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JANE GRELLIER & VERONICA GOERKE
Communications Toolkit © 2018 Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited
4th Edition
Jane Grellier Copyright Notice
Veronica Goerke This Work is copyright. No part of this Work may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior
written permission of the Publisher. Except as permitted under the
Publishing manager: Dorothy Chiu Copyright Act 1968, for example any fair dealing for the purposes of private
Senior publishing editor: Fiona Hammond study, research, criticism or review, subject to certain limitations. These
Developmental editor: Jacqueline Flynn/Carly Slater/Vicki limitations include: Restricting the copying to a maximum of one chapter or
Stegink 10% of this book, whichever is greater; providing an appropriate notice and
Project editor: Sutha Surenddar warning with the copies of the Work disseminated; taking all reasonable
Cover design: Watershed Design (Leigh Ashforth) steps to limit access to these copies to people authorised to receive these
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the publisher cannot vouch for the ongoing currency of URLs. in Australia call 1300 790 853;
in New Zealand call 0800 449 725

Acknowledgements For permission to use material from this text or product, please email
We would like to acknowledge the work of past students that aust.permissions@cengage.com
appear in this text. Every effort has been made to contact
them. (as in 3e ©) National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Creator: Jane Grellier, author.
Every effort has been made to track and acknowledge Title: Communications toolkit / Jane Grellier, Veronica Goerke
copyright. However, if any infringement has occurred, the Edition: 4th edition
publishers tender their apologies and invite the copyright ISBN: 9780170401623 (spiral)
holder to contact them. Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: Engineering communication
Science communication
Communication skills
Professional communication skills
Other Creators/Contributors:
Veronica Goerke, author.

Cengage Learning Australia


Level 7, 80 Dorcas Street
South Melbourne, Victoria Australia 3205

Cengage Learning New Zealand


Unit 4B Rosedale Office Park
331 Rosedale Road, Albany, North Shore 0632, NZ

For learning solutions, visit cengage.com.au

Printed in China by 1010 Printing International Limited.


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 22 21 20 19 18
CONTENTS
Foreword vi
About the authors viii
Acknowledgements ix
Before you read this book xi
Guide to the text xii
Guide to the online resources xv

Part 1 – Transitioning to tertiary studies 1


1 Making the transition 2
2 Developing effective study skills 20

Part 2 – Research skills 35


3 Identifying appropriate resources 36
4 Evaluating your resources 54
5 Referencing 66

Part 3 – Academic writing 95


6 Approaches to writing 96
7 Reflective writing 120
8 Report writing 142
9 Academic essay writing 167
10 Some other tertiary genres 186

Part 4 – Refining your writing 205


11 Two principles of good academic writing 206
12 Grammar, punctuation and spelling 232

Part 5 – Face-to-face communication 267


13 Interpersonal skills 268
14 Intercultural communication 287
15 Teamwork 305
16 Presentations 319
17 How far you’ve come! 342
Index 349
FOREWORD
In Australia’s massified, if not now universal, higher education system, students enter our
institutions with great diversity in academic preparedness, with varying social and cultural
capital and with differing, often ill-formed, expectations of what is involved in tertiary
study. In their first weeks and months, students report that they are frequently confounded
by a lack of clarity regarding what is required for success. Many also find our institutional
and academic language, not to mention discipline conventions, impenetrable. For too many
commencing students, the transition to first year in higher education is an anxious journey
from the known and familiar to the unknown and indecipherable.
Students’ successful transitions into, through and out of higher education have been issues
of concern and dedicated research in higher education nationally and internationally for
decades. It is clear that the cost and impact of student departure are highest in the first year –
for government, institutions, individuals, their communities and society at large, across a
spectrum of reputational, ethical, personal, economic and legal dimensions. In Australia,
the introduction of the demand driven system and targeted funding for access and widening
participation by non-traditional cohorts have further underscored the imperative for our
sector to be clear about what works for inclusive learning, success and retention, in the
context of student heterogeneity as the new normal.
And that imperative is only sharpening. In 2015, the nation’s regulatory and quality
agency, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), was given a fresh
mandate under the (then new) Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards)
to oversee higher education providers’ performance on student attrition, retention and
success. Specific standards have made the threshold requirements in this regard even clearer
than was previously the case, most relevantly in this context the provisions of Clause 1.3
Orientation and Progression. HE providers are now held accountable for the delivery of
strategies to support successful student transition, regardless of ‘educational background,
entry pathway, mode or place of study’, by way of early needs assessment, good learning
and teaching, quality curriculum design, the timely provision of support services and
monitoring for unsatisfactory progress.
In 2017, the stakes got higher again. Consequent on the government’s proposed
introduction of a 7.5 per cent performance-based element to the Commonwealth Grant
Scheme, the release in June of both the TEQSA Report on first year attrition1 and the
Higher Education Standards Panel’s Discussion Paper on improving retention, completion
and success in higher education 2 have once again (re)focused sector attention.
In this context, an important part of equitably unpacking for all students the culture
of higher education and its disciplines is to be explicit about the expectations of tertiary

1
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. 2017. ‘Characteristics of Australian Higher
Education Providers and Their Relation to First-year Student Attrition.’ Melbourne: Australian
Government Department of Education and Training.
2
Higher Education Standards Panel. 2017. ‘Improving Retention, Completion and Success in
Higher Education: HESP Discussion Paper.’ Australian Government Department of Education and
Training.

vi
FOREWORD vii

study and the criteria for successful engagement with it. Given the foreseeability of
transition hurdles, there is an onus on us to articulate, clearly and consistently, not only the
explicit but also the hidden rules, expectations and behaviours fundamental to learning
engagement and success. If we expect first-year students to become independent and self-
managing learners, they must be supported in their early development and acquisition
of the tools they need – transferable academic skills – to engage productively with the
learning and assessment tasks we design for them. Mastery of these basic enabling skills
is foundational for later years’ learning success in all disciplines and for future learning.
Essentially also, their attainment presages the acquisition of key graduate attributes,
outcomes which TEQSA requires HE providers to evidence and the employability skills
that are demanded of graduates on entry into the workplace.
This book makes clear for all students, whatever their background or prior learning, the
substance of the academic skills in which they must be proficient. It does so comprehensively
and accessibly, in a manner that is direct, inclusive, motivational and student-friendly. The
practical advice, tips and strategies that are presented provide novice learners with the
opportunity to acquire the threshold skills and literacies many degree programs assume
already exist. In this way, the book makes explicit many of the hidden curriculum’s rules
and expectations, while also surfacing the potential for disciplinary difference. Critically
for first-year success, the authors acknowledge early the importance of the social context of
learning and seek to normalise the predictable anxiety many new learners will encounter
over the course of their early engagement with the student life cycle.
But students are only one half of the equation for effective transition pedagogy. Many
higher education teachers also require assistance to unpack and scaffold the acquisition
of these foundational skills for diverse cohorts; assistance which is not predicated on a
deficit view of entering student ability. This is another great value of this text – the ways
and means for empowering student learning are made explicit for both students and their
teachers. To have maximum impact on student success, substantive references to this book
should be embedded in core first-year curricula – in lectures and tutorials, in program
materials, in reading lists, in eLearning and the like – as a basis for discussing these enablers
with students in ways that are contextualised to the discipline. The research in this regard is
clear: to be most effective, language and learning skills’ development should be integrated
into the curriculum and context of discipline learning – their acquisition cannot be left to
chance.
I commend the authors on the obvious care, expertise and respect for students and their
learning they have brought to this task. The book is a valuable contribution to the effective
deployment of transition pedagogy and should be harnessed in aid of intentional first-year
curriculum design. I recommend this book as an invaluable learning support for diverse
first-year student cohorts and for those who seek to engage with them for learning success.
Both students and teachers will be grateful for the learning it facilitates.

