This guest blog post was written by an international Master of Arts student in the UK. She has been using SAGE Campus to get up to speed with her research skills to assist with her assignments and dissertation. You'll find some insights and tips when taking online courses.
a non-native English speaking student’s perspective
Starting university brings many challenges to your lifestyle and your education - in a positive way - although it can be stressful if not managed properly. As a master's student, I've learned the hard way I would need to dedicate an immense amount of time to research before starting anything.
In addition, English isn't my first language, and my Bachelor's degree was acquired in a different country. Needless to say, I faced a lot of extra challenges when I enrolled.
It was the first time I would need to write several assignments in English and in various formats, such as reports, essays, position papers, evaluations, etc. What do they all have in common? Research and more research! And that's how SAGE Campus stands out from other online courses.
"SAGE Campus comprises self-paced courses with various interactive activities and academic instructors, which I believe to be the secret to success. You learn and never forget, which is essential at any university level because all content learned and skills acquired as a UG or PG you will bring it to your professional life as well, it's all connected".
three courses to start off with your research
Here is how I started with essential skills and improved my critical thinking and writing by taking some of Campus' online courses:
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Critical Thinking: start off with this course. This skill is essential for any course at any level, and Tom Chatfield is excellent and very popular amongst academics. The course design and intelligent exercises are an extra touch. They challenge you to properly analyze the situation and choose the closest best answer.
Research Question: as an international student who has never truly done any research until now, getting up to speed was critical. I had a topic in mind but no idea what the question would be. Zina O'Leary makes sure you put your mind to work! You get to practice various exercises throughout the course, which helped me narrow down some possible research questions for my dissertation.
Analyze Qualitative Data: this brand new course by Robert Thomas is clear and to the point. I tend to go to qualitative research for my assignments but never had to properly analyze it and didn't know where to start. This course helped me select a focus group for a research-based project where I had to choose the best method for my research topic/question of choice.
three courses and three tips
When you're a Master's student with a full-time job, you don't have much spare time to get all the Uni work done, let alone start fresh with a new skill. I came up with three ways to make it through these two years of studies using SAGE Campus between work and Uni projects:
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Check the Modules' content before starting any course. Indeed completing it 100% will definitely be beneficial. Still, if you have a tight schedule or a specific subject you need to learn more about it, prioritize! You'll still achieve a successful outcome.
Do the Activities: sometimes, your brain won't be up to speed, and you won't want to go over the activities, but they are fun and helpful to put two and two together. Leave them for later if you prefer, but do not skip them entirely; they are an essential part of the course.
Have fun: surely, it gets overwhelming at some point, and all you want to do is scream and hope it will help finish your project. Take one day at a time, pause, breathe, relax for an hour, go back refreshed and enjoy! These courses helped me learn interactively, and don't forget they are self-paced. There is no rush to start or finish!
"All courses complement one another and the learner pathways is a great guide to your research journey."
ABOUT SAGE CAMPUS
SAGE Campus is a digital library product, so you can only access it via your institution. Librarians can request a full 30-day free trial and faculty/researchers can recommend us to your library or request a trial if you are an administrator via this form. If you’re interested in our courses for yourself or for use at your institution, try a free module on our demo hub!
