Going back to study after a break can be a daunting prospect for some, and it can take a while to get into the swing of things. 

To this end, we hope you find this guidance useful and it helps you as a newbie to get into the habit of being prepared, reading a lot and remember to ask your tutors, as well as refer to our study resources throughout your learning experience with Acacia.

1. Listen to your tutor, they will give you a lot of pointers on what is important to include within your assignment.

2. Ensure you 100% know how to create a reference list or bibliography and can do proper citations.

3. Read, read and read even more, prepare before lessons and use the resources on the Acacia Student hub as a starting point.

4. Your tutors are happy to help with the reading of a section of the assignment in draft form with a small reference list – to help give you pointers.

5. If you are unsure or don’t know ask (in class) as others may be thinking the same thing – there is no such thing as a daft or silly question.

6. Work on your preparation and reading each week, don’t leave all of the writing until the end of the module.

7. Read your work out loud, it helps with word count, and also in spotting smaller errors that we don’t see when we read in our heads.

8. Start early in writing an assignment and it is important to read it through before submission to make sure that where there is more than one part to the question, it has been answered.

9. Make sure you include everything you are asked for the assignment question. If it asks you to explain at least 3 points, make sure you have 3 distinct points.

10. If you’re being asked to explain or describe something, you should be using full and detailed sentences and paragraphs, demonstrating that you understand and can detail the concepts.  Single word or short bullet points only demonstrate that you can list points, and so should be avoided.

11. Create a WhatsApp group with fellow course colleagues, this really helps with support and networking.

12. Watch our study skills videos, these have really useful information that will help you with the assignments

13. Plan quality time each week to research and develop your assignments.

14. Keep your work in several places, laptop, the cloud, so that you always have a back-up copy.

15. Try to include ‘real’ workplace examples to support theoretical points you make.

16. Research skills will differ according to level for example;

• At level 3 students might reference a core text, CIPD factsheets and publications such as people management.
• At level 7 we would expect students to be researching peer reviewed journals.

17. Plan ahead! So that you know when you are attending modules and when you need to submit assignments.

18. It is a good idea to consider when you learn most effectively, early or late and where you are going to study.

Further student resources

Ask your tutors as they are there to provide guidance in class.

Check our Student Hub and as a CIPD member you will also have access to the CIPD Hub too.

Watch and refer to our Study Skills videos whenever you need to. You can find these on the Student Hub.

Book to attend our regular Student Support hours and webinars for more study assistance.