme published in the new regulations.

Our advice to all students in working towards their examinations is to know your subject, work hard and aim high!

John Ferrá

Head of the LSE Office for the University of London International Programmes.

Rosie’s celebratory retirement event and her change of role….Director of Institutional Liaison.

The London School of Economics and Political Science hosted an event to celebrate the achievements, retirement and a new role for Rosemary Gosling, Director for the EMFSS programmes at the LSE.

As anyone who has met Rosie will know, she is a truly inspirational individual and her determination, passion and love of the programmes is clear to all who meet and work with her. Rosie is driven by the guiding principle of access and widening participation to higher education and is committed to providing students from many different backgrounds the opportunity to study for a University of London degree.

Rosie was joined by family, friends and colleagues at the event and a number of individuals, including Professor Janet Hartley (Pro-Director LSE), Professor Martin Anthony (Chair of the Board of Examiners), Professor Jonathan Kydd (Dean of University of London International Programmes), Zoya Tuiebakhova (Vice-Rector of the Kazakh British Technical University) and Jots Semhbi (alumni of the programmes), offered their praise, admiration and best wishes for the unique and important work Rosie has tirelessly undertaken over the past twenty five years at the LSE.

Rosie continues her work and involvement with the EMFSS programmes as the new Director for Institutional Liaison, working and assisting teaching institutions in the UK and overseas that support our programmes and dealing with students.

 LSE Office for the University of London International Programmes

A new Director… the LSE office for UoL International Programmes welcomes Dr Keith Sharp

Dr Keith Sharp (pictured left) has been appointed as Director of University of London International Programmes at LSE. Keith started on 1 September 2011 and took up the post from Rosie Gosling on 1 October 2011. Keith has 20 years experience of working in British universities, including Coventry University, De Montfort University and the University of Gloucestershire, where he was dean of faculty and associate pro-vice-chancellor. In 2009-10 he spent a year as head of the UK HE International Unit based at Universities UK.

Keith is very familiar with the area of international partnerships and transnational education. Partnerships and internationalisation formed part of his remit at De Montfort and Gloucestershire. In his position as head of the UK Higher Education International Unit, he was regularly consulted by universities for advice on their international strategies, including international marketing; and he edited International Focus, the Unit’s newsletter, which contributed to many aspects of the wider debate about the strategic direction of the internationalisation of UK HE. More recently he has been acting as a consultant to a number of public and private sector HE institutions on various aspects of their international marketing and recruitment strategies.

Keith is no stranger to LSE. He took his undergraduate degree here between 1984-87 and he graduated with a first in sociology, as well as being awarded the Hobhouse Memorial Prize.

Other staff changes to the University of London International Programmes at LSE

Dr Ray Richardson decided after five years to step down as joint Dean of the University of London International Programmes at LSE from the end of September.  We convey our thanks to Ray for his stewardship of the programmes and wish him very best wishes for his retirement.

Dr Jan Stockdale (pictured above) has been appointed Dean from October and will provide academic coordination and leadership across the EMFSS programmes. Dr Stockdale is already a familiar face to International Programmes, having been joint Dean with Dr Richardson for several months and Chief Examiner for Elements of Social and Applied Psychology for many years.

Rosemary Gosling (pictured below) retired as Director of University of London International Programmes at LSE on 1 October 2011.  Rosie continues her work and involvement with the programmes as Director of institutional liaison for University of London International Programmes at LSE and will continue to support and mentor institutions teaching for the programmes.

Hi all fellow students,

I completed my BSc Information Systems and Management degree after 7 long long long years this year…and thought it might be helpful to offer some words of encouragement and possibly some hints and tips for new students just starting off before I signoff from the VLE….and have a little look back at the 7 years….

When I joined UOL many years ago, there was no VLE, no online official discussion forums or online study guides. What existed was an unofficial forum called yansa.org (you are not studying alone) which was being run by a fellow student. This forum helped me to connect with other students who were studying the same courses, and out of that lifelong friendships blossomed.

Working with a core set of students, we established an unofficial online study group using messenger technologies and other online based forums. Soon I was waking up on Saturday mornings and logging into chat and study sessions with students from all across the world from Iran, Europe, Australia and the US. I thought wow…what a great feeling communicating and working with students across the globe to achieve study goals and support each other.

We then thought it would be a good idea to have a physical meeting once or twice a year for students who were starting their studies, as way of establishing study groups and putting students who had already completed modules, in touch with new students. I had already been meeting with 2 students once or twice a year at LSE as way of “kicking off” our studies and supporting each other, before the first kick off weekend was arranged.

