FAQs

It depends on your course! Some courses such as Law and Sociology are likely to have fewer hours of classes than Engineering or Biomedical Sciences. This is because more time will be spent in the Library, reading around the topics introduced in the lectures, as opposed to more practical courses where more time is spent in labs or workshops. Your timetable is normally divided into lectures (formal talk by a lecturer) and seminars (smaller group discussions). You may also attend labs/workshops (practical activities) and tutorials (normally small groups or individual time with a course tutor).

You will be given details of your timetable when you arrive. However, all students have Wednesday afternoons off and you can use this to spend time taking part in sports clubs, societies and other activities.

Further to this, bear in mind that a full time course is intended to be 35 hours a week (depending on your course that can be something like three hours of self-directed learning for each hour of taught lectures), so even if you don't have lectures planned all the time there is still an expectation that you will be doing your own studies. They golden rule at university is this: Find the right balance for you!

 

Most modules have a reading list, the contents of which you will find either in print in the Library, or electronically from our e-library. These lists will be available in your module or course handbooks but you can access them online now. Currently, all 1st year undergraduate lists are available online, but this number is growing and we hope to have all reading lists available soon. 

The software used to create the lists is called Talis Aspire. Simply:

• Enter your module number e.g. SP1035. If you do not have details of these yet but you'd like to get an indication, search with your course name and you will see the first year modules begin with '1'.
  
• Select your list

Once you arrive at Brunel, you'll be given a full induction to the Library which will explain in more detail how to access materials for your course. More information on Library services can be found on the Library website.

During the first week of term, your school will plan social and academic activities to give you an opportunity to meet people on your course. Later, once terms starts you will meet people when working in smaller groups in seminars/labs/tutorials.

A good way to meet people outside your course is through clubs and societies. The student union have a vast range on offer from the 'Tea Society' to 'American Football' and you can sign up during Fresher's Fayre.

 

The ability to make notes in lectures is an important skill to develop at University. There is a balance to be struck between trying to take down as much content as possible so your notes will be useful in future and trying to listen and engage with what the lecturer is saying.

The minimum requirement to bring with you is a pen and paper! However, once you get started you may be able to access your lecture notes (or at least an outline of what will be covered) online before the lecture allowing you to bring a printed copy of the slides to make notes on. For those who prefer to type rather than hand write, you can bring a laptop or netbook to take notes but these can prove an extra distraction. Some students bring small recording devices to capture the lecture and these can be useful for revision purposes. However, you must ask the person giving the lecturer whether they are happy for it to be recorded.

 

It may sometimes seem that the main core of lecturer is to teach your class, but this might only be a small element of their role. Lecturers are required to be experts in their field of interest and are expected to write books and journal articles (long essays written for an audience of interested researchers) as well as talk at conferences and be involved in organising research.

Because this is all done behind their office doors, you are most likely to see your lecturers when they are teaching, which they are likely to do for 4-8 hours per week, along with office hours, marking, supervising students and offering support in their role as a personal tutor.

Lecturers also play a vital role in organising their School or Department by working on administrative committees or managing research institutions. They may also have more formal roles such as ‘Senior Tutor’ or ‘Head of School’ which involve a large commitment.

Being a lecturer is a varied and interesting job, but it can be very demanding. Most of all though, lecturers have a passion for their subject and love working with students who share that passion.

This is a question almost every student struggles with at the start of term. The safest bet is to address them by their official title e.g. Dr Smith (you can usually find this on the Brunel staff pages), but you will soon find out if they do not mind being addressed in other ways such as by their first name. The same applies to any email/written contact you have with your lecturers - start with their official title and if they reply using their first name, you can follow suit.

Although you will be taught in much larger classes than you may have been used to, Brunel University places great importance on support for you as an individual. When you arrive at Brunel you will be given a personal tutor. This is the person to support you with your academic and personal development, as well as someone to turn to when things don't turn out how you expected. They can offer support with academic issues and refer you to the relevant support services.

The learning outcomes for each module (what you should know and be able to do when you have completed it) are given in detailed module outlines. This will also contain information on the types of assessment you will need to complete and the deadlines for completion. Many courses are assessed by a combination of continuous assessment (such as essays, reports, practicals and presentations) and end of year examinations. Performance on sandwich placements or professional practice is also assessed, if applicable.

To progress from one level of a programme to the next, you will need to fulfil the necessary requirements for that level, taking into account any opportunities for reassessment. Exams can take different forms, including open-book (you can take your notes and textbook into the exam), multiple choice, and essay-style answers. Final degree classification is usually determined by the results gained at Levels 2 and 3, including performance in your final year project.

Feedback will come in a variety of forms -  from essay or exam marks to personal tutorial meetings where you discuss your academic progress. The type and amount of feedback you will receive will depend on your course and further information will be provided in relation to particular assessments. 

It is important that you seek regular feedback from your tutors and peers and act on the feedback you are given to improve your work. This is a key part of independent learning and personal development planning.