Professor Sally Kift PFHEA


President, Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows
ALTF Senior Fellow, Discipline Scholar: Law
James Cook University
August 2017
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr Jane Grellier is a coordinator in the first-year Communications Program in the Faculty
of Media, Society and Culture at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. She works
with a team of teachers who provide communications units to more than 3000 first-year
students each year across various internal faculties, as well as online and offshore. Jane
worked initially as a secondary English teacher in Western Australian schools, and then
spent 15 years as an educational writer and curriculum developer for a range of secondary
and tertiary education sectors. She has a strong commitment to teaching writing, especially
to encouraging students to write in clear and concise English, which she sees as essential in
the university setting. Jane’s own research currently focuses on reflective practice – both in
her own writing and in developing reflective thinking among first-year students.
Veronica Goerke is a professional learning consultant at Curtin University’s Bentley
campus in Wadjuk Nyungar Country. She first worked in education as a secondary-school
teacher, and then coordinated and taught first-year university communications units;
she then moved to curriculum design, and is now focused primarily on staff professional
learning. Veronica works in partnership with staff members so they can model the inclusive
communication practices that Curtin University expects of its students. Her research focus
is on the place of formal reconciliation in Australian universities.

viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many of our colleagues at Curtin University have continued to be supportive and generous
with their time and ideas as we have been working on this fourth edition. In particular, we
would like to thank fellow Curtin University staff members who have given us invaluable
feedback that has enriched and sharpened this edition. A special note of appreciation goes
to Katie Dunworth and Carmela Briguglio, who are international leaders in research into
English-language proficiency and what this means in the Australian higher-education
sector. Veronica has been privileged to have had their direction and guidance on the
text, as well as their assistance while working on university strategies to support academic
communication development among students. Veronica again acknowledges Anne Harris
for her commitment, supportive conversation and expertise in this field. This fourth edition
acknowledges the contribution of senior Wadjuck, Simon Forrest, the Elder in Residence
at Curtin University.
We thank again those involved in the development of the first three editions, whose
feedback and contribution are the foundation of this new text: Carol Igglesden, Katie
Scott, Cathryn Wilkinson, Cathy Cupitt, Lyn Payne, Gabby Barrett, Sue Denham, Katalin
Dobos, Deborah Hunn, Richard Liston, Robyn Mayes, Chris Nagel, Hugh Rayner,
Nari van Der Zanden, Sue Grey-Smith, Pippa Beetson, Paula Beck, Karen Rickman,
Katherine Bathgate, Melanie Griffiths, Michelle Carey, Jeannie Morrison, Michelle
Webb, Geoff Cody, Lyn Komarzynski, Liam Lynch, Joy Scott and Helen Rogers from
the Communications Program; Lara Mackintosh from the Department of Architecture;
Ann Kosovich, Beatrice Tucker, Kuki Singh, Raelene Tifflin and Allan Goody (Office
of Teaching and Learning); Aaron Matthews (Centre for Aboriginal Studies); Jim Elliott
(Student Transition and Retention Team); Lynne Vautier (the TL Robertson Library); and
Courtenay Harris (Faculty of Health Sciences).
As with previous editions, this toolkit would be impoverished without the many examples
of written work and ideas students have allowed us to include. Delighting in their success as
communicators, we thank all these students: Sanan Al Abbasi, Esther Adeney, Geoff Barnes,
Nicholas Bertone, Tammy Beven, Simon Blyth, Kaden Boekhoorn, Jonathon Borrello,
Barbara Bozsik, Gabrielle Brabander, Suzanne Breusch, Alex Cardell-Oliver, Alex (Ping Hei)
Chan, Ebony Clare Chang, Rebecca Chang, Justin Colangelo, Nikki D’Agostino, Tomzarni
Dann, Matthew Degnan, Anna Dewar-Leahy, Aden Dielesen, Sean Dixon, Hursh Dodhia-
Shah, Khush Dodhia-Shah, Marcia Doolan, Sarah Edmiston, Stephen Edmund, Rebecca
Hadley, Stephanie Huynh, Matthew Hunter, Naomi Fisher, Kristie Foenander, Daniel Frewer,
Chaithanya Giridharan, Alannah Goerke, Megan Goerke, Martin Gowran, Anne Hibbard,
Jessica Hodder, Anneliese Hunt, Joel Kandiah, Daniel Laaja, Mortigou Labunda, Suzanne
Lambaart, Jonathan Lendich, Chris Lodge, Sharon Marrelies Backley, Jessica Matthews, Simon
McLaughlin, Alina Morelli, Samantha Petri, Sally Potsch, Ryan Quinn, Kieron Safstrom,
Samia Scott, Melissa Settineri, Kelley Shaughnessy, Josh Sunderland, Freyja Taverner, Stephanie
Walker, Hannah Walter, Kathleen Ward, Emily Webb, Lavinia Wehr, Jennifer Zeven, Alex
Zuniga, Lewis Stewart and Tashia Abeyasinghe.
Jane would like to thank her husband Warren for his continuing support through this
writing process. Their shared passion for teaching and for language lies at the heart of all
her work, and their teaching experiences together over the past two years have kept her

ix
x Acknowledgements

grounded and enthusiastic. She would also like to thank teacher, friend and co-learner Joy
Scott, who challenges, supports and laughs along with her.
Veronica thanks her husband, Mark, who remains delightfully pedantic about the
written and spoken word! She also adds a note of appreciation for her children, Damien,
Alannah and Megan, who, with their friends, continue to show her that communication is
dynamic and multi-dimensional – especially as they chat with her using one of the many
communication apps like Messenger and WhatsApp, along with Bitmoji and Snapchat.
However, they probably don’t ‘Zoom’, WebEx or Spark as much as she does. (Veronica
notes that all these communication tools may have been superseded by the time this edition
is published!)
To the staff at Cengage Learning, especially Fiona Hammond, Jacqueline Flynn, Carly
Slater, Sutha Surenddar, Vicki Stegink and Duncan Campbell-Avenell, who have supported
us in this venture ‘fourth time around’, we say thank you for your patience and helpful
encouragement.
Veronica also acknowledges the teachers who have used the text with their students.
The original book was written as a toolkit not only for students but also for their teachers,
and we hope this revised edition continues to assist educators to support their students’
learning.
The authors and Cengage Learning would also like to thank the following reviewers for
their incisive and helpful feedback:
• Annalise O’Callaghan, Curtin University
• Anne Clear, Murdoch University
• Tanya Weiler, UNI SA
• Rosemary Kerr, Curtin University
• Sue Dean, University of Technology Sydney
• Ashleigh Thompson, Massey University
• Andy Brown, University of Tasmania
• Amanda Muller, Flinders University.
BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK
Students, past and present, are the characters in this book. They come from Curtin
University in Perth, Western Australia; Open Universities Australia, and Miri, Sarawak;
Notre Dame University, Fremantle; Edith Cowan University; and the University of
Western Australia. They are enrolled in a wide range of courses, including fine arts, design,
social sciences, commerce, health sciences, science, law, engineering, nursing, computer
science, geology, spatial sciences, architecture, planning, construction management,
cultural studies, journalism, screen arts and education courses. Most are first-year students,
taking a unit that focuses on the learning processes they will need for university study – in
research, academic writing, teamwork and oral presentations. These students have provided
models for this book, and stories of effective (and not-so-effective) academic practice.
Our experience teaching and coordinating units for such students has played a major
part in shaping this book:
• We have chosen to write informally throughout the book, addressing you, the current
student, directly, and speaking personally about our own experience.
• We address both individual students and those working in seminar or workshop groups,
and provide activities for both types of student throughout the book.
• We also emphasise some of the language processes you will need in your future
professional careers in order to communicate successfully with clients, employers and
colleagues. You can’t start to develop these processes too soon!
• The book is applicable to all undergraduate courses at university, particularly to first-
year students in these courses. You will be able to apply our advice and models to
whatever discipline you are studying.
• The book will be useful for any student studying at a tertiary or a secondary level.
Developing academic communications is a major educational focus in the twenty-first
century, and the book is our contribution to this.
Although the book focuses on language development, we want to emphasise that
education, both tertiary and secondary, is about much more than this. We like this quote
from Allan Luke, Professor of Education at Queensland University of Technology, from his
public address at the Brisbane Ideas Festival on 30 March 2006:

“ Although they always have and will continue to serve the national economic
interest, universities must remain seedbeds for basic intellectual work, for
speculative theory and experimental practice. They must perpetually strive to
become more open environments where students are encouraged to engage with
historical, scientific and narrative knowledge, to debate these matters freely and
speculatively, and to apply these understandings to the complex worlds of new

economies, new technologies and new cultures.
Professor Allan Luke (2006). Address to Brisbane Ideas Festival

This quote sums up our approach to education. While we focus in this book on helping you
develop the processes you will need to be successful students, we believe that these processes are
means rather than ends in themselves. If you learn well to think, research, write, reflect, work
collaboratively and make oral presentations, then you can benefit from the ‘seedbeds’ and ‘open
environments’ that are universities, and you can play your part in making them such rich places.
We wish you joy of your studies, and hope that this book will enhance them.
xi
Guide to the text
As you read this text, you will find a number of features in every
chapter to enhance your study of communication and help you
understand how the theory is applied in the real world.