In 2007, the first kick off weekend was organised at LSE by 3 students, with the help of the lovely folk in the LSE External office to get access to rooms and the library. We had around 30 students attend, from all over the world. Rosie Gosling also spoke and gave a warm welcome and helped students with studies. Out of this grew a following for the event with students contacting us for dates of the next kick off weekend. We ran the kick off weekends for another 2 years and by the time the last one was held in 2009, we had lecturers for 4 different subjects and 50 students attend, and Rosie was always there to give her time and a warm welcome and encouragement at each kick off weekend. Students gave great feedback and said that having 2 occasions (the kick off weekend and the officially run Study weekend by LSE) to help with studies was very useful. Particularly, having an event at the start of the academic year to *kick off* studies was good for motivation, and meant that by the time the revision weekend came around in February, students had made good progress and established study groups. Due to the success of the kick off weekends, the event which is now a Kick off day, was officially taken over by LSE in 2010. This is one of the high points of my time with the University of London International Programmes; to be able to create an event which will continue to provide support and guidance for new students year on year.

Other high points include:

1. A great sense of achievement in having completed the course by independent study as well as working full time and dealing with all of life’s complexities.

2. I’ve made lifelong friends from all over the world, who have shown me parts of the world I may not have travelled to and continue to offer wonderful friendships.

3. I have learnt a great deal of things along the 7 year journey, which I’ve been able to put into practice in both my professional and personal life.

4. The feeling that anything is possible and that the world is small place!

5. Understanding that changes are possible if we all work together.

There were of course times, when I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere and it was hard to focus on studies with having to also work full time. But bit by bit, year by year I finally completed my goal…so I my first top tip is this: don’t give up, you can do it, it’s about patience and doing what you can manage in the time you have. Even if you only manage to take a single unit in a year, that’s a great achievement, so give yourself a pat on the back for that!

Here’s a list of my other tips:

1. Focus on courses that you are interested in because you will likely do best in those.

2. Utilise all your resources, VLE, chat sessions and forum study groups if you can. Study groups helped me greatly for motivation and progress. When I was studying Sociology, a group of 8 of us would email a question we had made up on a particular topic to the rest of the group each week and we all had to respond via email to the question. They were short questions and only took 10 minutes to write a response…but they helped the key concepts gel in my head.

3. Start writing essays and answering short questions early, don’t ignore the end of chapter questions in the study guides. If you can answer those questions, then building up to a long essay should be simpler.

4. Create yourself a proper study space where you won’t be disturbed and you then know you’re in “study mode” when you enter that place. Not everyone has a place at home where they can study so think about using other public places: libraries, parks and coffee shops. I loved revising in the summer in the park as I didn’t feel I wasn’t being deprived of the sun by being stuck to a desk, and I got a nice summer glow in the process too!

5. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t stick to your study plan, you will have good and bad days, as long as you do *something* you are on the right track.

6. Plan but don’t over plan – set yourself weekly and monthly goals at the start of the academic year and then adjust if needed. Having a plan is better than having no plan!

7. Enjoy your studies, if you treat them as a chore…it’s harder to study…no one likes chores!

8. Remember that you are NOT alone and there are lots of other students out there.

I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed my time studying with the University of London International Programmes and just wanted to share some of my experience so hopefully it can also help other students starting off.

Good luck to you all.

Best wishes,

Jots Sehmbi

As you know the online Continuing Registration task went live on Monday 5 September. Over 4,000 continuing students have already successfully completed the task and your study materials are currently being processed, in transit or awaiting validation by staff.

We are aware that a number of students have experienced difficulty accessing and using the new system. I would like to sincerely apologise to those students who clearly have not received the intended level of service. Our technical team have worked extremely hard to resolve all of the system issues and we are confident that the system is now much improved to allow students to complete the online process. However, we are aware that certain groups of students will still not yet be able to complete the process online.

These groups are as follows:

• Students wishing to transfer between degrees in the EMFSS programme
• Students wishing to move from the access route or Diploma to the degree programme. The following programmes have students who are affected LLB, Computing degrees, EMFSS and the Business Administration degrees.

I should hasten to add that not all students in the above categories will be affected.

If you are unable to register for your programme of choice please could you email enrolments@london.ac.uk stating which degree you wish to transfer to or the degree route you wish to be registered on. Could you ensure that in the subject heading Box of your email you clear state ‘Transfer Request’ or Diploma/ Access route to BSC. Staff will aim to deal with all queries as soon as possible. You should allow at least 3 working days for staff to resolve your query and respond to you once it is received in this inbox.

