Study Kit – Studying Together

Are we allowed to study together?

Just as it helps to read another author’s perspective on your work, so talking with fellow students about your work - outside of lectures please! – is a great way to really learn your material. In this way you can piece together your understanding of the course.

If you find someone (or a small group) who you work particularly well with, this can be one of the most important things you can do to improve your knowledge, education and exam performance. Some people call this sort of grouping “Study Buddies”.

Of particular benefit are the following activities:

• Comparing lecture notes with others

• Working through tutorials and past papers together

• Reading and discussing the recommended books

• Alternating pure study with fun - e.g., playing a time-limited computer game, before returning to work

One of the best things about working together is the fact that you use your time better, by:

• Actually planning to do some out-of-lecture work

• Having the responsibility of meeting with someone else (you’re more likely to actually do it)

• Using gaps between lectures positively

 However, you need to be very clear that your assignments are your own work.

The University has very clear rules about what is allowed, and Plagiarism (the act of pretending that other people’s work is your own) is treated very seriously. You will be required to do a VLE-based exercise on Academic Misconduct, and in addition you should visit the University's Academic Misconduct page. (Look, I know this may all sound like it's nothing to do with your course, but understanding this stuff dramatically improves the quality of your work. Also it gives you the knowledge to make sure you don't commit academic misconduct. Worth reading!)

Most assignments are very clear as to what collaboration is allowed, but if you are not sure, please check with the lecturer or your supervisor.

Academic Misconduct

Here's a really quick summary of what the University regards as academic misconduct. For full details see the above link:

• Plagiarism (including external material in your work, and making it look like it is your own) 
• Solution: properly reference and acknowledge all material taken from external sources (including websites, books etc as well as from other people e.g. computer code from lecturer or another student). See here for more information.
  
• Personation (getting someone else to do your work for you, or doing this for others) 
• Solution: Do your own work! Ask staff for help if you're stuck. If you're helping other people, encourage them to learn - don't do it for them!
  
• Cheating (having unauthorised access to information in exams). 
• Solution: revise thoroughly & know and follow the exam rules.
  
• Colluding (giving or receiving assistance in an individual assessment from another student) 
• Solution: Make sure that what you submit is all your own work (i.e., when you are questioned on it, you can explain what it all means because you wrote it!).
  
• Fabrication (making up information which claims to be authentic). 
• Solution: only include material you know to be true, referencing all external sources of information.
  

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