WUC131/03

Specimen paper

Answer guidelines
WUC131/03 Learning Skills for University Studies
Time: 2 Hours

Copyright 2016 WOU

WUC131/03

Part A (40 marks)

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 10 marks.

1. Describe briefly four (4) forums that you can find in theWawasanlearn.
Forum
Announcements
from the course
coordinator

Explanation
This forum shows the latest course announcements, course
materials and course related information that is updated the
course coordinator.

Announcements
from the tutor

In this forum, the latest tutorial announcements and course

related information will be updated by the tutor

Public forum

Anyone enrolled in the course can post issues for general

discussion.

Tutorial forum

Students and tutors can communicate with each other and

discuss issues like the TMAs and others specific to a tutorial
class.

Tutor contact details

Tutor posts contact details like the email, telephone numbers

and the time slots for telephone tutoring

Any four of the above

( 10 marks)

2. Identify five (5) services provided by every Regional Centre.

Helps you register for courses and as a student

You can pay your semester and exam fees there
You can get advice and guidance about the choice of your course
You can get information about financial assistance
You can collect your face-to-face timetable
You can collect textbooks if provided

Any five of the above

Accept any relevant answer

( 10 marks)

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3. State five (5) advantages of following a regular schedule for your studies.
Advantages
It will help motivate you to stick to your schedule
When you plan and carry out your study in frequent but small, manageable chunks, it
makes your life easier
A study schedule means that you dont waste your time but rather have time for other
commitments
A schedule also helps you to track your progress. You can see that you have achieved
set tasks, completed assignments on time and made good progress.
If something doesnt get done on a particular day, you are able to juggle and shift it
around using your schedule
( 10 marks)
Accept any relevant answer

4. List five (5) causes of test anxiety.

Not well-prepared
Poor study habits
Poor organisation
Poor time management
Bad experience from previous tests
Studying at the last minute
Afraid you cannot remember
Worried about your past performances in tests
Thinking about the negative consequences of failing
Unrealistic expectations for yourself
Expectations from others especially the family
You feel you need to perform well to please others
You are competing with others-siblings and friends
You cannot understand or master the materials you are studying

Any five of the above

Accept any relevant answer

( 10 marks)

5. State five (5) reasons why assessments are carried out at Wawasan Open
University.
Reasons
It can push you to study harder.
It is a good motivation tool.
It provides feedback to both the student and institution.
It can be used to determine the achievement of intended learning outcomes.

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It can serve as a quality assurance mechanism
(10 marks)
Accept any relevant answer
e.g It is another learning occasion.

6. Briefly explain four (4) things that are expected of you as a distance learner.
Things
Explanation
Students are in control of most things related to studies
As tutors only guide and advise in students learning, students need to take
responsibility for their studies
Students work independently, collaborate and work in a team as and when the need
arises
Students are expected to be more resourceful
Students are expected to be more selective and focused in their learning in order to
master new information.
Any four of the above
Accept any relevant answer
(10 marks)

Note to all students: For Part B only the main points and
elaborations that must be found in your essay are given below.
When you write your answers, they must be in essay format and
have an introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion.
Part B (60 marks)
Answer any three (3) questions. Each question carries 20 marks.
1. Discuss five (5) ways the digital library can help you in your studies.
Ways
Explanation
You can access it wherever You need not go to the library physically.
you are
You can visit the library at home, at the Regional
Office or at work, as long as you have an Internet
connection.

Everyone has access to the

digital libraries

The digital books are available to everyone. However,

most libraries require paid subscriptions.
But if you are a registered student in an institution of
higher learning (college or university), you will have
automatic access to the libraries that the institution
subscribes to.

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The resources are available at

all times

Resources are available

synchronously or
asynchronously

It provides a structured
approach to locating
information

It enables easy retrieval of

information

The books are always wellpreserved

You can create your own

virtual bookshelf

You can network

The digital books are always available every single

minute and second of the day/
You can access them anytime you wish.

The information is always available to you and your

course mates all over the country synchronously or
asynchronously.
This means that all of you can view the book at the
same time, or view it at different times.
So you can view and discuss a particular chapter of a
digital book with another course mate in a different
state!

You can gain quicker access to much richer content in

a more structured manner.
If you have located the book you want from the
catalogue, you can move instantly to the book.
From there, you can go straight to the chapter or
subheading
What do you do if you need specific information on a
certain topic and do not know which books to look for?
Type a word, phrase or a sentence and a list of results
from the entire collection of the library will be displayed
for you to choose from.
Digital libraries can provide very user-friendly
interfaces, giving you instant access to its resources at
a click of your mouse

Regardless of how many times you or other users view

the book; they will always be in good condition not torn,
dirty or missing.
Digital books cannot be defaced or damaged.

You can create a virtual bookshelf for yourself. Then

you can put a book you want to refer to in future on the
bookshelf, or stack it up with hundreds of books.
You can create your very own digital library and you
need not buy shelves or put up with restricted storage
space.
When your room or house has no space for extension,
you can solve it by digitisation.
What do you do if you cannot find a particular book

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from one library?

Digital libraries can provide a link to the resources of
other digital libraries very easily.

Accept any 5 ways

Accept any relevant answer
( 20 marks)

2. Describe five (5) guidelines that you can use to check the reliability of information
you can use for your assignment.
Guidelines
Elaboration
Who is the author or If the author is a person, does the resource give biographical
institution?
information about him such as educational institutional and
other credentials?
If the author is an institution, is there information provided
about it such as the purpose, history as well as street
address?

