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OUMH1103 Learning Skills For ODL - Vaug16 - Bookmarks PDF
OUMH1103 Learning Skills For ODL - Vaug16 - Bookmarks PDF
OUMH1103
Learning Skills for Open Distance Learners
INTRODUCTION
OUMH1103 Learning Skills for Open Distance Learners is one of the courses
offered by the Faculty of Education and Languages at Open University Malaysia
(OUM). This course is worth 3 credit hours and should be covered over 8 to
15 weeks.
COURSE AUDIENCE
This course is offered to all learners undertaking any programme with OUM.
As an open and distance learner, you should be able to learn independently and
optimise the learning modes and environment available to you. Before you begin
this course, please confirm the course material, the course requirements and how
the course is conducted.
STUDY SCHEDULE
It is a standard OUM practice that learners accumulate 40 study hours for every
credit hour. As such, for a three-credit hour course, you are expected to spend
120 study hours. Table 1 gives an estimation of how the 120 study hours could be
accumulated.
Study
Study Activities
Hours
Briefly go through the course content and participate in the initial 3
discussion
Study the module 60
Attend three to five tutorial sessions 10
Online participation 12
Revision 15
Assignment(s), test(s) and examination(s) 20
TOTAL STUDY HOURS ACCUMULATED 120
COURSE OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
5. Compose ideas and information in oral and written forms in your learning
process; and
COURSE SYNOPSIS
This course is divided into nine topics. The synopsis for each topic is presented as
follows:
Topic 1 introduces you to techniques and methods that you can use to manage
your learning in the open distance learning mode. This topic gives you an
overview of the techniques mentioned and presents you with some ideas that
will become useful in tackling the rigours and demands of your studies.
Topic 2 takes you on a tour of the OUM virtual learning environment. This
introduction takes you through options, pages and processes that make up the
myINSPIRE. These will be important when you need to explore the ideas and
information that form the core of your studies with OUM.
Topic 3 takes you to the digital library in OUM. Here you will explore the
services and learning tools that are offered by the Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi
Digital Library. You will learn to track the information trail, search for
information and manage your digital library learning experience.
Topic 4 teaches you techniques for working with the information that you get
both online and offline. This will become important when you start to work with
new ideas and when you need to produce your own work like when you are
doing your assignment.
Topic 5 provides you an insight on how to cope with assignments. It gives you
ideas and pointers on how to handle the pressures of working and studying.
Topic 6 introduces you to reading skills and techniques that will be very useful
when you start your studies. This is when you will need to do much reading.
While reading by itself appears to be a simple process or skill, there are ways to
make your reading more effective and meaningful. This topic will show you
these ways.
Topic 7 offers tips on how to make notes of the things that you have learnt or the
information that you have obtained. Note-taking skill is an essential part of
learning.
Topic 8 teaches you how to cope with the demands of examinations. Sitting for
examinations is an essential part of education but to many, it is not always a
pleasant experience. It needs not be so, and this topic will show you how to
handle your examinations so that you can make the best of them in the pursuit of
your education.
Topic 9 introduces you to Microsoft programs that are most commonly used by
learners in their studies. While these programs are commonly used, many only
use only a fraction of their full potential. Through this topic, you will explore
more of their basic functions which may not be familiar to some but are very
useful to the learner.
Learning Outcomes: This section refers to what you should achieve after you
have completely covered a topic. As you go through each topic, you should
frequently refer to these learning outcomes. By doing this, you can continuously
gauge your understanding of the topic.
Summary: You will find this component at the end of each topic. This component
helps you to recap the whole topic. By going through the summary, you should
be able to gauge your knowledge retention level. Should you find points in the
summary that you do not fully understand, it would be a good idea for you to
revisit the details in the module.
Key Terms: This component can be found at the end of each topic. You should go
through this component to remind yourself of important terms or jargon used
throughout the module. Should you find terms here that you are not able to
explain, you should look for the terms in the module.
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
No prior knowledge required.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Please refer to myINSPIRE.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Describe three blended learning methodologies at OUM;
2. Identify ten strategies for managing stress;
3. Set a goal based on nine characteristics of effective goals;
4. Apply seven motivational strategies for successful learning;
5. Practise three aspects of time management;
6. Identify eight causes of poor concentration and strategies to
improve concentration; and
7. Identify your personal learning style.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the first topic of Learning Skills for Open Distance Learners. Let us
begin our lesson by reflecting on your learning experiences when you were a
student in school . You probably remember best the planned classes and the bells
ringing to mark the end of each class period. You also had the teacher teaching
you and taking you through the lesson in a systematic manner.
Now, how about learning in Open University Malaysia (OUM)? What can you
picture about learning in OUM? At OUM, the situation will be very different.
You will have to play the lead role manage your learning, indicate your
learning preferences to your tutor and strategise to be a successful open and
distance learner.
Generally, the concept of education and learning has always been associated with
the physical presence of schools, classrooms, examination halls, teachers,
textbooks and examinations. In todays rapidly changing world, more modern
models of learning are being introduced. One institution where change is most
profound in terms of learning is OUM, which practises a blended approach to
learning. Here, you take centre stage.
As an open and distance learning provider, OUM has your needs at heart.
Learning is made flexible by providing you three modes of learning: self-
managed learning, face-to-face interaction and online learning.
Therefore in this first topic, you will be introduced to ways of managing your
learning, especially the three modes adopted at OUM to provide you with the
best learning experience as an open and distance learner. Our aim is to support
you in becoming independent in your thinking and decision-making so that
when you graduate you will be able to continue learning for the rest of your life.
Method Description
Self-managed This requires you to study independently according to your time
learning availability. The module serves as the main source of learning. The
module is supplemented by other reading materials, both printed and
digital.
In addition, learning also takes place through audio/video modes.
Figure 1.2 shows you how to be a good self-managed learner.
ACTIVITY 1.1
Refer back to Figure 1.1. Which approach suits your learning style or
preference? Discuss this matter with your friends. You may refer to
Appendix 1.1 to learn about learning styles.
When you are an independent learner, you employ some or all of the suggested
techniques mentioned in Table 1.2.
Technique Description
Planning and Techniques of planning and managing will be discussed
managing the throughout this topic. By practising the suggestions given in this
smart way module about planning and managing, you can ensure that your
learning at OUM will be fruitful.
Applying smart It is very important for you to manage your time properly. Time
time management management will be discussed in more detail in subtopic 1.2.4.
Motivating For learning to be successful, you will also have to study the
yourself techniques of motivating yourself. Strategies to motivate yourself
will be discussed in subtopic 1.2.3.
Developing You need to develop a personal style of learning by being aware of
learning strategies your learning style and suit it to any of the above three techniques.
For example, if you are a visual learner, you need to visually
record/write the content you are studying in the form of short
notes, mind maps or charts (please refer to subtopic 1.3 for more
information on learning styles).
Apart from the techniques discussed in Table 1.2, you will need to have other
skills which are essential to facilitate your learning as an independent learner.
These include ICT and information skills which will be discussed later in the
module.
You should take note of all the resources that are available for you to assist you
in your learning. Ponder for a moment on how it is possible for an OUM learner
who is living in a rural area to take full advantage of learning at OUM.
Understanding the functions of the OUM learner services centre, your local
learning centre, the OUM digital library and the OUM portal will help you to
manage your learning more efficiently.
Now that you have been introduced to the learning methodologies employed at
OUM, let us proceed to the next important part coping with learning.
Figure 1.4: Coping with a lot of things in hand can lead to stress, just like you as an adult
learner; you will need to juggle between home, work and study
With a little bit of stress, we achieve what we have set to do for the day or week.
During times of stress, both the body and the mind are affected. Stress can be
either positive or negative. Our body is designed to react to both types of stress.
We have to learn about stress in order to help our bodies return to a more relaxed
state.
Positive stress helps to keep us alert, motivates us to face daily challenges and
drives us to solve problems. Low levels of stress are manageable and necessary
for normal stimulation.
Negative stress, on the other hand, results when our body over-reacts to events.
It leads to a flight or flight reaction. Such reaction may have been useful long
ago when our ancestors were frequently faced with life or death situations.
Nowadays, however, such occurrences are rare. Yet, oftentimes we irrationally
react to many daily situations as if they are life or death issues.
However, stress must not be ignored. Early warnings, like any significant
changes in your usual pattern of behaviour, can indicate that something might be
wrong. What are the symptoms of stress? Let us look at Figure 1.5 to identify
some symptoms of stress.
Some of the most common causes of stress that you as a self-managed learner
could encounter include those related to academic performance, lifestyle
changes, finances, health, social relationships, family and friends.
Strategy Description
Take action to You should control the way you spend your time and energy
organise yourself so that you can handle stress more effectively. For example, if
you are working full time, you may want to study at night
when everyone is asleep or be an early bird and start your
day one or two hours earlier.
Control your In this way, you can either get rid of stress or get support for
environment by yourself. Be in the company of your learning peers so that
controlling who you maximise your leisure or unplanned time.
and what is
surrounding you
Give yourself Remember to feed your subconscious mind with positive
positive feedback thoughts. For example, tell yourself that you are going to
pass this semesters exams with flying colours. If you keep
thinking these thoughts and work hard, you are very likely
to achieve what you want.
Reward yourself It really helps you to have something to look forward to.
Take up a mind-relaxing activity or plan regular leisure
activities after you have accomplished your objectives.
Exercise your Your health and productivity depend on your bodys ability to
body supply oxygen and food to its cells. Therefore, exercise your
heart and lungs regularly, a minimum of three days per week
for 15 to 30 minutes. This can be in the form of activities such
as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or aerobics.
Relax Take your mind off stress and concentrate on breathing and
positive thoughts. Dreaming is relaxing too, along with
meditation, progressive relaxation, exercise, listening to
relaxing music, as well as communicating with friends and
loved ones.
Rest as regularly Generally, six to seven hours of sleep a night is sufficient for
as possible adult learners. Take short breaks. Your mind cannot absorb
everything all at once. It needs time to process and integrate
information. As a general rule of thumb, take a 10-minute
break every hour. Rest your eyes as well as your mind.
Be aware of Be aware of distress signals such as insomnia, headaches,
yourself anxiety, upset stomach, lack of concentration, cold/flu,
excessive tiredness and so on. Remember, these can be signs
of serious disorders (such as ulcers, hypertension, heart
disease). Always listen to tensions in your body. For
example, check if you are gripping the steering wheel too
hard when driving!
Eat a well Avoid food that are high in fat and/or sugar. Do not depend
balanced diet and on drugs and/or alcohol. Caffeine may keep you awake but
exercise it may also make it harder for you to concentrate. Remember,
a 20-minute walk can be a better tranquilliser than some
prescription drugs.
Learn to enjoy Studies have shown that happier people tend to live longer,
yourself have less physical problems and are more productive. Look
for the humour in life when things do not make sense.
Remember, you are very special and deserve only the best
treatment for yourself.
Way Description
Recognise your Assessing your strengths and weaknesses can help you see
own resources what you have at your disposal to help you cope. For
example, know where you can get reference books. Ask
yourself: Are they only available at the library nearest to me
or can I get them online? How do I get these online books?
You do not have Talking with family and friends may help you to get through
to cope alone difficult times in your studies. At OUM, we have the Centre
for Student Management which can help you to overcome
some of your problems. We have trained student counsellors
to help you cope with difficult and stressful situations.
(c) Anxiety
There is also stress caused by anxiety. As an OUM learner, you may get
anxious when you are about to sit for an examination or hand in an
assignment, just like the picture in Figure 1.6. Much of the anxiety comes
from the fear that you might fail or not perform well.
Figure 1.6: It is a normal for you to get anxious when you are about to sit for an
examination
The most important thing that you can do to control your anxiety level is by
studying and knowing the materials well enough so that you can recall
clearly even under stress. Besides this, other ways to control anxiety include
setting goals, motivating yourself, practising good time management and
avoiding laziness, procrastination or daydreaming.
ACTIVITY 1.2
Goals are things that you want to achieve as you pursue a certain course of
action.
Therefore, goals are important for an open and distance learner like you because
they help to motivate you to do your work, attend classes and study for
examinations. This will increase your chance of success.
However, most people do not achieve their goals because they fail to set effective
goals and/or they do not take any action to achieve their goals. Therefore, they
drift aimlessly. The following sections describe the characteristics of effective
goals and the steps to setting realistic goals.
Characteristic Description
Self-chosen You need to determine your own goals.
Relevant They must be relevant and congruent to your mission and core
values.
Challenging These are goals which require you to achieve more than you did
before, but will not give you unnecessary pressure of
achievement.
Realistic or To set realistic goals, you must evaluate your chances of
attainable achieving the goals. Ensure that you have the necessary
knowledge, skills, talents or resources to accomplish your goals.
Specific Specific goals are necessary, both to measure progress and to
ensure their attainment. The more specific your goals, the more
you will be motivated to achieve them.
Measurable They are measurable if you can determine whether or not you
reach them.
Time-bound If goals are not time-bound, you will delay actions to attain
them. Deadlines are also important in motivating you towards
attaining your goals.
S Specific;
M Measurable or verifiable;
A Attainable;
Description Example
Step 1: Write down what you I want to read the Learning Skills for Open
want to accomplish. and Distance Learners module (pages 22 to
40) by 4pm.
Step 2: Write down any I am always sleepy after lunch.
obstacles. There is a football game on television at
3pm.
Step 3: Write down any I have the Learning Skills for Open and
resources available to Distance Learners module with me.
you. The Internet is available at home in case I
need to browse websites to do activities
suggested in the module.
Step 4: Review and revise your
tentative goal statement
(Step 1). Take corrective
action and modify your
goals if necessary.
Step 5: Refine your goal
statement.
Now that you have been given some pointers on how to set your goals, do
Activity 1.3 to practise the art of setting goals.
ACTIVITY 1.3
1. List your academic goals for your short-term and long-term plans
at OUM.
7. Do you know that most people fail to set goals for themselves?
Visit a few websites on this topic and find out why.
How does it affect you? It affects how you do your work, when you do your
work, how long you work on a task, how well you concentrate on your work and
which study strategies you use.
There are seven motivational strategies that could help you to motivate yourself
to be an excellent independent learner. They are explained in Table 1.9.
Strategy Description
Set challenging Before you begin your task, decide on the facts, concepts or ideas
but realistic that you want to learn. Set yourself realistic and achievable goals so
learning goals that you will be more motivated to attain them.
Break down the Make tasks more manageable by breaking them down into smaller,
bigger task at more manageable tasks so that you will not feel daunted or
hand intimidated.
Maintain a Maintaining a positive attitude is very important. Think of
positive attitude difficulties as challenges. If there is something you have to learn
which seems threatening, consider the ways in which it can also be
an opportunity to do something new.
Aim for higher Push yourself a bit harder when you have met one set of goals.
peaks Make your next set of goals a little more challenging.
