Happy holidays to all…

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.

Happy new year blog from the Director…

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

Happy holidays to all!

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 22nd December until the morning of Tuesday 4th January 2011. You may of course continue to write to us 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 2011

For those of you who do not know, this years Study Weekend will take place at the LSE from Friday 4th February to Sunday 6th February 2011.

You can find all the information about this years Study Weekend and see photos from previous years on the Study Weekend website, which is also the place where you can view the timetable, reserve your place and pay for your sessions online.

Please note that booking closes on Friday 14th January.

For those of you who haven’t been to a Study Weekend before you might also be interested in watching a short film about it, which was recorded at the 2008 event.

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!  

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 come. On Saturday evening we will be having our open house as usual and we welcome any ideas that you may have for this session.

Any enquiries about the event should be emailed to externalstudy@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.Mallick@london.ac.uk

Examiners commentaries

Many of the 2010 examiners commentaries are now available on 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

The deadline for registering for examinations is 1 February 2011 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.

For full information on registering for examinations and to download the registration form see the University of London examinations website.

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

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

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

As a new member of the External study team, my first study weekend was a real eye opener.

From the outset of organising it, I came to see how large the programme is, and how many people from all over the world benefit from it. From the minute we opened bookings we were deluged with enquiries, illustrating how useful students find the event. For many, it is the one and only opportunity in the year to gain tuition and feedback on their studies, which naturally is invaluable to any student studying alone.

Of the 18,000+ students studying on the EMFSS programmes, we had 500 bookings. It is a shame that more people were unable to come, but that is only to be expected when many of you are living such huge distances away, and have work commitments which do not allow the time off. However, this really made me aware of how dedicated you all are – to be studying alone, in your spare time, and at such a distance is really an inspiration and testament to your commitment to learning.

It is amazing what can be achieved through this challenging programme. Nowhere was this more evident than at the reception we held on the Friday night of the study weekend. Not only was it a chance to welcome students to the weekend, but it was also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of two of our alumni, Ronnie Goh and Arun Thirunavukkarasu, who both received scholarships to study Masters degrees at LSE after performing outstandingly in their undergraduate External degrees.

I had the opportunity to work with Ronnie and Arun over the weekend where they very generously gave up their time to help us run the event, along with another scholarship student, Vidhi Lalchand (who you can see being interviewed about her experience of studying on the External programme below).

I was very interested to hear their stories of how they came to be where they are. Employment difficulties in their own countries had motivated them to study hard, and gain qualifications which would improve their prospects. However, what became apparent to me through talking with them and many of our other students over the weekend, was that intellectual curiosity is a huge motivation for many of you – learning for learning’s sake.

     

Ronnie and Arun receiving their scholarships from Professor Janet Hartley at the welcome reception.

We had students from all five continents at the weekend, showing how truly global this programme is. For many, the weekend was not just an opportunity to prepare for exams, but also a chance to meet other students and compare stories and tips. I really felt this was equally as valuable as the revision sessions themselves, and made everyone feel part of something greater.

 It became very clear to me at the Director’s Open House and Student Forum on the Saturday evening, that many of you have similar experiences of studying through the External programme. There seemed to be a lot of consensus over the challenges you face, and how your learning experience could be improved. Rest assured, in the four months I’ve been at LSE, I’ve seen first-hand how dedicated the External study staff are, and how determined we are to provide the best learning experience we can for you all – we do listen to your views, and where possible, implement any changes you feel would be beneficial. That is to say nothing of the commitment of the lecturers at the weekend. Their enthusiasm and commitment to helping you with your studies was apparent to me as soon as we started booking them for the event. For many of them, this was their third or fourth year teaching at the weekend, and in their feedback many of them have volunteered for the 2011 weekend. It’s clearly not just a great experience for the students!

On the subject of feedback, we’ve had some lovely comments from students who came along. Many of them found the weekend to be hugely beneficial, and were particularly impressed with the study skills sessions, run by Rosie Gosling and Neil McLean. Material from these and other sessions will be available on the VLE shortly, so keep an eye out. A number of appreciative comments were also made about the provision of chocolate biscuits – next year, I will personally increase the ratio of Jaffa Cakes to Rich Tea’s, as they seemed to go down best of all! Naturally there were some criticisms too, which we’re taking very seriously and will address, as far as possible, when planning next year’s weekend. I really hope many more of you will be able to make it to the 2011 weekend. If you can find the time, I truly believe it’s a worthwhile experience.

One last thing. Throughout the weekend, Rosie’s catchphrase was ‘You can do it!’. After my experience of the study weekend I believe she’s absolutely right – you can!

Study weekend 2010 a student’s perspective…

Professor Martin Anthony shares his expertise with External Students at the Study weekend 2010

My experience of the Study weekend 2010

By Adrian Neumeyer

When I signed up for a degree programme at the External System in 2009, I only had a vague idea about how the year would develop and what life as a self-learner would be like. It turned out to be a demanding period, with endless hours at the desk, reading through textbooks and working on exercises. Despite all the challenges, it was also an amazing experience of intellectual enrichment. Staying motivated all the time is so important. What helped me in that respect, apart from the joy of learning new things, was the outlook that I would have to opportunity to meet my study mates at the study weekend.