How current
information?

is

the

Who is the audience?

Is there a date on the web page that indicates when the

page was placed on the web?
Is it clear when the page was last updated?
Is some/any of the information out-of-date?

Is the web page intended for the general public, scholars,

practitioners, children etc? Is this clearly stated?

Does the web page meet the needs of its stated audience?
Is the content accurate
and objective?

What is the purpose of

the information?

Accept any relevant answer

Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious or

institutional biases?
Is the content just a brief overview of the information or an indepth analysis?
If the information is the authors opinion, is it clearly stated?
If there is information copied from other sources, is it
acknowledged?

Is the purpose of the information to inform, explain, advocate

a cause etc?
Is the purpose clearly stated?
Does the resource fulfil the stated purpose?

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( 20 marks)

3. Explain four (4) strategies that one can use for answering short-answer and essay
questions.
Strategy
Read the
instructions

Explanation

Find out how many questions you must answer for each section.
Answer only the required number of questions if you are given a choice to
select a certain number of questions.
Dont answer all the questions in a section where there is a choice as
examiners will only mark the first four (if four are required)

The length
of your
answer
depends on
the marks
allocated

Look at the weightage allocated for each section and individual question.
The number of marks and the length of the answer is dependent on the

Divide your
time wisely

The time that you spend on the questions is dependent on the weightage

weightage given.

allocated to each section.

If Part A has lesser weightage than Part B, then more time should be
spent on Part B.
It is important that you keep track of the time when you answer questions
for each section

Attention must be paid to the key words in the question so that one

Understand
what type of
information
you must
provide

know the type of information that is needed.

An example must be given here. For e.g. the key word describe
means to give a full and detailed picture of something in words so
that it can be visualized. E.g. Describe how Mr. Ibrahim solved the
problem of indiscipline in his school.

Prepare an
outline

Write legibly

In a subjective test, it is important to write legibly.

This means you should write neatly and clearly so that your examiners

Based on the key words given, an outline has to be prepared.

Appropriate key points need to be included
An introduction, body and conclusion must be given.
Appropriate examples must be used to illustrate the points
given.

can read your handwriting.

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Enumerate
your points
or use
transition
markers

To enumerate means to name each one in a proper order.

In a short-answer or an essay question, it is good for you to enumerate

Do not use
SMS lingo

Never ever use the language of the short message service or SMS in

your points. For example, if you are asked to give five reasons why a
certain decision was made, do not just write your answer in one long
paragraph but you can divide your answer into paragraphs.
You can also use transition markers like, Firstly, Secondly,
Thirdly, Fourthly, Fifthly when moving from one paragraph to
another.

tests or examinations! Your answers must be written in formal English

instead of B4, TQ, u r, do write before, thank you, you are, etc.
Not everyone understands what these contractions or short forms mean.

Accept any four of the above

Accept any relevant answer

(20 marks)

4. Discuss four (4) types of academic dishonesty

Type

Definition

Elaboration

Cheating

Using or attempting to use

unauthorized materials or
information to gain an
advantage over your fellow
students. Giving unauthorized
assistance to others or
receiving assistance from
unauthorized sources.

-Getting someone else to do

your assignment and passing
it off as yours
-copying someone elses
assignment/allowing them to
copy your work
-Claiming someone else work
as your own
-Making use of calculators
when not permitted
-Smuggling notes into the test
centre and referring to them
-Alteration of answers to a
returned test
-Downloading or copying
computer files belonging to
someone else without
permission

Fabrication

Making up false information or

data and then presenting it as
factual information

-Making up false quotes,

statements, data or sources
for your assignment
-Citing a source that was not
used in your assignment
-Alteration or falsification of
records related to your
academic performance

Facilitation

To make an activity easier by

getting advice from
friends/academic Staff.

-Providing test answers to

another student
-Giving or receiving
unauthorized assistance in the

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form of copying an assignment

or during an exam
-Not reporting that someone
else copied during an exam.
Plagiarism

Intentionally or unintentionally
using an authors words,
ideas or research without
giving credit or acknowledging
the author

-Not citing the references and

sources used
-Using identical structures in
an authors work without
citation and reference
-Paraphrasing and quoting an
authors work without citation
and reference
-Stating facts and research
that are not common
knowledge without proper
citation and reference

Accept any relevant answer

(20 marks)

5. Explain four (4) types of written assignments at university level

Type
Essay

Explanation

Thesis-support essay which addresses a central question or issue and supports a

thesis

You may need to explain or defend the thesis with reasons and evidence gained
from your own personal experience or from reading/research.

The form for this type of an essay generally comprises an introduction, body and
conclusion.

Summary

The intention is to help you clarify and understand what you have read.
It provides a brief description of the information or main points contained in an
article or document.

It may or may not require you to give your own opinions.

Report

A formal document that is written for a variety of purposes in various disciplines.

It is organized into separate sections according to the specific requirements of the
given task.

It is aimed at a specific audience and serves a specific purpose.

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Research

Presents the results of your investigations on a selected topic.

paper

It is based on your own thoughts and the facts and ideas gathered from a variety of
sources e.g library, survey, experiments etc.

Accept any relevant answer

(20 marks)