Use active Instead of passive learning, use active learning strategies. Take the
learning initiative to seek out resources by going to the library, surfing
strategies websites, talking to your tutors and having face-to-face or online
discussions with peers.
Learn from Do not get discouraged by the mistakes that you make while
mistakes learning. Instead, get someone or new resources to help with your
learning. Find support from your tutors, peers or anyone who can
help you. Look back at your approach to learning. Ask yourself, Is
there a better way of doing things?
Monitor your To motivate yourself, reflect on your progress while learning. Get
learning feedback from your tutors on your tests and assignments. Discuss
your grades with the relevant authorities.
ACTIVITY 1.4
It is important to know that if you did not succeed in learning as you had hoped
for, this does not mean that you have failed. Success in learning is determined by
an evaluation of your learning process and what you have learned from this
process.
All successful time management begins with planning. When you plan your
activities with the objective of achieving a goal, you are taking responsibility for
yourself and your choices. In other words, you are now in control of how you
manage your time.
There are many benefits of effective time management. Some of them are shown
in Figure 1.7.
The following sections provide some advice on how to analyse your use of time,
set your priorities and plan a schedule.
(i) Identify which times in the day you feel fresh and attentive;
There are so many ways for you to plan and schedule your tasks. When you
have a plan you will:
Learning time management skills will help you to prepare not only for now but
also the future. It can also help you to develop good habits and skills. You can be
a successful time manager and learner if you are willing to learn and apply the
tools and techniques of effective time management.
ACTIVITY 1.5
Example:
Order of
No. List of Things to Do
Priority/Deadlines
1. Send son for dental appointment at 3pm. 3
2. Meet friends for lunch. 5
3. Send letter to Dean. 1
4. Submit answer for online forum. 4
5. Start reading Topic 4. 3
Cause Description
Environmental These include the television, chairs that are too comfortable,
distractions snacks, other people and so on. Leave or rearrange a distracting
environment. Go to a library or a classroom when you intend to
study seriously.
Noise Music, songs and conversations are examples of noise. Train
yourself to study away from others and in silence.
Physical Examples of these are hunger, drowsiness and tiredness. Study
distractions when you are most alert. Eat a high-protein snack. Do five
minutes of light exercise to refresh yourself.
Boredom, Find a reason for taking the class by talking to your tutors and
dislike, other learners. Create genuine interest.
disinterest
Anxiety about Find out how to study effectively. Put the course in proper
studies perspective. Pick up crucial skills.
Intimidating Break up large tasks into smaller, achievable tasks. Do the most
study tasks difficult task first. Give yourself rewards for progress and
fines for laziness.
Daydreaming Avoid daydreaming while studying. When your mind starts to
wonder, write down the interrupting thought and continue
studying. Alternatively, recall important points and then turn
away from your book and continue to daydream. When you are
ready to read again, do so. The trick is not to daydream and read
at the same time.
Personal Identify and define the problem and develop a concrete, specific
worries plan to resolve personal worries. Talk with someone who can
help, such as a friend, counsellor or specialist.
Step Description
Identify the Decide which causes apply to you. If you are a working parent
causes of with school-going children, you might face difficulties
poor concentrating on your learning and coping with distractions from
concentration your children.
Take steps to You can plan and organise your schedule to take into
control these consideration your own needs to concentrate on your learning
factors without jeopardising your childrens needs for your attention.
Make your Keep insisting that you concentrate using these controls until you
control can routinely concentrate well on your studies.
habitual
Having a proper study area also helps you in concentrating on your studies
just like the examples in Figure 1.8.
How do you make your study area conducive for learning? You can make it
by:
(i) Designing an area in your room or house that is just for studying and
conditioning yourself to only study at that place.
(ii) Creating a motivating atmosphere and turning your study area into a
positive place to study by making it pleasant.
(iii) Securing a good location for your study area. Distractions should be
avoided. Your study spot should be accessible and convenient. Ensure
that there is a door to help block out noise and intrusions.
(iv) Ensuring that the study area has good ventilation and a comfortable
temperature.
Take note that there are many different styles of learning. Your learning style is
unique to you alone. Your learning style defines how you acquire and process
information and has nothing to do with being smart! By understanding your
learning style, you can strategise your own learning. Eventually, you can
customise your studying habit to suit your own needs.
Last but not least, keep in mind that there is no general advantage of one style
over another. However, by knowing your learning style, some of the benefits are:
ACTIVITY 1.6
Visit the following website. Answer the questions online and discuss
with your coursemates.
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Three aspects of time management are time usage, set priorities and plan a
schedule.
There are three dominant learning styles which are visual, auditory and
kinaesthetic. The learning styles affect ones approach to acquiring learning.
APPENDIX 1.1
INDEX OF LEARNING STYLES
Instructions
Enter your answers to every question on the ILS Scoring Sheet (Appendix 1.2).
Please choose only one answer for each question. If both a and b seem to
apply to you, choose the one that applies more frequently.
(a) realistic.
(b) innovative.
(a) a picture.
(b) words.
4. I tend to
(a) understand details of a subject but may be fuzzy about its overall
structure.
(b) understand the overall structure but may be fuzzy about details.
Copyright 1991, 1994 by North Carolina State University (Authored by Richard M. Felder and
Barbara A. Soloman). For information about appropriate and inappropriate uses of the Index of
Learning Styles and a study of its reliability and validity, see <http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-
public/ILSpage.html>.
8. Once I understand
(b) I often just see the solutions but then have to struggle to figure out the
steps to get to them.
(a) I think of the incidents and try to put them together to figure out the
themes.
(b) I just know what the themes are when I finish reading and then I have
to go back and find the incidents that demonstrate them.
(a) certainty.
(b) theory.
(b) gives me an overall picture and relates the material to other subjects.
(b) alone.
(a) a map.
24. I learn
(b) in fits and starts. Ill be totally confused and then suddenly it all
clicks.
(b) try to understand the big picture before getting into the details.
40. Some teachers start their lectures with an outline of what they will cover.
Such outlines are
41. The idea of doing homework in groups, with one grade for the entire
group,
(b) I find checking my work tiresome and have to force myself to do it.
APPENDIX 1.2
ILS SCORING SHEET
1. Put 1 in the appropriate spaces in the table below (e.g. if you answered
a to Question 3, put 1 in Column a by Question 3).
2. Total the columns and write the totals in the indicated spaces.
3. For each of the four scales, subtract the smaller total from the larger one.
Write the difference (1 to 11) and the letter (a or b) for which the total was
larger on the bottom line.
4. On the next page, mark X above your scores on each of the four scales.
Transfer your scores to the ILS report form by placing X in the appropriate
locations on the four scales.
If your score on a scale is 1 to 3, you are fairly well balanced on the two
dimensions of that scale.
If your score on a scale in 9 or 11, you have a very strong preference for one
dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment
which does not support that preference.
See Learning Styles and Strategies by Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman for
explanations of your preferences on the individual scales.
APPENDIX 1.3
LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES1
Richard M. Felder
Hoechst Celanese Professor of Chemical Engineering
North Carolina State University
Barbara A. Soloman
Coordinator of Advising, First Year College
North Carolina State University
Lets try it out and see how it works is an active learners phrase; Lets
think it through first is the reflective learners response.
Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who
prefer working alone.
1 Copyright 1993 by Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Solomon. Based on material in Felder,
R. M., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning and teaching styles in engineering education.
Engineering Education, 78(7), 674681. [Online]. Available:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/LS-1988.pdf [2008,
Mac 14].
2 See Felder, R. (1994). Meet your students: 5. Edward and Irving. Chemical Engineering
Education, 28(1), 3637. [Online]. Available:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Columns/Edirv.html [2008,
Mac 14]. Edward is an extravert and Irving is an introvert, types related to active and reflective
learners although not identical to them.
Sensors tend to be patient with details and good at memorising facts and
doing hands-on (laboratory) work; intuitors may be better at grasping new
concepts and are often more comfortable than sensors with abstractions and
mathematical formulations.
Sensors tend to be more practical and careful than intuitors; intuitors tend to
work faster and to be more innovative than sensors.
3 See Felder, R. (1989). Meet your students: 1. Stan and Nathan. Chemical Engineering Education,
23(2), 6869. [Online]. Available:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Columns/Stannathan.html 2008, Mac 14].
Sensing and intuition are modes of perception that originate in Carl Jungs Theory of
psychological types.
Sensors do not like courses that have no apparent connection to the real
world; intuitors do not like plug-and-chug courses that involve a lot of
memorisation and routine calculations.
4 See Felder, R. (1990). Meet your students: 2. Susan and Glenda. Chemical Engineering Education,
24(1), 78. [Online]. Available:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Columns/Susanglenda.html
2008, Mac 14].
Many people who read this description may conclude incorrectly that they are
global, since everyone has experienced bewilderment followed by a sudden flash
of understanding. What makes you global or not is what happens before the light
bulb goes on. Sequential learners may not fully understand the material but they
can nevertheless do something with it (like solve the homework problems or pass
the test) since the pieces they have absorbed are logically connected. Strongly
global learners who lack good sequential thinking abilities, on the other hand,
may have serious difficulties until they have the big picture. Even after they have
it, they may be fuzzy about the details of the subject, while sequential learners
may know a lot about specific aspects of a subject but may have trouble relating
them to different aspects of the same subject or to different subjects.
INTRODUCTION
In this second topic, you will be introduced to a personal computer (PC) and
shown how to surf the Internet. This is followed by a subtopic on how to use
Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and how to read a document in Portable
Document Format (PDF).
Then, the topic will give you an overview of how to maximise your learning
in OUMs online learning environment and use OUMs virtual learning
environment known as myINSPIRE. It is hoped by the end of this topic, you will
be able to make use of myINSPIRE to the fullest for your personalised and online
learning.
What does each of these components and devices do? Let us look at their
functions in Table 2.1.
Component/Device Function
Central processing It processes the input data (from keyboard, mouse) and passes
unit (CPU) the data to the output components of the computer. It is also
referred to as the brain of the computer.
Video display unit It presents to you the visual display of information that you
(VDU) input. It is commonly known as the monitor.
Keyboard This is an input device for typing text-based information. You
are able to communicate with the computer through this
equipment.
Mouse This is an input device used mainly to point and select items.
USB flash drive This is a data storage device that includes flash memory with
integrated USB (universal serial bus) interface.
Printer This allows you to print on paper. It copies the information
retrieved from the CPU, which you can also read on the screen.
Modem It is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit
data over telephone or cable lines.
USB port It is a standard cable connection interface on personal
computers and consumer electronics. It allows stand-alone
electronic devices to be connected via cables to a computer.
CD-R/DVD-R drive A device to read data encoded digitally on a compact disc.
Now, let us relate the use of these hardware components to our next subtopic on
the Internet.
SELF-CHECK 2.1
Write down the hardware component that fits the function in the
following table.
The exact size of information available through the Internet is difficult to estimate
and because there is so much information, finding what you want is not easy.
2.2.1 Internet
As stated before, the Internet is a large network of computers connecting smaller
networks around the world. The computers communicate via a communication
protocol called transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).
On the other hand, for wireless, the Internet can be accessed by using access
points or hot spots. Your computer can also be connected to a wireless LAN
or WAN or broadband. To further understand wired LAN, let us look at
Figure 2.2.
Equipment Description
Network card A card used specially for your computer to connect to the
(if applicable) Internet via network cable through LAN.
Modem A computer device that works as an interface between the
computer and telephone line.
Software To connect to the Internet, you need to install the relevant
software, for example e-mail and Web browser software.
Account Before connecting to the Internet, you need to obtain an
number Internet access account from the Internet service provider
(ISP). In Malaysia, there are two major ISPs which are Telekom
Malaysia, providing connections such as UNIFI and Streamyx,
and Maxis Communications providing MaxisNet. There are
other ISP players too, namely Celcom Broadband, and
TimeNet. Each ISP requires each users to be registered first. As
a user, you will have an ID and a password which you need to
use each time connecting to the Internet.
During the early years of Internet, a dial-up connection was used to connect
your PC to an Internet service provider through a telephone connection. A
modem is required for a dial-up connection to convert the computers
digital signals to a form that can be transmitted over a telephone line. The
modem accesses the telephone line, dials the number for your Internet
service provider and then connects your computer to the Internet as shown
in Figure 2.3.
The given list is just a few of the many uses of the Internet. I am sure you sure
can identify more and continue the list.
(b) Website
A website is any site in the World Wide Web. Most websites have a
homepage as their starting point, which frequently functions as a table of
contents for the site. A website consists of many Web pages (see Figure 2.4).
A URL can indicate to you where the information comes from, whether it
is from an academic institution, government body or a company. Most
website addresses have the following pattern:
http://www.oum.edu.my/newsletter.html
(f) Hyperlink
Many Web documents contain hyperlinks, which are links to other
locations. Hyperlinks are typically displayed as underlined text, graphical
objects or pictures.
When you move the mouse pointer over a hyperlink, the mouse pointer
takes on the shape of a hand with a finger pointing upward. To jump to the
hyperlinked location, click the hyperlink.
ACTIVITY 2.1
Find the meaning of these domains:
(a) bbc.co.uk
(b) library.athabascau.ca
(c) www.pelanduk.com
(d) www.pnm.my
(i) The easiest way of starting Internet Explorer (IE) is by choosing the
following steps:
Back This will take you back to the preceding web page, the one
you viewed last.
Home At any time you are browsing the Web and want to go
back to the start page, just hit the Home key and it will take you
there.
Print This button sends a copy of the open page on your browser
to the printer. It will print the page exactly as shown. If you want
more options, click File at the menu bar, then Print and then
follow directions.
(ii) In the Open textbox, enter the address for the document or file you
want to open, using any of the following methods:
Type the name of the document or file into the Open textbox.
Click OK; or
To save the current page, choose File Save As. Internet Explorer
displays the Save Webpage dialog box (see Figure 2.8). Choose a
location for the file as usual, specify a filename, and click the Save
button. Internet Explorer closes the Save as dialog box and saves the
file.
(i) To print a Web page you are viewing, click the Print button on the
toolbar. Internet Explorer prints the page without displaying the
Print dialog box.
(ii) To display the Print dialog box so that you can choose printing
options, choose File Print. Internet Explorer displays the
Print dialog box as in Figure 2.9. You may use the properties in the
dialog box (such as size, source, reading) to modify the output
according to your preferred style.
(f) Favorites
The Web is proving to be a good source of information. Most of the
browsers you use to read the Web have a built-in system to enable you to
store useful websites so that you can go back and look at them again later.
Explorer calls these saved websites as Favorites.
You can use Favorites to pay a visit to the Web or gather together useful
Web sites, in much the same way as you might make a trip to the library,
where you might gather books and journal articles to look at more closely
in the future.