CHAPTER OPENING FEATURES

ACADEMIC
9 ESSAY WRITING
Identify the key concepts
that the chapter will
CONTENTS cover with the Chapter
• The academic essay
outline at the start of each
+ The analytical essay
+ The argumentative essay
chapter.
• Early research
+ Primary research
• Developing your argument
138 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
+ The thesis statement
+ The concessive argument
• Writing your essay
+ First or third person?
+ Language and approaches to writing
Final words from our students
+ The introduction
+ The paragraph CHAPTER 9: ACAdEmiC EssAy wRiTing 175
Earlier in this chapter we commented that reflection at first-year level is a preparation
+ The conclusion
for deeper critical and reflective thinking in future years. To emphasise this crucial
FEATURES WITHIN CHAPTERS
• Editing and proofreading your essay
point, we include a reflection from urban and regional planning student Chris Lodge
(see Student reflection 7.13 ), who reflects on an issue he has been challenged to
consider throughout his first-semester studies: ‘the Great Australian Dream’.
Although fairy tales facilitate essential childhood development, Disney’s animated Princess
films, with the Disney Princess marketing image, continue to perpetuate traditional gender
roles and promote increasingly sexualised body aspirations to young girls, which may lead to
negative body image and low self-esteem.
Reflective writing can begin your thinking processes
Student reflection 7.13

Jennifer Zeven, first-year humanities student


Many issues attracted my attention in this lecture about suburbia and the Great
Australian Dream. Perth suburbia to me is ideal when you consider the lifestyles
Figure 9.5 Concessive thesis statement
available. This made me begin to wonder what the ideal lifestyle is to the average
person. Does a backyard that is big enough to fit another family home really satisfy Read authentic Student Reflection
our lifestyle needs? I considered my own lifestyle where we as a family rarely use
Zeven the has considerably
strengthenedlarge her yard,
argument
Throughout this chapter, with by exception
the acceptingofinfamily
the CourseMate
the first
eventshalf
Express icon indicates
of as
such
an
herbirthday
Express
examples of real student
thesis statement thebarbeques
counterargument that fairylinking
tales have aactivities
powerful andinfluence on
parties, opportunity and other social gatherings.
communication efforts that
for online self-study, you toLifestyle rarely requires the use
other
childhood ofdevelopment, but claiming in the second half of this sentence that such
online resources.
such space, but nevertheless I would never wish to lose it. The lecture made me
positive influence does not override the destructive impact of Disney Princess films
realise that the majority of Australians share my attitude and drew my attention
on young girls’ sexualisation. Head to the CourseMate website to read the complete
to what I believe is a misconception that people who think this way are selfish.
Express illustrate theory in practice. These
essay.
While Perth’s suburbia is extremely extensive, so is our available geographical
Next, look at the example in Figure 9.6 of a concessive paragraph from an essay
area. So why is it that more and more planners are pushing for higher density
come
167 from students across a wide
by Daniel Frewer, a student of engineering, who examines the role of scientists
residential development in the close perimeter areas around the city? This question
in the community. His thesis statement contends that scientists who take a role in range of disciplines.
troubled me at first as I could not think why it is that people would choose to live
public debate have the potential to make major scientific and cultural contributions
in such places. It then occurred to me that not everyone opts for the lifestyle that
toBK-CLA-GRELLIER_4E-170321-Chp09.indd
our society. He presents one 167 counterargument – highlighted below – in the first 12/02/18 6:49 PM
I value.
two sentences of the paragraph. In the rest of the paragraph he goes on to rebut the
counterargument by referring to the ideas of an Chris Lodge,
expert in urban and regionalarea
his disciplinary planning
(and student
strengthens his position by acknowledging her academic position).

When we contacted Chris the following year for permission to include his
Scientists, pastin
reflection and present,
this book,who have taken
he agreed, buta added
public stand on was
that he a particular issue have
embarrassed
been attacked by members of the public who disagree with their point of view. Ultimately, some
this reflection because he felt his ideas had developed significantly since he had written
often
on re-reading Explore Annotated examples of
people also tend to question the motives of the scientist, citing the fact that some scientists
it. This is almost certainly true; but it doesn’t discount the value of this
may be outspoken in order to receive the government research grants that are so desperately
piece of writing. real communication that highlight
In trying
But, toas penetrate deeply
(1999)into hisinthinking on theProfessor
topic as aMary
thenJo first-year student,
required.
Chris was
Mark Floyd
setting the
notes
foundations for
a story about
his strong future studies. The
Professor of Humanities at Oregon State University, ‘if scientists do not become involved in
Nye, Horning
most perceptive good practice and room for
thinkers
public
contradicting
issues
are thosethewho
policy debates,
that are not them
continue
result can be atodecision-making
try out ideas, shaping,
as they go. Ultimately,
fully understood’. We are more concerned
it was,
discarding,
process involving
aboutis,our
and currently with
developing
complex,
students
criticaland
who have
the assistance
improvement. Further examples of
no questions
of scientists
natural universe. A
about what
that humanity, as athey
historical overview
are hearing
species,
of
is able tothan
scientific
wethe
unlock aresecrets
philosophy
about of
will
developed ideas and change them frequently. Learning is about engagement!
those
result
who tryand
the physical
in an
outthe
acceptance
half-
by
student presentations are included
the reader
issues,
Thethat without
final
breakthroughs
words theon
intervention
the role ofof reflection
that have
men and women of science
in their studies in controversial
belong to two public
students online in the CourseMate Express
who reflect on what theythehave
potential
learnedto erase
fromcommon ideologies
a semester will become
of reflective scarce.(see
writing
Student reflection 7.14). Construction managementDaniel
student Anna
Frewer, Dewar-Leahy
engineering student website.
is beginning to reflect on how valuable reflective thinking will be for her, while
Figure 9.6 Concessive paragraph