All students who do not fall into the above categories and who were unable to access the system I would encourage you to try again to complete the on line registration task. If you still have problems please also email enrolments@london.ac.uk where staff will respond to you within the same 3 working day timescale.

In addition a number of students have recently emailed the student registry with a number of queries: These broadly fall into the following categories

1. Change of module request where registration has been completed.
2. Questions relating to the contents of study material shipments received
3. Queries relating to the delivery of shipments
4. Requests for the renewal of registrations and or fresh periods of registration
5. Fee query issues

I am aware that a lot of you will not have received answers to your queries. If you have not had a response to your email and are still having difficulties, I would like you to undertake the following action. Please would you to resend your email to the enrolments@london.ac.uk email box clearly marking your email in the email subject heading box heading with one of the above five categories. This will enable staff to quickly sort emails and ensure the correct person can answer your query within 3 working days of receipt. If your query is not one of those issues can you state 6. Other Queries

I am asking you to do this because many of the outstanding emails going back several days are mixed in with all the normal email traffic in the registration inboxes. Re-sending the emails will allow us to prioritise and get them answered more quickly.

If you have forgotten your username and password for access to the portal please email uolia.support@london.ac.uk who will respond to your request.

In light of the above difficulties the closing date for continuing registration will be extended right up to the end of October for undergraduate students and where applicable in individual cases to the end of September for Postgraduate students

Finally and most importantly I would like to apologise to all of you who have encountered any issues with the online continuing registration system. Staff are working very hard to ensure all issues are dealt with as soon as possible.

Craig O’Callaghan
Director of Student Services & Business Transformation

Dear Students,

Welcome to all students for the coming academic year. Please read the information below very carefully.

For all students

This year we have introduced some changes to the course codes, in order to more accurately describe the subject area and level of the course.

The course codes can be understood as, for example, EC1002

Students will notice that the subject guides have different covers and are coloured to indicate whether the course is a 100 course (pink),  200 course (green) or 300 course (white).

In most cases there have been minor changes to the learning outcomes, for both courses and chapters within the subject guides. However, these are descriptive changes, and the content and approach remain the same.

IMPORTANT

This year we have introduced New Regulations. These regulations are for some new students only. New students studying in a teaching institution should find out urgently whether they have been registered on the old or the new regulations. New Students not studying in a teaching institution will be automatically registered under the new regulations (all those registered since 1st January 2011). For these students there have been significant changes to the regulations, including the pass mark and the way that students can process through the degree.

Students who have registered in previous years or who have been registered this year by their teaching institution on the old regulations will not be affected by the changes in the new regulations in any way.

Transfer to the new regulations will not be possible for students on the old regulations.

Good luck with your studies this year.

Very best wishes,

LSE Office for the University of London International Programmes

Pictured from left to right: Jots Sehmbi; currently studying Bsc Information Systems and Management, Rosie Gosling; Director University of London International Programmes at LSE, Frank Wisselink; graduate of BSc Economics and Management 2010 and Liz Wise; graduate of Bsc Politics and International Relations 2010.

All of us are thinking of students who are sitting for examinations this May and June. You may feel stressed and worried that you will not perform well in the examinations but remember that if you have studied the material, thought about the key problems and are prepared to engage with and answer the examiners questions directly then you will perform well.

Examiners are thinking about you as you write the papers and have constructed mark schemes for each question. Read through the subject guides and examiners commentaries carefully to see what they expect of you. So in very real terms, the examination process is a relationship and you are not alone!

Think of the examinations as a challenge and this will encourage you to perform at a higher level than if you simply go into the examination full of anxiety. Think of the time when you will graduate as in the happy picture above, may this be an inspiration to you.

All of us are right behind you during this time!

Rosie Gosling

In February 2010 we held a similar forum and took many of the issues raised forward. For instance, students requested identity cards, which we have arranged to be provided from next academic year.

Can we have another study weekend each year?

It is something we will consider. Timing is crucial as it must be at a time in the academic year when students will most benefit. We may consider making the kick off weekend a larger event with a more academic focus.

How do you chose which sessions to offer at the study weekend?

We aim to offer sessions for most of the courses and especially for those which need the most support, or have the most students enrolled. We are limited by space, time and the number of lecturers we can get to teach, so we cannot offer sessions in all our courses. However, most courses are covered, and for third year courses, where students need to most support, we are sometimes prepared to run sessions with only one or two students.

Can we have contact with LSE lecturers?

All academic queries should come through the UoLIP office at LSE. Where appropriate we will direct the queries to the relevant lecturer and come back to you with an answer.