Any time you discover a site that you know you would want to return to,
you can add a shortcut for that site to the Favorites folder. To return to a
favourite site, you can select it from Favorites. Here are the steps to use
the Favorites folder:
(iii) Edit the Favorites name (keeping in mind that short names are
easier to find on your Favorites bar or Favorites menu).
(iv) Select the name of the folder in which the Favorites should reside
(choose either Create in or New Folder if the folder you want
does not exist yet).
(v) However, if the Create in button is chosen, you can save in existing
folders.
(a) Introduction
There are many types of format of files in the websites such as MS Word,
MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, PDF, HTML and so on. As such, it is important
to know how to navigate these files or documents. One of the most popular
formats is the Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF was developed by
Adobe Systems and was designed to exchange documents between
computers and across computer platforms while maintaining file integrity.
This means the content of the file cannot be easily changed. The file
extension is .pdf and it has become a standard document format used for
document exchange.
Acrobat Reader is the viewer for reading .pdf files and has tools for file
handling, navigation, viewing and basic tools for creating selections.
(i) Use the scroll bar on the right of the screen to read the Web pages.
(ii) Use the text icon to highlight text. To copy this highlighted text, click
the right mouse button once and then click Copy.
(iii) Use the magnifier (magnifying glass) by clicking on the icon to have a
bigger document view.
(i) Refer back to Figure 2.12. To save the file, click the icon.
myINSPIRE is best viewed using Mozilla Firefox browser for desktops and
Google Chrome for mobile phones.
Before you can access myINSPIRE from the OUM website, you must sign up or
register to open an OUM account. If this is your first time logging in, click on the
line First Time Login on the OUM website. Ensure that your password is
correct. If you have problems logging in, you need to contact the OUM learner
services centre to ensure that you are registered as an active OUM learner.
In Table 2.3 we will take you through step-by-step on how to register for an
OUM account.
Step Description
Step 1 When the OUM Webpage is displayed, click on the First Time Login button
(Figure 2.16).
After you have clicked Submit, you will get the registration confirmation
page as shown in Figure 2.19.
Step 5 Now let us go back to the OUM website. Enter your registered user name and
password in order to log into myOUM portal and eventually to access
myINSPIRE (Figure 2.20).
Note: From myOUM portal, you are able to access the Announcement page.
This is where you will find all the important announcements such as the
important dates of upcoming events like the beginning of tutorials,
downloading and submitting assignment, examinations, special events,
convocation ceremonies and many more.
Step 6 We highly recommend that you visit this page often so that you can keep up
(contd) to date with all the happenings at OUM as shown in Figure 2.22.
Other components of myOUM portal are link to e-mail, link to digital library,
your profile page and e-services that provide various administrative e-forms.
Once you do that, the main page of myINSPIRE will appear as shown in
Figure 2.24.
Figure 2.24: Main page of myINSPIRE; your registered subjects are displayed here
On the main page of myINSPIRE, you can see all the subjects that you have
registered in the current semester. Just click one of the subjects to explore the
course page in myINSPIRE as shown in Figure 2.25.
Figure 2.25: Course page will be displayed once you have clicked your registered subject
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)
70 TOPIC 2 MY VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (MYINSPIRE)
Besides showing the subjects that you have registered, the main page also has the
following blocks on its right panel:
You can check out the functions of other tools on your own by filling up
Table 2.4.
Tools Function
Announcement
Course content
Useful resources
Quiz
FAQs
Forum
(c) Quiz;
(f) FaQs;
All the components listed are available on the navigation block on the left side of
the course page. When you click any of the components of the subject, its
contents will appear on the middle of the page (refer Figure 2.28). We will
explore all these components in more detail in the next subtopic.
Besides the components listed above, the course page of myINSPIRE has the
following blocks on the right section of the course page for your quick reference
(refer Figure 2.28):
(a) Level up!: It indicates your participation performance for the particular
subject in myINSPIRE. The maximum level is 10. Challenge yourself to
score the maximum 10 points.
(c) Recent activity: As an alert, any recent activities from the e-tutor and your
peers will be indicated here. You have to also check this block regularly.
(d) Search forums: You may search for the existing forum postings from your
peers and e-tutors here for your quick reference.
Figure 2.29: Click the Course Announcement link to view the announcement page
2.4.2 Assignment
You can access and submit the assignment online using our assignment
management system. Just click the Assignment link on the navigation block to
access Assignment Management System via myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.30).
Figure 2.30: Click the Assignment link in order to go to the Assignment Management
System
Let us look at Table 2.5 which shows us the steps to download and submit
assignment via the Assignment Management System.
Table 2.5: Step-by-Step Guide to Download and Submit Assignment using Assignment
Management System (Accessible from myINSPIRE)
Step Description
Step 1 At myINSPIRE, click Assignment link as shown in Figure 2.30. A new page
will be displayed. In this page you will get a List of Assignments (according
to your registered subjects) that have been uploaded in the Assignment System
(see Figure 2.31). Select your subject.
Step 3 To submit the assignment, you may follow the same steps. However, you need
to click on the Submission tab (Figure 2.33).
Figure 2.33: Click the Submission tab to submit your assignment answer
Then on the submission page, click Browse to search for the file and
click Submit to send the assignment (Figure 2.34).
Step 4 Click OK to submit the assignment (Figure 2.35) and Cancel to reupload.
Step 6 A digital receipt will be displayed this is confirmation that your assignment
has been successfully submitted. You are advised to print the receipt out for
your record.
2.4.3 Quiz
You can self-evaluate your learning knowledge using practice questions available
in Quiz. This tool also allows you to test yourself as many times as you wish at
your own pace, in comfort and at your own time. Table 2.6 tells you the steps on
how to access this tool.
Step Description
Step 1 Click Quiz on the navigation block of myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.38).
Figure 2.40: Click the Contents link to view and download the module of the subject
When you click the Contents link, it will be expanded as shown in Figure 2.41.
Figure 2.42: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from
Mozilla browser)
Figure 2.43: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from
Google Chrome)
Figure 2.44: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from
Internet Explorer)
Figure 2.45 shows you how the topics of a particular module will be displayed.
Figure 2.45: In myINSPIRE, modules are arranged in topics and can be downloaded
Figure 2.46: Click Video Lectures to view the list of video lectures
When you click the link, the video lectures for the subject will appear as shown in
Figure 2.47.
Figure 2.47: Components of the Video Lectures which are arranged according to the
topics
When you select one of the video links, the full video will appear in the
embedded form (Figure 2.48).
Figure 2.48: Video lecture will be displayed once you click on the appropriate topic
2.4.6 FaQ
FaQ section (Figure 2.49) contains all the frequently asked questions that are
arranged according to the topics (see Figure 2.50).
Figure 2.50: Components of the FaQs which are arranged according to the topics
Figure 2.51: Click the Other Useful Resources link to view external resources for the
course
Figure 2.52: Click the Virtual Classroom in order to take part in the virtual classroom.
The virtual classroom is available only if your e-tutor has scheduled the session
Your e-tutor will set the time and date for the virtual classroom. In order to take
part in this virtual classroom, ensure your desktop or laptop has a webcam and a
good audio system. Figure 2.53 shows you an example of a virtual classroom.
2.4.9 Forum
myINSPIRE allows you to interact, communicate and learn from your tutor and
peers anytime and anywhere. To carry out collaborative learning, you are
provided with the forum facility. The online discussion forum acts as your
virtual classroom where discussions on important issues related to the content in
the learning module should be held. In our training for e-tutors, we have advised
them that they should initiate the discussion. As soon as you see a discussion
topic up in the discussion forum, please read, reflect and provide a focused
answer. Bear in mind you are not only required to answer the question posed by
your e-tutor, but you are also required to read answers given by your peers and
respond to them as well as post your own queries. At this point, we would like to
highlight to you that questions that need direct answers should not be brought
up in the discussion forum. An example of such a question is, What is OUMs
blended learning approach? For questions of such nature, you should take the
initiative to seek the answer on your own.
The forum is probably one of the most useful functions of myINSPIRE. What
does the forum stand for? The forum is like a chat room, a classroom and a
resource centre all rolled into one. This is where you can engage your fellow
learners, tutors and often even the subject matter experts (SMEs) in the respective
courses that you are taking. It is like a 24-hour classroom where you can get
clarification on the issues raised in the course and answers to questions that you
need to ask.
However, a word of caution, while the forum is open 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, the people are not on it all the time. They are people just like you, they
too, have their lives and commitments. Thus, they go on the forum whenever
they have the time. So while the forum is 24/7, the people on it are not.
Sometimes when there are many people online, you can get responses to your
questions immediately. Sometimes when people are busy, you will just have to
wait. More importantly, you are also an essential part of the myINSPIRE forum.
This is where you can share your opinions and thoughts. Sharing knowledge
never diminishes, rather it is always enriching. So, if you know the answers to
the questions that your fellow learners ask, why not share your knowledge.
Maybe you will also gain a different perspective or a new insight on issues or
questions when you share.
Figure 2.54: Click the Forum link in order to post message to your e-tutor or/and peers
Figure 2.55: Forum are divided into various folders; when posting a new message, select
the appropriate folder
If you want to post a question, please select the correct folder in order to post
your question. When you click a particular topic folder, the forum page for the
topic will appear (Figure 2.56). When you post a message, you must provide a
subject name and a message (see Figure 2.57).
You may also attach files in your posting. This is what the e-forum looks like
inside one of the folders (Figure 2.56). On this page, you can discuss and
exchange ideas, work together and much more on the specific topic in the course.
This helps you to concentrate on the topic at any one time you enter the e-forum.
More importantly, you will see the thread of conversation to which you have
contributed and the responses from your fellow learners. The livelier this
e-forum is, the more useful it can be for individual learners. The most important
aspect of this virtual learning environment is to give you the feel of studying
with fellow learners. It reminds you that you are not alone and there are people
around you who can lend you a hand. So, why not lend a hand to your fellow
learners and benefit together from the interaction?
Note: You may search the forum before posting your question as your question
may had been posted by your peer and been replied by the e-tutor. Search
forums normally will appear on the right-section of the myINSPIRE course page
(see Figure 2.58).
Figure 2.58: You may search for posting using appropriate keyword
If you are in a course page and unsure to move to the previous page or to other
location on the course page, just click the right location on the navigation path
appearing at the upper-section of the course page as shown in Figure 2.60.
Figure 2.60: Navigation path at the top enables you to go back the appropriate page in a
single click
Alternatively, you may download mobile apps from Play Store (Android phones)
or App Store (iPhones) and install it in your phone. There are few mobile apps
for Moodle. Please download the official one from Moodle Corp (Moodle Pty
Ltd) as shown in Figure 2.62.
Step Description
Step 1 Install Moodles mobile apps for myINSPIRE from Google Play/App Store
(Figure 2.63).
Step 2 Tap the Moodles mobile apps on your mobile phone (Figure 2.64).
Figure 2.64: Tap the Moodles mobile apps to launch the log-in page of
myINSPIRE
Steps 3 Enter inspire.oum.edu.my for the site address (Figure 2.65) and then tap the
Connect button.
Steps 3 Next, you must log-in by entering your OUMs user name and password
(contd) (Figure 2.66).
Figure 2.67: Click Contents from any of your registered subjects to view the
subject contents
Step 4 Once you have done that, the content page will be displayed (Figure 2.68).
(contd)
Figure 2.70: Check your academic profile and financial status via myProfile icon
(c) Helpdesk
If you encounter any problem while using myOUM portal and
myINSPIRE, there is a HELPDESK assistant to assist you. E-mail us at
myinspire@oum.edu.my or call us at 03-2773 2325/2283.
SELF-CHECK 2.2
1. Name three tools in myINSPIRE that allow sharing of file and
information.
2. How can an open and distance learner in OUM benefit from using
myINSPIRE?
Some of the useful aspects of Internet are e-mails with friends and colleagues,
interact in the online discussion forums, search for information in the World
Wide Web, do online assessment and many more.
Microsoft Internet Explorer is a browser that you can use as a tool for
virtual learning environment. You can use it to access myINSPIRE at
http://inspire.oum.edu.my.
Acrobat Reader is the viewer for reading .pdf files. It has tools for file
handling, navigation, viewing and basic tools for creating selections.
There are four benefits of myINSPIRE which will enhance your personalised
and collaborative online learning. These benefits are:
Self-assessment;
Quiz;
Video lectures;
FaQs;
Video conferencing;
Forum; and
INTRODUCTION
In a traditional library where users use the card catalogue to retrieve library
materials, information gathering can be a tedious process. With the advent of ICT
and the installation of computer systems at libraries, information gathering has
become more complex because users will now have to learn how to use the
system first before being able to retrieve the information, but the introduction of
ICT has also made the process more efficient. This is why user education
programmes such as this module is important, because no matter how
sophisticated the electronic library system is or how valuable the library
collections are, the library will not be used effectively if the learners do not know
how to use it.
When the users are not able to optimise the use of the library, learning then
becomes inefficient because of the learners inability to gather information for
their various learning activities. Since the quality of the learning depends on how
well learners gather and process information for knowledge, learning the steps
involved in information gathering (retrieve, gather, evaluate, select, organise and
consolidate information) is important.
To help you understand and apply these steps, this topic introduces the
information trail which represents steps in the information gathering process.
These steps can be effectively applied in OUMs library called Tan Sri Dr Abdullah
Sanusi (TSDAS) digital library as explained in the following subtopics.
This topic, however, will focus on the type of information that you can use for
your learning basically related to your coursework and assignments.
This tremendous output of information makes it difficult for you to trace and
locate information that you read unless it is well organised into a system that
makes retrieval easy and systematic. For this same reason, although information
can be found in so many different places, the most convenient place for gathering
information for the purpose of learning is the library.
At OUM, we have a digital library that is equipped with some of the best
information resources. The Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi (TSDAS) digital library
would be the best place to gather information because it not only provides
linkages to other libraries within Malaysia and other parts of the world, it also
provides a wide range of materials relevant to your courses.
Last but not least, because it is a digital library, you can access the library
collections and the systems without even setting foot in the library. Using the
digital library therefore has advantages, especially for you as an OUM learner. In
using the OUM digital library, you would be able to develop and enhance two
basic skills as described in Table 3.1.
The digital library collections comprises a wide range of print and digital
resources. Physically, the digital library has more than 45,000 volumes of books
throughout the library system. The printed books are searchable through OPAC.
Apart from the Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi digital library at OUM main campus
in Kuala Lumpur, there are other resource centres at Klang Valley, Kedah,
Kelantan, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Perak, Pahang, Pulau
Pinang, Sarawak and Sabah learning centres. These resource centres keep a
number of printed text books and reference materials according to courses
offered at the learning centres.