xii BK-CLA-GRELLIER_4E-170321-Chp07.indd 138 12/02/18 4:11 PM

BK-CLA-GRELLIER_4E-170321-Chp09.indd 175 12/02/18 6:49 PM


GUIDE TO THE TEXT xiii

180 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

CHAPTER 9: ACAdEmiC EssAy wRiTing 171

Test your understanding as


Activity 9.3: Writing your introduction
You must reference most primary research in a slightly different way from
you go via the Activity boxes
secondary research. In the case of cultural artifacts, such as local newspaper articles
or published photographs, you can often reference them in the same way you
As an individual or with another student
would reference secondary resources. However, you can’t include personal surveys, which include questions to
Write theinterviews
observations,
these (Ifareworking
introduction
unpublished
ortoemail
your essay, followinginthe
conversations instructions
your and modelbecause
list of references
with another student, discuss how you will approach your writing and write each
sources and so your readers can’t follow them up. Because of
described above.
help you review, integrate,
introduction together, if desired; but be careful not to finish with similar introductions for your
this, you must embed full details of the research in your own sentence. For example,
two essays.)
and comprehend information.
if you conducted an interview or an email conversation, you would give the name
In a class
and position of youror group the place the interview was held and the date on
interviewee, Answers to selected activities
which it was held; if you ran a survey, you would explain how many people you
Pin up introductions and critique them for each other. Consider how each critique informs your
surveyed, what types of people were surveyed and what results you obtained. For the can be found online in the
own introduction, and make changes as necessary.
correct
240
in-text citation formats for these, check your department’s referencing guide.
COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
You might add as an appendix to your essay a transcript of an interview, the list of
CourseMate Express website.
survey questions or similar evidence.
The paragraph
Look at Figure 9.2 and notice the way Jonathan Lendich, a student of urban and
regional planning, has integrated and referenced an interview with a farmer living
and working on The thebuilding
urban/ruralblocks of your
fringe. essay
Notice howarethe
your paragraphs,
author has included and athe body is no more
phrase
within his How own to
thansentencespot(highlighted
a series ofand fix common
interconnected
below), redundant
paragraphs
as well that
as thedevelopphrases
in-text your analysis
citation, to or argue for
the thesis statement
explain the context of his primary research. you have presented in your introduction. Refer to the section
on paragraphing in Chapter 6 for a detailed discussion of how to write effective
How to spot academic
sentence fragments
paragraphs. How to fix sentence fragments Learn How to identify the
Global warming has
Farmers have
throughout
After
been
professional
the world
you
to change
havetoread
proved
the practices
today.writing
Despite the
this section,Connect
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that belonged to her people. Rowse (2010) claims that give you simple tips and
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allotted
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proofreading your work.
which she
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effective communication.
simple sentences are fine, but they aren’t capable of explaining complicatedthroughout
relationships
the
among ideas, or of helping you develop your own thinking in sophisticated ways. For these
paragraph
purposes, you need compound and complex sentences, which describe relationships of time,
cause and effect, comparison, purpose, illustration, exception and so on.

Compound sentences
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ICONS 12/02/18 6:49 PM

A compound sentence is a combination of two simple sentences joined together 12/02/18


in one 6:49 PM
of three ways:
1 by a coordinating conjunction
Explore the online resources by following the NEW CourseMate
2 by an independent marker
3 by a semicolon.
Express margin icons throughout the text and at the end of chapter.
The two sentences that are joined together to form a compound sentence are
called independent clauses – each has a subject and a verb, and each could work
Find answers, activities and more.
independently to form a separate sentence.

BK-CLA-GRELLIER_4E-170321-Chp12.indd 240 07/02/18 4:46 PM


xiv GUIDE TO THE TEXT

CHAPTER 2: DEvEloPing EffECTivE sTuDy skills 33

END-OF-CHAPTER FEATURES
Visit http://login.cengagebrain.com and use the access code that comes with Express
this book for 12-month access to the resources and study tools for this chapter.
CHAPTER 2: DEvEloPing EffECTivE sTuDy skills 33

Revision activity: Revise these ideas


At the end of each
1 Scholarly readingchapter
at university isyou willdifferent
often very findfromseveral
the readingtools to help you to review, practise and
you have done in your previous education. You need to read actively –
extend your
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adapt your reading strategies
http://login.cengagebrain.com to use
and suitthe
your purpose.
access code that comes with Express
2thisSome
book scholarly
for 12-month textsaccess
are very complex
to the and,and
resources as astudy
first-year
tools student, you
for this chapter.
need specific strategies to help you make meaning from them.
3 Active listening involves deliberately engaging yourself in the lecture
Revision activity: Revise these ideas
you are listening to in order to avoid being just a passive recipient of
information.
1 Scholarly reading at university is often very different from the reading
4 Mind-mapping
you have done inis your a particularly
previous valuable
education.active-listening
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activelyyou

may is,
that find it particularly
adapt your reading useful throughout
strategies to suitthe restpurpose.
your of your studies. Review your understanding of
25 Some
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scholarlycan be are
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and, as a first-year
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previous education, and also to read and practiseyourself
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3 Active
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you.
deliberately engaging in the lecture Revision Activities.
you are listening to in order to avoid being just a passive recipient of
6 information.
The most valuable preparation for end-of-semester exams is to read and
4 listen actively throughout
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is a particularly valuablesoactive-listening
that your finaltechnique;
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ideas. the rest of your studies.
5 Examinations can be a daunting time for some first-year students. It is
Thinking activity: Critical and reflective questions
valuable to remember any successful exam strategies you learned in your
previous education, and also to read and practise new techniques that
may bestudy
1 What helpful to you. and techniques have worked well for me in the
approaches Process and apply content to
6 past?
The most
Do I valuable preparation
need to adapt them soforthat
end-of-semester
they will suit exams is tostudy?
university read and
listen actively
2 What mistakesthroughout the semester,have
and misunderstandings so that your final revision
I experienced period
in the past that
current issues or personal
is simply
have a time
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refine How
your ideas.
can I organise my studies this year in such experience using the critical and
a way as to start overcoming these problems?
3 Could I benefit from discussing ideas and studying with9:aACAdEmiC
small group of wRiTing reflective Thinking activities.
Thinking activity: Critical and reflective questions CHAPTER
other students? How might I help organise an informal study group so
EssAy 185

that it study
1 What runs successfully?
approaches and techniques have worked well for me in the
4 Most advice
past? Do about
I need successful
to adapt themstudy focuses
so that on being
they will prepared and
suit university study?
keeping
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misunderstandings needIto adapt any of
experienced in my
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and habits to help me be more successful?
have harmed my results? How can I organise my studies this year in such
Useful websites
5 aWhat
way are
as tomy priorities
start at thisthese
overcoming stageproblems?
in my life? Where do studies fit with
3 the
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benefit from discussing ideas and studying with a small group of
Theother
following online resources
students? How mightprovide further
I help useful information
organise aboutstudy
an informal essay writing:
group so
that itNational
Australian runs successfully?
University Academic Skills and Learning Centre: ‘Essay Writing’:
http://www.anu.edu.au/students/learning-development/writing-assessment/essay-
4 Most advice about successful study focuses on being prepared and
writing. up to date with set work. Do I need to adapt any of my lifestyle
keeping
Use the Useful websites to
and habits
University to help
of Sydney me be
Learning more‘Planning
Centre: successful?
your Essay’: http://writesite.elearn.usyd. extend your understanding and
edu.au/m3/m3u1/index.htm.
5 What are my priorities at this stage in my life? Where do studies fit with
the rest
University of of
NewmySouth
life?Wales Learning Centre: ‘Essay and Assignment Writing’: explore online resources.
https://student.unsw.edu.au/essay-and-assignment-writing.
Purdue University (US) Online Writing Lab (OWL): ‘Academic writing’:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/.

References
Extend your understanding
BK-CLA-GRELLIER_4E-170321-Chp02.indd 33 12/02/18 7:35 PM

Floyd, Mark. 1999. ‘Should Scientists Become Players in Public Policy Debate?’ Oregon State
University News and Research Communications, 25 January. http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/ through the suggested
archives/1999/jan/should-scientists-become-players-public-policy-debate.
Kartinyeri, Doreen and Sue Anderson. 2008. Doreen Kartinyeri: My Ngarrindjeri Calling.
References relevant to each
Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press: 2. chapter.
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Guide to the online resources
FOR THE INSTRUCTOR

Cengage Learning is pleased to provide you with a selection of


resources that will help you prepare your lectures and assessments.
These teaching tools are accessible via cengage.com.au/instructors
for Australia or cengage.co.nz/instructors for New Zealand.

NEW COURSEMATE EXPRESS


CourseMate Express is your one-stop shop for learning tools and activities that help students
succeed. As they read and study the chapters, students can access student communication
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ARTWORK FROM THE TEXT


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copy them into your lecture presentations.

xv
xvi GUIDE TO THE ONLINE RESOURCES

FOR THE STUDENT

New copies of this text come with an access code that gives you
a 12-month subscription to the CourseMate Express website.
Visit http://login.cengagebrain.com and log in
using the access code card.

