Teaching and learning

Find out how you'll be taught and assessed, tune in to a sample lecture, and learn about the support we offer.

University is a place to formulate your own goals, study independently and in groups, and reflect upon your learning throughout your degree.

Learning and teaching at university may be quite different to your experiences at school. Here's what to expect...

Classes

There are different types of undergraduate classes.

They generally fall into three categories:

1. Lectures
2. Tutorials/Seminars
3. Practical classes (mainly in languages)

In addition to these classes, and to get the most out of your courses, you will need to read widely.

Lectures

Lectures are taken by all students on a course and are delivered as interactive presentations which may involve audio-visual material.

Lectures are given by specialists in their field, and are designed to guide you through the background, questions and debates related to the topic you are studying.

Don’t forget to take notes: the information provided - as well as the approach taken by the lecturer (i.e. the angle from which they look at the material) - will be very useful when it comes to writing your coursework essays later.

Tutorials/Seminars

The material introduced in lectures is often discussed further in tutorials.

Tutorial groups are smaller and are led by an experienced academic (a lecturer or, in some cases, PhD students).

The emphasis here is less on what the academic says and more on what you think about the topic yourself.

You should prepare for tutorials by considering any questions or topics proposed in advance, by reading the recommended secondary literature, and by noting down your thoughts and ideas. You will then be asked to voice these thoughts and ideas in class discussions: student participation is most important in tutorials.

Seminars are quite similar to tutorials in set up, but are stand-alone classes and not linked to a lecture. Many classes in the honours years (Years 3 and 4) are seminar-type classes.

Self-study and group work

You should expect to spend about 200 hours on ‘learning and teaching activities’ for a 20-credit course, and 400 for a 40-credit course.

As in all universities across the UK, only a proportion of this will be in lectures, or in tutorial or seminar settings.

You’ll spend the rest of your time on independent study, or working in small groups, and producing coursework, such as essays.

The feedback you receive in class and for assignments - both from lecturers and other students - will help guide your self-study and group activities.

Assessment

Your progress will be assessed through:

• close reading exercises
• essays
• assignments
• exams

If you are studying abroad in Year 3, you will either be assessed by your host university or will submit written assignments to us, depending on your degree.