(c) One theses database consisting of approximately 2.4 million theses titles;
To use these databases, users need to access the library portal through the main
OUM portal. Various guides are available in the portal to guide users on how to
use these databases and retrieve relevant information. As part of OUMs lifelong
learning concept, the digital library also organises regular information skills
workshops. The workshop introduces learners to the printed and electronic
resources available in the library and how to use them, as well as the services and
facilities provided. Besides providing information, the portal also provides self-
service features such as online loan renewals, reservation of items on loan and
checking of items on loan.
The library also has e-collections, focus for internalisation subject areas in online
databases such as Ebrary, SpringerLink, EBSCOhost, Books247, Proquest,
Emerald Management 200 and ACM Digital Library.
In addition, the library has developed its own e-content of about 10,000 titles
comprising articles, papers presented at conferences, books, past exam papers
and also dissertations and theses. It also conducts information skills workshops
and makes use of Web 2.0 technology such as blogging and Facebook to
encourage users to utilise the library facilities and services effectively, including
various online databases.
The following processes described in Table 3.3 are involved in doing an OPAC
search after you have logged in at the OUM portal.
Step Description
Step 1 Click the Digital Library icon on the myOUM portal to go to the library
portal. Click on the Search Library icon on the library menu bar to get the
OPAC search screen (see Figure 3.2).
You can refer to Figure 3.4 which summarises the searching process using OPAC.
As shown in Figure 3.4, there are four types of searches, i.e. author, title, subject
and keyword search. The following are the steps in searching using these four
types of searches:
The author of the above book is Kathleen R. Allen. Let us follow these steps
to search using the authors name:
Step 2: Click on the Digital Library icon (see Figure 3.5) to get into the
TSDAS digital library portal.
Figure 3.5: Click on Digital Library menu bar to open the digital library portal
Step 4: Choose OPAC menu bar to search for any resource in the
library (see Figure 3.7).
Step 5: Type the authors name according to the authors rule. Since
Kathleen R. Allen is a Western name, the search is done using the
surname Allen, followed by Kathleen. Select Author from the
Search Term Limiter list (see Figure 3.8).
Figure 3.8: Type the surname Allen, followed by Kathleen and then select Author
from the Search Term Limiter
Figure 3.9: Once the item is found, obtain the call number to locate the printed book on
the shelf
Step 9: For this exercise, the item needed is record number 1. To retrieve
the book, obtain the call number HF5415 All (see Figure 3.9).
Step 10: Use the call number to locate the book from the shelf in the library
and borrow it.
Now, let us follow the steps given to search using the title:
Step 2: Type the title of the item ASTD e-learning handbook (excluding
the word the). Type in as much of the beginning of the title as
possible. For longer titles, type as much as five to six words from
the title. Then, select Title from the Search Term Limiter (see
Figure 3.10).
Figure 3.10: Type the title of the item accurately and select Title from the Search Term
Limiter
Figure 3.11: Full bibliographic record of the item titled The ASTD e-learning handbook by
Allison Rossett
Step 5: Check details of the item, and note down the call number
HF5549.5 T7Ros (see Figure 3.11).
Step 1: At the library portal, click Search Library icon. Then select
OPAC menu.
Step 2: Type the subject Internet marketing in the Search Term box.
Then, select Subject from the Item Type Limiter pull down
menu.
Step 3: Click on Find button to execute the search (see Figure 3.12).
Figure 3.12: Type the subject required in the Search Terms box, select Subject from
the Search Term Limiter and click Find button
Step 6: Check details of the items, and note down the bibliographic
information.
Step 7: Obtain the call number of selected items and look for them on the
shelves.
It is only with constant practice that you will improve your searching skills.
The adage practice makes perfect is certainly applicable to keyword
search. Let us look at the steps to keyword search:
Step 1: At the library portal, click on Search Library icon to open the
search screen. Choose OPAC from the tab menu.
Step 2: Type the subject Web marketing in the Search Terms box.
Select Keyword Search from the Search Term Limiter pull
down menu (see Figure 3.14).
Figure 3.14: Type the keyword required in Search Terms box, select Keyword Search
from the Search Term Limiter menu
Step 6: Check details of the items, and note down the bibliographic
information.
Step 7: Obtain the call number of selected items and look for them on the
shelves.
You may also refer to the search guides available at the library portal for a
detailed step-by-step OPAC guide.
Step 1: At the library portal, click Search Library icon to open the search
screen.
Step 3: Type any keyword such as online learning at the Search Terms box.
Select Printed Book at Item Type Limiter. Click Find to execute
the search (see Figure 3.16).
Figure 3.16: Type keyword at Search Terms box, click on Printed Books at Item
Type Limiter and click Find button
Step 4: The search results screen will appear. Obtain the call number of selected
book and look for it on the shelves (see Figure 3.17).
Figure 3.17: List of relevant printed books of online learning. Obtain the call number to
retrieve the book from the shelves
Each item in a database is called a record. There are several types of databases
and the two main ones available in libraries are explained in Table 3.4.
The following sections will take you through on how to search for e-books and
e-journals.
Step 1: At the digital library portal, click on the Search Database icon which
is located at the left column (see Figure 3.18).
Figure 3.18: Click at Search Database icon to retrieve the list of electronic databases
Step 3: Click on the letter E for Ebrary and click on Connect to Database to
access the database (Figure 3.20).
Figure 3.20: Choose the letter E for Ebrary Electronic Books database and click on
Connect to Database to access the database
Step 4: A new window will open, enabling you to start using Ebrary (see
Figure 3.21).
Figure 3.21: The main search page for Ebrary Electronic Books
Now we will take you through author, title, subject and keyword searches for
Ebrary. The following is an example of a book you need to search.
Step 1: To start author search, click on the Search tab and you will get
the search screen (see Figure 3.22).
Step 2: Type the authors name Sweeney and select Author from the
Search in box. Then, click the Search button (see Figure 3.23).
Figure 3.23: Type the authors name Sweeney and select Author from the Search in
box, then click the Search button
Step 3: Select the required book from the record hits (see Figure 3.24).
Figure 3.24: List of record hits and click at the title to open the selected book
Step 4: To display the book, click on the title or the book image.
Step 2: Type any keywords in the title of the book, for example Internet
marketing and select Title from the Search in box (see
Figure 3.25). Click the Search button.
Figure 3.25: Type any keyword in the title of the book, for example Internet marketing,
select Title from the Search in box and then click the Search button
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)
136 TOPIC 3 DIGITAL LIBRARY
Step 3: Select the required book from the record hits (results of the search)
(see Figure 3.26).
Figure 3.26: List of items found under Title search for Internet marketing
Step 4: To display the book, click on the title or the book image.
Step 2: Type the subject of an item, for example Internet marketing and
select Subject from the Search in box (see Figure 3.27). Click
the Search button.
Figure 3.27: Type any subject on the book, for example Internet marketing, select
Subject from the Search in box and then click the Search button
Step 3: Select the required book from the record hits (see Figure 3.28).
Figure 3.28: List of items found under Subject search for Internet marketing
Step 4: To display the book, click on the title or the book image.
Step 2: Type the keywords, for example Internet marketing and click
the Search button (see Figure 3.29).
Figure 3.29: Type in any keyword at search box and then click the Search button
Step 3: Select the required book from the record hits (see Figure 3.30).
Figure 3.30: List of items found under Keyword search for Internet marketing
Step 4: To display the book, click on the title or the book image.
Figure 3.31: Click at Table of Contents button to view the table of content
Here, simply select the topics you would like to read (see Figure 3.32).
Figure 3.32: Click on any chapter for the full text, chapters in bold contain more
information on the keyword searched
Once a particular topic is selected, you can use the tools on the menu bar to read
the book (see Figure 3.33).
Figure 3.33: Chapter 7 of the book selected from the Table of Contents
Figure 3.35: Type in ebscohost in the search column to access EBSCOhost database
Step 4: Type the keyword Web marketing in the search box and click
on Search button (see Figure 3.37).
Figure 3.38: Tick on Academic Journals to get a list of academic journals on Web
marketing
Figure 3.39: Click PDF Full Text or HTML Full Text to open full text of the article
Step 7: You may need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader to enable you to
view the PDF in full text.
Figure 3.40: Type the title of the article and click on Advanced Search
Figure 3.41: Type the article title and choose Title field
There are a number of search tools to search for information on the Internet.
Doing the same search using different tools can give you very different results.
Therefore, it is important to understand the differences among the search tools.
Table 3.5: Tools and Services Designed for Searching the Internet
Tools/Services Description
Search engines Conduct searches using a single search engine such as Google.
Meta search Submit a search across many single search engines at the same
engines time such as Mamma or Dogpile.
Subject In subject directories, websites are organised into a hierarchy of
directories/subject categories with each category containing links to sub-categories.
gateways
Databases Besides the subscribed databases, there are free databases of
reference material on specialised topics.
Step 2: Select a subject relevant to your needs. For example Business and
Economics.
Step 4: The link will list several links of resources on Economics (see
Figure 3.44).
Step 5: Select one of the resources. For example, Resources for Economics
(RFE) on the Internet (see Figure 3.44). This link opens to the
article journal as shown in Figure 3.45.
Figure 3.45: One of the available resources on Economics via WWW Virtual Library
Step 3: Select a website from the results list (see Figure 3.47).
Step 4: Select and click on the link of the selected website (see Figure 3.48).
The advent of ICT and the installation of computer systems at libraries have
resulted in a more complex information gathering process because users will
now have to learn how to use the system first.
However, the introduction of ICT has also made the process more efficient.
In using the OUM digital library, you would be able to develop and enhance
two basic skills:
Information retrieval skills (IRS); and
ICT skills for information retrieval.
These skills can be effectively applied in OUMs library called Tan Sri Dr
Abdullah Sanusi (TSDAS) digital library which is a digital library that
provides a set of digital content and services which can be accessed via
networked electronic systems.
Technical infrastructure;
User education.
Presentation.
The TSDAS digital library also has e-collections, focus for internalisation
subject areas in online databases such as Ebrary e-books, SpringerLink,
EBSCOhost, Books247, Proquest Education, Emerald Management Plus, IGI
E-books and ACM digital library.
In searching for information on the Web, you do not try to retrieve all the
relevant documents on a topic of interest, but select a few key and relevant
documents using the search tools.
INTRODUCTION
Are you aware that not all information in books, journal articles, conference
papers or websites are relevant or suitable for your assignments and other
coursework? Therefore, you will have to evaluate the information obtained
from your search and select the one which you think is important for your
assignments and further reading.
The ideal stage for evaluating the materials retrieved should be at the point of
reading them, following the criteria you set yourself, bearing in mind the topic at
hand. The scope, range and depth of your presentation will depend on the
evaluation and selection criteria that you have set for yourself.
There are five evaluation and selection criteria that you can use to evaluate and
select the information that you have gathered. These criteria are authority,
accuracy and reliability, objectivity, currency and scope. They are the focus of
this fourth topic. Hopefully by the end of this topic, you will able to use them in
completing your assignments and other coursework.
4.1 AUTHORITY
Firstly, what does authority mean? In the case of searching information for your
assignment and other course works, authority refers to mastery in execution
or performance, as of a work of art or literature or a piece of music
(WordReference.com online dictionary, 2016). In terms of evaluating information
for academic purposes, it is highly recommended that we use information from
the experts with professional background.
(a) Check out who has placed the information on the Web. Look for the name
of the author. Is there information on his professional background?
(b) Check links from other documents for the authors credentials and
authority on the topic.
(c) Examine the URL to get to the authority behind it, whether it is a personal
Web directory or an organisations official website.
Some of the pertinent questions to ask as you evaluate this printed book are:
(a) Is Tom Dagenais one of the leading authors on the field of net marketing?
ACTIVITY 4.1
(b) Identify the one that you think has the highest authority.
(c) List down all the criteria that you used to justify your answer for
question 2.
It may be true that even a dead clock is right twice a day and sometimes what is
wrong to someone can be right to another, but in terms of accuracy and
reliability in academic writing, there can be no compromise. Therefore, every fact
must be verified for accuracy and reliability.
With regard to the Internet, ask yourself the following questions to verify your
facts:
Let us use these questions in comparing two websites, A (Figure 4.2) and B
(Figure 4.3) and see what makes website A more accurate and reliable.
What can you say about the information given in Figure 4.2 and Figure 4.3? Let
us look at the answer in Table 4.1.
4.2 OBJECTIVITY
In academic writing, objectivity means presenting information based on facts. In
other words, it should not be propaganda material or have a bias in politics,
religion, gender, race, nation or personal philosophy. You need to ask this
question to yourself when checking on objectivity is there a bias in the writing?
Remember, in your assignment, it is you who are presenting the facts, not the
author of the book you have in hand. Your assignment means your facts, your
ideas and your arguments are being presented, so make sure that they are
supported by information that is objective and reliable, not a rehash of someone
elses propaganda. One way for you to detect whether the writing is commercial
propaganda or not is by asking this question Is the article written to promote or
sell some product? Let us do Activity 4.2 to understand more about objectivity.
ACTIVITY 4.2
Look at the Web page below on heart attack and stroke prevention and
answer the following questions.
4.4 CURRENCY
What does currency of information mean?
Please be mindful that not all information needs to be current. The decision to
choose is entirely at your own discretion. When seeking information, you should
ask yourself several questions such as:
(b) Why read a second edition book, when the fifth edition is already in the
market?
Keep in mind that the latest edition will ensure that the information provided is
up to date. Taking the trouble to refer to the latest edition is an academic
responsibility that should be taken seriously because the development of a
corpus of knowledge in any subject area depends on the latest information. Year
of publication in the copyright page of a book is useful to determine the currency
of the content. Let us look at an example of currency in Figure 4.4.
Figure 4.4: Copyright page of book by Tom Dagenais and David Gautschi entitled Net
Marketing: Driving Success in the B2B Networked Economy
Based on Figure 4.4, you need to ask the following questions to verify its
currency:
(d) Does the list of references contain the most current materials?
In the case of the Internet, the currency of information is important for some
types of information such as statistical information. Websites should have the
dates indicating when the information was created and the date it was posted.
What happens if there is no date given? If there is no date, do not presume it is
current. Also be mindful that the organisation or person who created the page
should be able to maintain the site. Last but not least, if currency of information
is not vital, then focus on authority.
4.5 SCOPE
Lastly, let us look at scope. What does it refer to?
How do we determine the scope of the content that we are reading? In order to
determine the scope of the content you are reading, ask yourself the following
questions:
(d) Is the reader expected to read several books just to gather information on
one aspect?
The scope of the matter written about is important because unless the
information provided is comprehensive, you would have to read several books
just to get the same information. Let us do Activity 4.3 to apply the concept of
scope.
ACTIVITY 4.3
Gather some information on heart attack/stroke prevention through
the Internet. Then, ask yourself the following questions:
(b) Are there main topics and subtopics? If so, is there enough
coverage?
(c) Which website gives you the most information about the matter?
Justify your answer.