NEW COURSEMATE EXPRESS FOR COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT


Access your CourseMate Express website, which includes a suite of interactive resources
designed to support your learning, revision and further research.
Includes:
• Revision quizzes
• Activities
• Student communication examples
• Writing checklists
• And more! Express
PART
TRANSITIONING

1 TO TERTIARY
STUDIES

Over the past few decades, the digital revolution has caused disruption in how tertiary institutions
create and deliver education. These institutions have been working hard to transform how they
help you learn skills to enhance how innovative, entrepreneurial and collaborative you will be in
solving real-world problems. This approach is supported by industry and governments across
the globe that are ‘prioritizing education reforms that emphasize more 21st century practices’
(Adams Becker et al. 2017, 12). Every tertiary institution is committed to helping you stay and
succeed in whatever you have chosen to study with them, and so they make big investments to
help you have a smooth transition. As Professor Sally Kift has stated, ‘it is clear that first year
students face unique challenges as they make very individual transitions to study; particularly
academically and socially, but also culturally, administratively and environmentally’ (2015, 53).
In Australia, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) monitors the
standards of these higher-education institutions to ensure you receive a quality learning
experience. The first Part of our text should help you get off to a good start.
Part 1 will be useful if you are beginning your higher-education studies – whether you are a
recent school-leaver or are returning to study after doing other things. Many of you will make a
smooth transition to tertiary studies, adapting to new expectations and approaches to learning;
some of you, however, will experience challenges. You may have difficulties organising yourself,
adjusting to the course you have chosen or developing the particular communication skills
required for success at this level.
You may be an older student (i.e. who has not come straight from school) who hasn’t done
extended writing for 20 years and may feel overwhelmed by the apparent expectations around
digital literacy. Or you might be a student who is very confident with mathematics, but not so
sure of your oral-presentation skills. You may even be the first person in your family to enrol in
higher education. Whoever you are, this section Part contains hints that will be useful for you.
Part 1 has two chapters. The first introduces you to some key aspects of life in higher education,
while the second outlines some reading, note-making and exam-preparation skills that you may
find beneficial. If you already feel confident in both of these areas, go straight to Part 2.
1: Making the transition
2: Developing effective study skills

1
MAKING THE
1 TRANSITION

CONTENTS
• Your first months as a tertiary student
++ Studying fully online
++ Connecting with peers
++ Connecting with faculty
++ The online learning environment
++ The library
++ Academic learning support
++ Course and unit/subject outlines
++ Calendars and study plans
++ Overview of the semester
++ Class formats – virtual and physical
++ Study groups
• Respecting diversity
• Mature-aged students
• English-language proficiency
• New international students
• Communicating with members of staff
++ Formal emails
• Challenges you might face
++ Dissatisfaction with assessment results
++ Falling behind in your studies
++ Course too difficult or motivation low

“Surviving university is actually a great experience! Nearing to the end of my


degree, I now realise and value the time and effort I put in since first-year.
I got through uni by setting little goals for myself each semester regarding
achievement of learning outcomes and assignments. It’s important to remember
that you are responsible for your own learning. Draw upon what motivates you

to complete tasks – think of your life in a bigger picture.
Rebecca Chang, health sciences student

Throughout this chapter, the CourseMate Express icon indicates an Express


opportunity for online self-study, linking you to activities and other
online resources.
2
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 3

Your first months as a tertiary student


Whether you are a recent school-leaver or someone returning to study after a break
of several years, and whether you have chosen to study mostly by attending classes on
a physical campus or completely online, it is important that you develop a toolkit of
strategies to help you survive – and, indeed, thrive – as a tertiary student. So, before
you get into the chapters on communication skills, read through this chapter for
some ideas you may find useful during those first months of study.

Studying fully online


Today, more and more students are studying fully online, sometimes from overseas
but generally from within Australia. If you are beginning to study in the online
mode, be prepared to be patient with yourself, and to take some time to develop
sound study routines.
Your first task is to find your way around the learning management system (or LMS)
through which your unit is run. Don’t be daunted by this – if you were attending
a tertiary campus for the first time you would probably get lost frequently over the
first few weeks, and would certainly need some time to become familiar with the
resources available to you. Online learning is no different, and you need to do what
you can to become familiar with your environment:
• Read the ‘welcome packs’, introductory information and study guides you are
sent, and then re-read them. View any introductory videos.
• Click on all the links in your unit website so that you become familiar with it
as quickly as possible. Don’t worry about ‘breaking’ anything – you can’t do any
harm by clicking on links.
• Search for your unit program or calendar, which lists due dates for assignments.
(This will usually be in your unit outline.) Download it to your own computer,
and consider printing a copy for your study desk.
• If your unit includes a discussion board or other means of communicating with
your tutor and fellow students, introduce yourself to them early on. We find
that those students who leave this until after the first week often feel awkward
‘arriving late’, and so have problems participating.
• You will know best how to organise yourself. Plenty of advice is available online
about how to ensure you organise your life appropriately to complete your online
study, but only you know what will work for you.
Here are some helpful websites to guide you as an online student:
• Online Study Australia – ‘Are you a good online student?’:
https://onlinestudyaustralia.com/are-you-a-good-online-student/.
• Online College – ‘Ten traits of a successful online learner’: http://www.
onlinecollege.org/2011/07/14/10-traits-of-a-successful-online-learner/.
• Southern Nazarene University – ‘Online learning habits’: https://home.snu.
edu/~hculbert/habits.htm.
4 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

Our last piece of advice should possibly have come at the beginning; but, after
thinking through some of the above advice, you may now be in a better position
to receive it. Think again about your commitment to online study and, more
importantly, about how much you will be able to undertake. Online study is not a
method of ‘rushing through’ a course while applying less effort than in face-to-face
learning. In fact, it will often be more time-consuming than on-campus study, and it
can be more difficult to maintain your commitment to study when you are working
alone. Its value is that it allows you to be flexible in time and space; but it will still
make large demands on your time.
At least at the beginning of your online studies, do not overload yourself with
many units. Take your time, be patient with yourself and focus on developing good
online study habits.

Connecting with peers


Whether you generally prefer working alone or in big groups, the first thing we
advise you to do, whether in online or face-to-face contexts, is to make friends.
Connecting with people should be easy in the early weeks, since a number of
activities will be set up that encourage you to introduce yourself. (This applies to
online as well as on-campus learning.) Take any such opportunities given to you
by lecturers and get to know other students. Do not rely only on social media, but
quickly access the online meeting spaces provided within your courses and become
an active participant as soon as possible. This will enable you not only to get to
know your peers but also to see who you might prefer to work with (i.e. on group
assignments). Whether or not you get involved in extracurricular activities, you can
easily and naturally make links with peers within your course. In your course, you
will meet people who have chosen the same subjects as you, and with whom you
therefore already have something in common. Don’t wait until it’s too late, like the
students in one university study (Case 2007) who realised in their third year that
they had missed out by only getting to know one or two people in their first year.
Make use of opportunities to work in groups (see Chapter 15 for specific advice on
this), since this should help you make friends more quickly, and thus feel supported
as you study.

Connecting with faculty


Get to know your faculty or department quickly. Know the answers to the following
questions:
• Who are my lecturers and how do I contact them?
• Where is the main office for my faculty or department?
• Where is the key information about my course located on the website and in the
LMS?
• How do I submit assignments?
• Does my area have a special room or online space for first-year students?
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 5

If you don’t yet know these details even though you have been studying for a
while, don’t be afraid to go and find out about them now. After all, you’re likely to
be studying within the same area for at least three years.

The online learning environment


As we mentioned earlier, most tertiary institutions use a learning management
system (or LMS), such as Blackboard, Moodle or Canvas, to organise their learning
material. However comfortable you are in the online environment, make some time
to explore the LMS at the institution where you are now studying and to see how
your lecturers have used it for their subjects. If everything is new to you, look
for help online, attend sessions organised by the library and ask other students for
help. Explore your LMS before classes start to ensure you won’t miss out on crucial
information.
Another reason for becoming familiar with, and regularly using, the LMS is that
this is likely the place where you will be required to submit assignments. Even if you
do not submit all your assignments through the LMS, assessment requirements and
grading processes are likely to be outlined and recorded in this environment.