Can we get tutor feedback on queries?

You can use the forums on the VLE to post queries, where there are some very active and helpful students. A small number of tutors currently moderate academic discussion forums via the VLE and this service is likely to expand across more subjects shortly.

Can we have a real-time chat room in addition to the forums on the VLE?

Possibly but there are a number of issues and obstacles that we must first overcome, such as poor internet connections, resourcing such a project, student numbers wishing to participate and issues arising from world time differences associated with synchronous activities. Of course, you are free to arrange your own study sessions with fellow students. Many students already participate in group study sessions via Skype etc and generally these are advertised on the Student discussion forums.

Can we get feedback on essays?

Our programmes are offered at significantly different fee levels from internal programmes. Offering this service would increase fees considerably, so we are reluctant to do so as it would exclude many students who could not afford it.

We may consider posting some sample essays on the VLE with commentaries, but in the mean time you should use the Examiners’ Commentaries carefully.

Can we have a book containing examples of ‘good’ essays every year?

We are opposed to providing model answers as it encourages students to copy, and we are committed to providing you with courses that foster independent thinking.

Can we have more VLE resources like those for the Statistics courses?

We are gradually building up the resources available on the VLE, however we have found that students have been slow to engage with these materials and many are simply not using the online resources provided for, for example, the Sociology and Economics courses. Therefore, we need to consider whether it is a good use of our resources to develop and offer such extensive online materials if they are not going to be widely used.

MIT and Harvard offer these resources to their International students, so why can’t you?

Their courses are offered at a different level and they do a magnificent job, but they are not supporting degrees in the areas of EMFSS (Economics, Management, Finances and the Social Sciences). We cannot be compared with these institutions, and cannot be expected to offer exactly the same type of learning environment.

Can we have access to the LSE library?

You can visit and use the LSE library by registering at the library as a guest. However from Monday 18 April to Sunday 12 June 2011, there will be restricted access to the library and UoL students are requested to bring a letter confirming their registration on the programme. Letters may be obtained from the University of London Registry: enrolments@london.ac.uk

Can we take books out of the LSE library?

No, but you are able to borrow from the University of London Library for a fee of £130.72 per annum. For details of how to join, see http://www.ull.ac.uk/library/extprog.shtml

You have access to the University of London Online Library via the Student portal, which holds many of the journal articles listed on your reading lists. Scholarship student Sara Wingham confirmed that she never needed to use the LSE library to access material she needed for her courses, as it was all available online.

Can we have access to LSE’s wireless internet?

This service is reserved for internal students.

Can we have student ID cards?

From August 2011 all new and registered students will be sent a student registration card in their welcome pack.

In the mean time you can use your registration documentation to prove that you are a UoLIP student. You can request this from the University of London registry office (enrolments@london.ac.uk) or tel: 020 7862 8063).

Can we have two examination sessions each year?

No, for a number of reasons:

1. Due to the level of scrutiny and checking we employ, the exam process takes over six months to plan and execute. There isn’t time for more than one session per year.
2. We have to reflect LSE processes, and they only have one examination sitting.
3. You need a year to gradually grow in to your studies. Bi-annual examination sessions would encourage students to take exams after only six months studying when they would not have had enough time to think and reflect.

Can we have a list of cheaper examination centres?

We are aware that some examination centres charge extremely high fees, and we are looking into ways of helping student with this problem.

Who are the examiners?

Not all examiners are from LSE, however they are all scrutinised, appointed by, and mark to LSE’s internal standards.

Can we apply for exemptions throughout the year?

You may apply for exemptions as long as you haven’t taken or registered for the examination in the relevant course.

Can we have a letter proving that we have paid our fees?

From June 2011 Students will have access to the fees functionality in the Portal which will allow them to see their fee statements and print receipts of fee payments.

In the mean time you can request a receipt from the University of London fees office (ipstudents.fees@london.ac.uk) or tel: 020 7862 8366.

Will the raise in UK HE fees affect UoLIP Programmes?

No. We have never been funded by the UK Government so fees will not increase based on the new legislation.

Why didn’t my study material arrive until January?

We acknowledge that this can sometimes be a problem. Sometimes your materials cannot be despatched until the registration process is complete and in the first year this can take some time. From your second year onwards you will be on continuing registration, which is far quicker to process so you won’t experience such a long delay in receiving your materials, however we are still reliant upon the service provided by different postal systems. From 2011 registrations and associated fee payments will be predominantly online. This will help to eliminate much of the current delay.