The vast amount of information available both in print and electronic forms
to OUM learners makes it all the more critical to evaluate and use only the
relevant information.
Bearing in mind the assignment in hand and the items you read, you should
be able to apply the relevant criteria in assessment and evaluation before you
select the information.
Accuracy Objectivity
Authority Reliability
Currency Scope
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Identify the steps of writing an assignment;
2. Explain the structure of an assignment;
3. Apply the principles of APA referencing style;
4. Point out the common faults found in an assignment; and
5. Practice the ethics in writing an assignment.
INTRODUCTION
Did you know that writing assignments is one part of independent learning at
OUM? In fact, an assignment is one of the important assessment methods in
OUM as it directly influences learners approaches to study. More importantly,
writing assignments is a process of finding evidence that the course learning
outcomes have been achieved when you have successfully completed particular
course. Therefore, this topic will focus on how to teach you coping with
assignments. Hopefully, by the end of this topic, you will able to produce and
submit good quality of assignments.
Take note that an assignment differs from an essay in format which we use
headings and subheadings to denote relationships or connectivity of issues. In
addition, writing an assignment does not mean a mere presentation of facts. It is
more like an academic exercise in which you have a stand on certain issues,
argue out the reasons and provide authoritative evidence to support your
argument.
Step Action
1. Select a Choose one that you are comfortable with, one that you know
topic something about. Sometimes the lecturer or tutor assigns the topic to
each individual.
2. Analyse the Ask yourself what the main issues and supporting issues are. Check
topic what the topic requires you to do; is it to explain, comment,
elaborate, account for, analyse? Understand what each term means
(please refer to the dictionary for explanation).
3. Search for Use the steps in the OUM information trail (Topic 3). Use the search
information strategy you know best and apply it to: OPAC, e-book database, e-
journal database and the Internet.
4. Evaluate Do you have enough information which is relevant to the main
and select issues and supporting issues? (Apply evaluation criteria in Topic 4).
5. Take notes Make sure the notes cover all aspects related to the main issues and
from supporting issues.
resources
6. Plan an Make sure that the outline consists of introduction, body of content,
outline conclusion and accompanying information in the form of
appendixes, footnotes and so on.
ACTIVITY 5.1
Find a website that can teach you how to schedule time for completing
assignments. Based on your findings from the website, list down your
action plan and deadlines in preparing an assignment.
5.2.1 Introduction
When writing the introduction, you should:
(b) Set the scene or clarify what the main issue is; and
In other words, writing the introduction is actually putting the topic into
perspective and serves as a preview of what you intend to say. It should be short,
straight to the point and not more than two paragraphs. Let us see an example of
introduction in Figure 5.1.
Let us analyse the introduction shown in Figure 5.1. If you notice, the writer
started off by describing the need and the role of a library in the first paragraph.
In the second paragraph, the writer continued by explaining how the role of the
library can be determined by understanding the concept of education, aims and
objectives of education and so on. Then, the writer relates this idea to show how
OUMs digital library also supports the concept of the democratisation of higher
education (which is also OUMs aim), OUM and its core activities. With that, the
writer has successfully introduced the topic of the paper entitled Providing Equal
Opportunity in Distance Learning: The Role of the OUM Digital Library.
You can also use illustrations (diagrams, pictures and so on) in the content if they
help in clarifying the issues.
5.2.3 Conclusion
Always refer to the topic when you write this section. Ensure that your
conclusion tallies with the introduction and the body of content. A good
conclusion should provide the reader with a sense of completion or closure end
of a story.
Remember, do not repeat what you have said in the introduction. The conclusion
must show progress in the development of the topic from the introduction and
through the body of content (see Figure 5.3).
Last but not least, the conclusion does not introduce new ideas, arguments or
opinions, but should represent closure of the issues or ideas argued out in the
main body.
ACTIVITY 5.2
(a) Enable your tutor to follow up the references and find the sources;
(b) Demonstrate to your tutor you have read widely a range of opinions;
(c) Enable your tutor to check the accuracy of the information you have given;
Now, let us look at Table 5.3 which portrays types of resources or references with
APA cited referencing style.
Table 5.3: Types of Resources or References with APA Cited Referencing Style
BOOKS
CONFERENCE PAPERS
PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
(i) The initials as well as the surname of the communicators are usually provided
as exact a date as possible. Personal communications such as e-mail, letter,
memos, personal interviews, telephone conversations are not included in the
reference list because they do not provide recoverable data.
In-text Citation
J. J. Tommy (personal communication, November 15, 2013) described
university education ..
.. the undergraduate students (J. J. Tommy, personal communication,
November 15, 2013).
Reference List
N/A
(i) Secondary referenced papers are papers where the work of an author is learnt
from the work of other author(s).
In-text Citation
Stake (as cited in Cano, 2012) pointed out the..
..and primary schools (Stake, as cited in Cano, 2012).
Reference List
Cano, E. V. (2012). Mobile learning with Twitter to improve linguistic
competence at secondary schools. The Educational Review, 29(3), 134147.
QUOTATION OF SOURCES
(i) A short quotation has fewer than 40 words and the quotation should be
enclosed with double quotation marks.
In-text Citation
They stated, The four scales that can be applied to the measurement of
variables are the nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales (Sekaran &
Bougie, 2009, p. 148).
Sekaran and Bougie (2009) highlighted that the four scales that can be
applied to the measurement of variables are the nominal, ordinal, interval,
and ratio scales (p. 148).
Reference List
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2009). Research methods for business: A skill
building approach (5th ed.). West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Son.
(i) The first authors initials have to be included in all text citations, even if the
year of publication differs.
In-text Citation
C. Oliver (1990) and R. L. Oliver (1980) classified satisfaction as..
..customer satisfaction models (C. Oliver, 1990; R. L. Oliver, 1980).
Reference List
Oliver, C. (1990). Determinants of interorganisational relationships: Integration
and future directions. Academy of Management Review, 15, 241265.
Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of
satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17, 460469.
(i) Lower case letters have to be used to differentiate between papers published in
the same year by this author.
In-text Citation
Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1991a) and Parasuraman, Zeithaml and
Berry (1991b) proposed the model..
..of service quality (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1991a; Parasuraman,
Zeithaml & Berry, 1991b).
Reference List
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1991a). Refinement and
reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale. Journal of Retailing, 67, 420450.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1991b). Understanding
customer expectations of service. Sloan Management Review, 32, 3948.
ANONYMOUS AUTHOR
(i) PDF
Use the abbreviation n. d. for no date when the date is not specified in the
source.
In-Text Citation
Hallam (n. d.) reorganised the theories..
..of the theories (Hallam, n. d.).
Reference List
Authors name. (n. d.). Title [PDF format]. Retrieved from URL
Hallam, A. (n. d.). Duality in consumer theory [PDF document]. Retrieved from
Lecture Notes Online Website: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/classes/
econ501/Hallam/index.pdf
WIKIS
BLOG POST
Do you know that it is considered a serious offence and the offender can be
severely penalised? Therefore, you must cite all your sources in every academic
work you produce.
However, there are some rule and conventions that you must abide by for citing
your sources in an appropriate manner. In this context, referencing means to
acknowledge all the sources you have researched and deemed right to
appropriate within your assignment.
At university, it can mean submitting the work of someone else, with his or her
knowledge and consent, to gain an advantage in an assignment.
So how do we avoid collusion? Here are some guidelines for you to follow in
order to avoid collusion:
(a) You must not borrow a paragraph or two from someone else. Make sure
you do not use any sentences or paragraphs from someone elses work, do
not share your work or allow anyone to copy any part of it you could be
questioned about plagiarism and/or collusion.
(b) You must not submit work that is identical to that of another student (with
the exception of group work) in part or in whole. Sometimes, you find
yourself writing on the same topic as a friend studying in the same unit.
This does not mean that your assignments should be, or will be, the same.
(c) You must not submit the work of someone who has studied in the same
unit previously even if that person gives you his or her work to submit
under your name and does not mind if you do so, or even if it is written a
couple of years ago, or if you change a little bit here and there.
(d) You must not submit the work of another student under your name even
if that student does not mind that you do so. You cannot hand in the work
of another learner or a friend, and pretend it is your own even if that
person says he or she does not mind or you cannot get someone to write an
assignment for you even if you pay him or her well.
ACTIVITY 5.3
Cite the following book using OUM citation style based on the APA
format.
2. Shallow treatment Provide sufficient content. Read more, use more examples,
of topic/subject back up argument with evidence.
5. Poor introduction Make sure you introduce the topic and explain how you are
approaching the subject. Put the topic in perspective.
6. Poor conclusion Make sure you conclude by providing the answers or
solutions to the issues involved. Refer again to the topic and
make sure your conclusion is consistent with the
introduction. Have you answered in the conclusion the
questions raised in the body of content?
7. Boring presentation Be creative in your approach, be less pedantic in style. Be
open to other views and ideas. Be an active reader; do not
accept whatever is written at face value. Question, question
and question!
8. Irrelevant Make sure you read widely and gather enough relevant
information information so that you do not need to pad your essay
with irrelevant information. Apply evaluation and selection
criteria to your reading and information gathering.
ACTIVITY 5.4
Ethics are the philosophical study of the moral value of human conduct
and of the rules and principles that ought to govern it.
Based on this definition, we can see that ethics are about moral decisions, which
are based on a standard of conduct that indicates how one should behave based
on moral duties and values. In addition, it is based on a personal decision,
universally accepted values or ethical obligations determined by society.
In the context of an assignment, ethics refer to the set of values and standards
that guides your actions, thoughts and words when preparing your assignment.
Arguably, there are many different values pertaining to right or wrong behaviour
during examinations.
(a) Cite the published source (including, where relevant, the electronically
published), to acknowledge the originator of ideas upon which you are
building your work, and to acknowledge quotations by the use of quotation
marks.
(b) Refer to, or use unpublished scholarly materials only with the consent of
the originator and acknowledge the source of the materials if that consent is
given.
(d) Ensure that the use of scholarly materials does not result in obstructing
access by others, in particular, where such materials are held within the
universitys library or research centre.
(e) Faithfully represent the views of the authors cited and do not misrepresent
authors views either by partial or censored quotation, or by quoting out of
context, or by misleading commentary.
(f) Seek access only to scholarly materials to which you know you are entitled
or authorised, and not to attempt to access such material to which you
know you are not entitled or authorised (for example, by computer
hacking).
(g) Respect the rights of other authors and refrain from tampering with digital
records (whether in text, image, sound or other format) over which the
originator has copyright and/or has asserted the moral rights of ownership.
(h) Refrain from manipulating digital records (whether in text, image, sound or
other format), whether in their original context or in a different context, so
as to mislead their audience.
In the process of completing your assignments, you need to document all the
sources used in your paper. There are many ways of documenting sources
within the text of a paper and in the reference section at the end of your
paper.
In the context of assignments, ethics refers to the set of values and standards
that guides your actions, thoughts and words when you write your
assignment.
INTRODUCTION
Are you aware that one of the most important skills to develop is reading? This is
because it forms the basis for learning. In fact, a greater part of learning at
university is achieved through reading as practically every course at this level
requires some form of reading. Take note that you will need to read different
types of materials to fulfil the different requirements of the course. Therefore,
you will need to read your modules, tutorial notes, textbooks, journal articles
(both print and electronic resources), newspapers, reports and so on.
Hopefully by the end of this topic, you will improve your reading skills.
Eventually, the ability to read well will allow you to get maximum benefit from
your reading and enhance your learning skills. Let us continue the lesson!
What do you understand from the above quote? Well, the quote implies that the
purpose of reading differs from one individual to another. Thus, in order to
maximise your reading productivity and effectiveness, you need to know the
purpose of your reading and what you expect to get from it. Knowing why you
need to read and what you will get from it will determine your reading style and
the material chosen. Generally, there are five purposes of reading as listed in
Figure 6.2.
Information Source
Meaning of words Use a dictionary or a special subject dictionary if
available.
A specific quotation Look up a book on quotations.
Details about a person Refer to the relevant biography.
Location of a place Look up maps.
Statistics Check statistical reports.
The analytical reader will pause frequently to think about what he or she
has read. At the end of the reading, all the main facts and arguments
presented should be noted, analysed and even integrated in order to fully
appreciate the depth of what has been written.
Let us look at Table 6.2 which provides you a summary of the reasons for reading
according to types and speed.
Evaluative
SELF-CHECK 6.1
Outline three reasons why you would read your OUM module.
Based on Figure 6.3, we can see that there are two major types of reading
techniques namely speed reading and slow reading. These two are further
explained in the following subtopics.
Based on Figure 6.3, we know that speed reading consists of scanning and
skimming. They are further explained as follows:
(a) Scanning
Firstly, what does scanning mean?
Scanning is very quick absorption of the content and is done when you
want to locate specific facts or a piece of information.
In scanning, you will move your eyes quickly down the page to see if it
contains the keywords or phrases you require. By identifying keywords
before you start reading, it will allow you to quickly scan through large
amounts of text. Can you think of any example of scanning? Let us look at
Figure 6.4 for an example.
Figure 6.4: When you look up a number in a telephone directory, you are scanning
When do we apply this technique? You can apply this technique when you
are reading most of the Web pages.
How do we perform scan? To scan the text of an article or a book, you must
keep in mind at all times what it is that you are searching for. If you hold
the word clearly in your mind, it is likely to appear more clearly than the
other words in the text. You are basically using the process of keyword
spotting. Let us look at Table 6.3 which states the five steps of scanning.
Step Instruction
Step 1 Note the title and author of the book. Open a book and look at the table
of contents. Analyse the organisation of the contents. A contents page
will contain the following as shown in Figure 6.5.
Step 4 Search the index for the keywords to your topic. Look for keywords as
well as alternative keywords. For example, a title like online marketing
might carry web marketing or Internet marketing indexes. Note the
other page/pages where the subject is dealt with and refer to the
appropriate pages. Read the paragraph before and after, if you would
like more information.
Step 5 Scanning may be made even easier if certain words are:
Emboldened;
Italicised;
In different font size; and
Underlined.
(b) Skimming
Now let us move our attention to skimming. What does it stand for?
Skimming involves running your eyes down the page very quickly over the
main features of a piece that you are reading (the title, headings and so on),
to get a good general impression of what the material is all about.
In doing so, you will be able to determine the focus, or central theme or
subject matter of the material within a couple of minutes.
How to perform skim? Skimming involves reading only parts of the text. It
is useful to prepare for skimming by reading the title and author summary.
Initially, it will be the headings in bold typeface that will draw your
attention (see Figure 6.6).
Then, search through the text very quickly by reading the first and last
paragraphs and note the keywords in between. Let us look at Figure 6.7
which shows you have to read using skimming method.
Based on Figure 6.7, you need to move your eyes across the page to locate
keywords or phrases. Begin with the top left-hand corner and move across,
then down and to the right in a zig-zag manner. Again, focus only on
keywords in the text.