The library
More than ever before, higher-education libraries are the places to go to learn all
you need to know about succeeding in tertiary environments. As a tertiary student,
you will need to use more than just general websites for your research; lecturers
will generally expect you to use a range of sources, including discipline-specific
e-journals, which can often only be accessed via the library. Don’t forget the
librarians themselves, because they are usually at the forefront of digital technology,
making them invaluable when you are conducting secondary research at this level.
(See Chapter 3 for further details.) As well as speaking directly to the librarians, you
can also communicate with them online. Whatever resources are available at your
institution’s library, access and use them.
Thus, as soon as you are enrolled, whether you’re studying on campus or online,
you should do a tour of your library’s website so that you will know what the library
can offer you.

Academic learning support


If you are having difficulties with any aspects of your studies, the best place to go
for help, in the first instance, is your institution’s main website. Most, if not all,
tertiary institutions have highly visible links from their homepage to webpages
where you will find either answers to your questions or directions about where
to go to find those answers. These websites are ‘one-stop shops’ for students, and
we encourage you to explore them as soon as you can so you know what your
institution can offer you.
6 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

In addition to online support, every campus will have places where students can
go to get free assistance with their studies. This may include help with essay writing,
academic study skills seminars and assistance with English-language proficiency.
Explore what is available so that when you need some help, you will know where
to get it. Most tertiary institutions house this information ‘one click away’ from
the homepage, such as at Swinburne University (http://www.swinburne.edu.au/
student/study-help/las.html) and at Queensland University of Technology (see the
‘Cite/Write’ link at https://www.student.qut.edu.au/). If you’re having problems,
especially in areas such as organising your life or writing your assignments, go and
ask for help. It is there!
If you are an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student – and
especially if you are from a remote community – you may choose to seek out the
areas of your campus that are especially for Indigenous Australian students. Search
the website and you will find information such as Nura Gili at the University of
New South Wales (see https://student.unsw.edu.au/additional-support).
Whoever you are, you should find out what your institution can offer you.

Course and unit/subject outlines


The way in which programs and parts of programs are named differs across tertiary
institutions. In this book, we will use the word ‘course’ to describe a full program
lasting three or more years (e.g. Medical Imaging, Psychology) and ‘unit’ or ‘subject’
for one subject within that course, lasting a semester or perhaps a year.
Read your course and unit outlines as soon as you receive them. The unit outline
contains essential information about the unit, such as learning outcomes, assessment
details and the topics for each class. Make time to check every outline carefully –
especially before you start assignments – because your success will depend on
knowing exactly what you are required to do.

Calendars and study plans


Use an online calendar to organise how and when you will study. Create a study
plan as soon as possible, and refer to the official academic calendar (available through
the website of your place of study) as you do this. You can then make a weekly study
plan, as well as a semester study plan. Set up calendar alerts to remind you of key
dates. Place all your deadlines in your calendar, as well as weekly times to prepare for
classes and then to review after each class. Set aside time in Week 3 or 4 of semester
to reassess your study plan to see if it is realistic, and reorganise if you need to.
Check your study timetable and work commitments, as well as the demands
of ‘the rest’ of your life, and get organised about how you want to live it. If you don’t
have a plan, you will be more likely to fall behind in your work and get stressed.
Making your plan public, at least to the important people in your life, is also a good
idea, so that they will support you rather than sabotage your plans.
The key dates in your study plan will be the assessment due dates. It is likely that
several assessments will be due around the same time, but you are expected to start
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 7

working on them well in advance. You won’t be able to complete them all in the week
they’re due. Even if you were a person who could start and finish an assignment in one
night at secondary school, you will not be able to do this with tertiary-level studies.
When you prepare your study plan in the first week of semester, indicate the
blocks of time that you will spend on each assignment. If the assignments are all due
in Week 12, setting aside only Week 11 to work on them is risky. Here are some tips
to help you:
• Talk to your peers about how they organise their homework and study time (but
ignore people who say they don’t do any work and ‘wing it’ the night before). See
the section later in this chapter about the value of study groups.
• If you need to submit a hard copy of your assignment, don’t leave the printing
until ‘the night before’. There may be problems – e.g. with a printer breaking
down – so organise your printing well in advance of the due date.
• If everything gets too much and you are behind on an assignment, speak to the
relevant lecturer (in person or by email) as soon as possible. If possible, it’s a good
idea to indicate what you have completed so far and how much more you plan to do.
• You may need a short extension on the submission date. Remember that you usually
need to apply for this before the assignment is due. Check your unit outline for the
rules about extensions. Some of our students leave it until it’s too late to apply for an
extension, and then they might have marks deducted for making a late submission.
• Another option is to use your institution’s academic learning support services
or visit its counselling service. Counsellors are not just there to assist you
when life is difficult; they are there for students who simply get tired, stressed
or disorganised. So don’t forget to check out the relevant information on your
institution’s website.
Whatever you decide to do, do something. Your lecturers can’t read your mind
and, even if you don’t believe you have a valid excuse, if you are not coping and are
having difficulty meeting an assessment deadline, speak to someone about it.

Overview of the semester


Though all institutions and courses vary in how and when they conduct their first
year, they all follow similar processes. The following sections provide a summary of
what is likely to happen during your first semester or trimester.

Orientation Week
For most tertiary institutions, Orientation Week (or ‘O Week’) is the time when
students are introduced to their study environment and, more specifically, to their
course. You will be introduced to key staff members, receive information about your
course and be expected to familiarise yourself with the campus or online environment.
You will confirm your class timetable, check course and unit/subject information
online, explore on-campus (or online) classrooms and create a study plan.
It’s normal to experience information overload during this time. However, you’ll
soon start to feel familiar and more at ease.
8 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

HINT
Participate in Orientation Week!
Lots of fun things happening during ‘O Week’, but this is also the time for course introductions.
Attend these sessions, because if you don’t, it will be like missing the beginning of a movie;
you can catch up, but you will need to put in extra effort to do so. If you do miss a session, be
proactive: communicate with your unit coordinator and peers to find out what you need to know.

Early weeks of semester


The first two to three weeks of a course will often seem easy, since little may be
expected of you and you will be given plenty of information (often too much!). This
will include information about assessment requirements.

HINT
Hint from a recent graduate
“ Completing assignments and fulfilling the obligations of your degree well
before the due dates will grant you the gift of ultimate freedom to experience
the joys of university, like friends, partying, sports and other events, to their

fullest potential.
Hursh Dodhia-Shah, Bachelor of Commerce graduate

The last day for enrolling in a new unit/subject to your course is usually
within the first week of semester. You may be overwhelmed with expectations
and information, but if you are starting to feel unsure about your current course
and you think you may want to study something else, get advice now before the
deadline.
The last day for withdrawing from a unit/subject without paying fees often occurs
within the first weeks of semester. If you are not sure whether you want to study all
the subjects you are enrolled in, get advice before this payment deadline. You may
need to withdraw from one unit or get help to create a viable study plan.
If you’re having problems understanding the assessments in your course, ask
lecturers for help and use websites such as those named throughout this chapter.

Tuition-free weeks
Throughout the academic year, every institution will have breaks from course
delivery – but not from learning. During these tuition-free weeks, use your time
away from class contact wisely by catching up on assessments and study notes.
Lecturers will be available during these periods, but their contact times may be
more restricted than in other weeks, so check their availability in advance.
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 9

Later weeks of semester


In the final weeks of semester, course delivery continues and more assessments are
due. You should work consistently on assignments during this time. Remember
that, although major assignments are often due late in the semester, you should start
working on them early so that you won’t feel overwhelmed in the last weeks.
Maintain your class attendance and regular study. Contact with your peers and
lecturer is invaluable to your learning experience, so make a consistent effort to attend classes.
Lecturers often give advice about exams in the last weeks of semester, so you
can’t afford to miss these classes! (In our experience, students sometimes fail exams
because they don’t know the exam requirements, such as instructions about materials
they need to take into the exam rooms.)

Study break
In the period in between the end of scheduled classes and the start of exams, there
is a block of time, often called ‘Study Week’, during which you will have time to
study for your exams.
Lecturers are available for help during this time. Contact them if you’re feeling
desperate or if you need to clarify any last-minute issues.

