NEW COUNSELLING RESOURCE:
HOW TO WRITE A TERM PAPER
Julia Nielsen of AU’s Counselling Services Unit [CSU] has created a fantastic resource to help students prepare term papers, available at:
http://www.athabascau.ca/html/services/counselling/writing/.
The interactive slideshow website takes students step by step through the process of planning, researching, writing, editing and documenting a term paper. Also included are links to sites describing the most popular citation formats and other writing help resources.
The site itself is beautiful, easy to use, and very quick to load.
Whether you are new to writing term papers, or you have some practice already, the advice contained on this site can help you improve your essay writing style, and avoid many of the simple mistakes students often lose marks for. The format of the site also makes using it quite fun!
This resource is the latest of several, excellent CSU web projects, which include the new Math and English assessments [See News From your University in this issue.]. All of these interactive web sites require a Flash plug-in for your browser, and links are provided at the menu pages so that you can easily download it. The Flash player is a one time download, and allows you to use many other websites as well.
Other study related resources of the CSU can be found at:
http://www.athabascau.ca/html/services/advise/conserv.html.
AU’S E-JOURNAL ON DISTANCE EDUCATION GETS A NEW LOOK
Contributed by AU’s The Insider
Paula Smith, managing editor of The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)(http://www.irrodl.org/), provides an update:
Every healthy child encounters growth spurts. And Athabasca University’s e-journal The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning is no different. Sporting a new design that strategically complements AU’s new web presence, IRRODL’s new web site also boasts of abstract translations in Spanish, French and Chinese. New features also include full search engine capabilities, as well as a new series called Technical Notes, showcasing the work of evaluators as well as AU’s Master of Distance Education students. CDE’s Jon Baggaley is the series editor for Technical Notes.
CHANGES TO THE UNDERGRAD GRADING POLICY AT AU!
This is to advise you of an important change in the undergraduate Grading Policy at Athabasca University.
Athabasca University has approved a new Alpha/4.0 grading scale for undergraduate studies effective January 1, 2003. The grades that students achieve will be stated, on transcripts and in student records, as alpha grades on a scale from A to F. Grade averages will be expressed as Grade Point Averages using the 4.0 grading scale.
These changes in grading scale are part of a province-wide initiative in Alberta.
Undergraduate courses that began before January 2003 will be graded using the percentage grading scale.
For a complete statement of this Athabasca University policy please go to:
http://www.athabascau.ca/policy/registry/gradingpolicy2002.htm
If you have questions please contact me.
Bruce Dawson
Assistant Registrar, Registration Services
Athabasca University
1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3
Phone 780-675-6147, Fax 780-675-6174