ACTIVITY 6.1
Differentiate between scanning and skimming according to given table.
Why do we do slow reading? A slow reading style is adopted when you need to
be very thorough about what you are reading, especially when you need to:
Generally, there are two approaches to slow reading as explained in Table 6.4.
You may adopt these approaches to slow reading.
A skilled reader varies the method and speed of reading to suit the material
and reason for reading. In slow reading, you are required to follow proper
techniques. One of the most well-known, detailed, analytical and critical reading
techniques which also indicates thorough reading is the SQ3R technique.
(i) S = Survey
(ii) Q = Question
(iii) R = Read
(iv) R = Recite
(v) R = Review
These five principals are further elaborated in the following Table 6.5.
(ii) Ask yourself questions on what you want to know from the text.
(iii) Read the text analytically and critically to look for the answers to your
questions that you have asked.
(iv) Recall your understanding by reciting what you have read. This is
done for every subtopic of the main topic or chapter.
Last but not least, here are some tips to when using SQ3R:
(i) Read and reread your notes on a regular basis The rst time should
be within 24 hours; and
ACTIVITY 6.2
Select an article and apply the steps of SQ3R while reading. State how
far this technique has helped you in making your reading more
meaningful.
(a) Introduction,
For a start, it is important that you know what the course objectives are as well as
the study schedule. The synopsis can be referred to whenever you are in doubt of
the purpose of the study units. Another important part of the Course Guide
which will be most helpful is the Reference section, especially when you are
preparing to write your assignments.
As you read the content, you will notice that there are several icons used in your
module. Icons represent various activities that are embedded in your learning
module and the purpose is to support your understanding, enhance higher-order
thinking skills and master important concepts. The two main icons used in your
modules are the Self-check and Activity. These icons are shown in Table 6.6.
ACTIVITY 6.3
1. What is your method for understanding your module content?
State the various methods you use in your reading.
2. When you first held your Learning Skills for Open and Distance
Learners module, what did you do to get familiarised with it?
Please check the following:
(e) Looked at the layout (such as cover design and also the
graphics and thickness of the module).
3. After having read about the SQ3R method, state how it will
benefit you.
However, this should not be the reason for impairing your comprehension of the
text. So how do we overcome this problem? One way to overcome this is by
using the search tool to find the phrases you have read earlier and/or to
highlight and make annotations in the electronic pages whenever the tools are
available. Remember, never hesitate to navigate and read the screens several
times for better comprehension.
Get an overview;
Practical applications;
There are two main reading techniques, which are speed reading and slow
reading.
Speed reading involves the process of scanning and skimming the text.
Two approaches used in slow reading are the analytical approach and critical
approach.
SQ3R is a systematic approach under slow reading which involves five steps
survey, question, read, recite and review.
Your OUM module consists of table of contents (TOC), course guide, course
content and so on.
INTRODUCTION
You will discover that throughout your course, you have to read various types of
information resources such as your course module, handouts and notes from
your tutors as well as a variety of reference materials in print and electronic
format from the Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi digital library. So how do you deal
with all these vast amount of information? The best way to handle all the
information is to summarise them to notes.
In the context of learning at OUM, you will find that note-taking and note-
making are part and parcel of learning, be it from the modules, tutorials, books,
journals or the Internet. You must, however, realise that note-taking and note-
making do not mean taking down every word that the tutor says or copying
verbatim every word found in books, journals and websites.
What to note down, how much to note down and how detailed the notes should
be, are important skills to be learned.
Therefore, it is critical for you to develop basic skills in note-taking and note-
making because the ability to take good notes will save you the time and effort
that could better be applied to your studies in terms of:
(b) Having to look through massive piles of notes just to retrieve the specific
information that you need.
There are five different ways of writing notes as listed in Figure 7.1.
7.1.1 Annotation
Annotation is a suitable method for making notes from print modules, textbooks,
articles or any other resources. You can make notes by writing in the margins,
underlining facts, highlighting the main points, using question marks, ticks or
crosses to show whether you agree or disagree with the points made in the text
as illustrated in Figure 7.2.
This method will help you to not only remember the main points, but also enable
you to remember without having to read the text all over again. However, if you
do not like writing in the books, you may want to use strips of paper to mark the
pages with the notes written on the strips.
Did you know that you can test your annotation to verify its effectiveness? The
test of good annotation is when you revisit the book; you should understand
the notes without having to read the pages, the topic or paragraph all over again.
Column notes are useful for listing down the steps, explanation of procedures or
for comparison between items and so on.
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)
TOPIC 7 NOTE-MAKING AND NOTE-TAKING SKILLS 219
As you can see in Figure 7.5, mind maps do not follow a linear sequence.
If you decide to summarise your text information, you need to break down the
topic into smaller chunks or parts. Sometimes, you may opt for this method of
making notes when you cannot construct some sort of topic and subtopic
organisation because there is none. Figure 7.6 shows you an example of summary
notes.
(a) Understand the objectives so that notes are more focused on what is
important in the topic.
(b) Read the whole topic and then try to summarise it in a few sentences in
your own words. Do not take notes while reading through the topic
because you will tend to write too much. Use the note-making techniques
that have been suggested.
(c) Leave spaces in between notes, to allow for additions or changes later.
(d) Reread the topic and improve on the notes, providing more details.
(e) Use your own words instead of copying from the text. This will help you
understand the material better.
(f) If you copy word for word, sentences or phrases from the topic, do not
forget to put them in inverted commas to show that they are quoted from
the topic. Do not also forget to write down the original source from where
the notes are taken (author, title, year of publication and page number).
(g) Read over your notes to make sure you understand them. If they do not
make sense at that point of time, you can be sure they will not make sense
at any other time in the future!
ACTIVITY 7.1
Compare your style of making notes to the ways of writing notes given
in Subtopic 7.1. Are there any differences? Write down the differences
and share this with your coursemates.
(c) Demand that the tutor organise his or her points or moderate his or her
speed just so that you can take notes more effectively during tutorial.
Therefore, here are suggestions on how you can better prepare yourself for
tutorials so that it will be easier for you to take notes effectively (see Figure 7.7).
This will lead to better understanding of the material you are reading and
eventually build interest in the classroom. Read critically using your own
experience and opinion. This will help you to develop background knowledge of
the particular material. Thus, you will be able to conceptualise the course content
discussed in the tutorials as well as improve your understanding of the subject.
Basically, to be prepared, you must read! You have learned how to optimise your
reading skills in Topic 6, but remember, reading the module alone is not enough.
You have to get more supporting materials or resources to increase your
knowledge of the course content.
While reading is crucial in getting ready for the class, note-making is equally
significant as highlighted in this topic. This is because note-making will reinforce
your understanding of what you have read for the course. As such, you are
urged to use these skills effectively to prepare yourself for the tutorials.
Even if you do not understand all that is being presented, you will at least
understand the basic ideas. Being familiar with the issues raised during tutorials
makes note-taking easier and you will be able to improvise your own notes that
you have made while reading.
ACTIVITY 7.2
Based on your reading style, how would you make notes from your
module before attending the tutorials?
Many learners feel that because they can hear, they are listening. For your
information, hearing and listening are two different things. Keep in mind that
simply hearing the words is not listening.
So how do we improve our listening skill? Your listening skill can be improved
with instruction and practice. There are various strategies that you can use to
become a more effective listener in a face-to-face tutorial. These strategies are:
(a) Avoid distractions that may interfere with your concentration (such as do
not sit next to a coursemate who talks too much or whose personality or
looks is a constant distraction, or do not sit near the doorway or window
where there are too much noise or movements).
(b) Listen to the message being said, paying attention to the emphasis given by
the tutor to the topic. You must know what important information was
transmitted in the class.
(c) Always relate the ideas to previous tutorial discussions, to your module
and other supporting resources and to your previous experiences.
(d) Look for clues from the tutor that might give some indication as to what
can be considered as important points. If the tutor uses illustrations and
focuses longer on certain issues, these can be the clues to look out for.
Clues can be in vocal or visual form.
(e) Take notes, since some information might not be in your module and you
need to record this information for your future reference. Notes can also act
as an alternative form of memory as it is impossible for you to remember
accurately everything you hear. Keep the notes, as they will help you in
preparing for your assessments.
(f) Identify noteworthy material. Be able to differentiate the things you should
write down and things you can ignore. DO NOT COPY EVERYTHING
THAT IS SAID BY YOUR TUTOR!
(h) Try to identify key issues, keywords and key phrases. Jot them if you
cannot take notes systematically. Jot them down immediately. You may
apply any of the five note-making ways disscussed earliar (annotation,
outline notes, column notes, mind maps and summary notes), whichever
you are comfortable with.
(i) Create spaces as you take notes. There are a few formats that you can apply
in note-taking as shown in previous figures.
(j) Use your own abbreviations based on your needs and comfort level for
quick and short note-taking. You may try to eliminate vowels, (such as in
you take the y and o away; in student take the u and e away).
The following are some examples of abbreviations and symbols that you
can use (refer to Figures 7.8 and 7.9):
Remember, it is not easy taking notes when you also have to listen to what is
being presented by the tutor and your class mates.
Apart from this, there are other challenges, such as a boring tutor, unclear slides,
faulty LCD projector and so on. These are but some of the few obstacles to
effective note-taking.
ACTIVITY 7.3
(a) Review your notes as soon as possible after the tutorial, because the longer
you delay to review, the less you will remember.
(b) Rewrite if necessary and fill in the gaps by using other peoples notes or
reading your library material.
(c) Verify your notes by reading your recommended text or other references,
or compare them with notes taken by classmates to ensure that the facts
and diagrams are correct.
(d) Supplement your notes with further reading to add value to your learning.
(e) Read and reread your notes so that by the time the examinations are due
you are familiar with the notes.
(f) Use them to answer past years papers. This will be a test of their reliability.
(g) Keep them safe and in a system that is easy for you to retrieve and use.
ACTIVITY 7.4
1. Specify the problems that you faced in taking notes at your last
tutorial.
(a) Evernote
Evernote (see Figure 7.10) is a free tool for taking and making notes.
It has built in support for text, images, audio, tagging and syncing between
its Web interface and all of your desktop installations. Images you add to
Evernote are searchable by text and Evernote even supports several mobile
devices such as iPhone and Windows mobile phones.
You can use Evernotes Web interface and clipping bookmarklet to pull
anything into your notebook. Bookmarklet are tools for making bookmarks
in the digital device. Evernote is free to use and provides a lot of memory
space for you to use virtually.
For example, OneNote 2007 syncs with the Web and other computers,
provides two-way sync with Windows mobile phones. It features quick
searching of all your notes. In addition, OneNotes marquee feature
supports handwriting recognition on tablet and allows you to search your
handwriting without converting it to text. However, OneNote is not a free
shareware.
Last but not least, keep in mind that whether you decide to take notes
electronically or by pen, the note-taking process should aid your thinking
actively.
Note-making and note-taking are crucial to your learning because they help
you to organise and merge information and make them relevant or applicable
to your module, tutorial and online discussions.
Good notes will help you save time and effort (and avoid agony) when it is
time for you to write assignments or prepare for examinations.
In outline notes, you use only keywords and phrases. The notes are usually
sequentially numbered or headings, subheadings and indentation can be
used.
A mind map shows relationships among ideas and concepts, with lines
serving as links. The main topic forms the nucleus, while the main ideas and
concepts branch out from it.
You can apply the annotation, outline notes, column notes, mind maps and
summary notes methods to produce effective notes from printed material.
Some suggestions in doing so are understand the objectives, read the whole
topic and then summarise it, use your own words instead of copying from
the text, read over your notes to make sure you understand them and others.
Taking notes during tutorials is a difficult task as you cannot control the flow
of speech, cannot expect the tutor to repeat the entire tutorial and cannot
demand the tutor to slow down his or her speech so that you can take notes
more effectively during tutorial. However, there are some suggestions that
you can apply in doing so such as prepare yourself for tutorials, listening
during tutorials, review after tutorials and use electronic taking and making
notes.
Annotation Note-taking
Column notes Outline notes
Mind map Summary of notes
Note-making
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Prepare well for examinations; and
2. Practise effective ways of answering different types of examination
questions.
INTRODUCTION
In the previous topics, we have discussed how to read effectively as well as how
to take and make notes from various learning resources. Can you still recall?
What is the purpose of those topics? The purpose of those topics is to help you
acquire the needed skills to perform better as an OUM learner.
Now, you are in Topic 8 which will introduce you to ways of maximising your
performance in examinations. Do you still remember how it was when you sat
for your SPM exam? Were you nervous or calm? As an OUM learner you will
eventually enter the examination hall again. Are you ready to feel the rush of
taking an exam?
Hopefully, this topic will help you to embark on this new journey as an adult
learner. This topic will start off by explaining how to prepare for examinations,
followed by how to answer different types of questions in the examination. So,
are you ready now? Let us continue the lesson.
These four methods are recommended to help you to better prepare for your
examinations. They are further elaborated in the next subtopics.
Organise and put your notes and materials in the right order. You can rewrite
your materials on a piece of paper, put them in a scrapbook or file them. Set your
notes as systematically as you can. For example, you might use different coloured
paper or a different coloured pen for each topic. Some learners use index cards
for their notes. Above all, try not to miss any of your classes as you do not want
to miss any important lessons.
In other words, your brain needs to work on collating and analysing those key
concepts and ideas, register them and apply them to new situations.
In carrying out revision, you are encouraged to understand the topic and
remember important concepts, ideas and details as depicted in Figure 8.1.
These two steps in revise and memorise are further explained as follows:
Tip Description
Know your For a start, look at the course outline, syllabus, assignments,
course content tests and comments from your tutor. This can give you a clear
idea of where you should start your revision.
Identify You can read everything in the module, but just concentrate
important topics on the topics that you think will be covered in the
examination. Remember, work hard and smart.
Refer to the Refer back to the notes that you have prepared while reading
materials your module and other supplementary resources, as well as
notes from your participation or discussion in the tutorials.
Come up with Come up with questions by asking yourself what you need to
questions know about the topic. Try to answer the questions using the
materials that you have.
Relate the topics Test your understanding of the main concepts of the course.
to ideas Elaborate on certain parts by clarifying the meaning of
difficult or important parts of the course. Add more details
where you think are appropriate and clarify relationships
between ideas and concepts. You can use mapping or any
other method to help you do this. This method can help you
visualise course content more completely, and also see the
relationships between each subtopic and its details.
Study in a group Studying with a group of people that you are comfortable
with is one of the most effective ways of revision. This mutual
study group will help you to clarify and emphasise key
concepts and ideas with your friends. It will also ensure that
you are on the right track. If it is difficult for you to set a
meeting time with your group members, use the online
discussion forum in myINSPIRE for your discussions.