I know many of you could not come to London this year, either because you live far away, or because your work commitments did not allow for it. Therefore I would like to give you some impressions of the study weekend which was held on February 5^th – 7^th 2010.

For some of the students the fun part already started on Thursday evening. A group of 20 students who had replied to my post on the VLE forum, met up for dinner in the cosy Spanish restaurant LA TASCA near Victoria Station. I was really surprised that so many people showed up, keeping in mind that everybody had a different travel schedule. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with various kinds of tapas, and very soon became engaged in wonderful conversations.

Being at the study weekend and meeting students from all over the world confirmed my presumption about the people who, by their own choice, decide to take up studies while working. What drives these individuals is far more than the mere need to get another certificate. The people I have met are concerned with social issues in their home country; they want to take over responsibility and change circumstances. Others devote a significant amount of their time to getting environmental awareness into companies. Even others have realised that they possess skills which go beyond what their current job demands from them, and hence want to get into a different field of work. I listened to many personal stories during the weekend, and each story I found equally fascinating.

As this was the first Study Weekend I attended I was curious about how the study sessions would be held. My first class was a Statistics unit, and James Abdey, our instructor, made a wonderful prelude on Friday morning. He immediately got everybody’s attention with his entertaining yet effective way of getting statistical concepts across. Of course it is impossible to cover the entire syllabus in three hours, but James and the other instructors knew very well what were the difficult topics in a course that required a closer look. Therefore the revision sessions were of great value, and helped me to bring all the knowledge that I had acquired over the past year into better order.

Another session I was eagerly awaiting was Introduction to Economics, taught by Professor Amos Witztum. It is one of the units I found most inspiring, and the study of economics has indeed changed my way of thinking about many aspects. Professor Witztum made an important statement when he noted that the motivation to study should come from the desire to learn, not from a short-term thinking about an exam. We all should remind ourselves of that from time to time. An economics lecture can also be quite amusing, as we discovered when Professor Witztum started to discuss the kama sutra of prices. If you now wonder why you have never heard about this concept before, don’t worry. It is not directly examinable

On Friday evening, a welcome reception was held in the Old Building. Professor Jonathan Kydd (Dean of the External System), Rosie Gosling (Director LSE External Study) and Professor Janet Hartley (Pro-director for teaching and learning, LSE) welcomed the students. Having the chance to talk to the instructors personally, who were also present on this evening, made the event very enjoyable and useful.

One thing I realised very early when I signed up for a degree at the University of London was the fact that the External Programme gives great attention to the feedback of their students, and is constantly seeking to improve the study experience. This is probably what makes this programme so successful, and what sets it apart from other distance learning institutions. The student forum, held on Saturday evening in Hong Kong theatre, was such a feedback opportunity, where we as students could actually bring up our ideas about what could be improved in the programme or the study weekend. The discussion focused on two main topics. One was the request to issue student ID cards. Another whish many students expressed was to provide more interaction possibilities with the instructors, and to bring more interactive resources onto the VLE. Of course many things can be done. In the case of video recordings, a big step has been made forward (take for example the videos available in the statistics units). From my perspective, what matters in all the discussion about adding further facilities is that we should not forget the purpose of the External Programme: To offer world-class education at very reasonable cost, giving a wide range of people the opportunity to gain a highly-respected award. Adding more learning facilities and events would for sure be beneficial, but would also drive up the cost of study and consequently exclude some students, mainly in less developed countries.

Concerning the organisation of the study weekend, we were thinking that it would be a good service if the organisers could negotiate better rates with hotels near campus. On one side this would simplify the preparation of the trip to London. On the other side it would bring down the cost for accommodation.

The study weekend was a big success, both from a learning perspective but also as a social event to meet new interesting people. I want to send a big THANK YOU to Rosie, Sarah, Craig, all the External study team at LSE, the instructors, and all the other people who have contributed to this event. Not to forget Ronny and Arun for their efforts to ensure smooth supply of coffee, water and cookies!

I am looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

 

Adrian Neumeyer

Study weekend 2010 & Exam commentaries

Greetings from a cold and windy London!

I hope that you are all well into your studies and are enjoying studying with the University of London. We are delighted that you are making good use of the materials we have provided and are using the VLE successfully. Please let us know what is useful and how we can improve what we are providing for you.

You can find information about this years Study Weekend and see photos from previous years on the Study Weekend website [external link], which is also the place where you can reserve your place online. You will not be asked to confirm and pay for your place until shortly after the booking deadline.

For those of you who haven’t been to a Study Weekend before you might also be interested in watching a short film about it, which was recorded at the 2008 event.

This year we have provided a timetable so that you can plan your weekend. We have tried to avoid any clashes but please do let us know if the subjects you wish to take are not available or they are being offered at the same time and we can attempt to accommodate your request.

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!  

 As usual we will be having a party on Friday evening and this year 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 come. On Saturday evening we will be having our open house as usual and we welcome any ideas that you may have for this session.

Any enquiries about the event should be emailed to externalstudy@lse.ac.uk

 

A number of examination commentaries are now available on the VLE and others will follow during the next four weeks. 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.

I am now off to Malaysia and Singapore to see students and teaching institutions!

Good Studying!

 

Rosie Gosling