Students who are registered can access full subject guides and all other materials for all courses via the VLE. Students who are awaiting their materials can make use of the first four chapters of the subject guides which are freely downloadable from the UoL website.

Can you provide a list of acceptable / appropriate calculators we can use?

Unfortunately, we are not able to supply a list of calculators that are, or are not, allowed in exam halls. However, the following guidance relating to calculators is stated in the current regulations:

Calculators must be non-programmable. The use of a calculator or other electronic device that communicates, stores textual or numerical information, or displays textual (except error) messages, graphical or algebraic information is strictly forbidden. The use of a calculator with alphabet and/or symbol keys not listed below is strictly forbidden.

PDAs, mobile phones or other devices are forbidden.

Calculators must be hand held; compact; portable; solar and/or battery powered; and quiet in operation.

The use of calculators with the following symbols and functions only are permitted:-

• Digit keys 0 to 9 and decimal point
• Keys for basic arithmetical functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and equals
• Percentage key
• Square root key
• Basic 3 key memory (MRC, M-, M+)
• Clear keys (C, AC)
• On/off key.
• Tax key

The use of any calculator other than the type specified above will constitute an examination offence.

You are responsible for ensuring that your calculator is in working order for the examination and must ensure that you have an alternative means of calculation in the event of the calculator failing, either through the use of a second calculator which complies with the specification or by continuing the examination without the use of a calculator. At each examination for which you are permitted to use a calculator, you must clearly write the name and type of machine you have used on the examination script. Calculators will not be provided by the University. Please remember, all workings must be clearly shown on the examination script.

What scholarships available to us? How do we apply for one?

There are two Masters scholarships available each year. You must get a place at LSE first, then apply to Catherine Lester for the scholarship. Standards are extremely high and places very limited, so only those with exceptional marks will be considered.

LSE may be able to offer financial assistance to students they accept on their programmes. Check the LSE website for details (http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/scholarshipsAndFinancialSupport.aspx)

Are there any awards available?

Yes, there are some for students who achieve the highest marks in each of the degree programmes.

Can we use the UoL logo on business cards?

We have investigated this and the answer is no, but students will be given a registration card.

Let me begin my wishing all students, lecturers and administrators a very happy new year from all of us at the LSE office for University of London International Programmes.

The new year is a time for new resolutions and I hope that the new years resolution students will make is to ‘work hard, aim high and to think deeply and critically about the subjects that you will be examined on this May and June’.

I have been traveling extensively for the past six months, visiting Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Malta, Turkey and Greece. I have enjoyed meeting many of you and learning about your key concerns and worries. We are always very interested to hear your views and gain feedback from you about the programmes and particular subjects.

I have discovered that some of you are making regular and good use of the VLE, whereas others have not yet accessed the Student portal at all. During my travels many students asked me how other students are doing and expressed their desire to find support from fellow students. I reminded them that the VLE and our Facebook page is the place to start to connect with other students and to find support in each other! Whilst at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) I was able to meet the ‘famous’ Boon Pin and to say ‘thank you’ for all of the support and advice that he has given to students via the discussion forums of the VLE.

This weekend (4th – 6th February) over 300 students will be attending the annual Study weekend and as usual on Saturday evening I will be hosting an open forum where I will be taking student questions, discussing key issues and areas of concern. We would very much welcome your comments and ideas about any aspect of the University of London International programmes so that we can discuss these at the forum. Please feel free to post comments in response to this blog with any of your suggestions, or e-mail us at uolip@lse.ac.uk.

Please also note that there is a Facebook event page for the Study weekend where you can share your experiences and upload photographs from the event.

 This summer there will be a record number of students taking examinations with the University of London International Programmes. Examiners take their work very seriously and so you should make sure that you have ‘examined’ their commentaries from the past three years (which are all available on the VLE) very carefully to help you understand what the examiners expect from you. Far too often students prepare for questions that have already been set in the past and therefore are unable to answer a new question in the examination. We do not try to trick you but we do want to know that you have ‘command’ of the subject area and can apply what you know and understand to the questions asked. Please help each other via the VLE discussion forums or for those enrolled at an institution, ask your lecturer if you are unsure.

Finally, and importantly this is a time when we should think of our students in Egypt and in other places where there is turmoil and uncertainty.  We are constantly amazed by how our students succeed in spite of the many obstacles that are put in their way.  The year of the rabbit is a good year for peace and the resolution of conflict, however you should be warned about being too laid back. Work hard and enjoy your studies and then you can relax in June!

Best wishes

Rosemary Gosling

Director, University of London International Programmes at LSE