The next sections discuss some general tips for improving your memorising
skills and one tool that you can use to help you remember a list of things
known as mnemonics.
Tip Description
Understand the Learn the general concepts before going into details.
material By understanding the general concepts, it will be
easier for you to relate the main concept to the rest
of the details. Try applying the SQ3R technique for
reading to help you master the contents better. SQ3R
stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite
and Review. This SQ3R technique is further
explained in Table 8.3.
Memorise through Relate the material that you learn to any incident in
association with your life. This will make you more likely to
your own life remember and it will be embedded in your memory
experiences for a very long time.
Vivid association Besides relating the key ideas to your own life
experiences, you can also make up a story about a
certain fact or material. Try to pair up the facts or
ideas with music, images or anything that you like.
The story that you create has to make sense, but it
can be humorous and silly.
Visual memory Most of us will best absorb all the information and
facts if they are encoded visually. There are many
ways of visualising information. For example, you
can draw diagrams, tables, pictures, cartoons,
graphs and so on. By doing this, you will be able to
extract and highlight important key points and see
the relationship between topics and ideas.
Visual memory can be as simple as writing
sentences or statements or drawing mind maps. For
some topics, it is impossible for you to draw a
picture or graph to visually represent them. Writing
out a statement, theories or formulas, repeating and
rereading them will help you remember.
Step Action
Survey Glance through the text to identify the headings, subheadings
and any other outstanding features in the text.
Question Ask questions about the content of the text (such as what is the
text about, how is this information related to the topic and so
on).
Read Read the text and try to answer the questions posed in the
Question step mentioned earlier.
Recite Recite the essential information of the text so as to commit it to
memory. Recitation should be done in your own words to
demonstrate your understanding.
Review Go through the information again to check your understanding.
Regular reviews should be scheduled to ensure what is learnt is
retained in the long-term memory.
Figure 8.2: The acronym HOMES stands for the five great lakes in
North America namely Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior
However, this type of acronym might not always work, as can be seen in
the next example. Thus, you might need to come up with a mnemonic
sentence.
Let us try making a mnemonic sentence with the list of nine planets listed
below. The list is arranged from the nearest to the furthest from the Sun:
If you apply the mnemonic acronym method to this list, you will get the
acronym is MVEMJSUNP, which does not make any sense. So how do
we solve this problem?
Therefore, make use of past examination papers. These examination papers will
give you an idea of how the questions will look like and what kinds of questions
will be asked. Even if the format of the questions has been changed, past
examination papers can serve as self-assessment to build up your confidence
before an examination.
Keep it flexible and try to achieve some kind of pattern and routine. This will
give you control over what you need to do. Break your revision time into short
periods; for instance, 50 minutes per session. Then, take a 10-minute break
between the sessions. Alternate your sessions with different topics and subjects
to avoid boredom.
ACTIVITY 8.1
Draw a mind map on how you would prepare yourself well for an
assessment.
Let us look at Table 8.4 which gives you some tips on answering true-false
questions.
Tip Description
Presume it is If you are not sure whether a statement is true or false,
true presume it is true. This is because a set of true-false questions
tends to include more true statements than false ones.
Extreme A statement that includes extreme modifiers such as always,
modifiers are all, only and never tends to appear as a false statement. This is
usually false because it usually implies no exception. Here is an example of
a statement with an extreme modifier:
Let us look at Figure 8.5 which shows you an example of two MCQs.
Now let us look at Table 8.5 which gives you some tips on answering MCQ.
Tip Description
Select the best Read the question and all the choices given before selecting
answer the answer. Remember, in MCQ, you have to select only the
best answer. All the answers might be right, but there is only
one best answer. Let us see an example below:
As a learner, you need ................ to excel in your
examinations.
A. nutritious food
B. books
C. time
D. revision
For the question above, all options are possible answers, but
the best answer is D.
Eliminate the Start by identifying the wrong answers rather than looking
wrong answer for the right one. When you are sure that one possible answer
is wrong, cross it off. This can help you to find the best
answer. For example:
To enable you to connect to the Internet, you
need.................
A. a monitor
B. Adobe Acrobat Reader
C. a telephone wire
D. a modem
For this question, you eliminate the wrong answers first, for
instance, options A and B are definitely incorrect. The best
answer is D.
Treat each of the Connect the stem (question) with each of the possible
choices like a answers. Then, treat each of them as a true-false question. By
true-false checking each separate statement as true or false, you may
question find the best answer.
Be cautious with Pay extra attention to all of the above and none of the
all of the above above statements as one of them can be the possible answer.
and none of the If you can find one wrong answer, you can automatically
above eliminate the all of the above answer. If you think that two
out of three answers are correct, then all of the above might
be correct.
However, if you are sure at least one of the answers is correct,
then you can eliminate none of the above. Below are two
examples of MCQ with all of the above and none of the
above as the possible answer.
SELF-CHECK 8.1
List the crucial points in answering:
ACTIVITY 8.2
Answer the following true-false questions. Explain why you chose the
answer True or False for each of the statements.
Unlike MCQ, subjective questions (especially essay questions) are supply items
in which you are required to supply the answers. You are required to compose
your answers which very often consist of more than one sentence.
Tip Description
Read the Read the instructions carefully. You need to be clear on how many
instructions questions you need to answer.
Seek After reading the question, if you are still not clear on a specific part of
clarification the question, do not be afraid to seek clarification.
Divide your Check the marks allocated for each of the questions and subquestions.
time wisely You might not want to write a whole page answer for a question worth
only three marks.
Understand Be sure that you answer the question. Read the instructions in the
the question question thoroughly. Misinterpreting the question can result in you
giving the wrong answer.
Follow the If the essay answer has a predetermined format, follow it or you might
format lose marks. Check with your tutor before the examination.
Provide an Write a well-organised answer. To write a good essay, you first need to
outline and jot structure your essay so that it has an introduction, a body of content
down main and a conclusion.
issues
Jot down the major points, ideas, keywords as well as supporting
points in each of the parts of the essay. This is where you can use the
mnemonic method, graph, mind map and so on. Write down any
points that you can think of and try to relate them to the key idea. For
example, if the topic is discuss the advantages of open and distance
learning, the following may be the key and sub-points (Figure 8.7).
Figure 8.7: Key and sub-points for the advantages of open and distance
learning
Provide an Next, start with a comprehensive introduction and end the essay with
outline and jot a good conclusion (see Figure 8.8).
down main
issues (contd)
(a) Interrogative form: What are the causes of World War II?
For the first question beginning with what, the requirement is quite obvious.
But this not so with the second question that begins with the instruction word
analyse. While it is not so difficult to interpret the wh-word to determine the
requirement of the question, it can be a daunting task sometimes to determine
what an essay question that begins with an instruction word requires. It is
therefore imperative you are familiar with the meanings of the instruction words
used in essay questions. Let us look at Table 8.7 which explains the common
instruction words with their meanings and sample essay questions.
Instruction
Meaning Sample Essay Questions
Word
Analyse Break an issue down into its Analyse the causes of World War
component parts, discuss them II.
and show how they are related.
Discuss Examine key points and possible Discuss the suitability of MCQ as
interpretation, and debate, giving test items in a language test.
reasons for and against. Draw a
conclusion.
Describe Give a detailed account of a Describe early Malaysian family
process, event, subject or life.
something so that one has a clear
picture.
Explain Tell how things work or how they Explain why Malaya entered
came to be the way they are; make World War II.
clear the reason or cause of
something.
Compare Identify and describe points of Compare the role of Dewan
similarity. Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
Contrast Point out the differences. Contrast between democratisation
and liberalisation.
Criticise/ Discuss the good and the bad Criticise the death sentence in
Evaluate points of the subject and make a criminal law.
conclusion. Evaluate the usefulness of the
portfolio in assessment.
Justify Express valid reasons for Justify the USs stand on the Iraq
accepting a particular war.
interpretation or conclusion.
Illustrate Similar to explain but might Illustrate the use of a hand phone.
require the quoting of specific
examples or some form of
drawing.
Enumerate Make a numbered list of relevant Enumerate good and bad eating
items, possibly in bullet form. habits.
Examine Present in depth and investigate Examine the contributions of
implications. computers to mankind.
List Create a series of items. List the functions of the human
heart.
Define Give the meaning of a concept. Define test reliability.
Outline Make a numbered or well- Outline ethics in journalism.
organised list.
ACTIVITY 8.3
Read the statement below:
List down the main ideas, supporting points and conclusion in the
given statement.
In preparing yourself for examinations, you should have a good set of concise
notes, learn how to revise and memorise, practise answering questions and
have a good study plan.
One of the best ways for you to apply the key concepts that you have
understood is by practising.
Some tips on answering MCQ are select the best answer, eliminate the wrong
answer, treat each of the choices like a true-false question and be cautious
with all of the above and none of the above.
As for gap-filling, you need to select the most appropriate and accurate
answer for the blank in the question statement.
The common type of subjective questions is the essay question which requires
you to compose your answers which very often consist of more than one
sentence.
Some tips on answering subjective questions are read the instructions, seek
clarification, divide your time wisely, understand the question, follow the
format, provide an outline and jot down main issues, neat handwriting and
many more.
Be familiar with the various types of questions and the style by which to
answer them. Remember, practice makes perfect.
INTRODUCTION
In order to become a successful open and distance learner, you need to have basic
knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Therefore, this topic focuses on
teaching you how to use them. The Microsoft Office applications are contained in
the software package installed in many personal computers and laptops. The
applications include Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Preferably, you
should have a personal computer in front of you while reading this topic as you
need hands-on practice to better understand the contents. Hopefully by the end
of this topic, you will be able to use them in doing your assignments and course
works.
(a) Double click the Microsoft Office Word icon that looks like this
one which is usually found on the computer screen desktop; or
(b) Use the taskbars Start button. It is shown as a circular Windows logo on
the bottom left corner of the screen (Figure 9.1). Click Start (1) Click All
Programs (2) Microsoft Office (3) The menu will expand Microsoft
Office Word 2007 (4).
The new document you have created appears on the screen as a blank sheet of
paper within the document window with the title Document 1 Microsoft
Word (Figure 9.2).
Figure 9.2: The general look of a new Word document with the location of common
Windows and Office tools, buttons and icons indicated
The long strip at the top of the screen is the title bar, which shows the name of
the document in view followed by the name of the program that is Microsoft
Word. When you start a new document, it is named Document1 (or Document2,
Document3 and so on) by default until it is saved as a different filename.
On the right-most of the title bar are the generic Windows buttons representing
instructions to minimise, maximise, restore and close the window.
For example, the Home tab puts on the ribbon commonly used tools such as
text format, font and styles options; the Insert tab lets you insert things like
page breaks, tables, images, and headers and footers; Page Layout will have
setting controls for margins, page orientation and document size, among others;
while the Review tab contains commands to check spelling, track changes and
word count.
Now, take notice of the two icons here; and . These launchers open up
something when you click on them. They are usually found on the ribbon next to
a bigger icon or in the corner of an icon group.
Clicking on the former will cause a dropdown menu to appear, which contains all
available options for that icons function. Click on the latter and a dialog box will
open up to offer more choices for the operation you wish to perform (Figure 9.3).
Figure 9.3: Example of the Insert and Home tool tab, which are accessed by clicking
the small corner icon (circled) on the ribbon
This means icons that you frequently use can be added to the toolbar, thus
creating shortcuts that can save you time from navigating through tabs. Let us
try adding a shortcut by doing Activity 9.1.
ACTIVITY 9.1
The dialog box is generally split into two list boxes (each containing
a list of icons) separated by a couple of buttons (Figure 9.5).
3. Click Insert Picture from File on left box, then click the
Add>> button in the middle (the icon will move to the right).
4. Click OK. You can now see an extra icon on the Quick Access
toolbar. This enables you to quickly add images and photos to the
document you are working on.
You can add other icons to this toolbar such as Print Preview, so that
you can access these functions with a single click of the mouse.
Figure 9.6: The popup menu that appears after a right click on the highlighted text
Click on the command you want (Cut, Copy, Paste, Font and so on) to
perform the desired operation.
(c) Click the Office Button (labelled in Figure 9.2); select Save (A Save As
dialog box will appear).
(d) Save your document under the file name OUMhist.doc by typing this
name in the corresponding text box at the bottom of the dialog box, then
click Save.
You are now ready to make enhancements to the document, beginning with
functions to format text so that the document looks more presentable and
professional.
(ii) Click the Home tab (if the ribbon is not on Home), then choose
the appropriate commands such as font style, size, bold and so on
(Figure 9.8).
The following Figure 9.9 shows you the result after text formatting have
been done.
(i) Click on area in the document where you want the table to be
placed. The cursor (a blinking vertical line) will appear on that area
(Figure 9.10).
Figure 9.10: Cursor (circled) on the area where the table will be inserted
(ii) Select the Insert tab, and then click on the Table icon. A
dropdown menu will appear.
(iii) Give your table dimensions, such as five columns and two rows, by
hovering your mouse over the appropriate number of boxes in the
menu (Figure 9.11).
You will see the selected boxes are highlighted. Also note that the
information on the bar at the top of the menu will change according to
the number of boxes (or table dimension) that you choose, for
example 22, 23, 52 and so on.
(iv) Click on the bottom right box of the dimension that you have chosen
and the table will appear on your document as seen in Figure 9.12.
Figure 9.12: Document with an empty table of five columns by two rows
Also notice that a couple of new tabs called Design and Layout
(under Table Tools) have been added, which will help you make
modifications to the table (see Figure 9.12).
(i) Click to place the cursor where you want the picture to be inserted.
On the Insert tabs ribbon, click on Picture to insert a picture from
file (such as photograph in jpg file format).
(ii) A file manager dialog box will appear to help you find the picture file
that you want to use (Figure 9.13).
(iii) Once you have located and selected the picture file, click the Insert
button and the dialog box will close. The picture is now inserted in
your document (Figure 9.14).
Figure 9.14: Document with a picture (photograph in this case); notice the additional tab
and ribbon with relevant options for formatting picture
Hover the mouse pointer over the menu options and the menu will cascade
to reveal more choices for each of the option. When you have decided on
the page number format that you want, simply click on the one you have
picked and the page numbering is done.
ACTIVITY 9.2
(a) Apply a Title style to the title of the text (the first two lines).
(b) Apply the Subtitle style to the third line of the text.
(d) Make the font size of the date 10th August 2000 smaller and
make it underlined.
(e) Change the text Private Higher Education Institution Act, 1996
to a different font and italicise it.
The end result of these changes should look similar to Figure 9.9.
Figure 9.15: The group of functions in the Proofing panel (part of the Review tab)
(a) Just click on the Spelling & Grammar icon. A dialog box (Figure 9.16) will
appear showing the first error detected by MS Word.