Examination weeks
It’s your responsibility to check when and where your exams are to be held. Be
careful to check the final timetable on your institution’s website. Don’t rely on the
draft timetable, as details can change.
See the section on preparing for exams in Chapter 2.
If you cannot attend an exam because of illness or another major crisis, contact
your lecturer or your institution’s counselling services before the exam. They will
help you resolve your issue.
If you have attended an exam but have major concerns about your performance
(e.g. your car broke down on the way, and so you missed half the exam; you had a
migraine and could not complete the paper), communicate with your lecturer or
your institution’s counselling services immediately after the exam. Don’t wait until you
receive your results.

Class formats – virtual and physical


The delivery format of your classes may vary widely: from online classes in a standard
LMS or via a meeting application (e.g. Google Hangouts), to an on-campus seminar with
desks and chairs, to an augmented-reality learning experience outdoors. We provide
explanations for the learning experiences given within these delivery formats in the
following list; note that these may be slightly different from what your institution uses:
• In lectures, a lecturer presents information to a mass audience of students. See
Chapter 2 for information about how to take notes in lectures.
10 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

• Tutorials support lectures. In them, small groups of students get together with
tutors to discuss the ideas presented in lectures and in set readings. During the
semester, students often complete a tutorial presentation of some kind – generally,
a formal oral presentation, sometimes with an accompanying tutorial paper.
• Seminars stand alone, rather than supporting a lecture. They can be of any size,
but are generally small enough to allow students to interact with each other. They
are likely to involve informal group activities, and students may be required to
complete readings or other activities before they attend class.
• In workshops, studios and laboratories, students complete particular activities
(e.g. scientific experiments, filmmaking, painting, writing tasks, architectural
drawing, computer programming, and so on) with the support of professionals
from their discipline. Unless the classroom is locked (or timed, as for a
synchronous online session), enter and sit and wait for the tutor. Once the
class begins, behave respectfully and in the same way you would if you were
sharing a space with any group. If you are using digital devices (e.g. tablets
or smartphones) to participate in the class, be careful how you position the
camera lens; unless advised otherwise, if you wish to record a class, you must
always check with the lecturer first, since there may be privacy concerns. If
you are in an on-campus class and not using your device, make sure you have
it in silent mode.

HINT
Is your class ‘flipped’?
Many classes are taught in what some call a ‘flipped’ classroom mode, where the expectation
is on you, the student, to complete specific activities (e.g. watch a video) before the class. In
‘flipped’ classrooms, activities are interactive and built on the premise that these ‘pre-class’
activities have been done, so arriving prepared is vital for learning.

Study groups
As already stated, even if you have always preferred to work alone, you shouldn’t
underestimate the importance of making connections with other students. Research
has shown that students who do this are more likely to ‘hang in there’ and complete
their course than those who work alone.
Get to know others in your course as soon as possible, and schedule a regular time
to meet with them. The aim is to create a group where you can freely discuss your
course and student life more broadly outside of class time. An online discussion space,
such as a Facebook group, may already exist for your course, and there may also be a
study room on campus especially for your faculty. If these resources exist, use them
to help you get started on the road to becoming a successful tertiary student. (For
more ideas about how to use a study group effectively, see the ‘Using study groups’
link at http://www.educationcorner.com/studing-groups.html.)
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 11

Respecting diversity
Consider for a moment the fact that you and your fellow students all have different
backgrounds, as well as different expectations of what student life in a tertiary
institution could – or should – be like. There is no one right way to be a successful
higher-education student. Not every student will have the latest digital devices,
wear current fashion or want to socialise on Friday nights. However, all students
deserve the same respect from their peers and from higher-education staff members.
A basic organising principle of Australian higher-education campuses is that all
people deserve respect, equal rights and opportunities. Look, for example, at this
excerpt explaining how to relate to others, which is connected to one of Curtin
University’s (2017) core values – respect:

“ Atincludes
Curtin, relating to others involves demonstrating respect. Respect
accepting that people are different, with different ideas and
opinions, and that they are as entitled to have their views heard as you
are. Respecting others means acknowledging their views and refraining
from actions which may insult, devalue or degrade them. Respecting
yourself means appropriately expressing your own views and opinions,

and refraining from unworthy conduct.
Rebecca Chang, Health Sciences student, Curtin University

If there is a right place to discuss any imaginable subject, it’s within a tertiary
education environment. So go for it! Freely debate and explore all sorts of issues and
views, but always behave with deep respect for each other.

Mature-aged students
Many students go directly from high school to further studies; however, in this
section we are referring to those of you who have been away from study long enough
to question whether or not you ‘have what it takes’ to succeed at university. If you
are in this category, you may experience some of the following issues as you adapt
to university study:
• You are ‘out of practice’ at being a student.
• You lack confidence in your ability to study successfully because you haven’t
demonstrated it recently.
• You have a limited knowledge of technology, the Internet and databases.
• You have many demands on your time outside university – you may have children
or older parents who need attention, or be in full-time employment.
Some courses attract many mature-aged students, and at some tertiary institutions
there are more mature-aged students than school-leavers. If you are such a student, our
experience shows you are likely to be more focused and organised in your studies than
younger students. However, if you have been away from formal study for a number
of years, starting a higher-education degree can be rather daunting. Be realistic, and
12 COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

consider carefully how many units you should study. If you take on too much, get
advice as soon as you can about the possibility of reducing your study load.
It is very important for you to regularly communicate with fellow students
who can help you develop your confidence and your sense of being a student, as
well as give you perspectives on how other students are working. Some of our
mature-aged students, for example, start by working unnecessarily long hours on
their assignments because they don’t have a good sense of what is required. An
informal chat over coffee or online can help you gain perspective on what others
are doing.
Life can be more complex for mature-aged students, and for this reason, most
tertiary institutions offer special services for them, from free assistance about how
to use technology to childcare support. The different needs of mature-aged students
are commonly acknowledged, so if you are one, check out what your place of study
offers you.

English-language proficiency
In Australia, most tertiary courses are taught in English, and, even if you are very
clever, you will need to have a good level of proficiency in academic English to
succeed in them. Australian tertiary institutions have staff members and resources to
help students develop their English-language proficiency. If you are a student who
struggles with writing, speaking or reading English, and/or if Australian Standard
English is an additional language for you, make sure you know where you can
get that support. Most places offer support in the form of group workshops and
individual consultations as well as downloadable practical writing resources (see, for
example, the University of New South Wales: https://student.unsw.edu.au/skills).
Some tertiary institutions give you the opportunity to get an indication of whether
you need help with your English language skills through post-entry assessments,
such as the University of Melbourne’s Diagnostic English Language Assessment
(DELA) (see http://students.unimelb.edu.au/achieve/dela).

New international students


If you are new to studying at an Australian tertiary institution, note that there will
be many resources specifically designed to support you, and you should make time
to explore these as soon as you can. Adjusting to a new culture, and maybe even a
different way of learning, can be challenging, so take advantage of the help available.
Look at the ‘Cultural bridge to classroom project’ videos by Queensland University
of Technology (QUT) for an example of the support available to help you make a
successful transition into higher education in Australia (see https://www.qut.edu.
au/international/qutic).
CHAPTER 1: Making the transition 13

Communicating with members


of staff
The first thing you may notice about your contact with higher-education staff
members is that it may appear casual. Teaching and administration staff members
will probably be happy to be addressed by their first names, and to communicate
with you in informal conversation. However, do not let this lull you into becoming
overfamiliar or too informal in all your communications with them. Your lecturers
will tell you how they prefer you to communicate with them – for example, by
email, during synchronous chat times, after classes or during set consultation times.
If you are unsure about their preferences, ask them. When in an email dialogue with
a lecturer regarding one issue, do not delete the previous emails from the current
email you are sending. Also, if you are emailing two or more lecturers with the
same question, cc (i.e. copy) them in on the same email rather than sending them
separate emails. This will save both people from answering the question when you
only require one response.
Figure 1.1 is an example of an email from a student to the head of the Physics
department. Not only is it too informal – almost impolite – in both its word choices
and its tone, it also uses terms you would use in a casual text message to a friend, and
which are inappropriate in a formal email message.