(b) You can decide whether to change or ignore the suggested correction. After
each correction (or ignore command), the program will sequentially check
through the entire document from the first page to the last or until you
prompt it to stop by clicking Cancel.
(a) Click the Office button choose Save (on the dropdown menu,
see Figure 9.17) to save the file under the same name (indicated on the title
bar); or
(b) Select Save As to save the file as a different filename, in a different folder
or in a different file type (such as for an older version of MS Word or as a
PDF document).
Notice that when you hover your mouse over the Save As function,
the menu will expand to show more available options as Figure 9.17
illustrates.
There are a number of reasons why you would want to save the file as a
different file type; one of which is to ensure that your document can be
opened on computers that still use the old versions of MS Word.
When you select Save As, a dialog box will be displayed to let you
perform the operations that you want (Figure 9.18).
(c) At the Save As dialog box, navigate using the left and right panes to
locate the folder My Documents. This is where most users save their files.
It is usually found in the location exemplified by this location bar:
(d) Name or rename the file if you like using the text input box situated at the
lower part of the dialog box.
(e) Below the text box is the Save as type list box, which when clicked on,
will reveal a list of file types that you can choose to save your document as.
Select Word 972003 Document.
(f) Then, click Save. You will now have a file that is compatible with
previous versions of MS Word.
When you click the ? icon, a window will appear as in Figure 9.20.
Using the search bar near the top, try to find out more about document
formatting by:
(a) Typing formatting in the search box. Then, click the search icon (the
magnifier) and press Enter.
(b) A list of results associated with formatting will appear (Figure 9.21).
(c) You can use this feature to seek answers to queries that you may have when
using MS Word.
9.1.9 Printing
Before you print a document, it might be a good idea to preview it. For that,
follow the steps given:
(a) Click the Office button Hover on Print (the menu will expand to show
more choices) Select Print Preview (Figure 9.22).
You will now see a window that shows your document as it would appear
when printed (Figure 9.23).
If you are satisfied with how it looks, close this window. Now we can do
the actual printing.
(b) Click the Office button Select Print (the Print dialog box will come
out (Figure 9.24).
(c) Select Printer (it must be connected to your computer either physically or
through the network).
(d) Review, select or adjust all other print parameters (such as Page range
and Copies).
Cut: Highlighting a block of text and then clicking this button will
cause the text to be cleared from the screen.
Copy: Clicking this button will make a copy of the highlighted text that
is temporarily saved on the Clipboard (which is the computers
memory).
Paste: Click on this button to insert whatever text (or graphic) that is
saved on the Clipboard onto the part of the document where the
cursor is situated.
You can also reverse some of the edits you made on the document, reinstate them
if you wish or repeat certain actions with a single click, using the following icons
on the Quick Access toolbar (see Figure 9.2):
Undo: Click to cancel the edits you have made. They will be undone in
the order of the most recent action first.
Redo: Click this if you want to call back the action that you have
undone.
Repeat: This button will instruct MS Word to repeat the last action that
you performed, such as inserting a block of text or a picture; or
changing some text to bold.
(a) Click on the Start button (see Figure 9.1), select All Programs
Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Excel 2007; or
(b) Double click on an icon on the desktop that looks like this (if it is
there).
To exit MS Excel, click the Office button on the top left corner of the window
(Figure 9.25), select Close or Exit Excel; or you can click the button marked
x on the title bar right corner.
Figure 9.25: The general appearance of a blank spreadsheet with its various components
labelled
The ribbon is a strip of icons near the top of the Excel window, just below the
Quick Access toolbar and title bar. As is the case with MS Word, the ribbon and
tool tab system replaces the traditional menu system used in older versions of the
Microsoft Office program (see Subtopic 9.1.2).
Just like in MS Word, the Office button in MS Excel serves multiple purposes,
including creating a new spreadsheet, opening and closing files, saving and
printing.
(b) Each rectangle on the grid is called a cell. Cells are referenced by their
addresses, comprising the column and row coordinates. The address or
coordinate of the active cell is shown on the name box (see example in
Figure 9.26). An active cell is simply the cell where the cursor is at.
(c) Data entered into a cell also appears on the formula bar (Figure 9.27).
You can also enter maths formulae here (which you will do later in this
topic). If there is a formula stored in the active cell, this location will display
that formula.
(a) Click on the Office button and select New from the drop down menu.
(b) The New Workbook dialog box opens and Blank Workbook icon is
highlighted by default; if not, select it and then click on Create (near the
bottom right corner) (see Figure 9.28).
(c) To insert data into a cell: Click the cell to select it, type in your text, number
or formula.
(d) To edit or delete data: Click to select it, then press the Backspace key to
clear data and make a correction; press Delete to delete the entire
contents of the cell.
(ii) Press Tab to move to the right of the current active cell;
(iii) Hold down Shift and press Tab to move to the left of the active
cell; or
(iv) Use Page Up and Page Down to rapidly move up and down the
rows.
ACTIVITY 9.3
1. Start with a blank worksheet and input the data set in Figure 9.29.
2. You can change the column widths by placing the mouse pointer
in between the column headers (it will change to a double-sided
arrow), then click-hold and drag the pointer left or right to adjust
the size.
Let us look at Figure 9.30, which is an example of how to add the values of
Cells B2 and B3, then minus the value in Cell C3 and display the result in
D3.
(i) When entering a formula, you can also mix cell references with
numbers; for example, =(A1+B1+C1+D1)/4, which will give you
the average for the cell range A1:D1.
Let us do Activity 9.4 and Activity 9.5 to familiarise yourself with the main
functions.
ACTIVITY 9.4
Find the total for values in a range of cells (Figures 9.32 to Figure 9.34):
1. Enter the data set shown in Figure 9.32. Select the cell where the
result is to appear.
3. Select SUM from the list of functions and click OK. The
Insert Function dialog box will close and be replaced by the
Function Arguments box (Figure 9.33).
ACTIVITY 9.5
Using the file you saved from Activity 9.3 (filename StudentRec.xls) and
using the calculation methods learned so far, do the following:
1. Find out and display the average exam mark for each student in
the column right of the students marks;
3. Show the score of the student with the highest average mark of
the two exams in cell E10.
Tips:
(a) When you are familiar with functions, you can also type them directly into
the formula bar instead of using the dialog boxes.
(b) MS Excel has hundreds of functions at your disposal so that you need not
write out complex or repetitive formulae by yourself. These can be accessed
through the Formulas tab (Figure 9.36). Explore and experiment with
these functions.
(a) Sorting
Common ways of sorting include alphabetical (when it concerns strings of
letters such as names) and numerical (such as student number, exam scores
and costs of items), either in ascending or descending order. Let us practise
sorting with Activities 9.6 and 9.7.
ACTIVITY 9.6
1. Using the same file (StudentRec.xls) from the Activity 9.5, remove
the labels and formulae for Class average score and Highest
student average score, keeping just the average score of each
student.
ACTIVITY 9.7
2. Below it, enter Part time for students with student number
beginning with P, and Full time for those starting with A.
3. Use Sort & Filter but this time select Custom Sort. A dialog
box will appear (Figure 9.39).
You will now find that the data are sorted according to the mode of
study (part or full time) and you can see who scored the highest mark
in each of the two groups of students (Figure 9.40).
(b) Filtering
When do we use filtering? Filtering is useful when you want to display just
a selection of data. For instance, if you want to show in StudentRec.xls, the
records of just students who achieved less than 70 in their average scores,
you can do the following:
(i) Select Sort & Filter Filter. Icons will appear as in Figure 9.41.
(ii) Click the button for Average. Select Number Filters Less
Than (Figure 9.42).
(iii) In the dialog box (Figure 9.43), enter 70 as the condition for is less
than; click OK.
On the worksheet now, only the records of students whose average score is
less than 70 are displayed.
ACTIVITY 9.8
1. Use the StudentRec.xls file (if the data have been filtered,
reselecting Filter from Sort & Filter will unfilter the data).
3. Click the Insert tab. If you hover on each option in the Charts
group, contextual information will appear to help you decide on
which chart to use.
Once you insert a chart, a new set of Chart Tools, arranged into three
tabs, will appear above the ribbon. These tabs (Design, Layout and
Format) will let you change and fine tune the appearance of your chart,
such as adding a title, changing fonts and colours, and so on.
(i) Make sure that your chart is selected. Under the Design tab, find
and click Move Chart. A dialog box appears.
(ii) You can either start a new worksheet (the default name is Chart1) and
keep the chart there; or
(iii) Select Object in and choose from the list box, which of the existing
worksheets you want to place the chart in. Click OK.
Did you know that having the chart on a separate sheet have a lot of
advantages? Among the advantages are that you can copy it easily into your
Word documents or PowerPoint presentation, or print it out separately.
ACTIVITY 9.9
Try to build your own sample data set on MS Excel, such as average
temperature for the days of the week or month; or sales record of
number of items sold, price, category and so on; or the home and away
performances of a football team in a league season, according to
matches won, lost or tied.
Then explore all options under the Chart Tools tabs, such as the
Design, Layout and Format tabs. Try to create a variety charts
and graphs. See if you could achieve some interesting graphical data
analysis with your data set.
Tip: If you are stuck when using any MS Office applications, including
PowerPoint and Excel, you can always get help by clicking the ? icon on
the top right corner of the window, just below the title bar buttons; or by
pressing the F1 key (see the previous Subtopic 9.1.8).
You can start a new presentation from a blank slide, a template or an MS Word
outline:
(ii) Select the slide where you would like the outline to begin;
(iii) Click the New Slide menu option (the small downward pointing
triangle below the icon on the Home tab ribbon);
(iv) Select Slides from Outline (see Figure 9.46); an Insert Outline
file manager dialog box will appear; then
(v) Browse and choose the Word file that contains the outline.
As you can see in Figure 9.46, PowerPoint slides can be created out of a number
of pre-set layouts. They allow you to enter your text straightaway without having
to deal with matters like formatting. To enter text, just select a text box (a dotted
line rectangle) and start typing.
If you explore the ribbon and tabs carefully, you will notice that much of the text
formatting functions in PowerPoint are the same as those in MS Words and they
work pretty much the same way. These include:
Tip: Sometimes you might want to change the size of a textbox to allow space
for other elements to be added in your presentation. To do this, just select
the textbox, click-hold and drag the corner and sides of the text box to the
desired size (Figure 9.47).
You would have a number of options when saving but more importantly, you
should consider that you might need to use the Save As feature to:
(a) Save the file so that it can be accessed by an earlier version of PowerPoint
(which is unable to open the default saved files of PowerPoint 2007); or
(b) Save the slide presentation just as a PowerPoint Show, so that it cannot
be edited by others.
Method Description
Office themes Select the slide immediately BEFORE the point where you want the
new slide to be Click the New Slide menu down arrow (the small
downward pointing black triangle) on the Home tab ribbon
Select from the options in the drop down menu, the type of slide you
want inserted.
Duplicate a Select the slide to duplicate Click New Slide menu down (on the
slide Home ribbon) Select Duplicate Selected Slides from the menu
(Figure 9.49).
Create a new (i) Select the slide immediately BEFORE the point where you want
slide from the new slide to be;
another (ii) Click New Slide Select Reuse Slides; The Reuse Slides
presentation box will appear to the right of your PowerPoint window;
(iii) Click Browse Browse File to open up file manager dialog
box; and
(iv) Locate the previous slide show file and click on it to import.
9.3.4 Themes
What do themes mean?
(a) Click the Design tab above the ribbon (Figure 9.50), choose one of the
displayed Themes.
(ii) Choose a colour set or click Create New Theme Colors if you want
to set your own colours (as some corporations with their own colours
might do).
(iii) You can also select from a range of backgrounds in this tab
(Figure 9.52).
To add transitions, select the Animations tab (1) Select from the basic
transition options in the Transition to This Slide or click on the More
button (2) to see more options (see Figure 9.53).
As you roll your pointer over each transition, PowerPoint provides you
with a live preview of the transition (3) (Figure 9.54).
Notice in Figure 9.55, that you can also add sound effects and control the
speed of your transition using the command options in the same group (1)
and (2).
Click the down arrow next to the Transition Sound field and then click
Click. Click the down arrow next to the Transition Speed field and then
click Slow.
As with the other Office applications (Word and Excel), a new tab will
appear after you have inserted the video, which will contain the commands
that will let you edit and format your video.
Also, when you perform these actions, you will find extra tabs appearing
on the ribbon that will let you apply a few basic editing functions on your
media such as:
(iv) Controlling the brightness, contrast and colours of the image; and
Figures 9.57 through 9.61 illustrate some of the available options on the
ribbon.
Figure 9.59: The Clip Art option box (right) appears when Insert Clip Art is
selected
Figure 9.61: Drawing Tools options become available after you insert shapes
or drawings in your slide
(b) Selecting the From Beginning icon in the Start Slide Show group
(located on the Slide Show tab ribbon); or
(c) Clicking on a similar looking icon at the bottom right of the window
(next to the zoom bar).
The first page of your slide will appear in full screen mode. Around the bottom
left of the screen, you will see the navigation buttons appearing when you hover
the mouse pointer over that area. Also in that group of buttons is a selection of
tools (B in Figure 9.62) which will let you make notations and insert highlights in
your slides as you make your presentation (refer to Figure 9.62 and Table 9.3).
Task Procedure
Go to the next slide Do one of the following:
Click the next icon (D) in Figure 9.62
Press the right arrow key
Press the Enter key
Press the Page Down key
Click on the slide
Go to the previous slide Do one of the following:
Click the previous icon (A)
Press the left arrow key
Press the Backspace key
Press the Page Up key
To jump to a certain slide Do one of the following:
Click the shortcut menu icon (C)
Right-click on the slide and select from the shortcut
menu that pops up
End the slide show and Press the Esc key.
return to PowerPoint
Did you know that cloud storage sometimes functions as a collaboration tool?
Thus, you can easily share your file with your friends and subordinate. Through
cloud storage, you can also collaborate to channel partners with customers.
As part of cloud resources, we usually share it with multiple users and can be
dynamically reallocated according to the users demand.
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)
312 TOPIC 9 USING MICROSOFT OFFICE APPLICATIONS
(iii) After successful registration, click the Log in button. Enter your
username and password to log in (as shown in Figure 9.65);
Click the New (list menu) button and select New Folder
(see Figure 9.66).
Uploading files:
Sharing folder
To share the folder, put your cursor on your folder and check the
check box or Share (see Figure 9.70).
Click the New Box Note button (see Figure 9.71) and type
the name of your document (see Figure 9.72); and
You can create your own document, save it and share it with
your friends (see Figure 9.73).
MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint can help make your learning process more
effective. Their basic functions improve your productivity in writing reports,
computing and analysing data, and making presentations, among others
things.
Knowing how to use these applications are crucial for attaining basic ICT
competencies. In addition, these skills are also valued in the workplace.
OR
Thank you.