Hey

I just want to know what the physics labs are worth. Coz i missed the last one, coz the car broke
down and i came too late to the next one. Just thinking if there’s any chance of doing a makeup test
or something. Anyhow, why aren’t the tests done at the end of the lab rather than at the start. Coz if
your late even slightly u’ll miss the test. Anyway hope you can assist my query, cheers.

Anthony

Figure 1.1 Inappropriate formal email

If an email is your first communication with a staff member, it should look more
like Figure 1.2.
Some higher education staff members allow students to communicate with them
via text message to either their mobiles or email addresses. If you text rather than use
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
greatly from his, but who were openmouthed and unscrupulous in
their attacks upon the Emperor of the French. We need hardly
remind our readers of the highly reprehensible language which was
employed by Sir James Graham, and Sir Charles Wood—both of
them Cabinet Ministers—in respect to the Emperor Napoleon, or of
the foul and scurrilous attacks upon him with which, about the
beginning of last year, the columns of the Liberal press abounded. All
that is changed now. There is, indeed, plenty of invective and abuse,
but it is directed towards another quarter. The French Emperor,
formerly pilloried by the Coalitionists, has become the object of their
laudation. The Russian Emperor, whom they formerly lauded, is now
put into the pillory.
Such being the declared views of the Coalitionists in regard to
France, it very naturally occurred to the Czar, that a more favourable
opportunity could not possibly arise for detaching Britain from the
side of France, and so rendering a future combination between these
two powers impracticable. Accordingly, as the published
correspondence shows, he did not lose a moment in opening his
views to the British envoy at St Petersburg: France, as we have seen,
was not to be consulted at all regarding the disposal of Turkey.
Provided Britain and Russia were of accord, it mattered nothing
what view might be taken by any other European power. France
might do as she pleased, but the others would be an overmatch for
her. Here are the expressions which the Emperor used on the 21st
February:—
“His Imperial Majesty spoke of France. ‘God forbid,’ he said, ‘that I
should accuse any one wrongfully, but there are circumstances both
at Constantinople and Montenegro which are extremely suspicious;
it looks very much as if the French Government were endeavouring
to embroil us all in the East, hoping in this way the better to arrive at
their own objects, one of which, no doubt, is the possession of Tunis.’
“The Emperor proceeded to say that, for his own part, he cared
very little what line the French might think proper to take in Eastern
affairs, and that little more than a month ago he had apprised the
Sultan that if his assistance was required for resisting the menaces of
the French, it was entirely at the service of the Sultan!”
But for the temptation held out by the accession of the Coalition
Ministry to power in Great Britain, it is more than improbable that
the Czar would have made any overtures of the kind. But at the head
of that Ministry he saw Lord Aberdeen, “who knows me so well, who
has full confidence in me as I have in him”—the extent of that
confidence being marked by the statement, that he was convinced he
could bring his lordship to an understanding in the course of ten
minutes’ conversation. He had also remarked that at least two
members of the Cabinet, in violation both of decency and of their
duty as Ministers of the Crown, had been indulging in coarse and
unmannerly invective against the Sovereign of France; and, as a
matter of course, he arrived at the conclusion that they would be
more ready to coalesce with him than to ally themselves cordially
with a government which they had spoken of in public in such
unexampled terms of contempt. In this calculation, however, he was
deceived. Wrong-headed as Lord John Russell is, we do not believe
that he would, for one moment, have allowed himself to become a
consenting party to such a flagitious transaction as the partition of
Turkey; and the same thing may be said of Lord Palmerston, whose
exclusion, through short-sighted jealousy, from the Foreign Office at
that particular time, we must regard as a national misfortune. But
that matters not in the consideration of the point before us. Both
circumstance and time concur to show that it was the accession of
the Coalition Ministry to power, and the unwarrantable language
used by some of its members towards the Emperor of France, that
encouraged the Czar to bring forward, and to put into shape, the
project which, no doubt, he had long entertained, but which could
not be previously pursued for the want of a fitting opportunity.
We regard, therefore, the formation of the Coalition Ministry in
Britain as the event which directly led to the original overture—the
hopes of the Czar being founded upon the political connections and
understood tendencies of Lord Aberdeen, and also on the declared
aversion of some of his colleagues to the head of the French
Government. But for the formation of that Ministry the designs of
Russia upon Turkey would have been postponed.
We have already commented upon the course which was pursued
by the Ministry from the time when they were apprized of the
designs of the Czar, down to that when the Danubian Principalities
were invaded. We have expressed our opinion that a serious
remonstrance, coupled with a plain intimation that Great Britain
would not permit an occupation of the Turkish territory, would have
sufficed during the earlier part of last year, and before any overt step
was taken, to have deterred the Czar from proceeding with his
project. We ground that view upon the policy which has been
invariably pursued by Russia—which is to bully and cajole, not to
fight. Let us grant that the possession of Constantinople is the
darling project of the Czar—let us grant that, in order to attain it, he
would run considerable risk, and submit to extraordinary sacrifices;
still we are of opinion that had he been aware, before utterly
committing himself, that he would be opposed by the combined
forces of Britain and France, he never would have plunged into the
contest. See what he risks. First, the annihilation of his fleets, both in
the Baltic and in the Black Sea, for he can hardly hope to contend
with Britain and France upon the waters. Next, the derangement and
stoppage of trade, so vital to the real interests of Russia, and
equivalent to a sentence of bankruptcy against many of her nobles
and merchants, who depend entirely upon the amount and
continuance of their exports. Then there are the chances of
insurrection in Poland, and revolt in Finland; and the certainty that
Russia, if worsted, will be so dismembered as to prevent her from
again disturbing the peace of Europe. These are very serious
considerations; and we may be certain that the Czar, great as his
appetite undoubtedly is for appropriation, would rather have
foregone his purposes upon Turkey, than have proceeded had he
believed that the two Western powers would be firm and united in
their resistance. Indeed, singular as it may appear, we are about to
engage in a war for which no one country in Europe is desirous.
Britain, with her eight hundred millions of debt, is by no means
desirous to increase the burden of taxation, or to imperil or impede
that commerce to which she owes so much of her greatness. In like
manner France has no interest to go to war, for she also is heavily
burdened, and the present Emperor has nothing so much at heart as
to restore the state of the finances. Austria has anything but an
interest that war should take place, for in that event, if she takes the
side of Russia, there will be immediate insurrection both in Hungary
and Lombardy; and if she takes the other side, she must quarrel with
a very old partner in iniquity. Prussia has no interest, for the age of
subsidies has gone by, and she is likely to suffer to whichever side
she adheres; but most especially if she adopts the cause of Russia.
Neutral she cannot remain. We need not say that Turkey, the state
which is attacked, does not desire war; and we are thoroughly
convinced that the Czar, were he not committed so deeply, would be
glad to withdraw his pretensions. Now, who suffered him to commit
himself so deeply? We answer, the Coalition Ministry.
Had they been of one accord among themselves, nothing of this
kind would have happened. If Lord Aberdeen had been sole and
supreme master in his Cabinet, it is possible that Russia might have
succeeded in acquiring a protectorate over Turkey. The Sultan could
hardly have attempted to resist without powerful European aid; and
France, had she found Britain lukewarm or indifferent, could not be
expected to come forward as the defender of the balance of power
without a single ally. No doubt, had this occurred, it would have
given Russia a most dangerous preponderance in Europe, and
probably necessitated a future struggle; but, in the mean time, there
would have been no war. Had the Cabinet been under the guidance
of Palmerston or Russell, the first advances of the Emperor, if made
at all, would have been met by a distinct and peremptory refusal, and
by a threat which would have effectually deterred him from moving a
step further. But unfortunately—most unfortunately for us, and for
our children, and for the general peace of Europe, this is not a united
Cabinet. It is a congregation of men holding totally opposite opinions
—bred up in adverse schools—adhering to antagonistical traditions—
influenced by jealousy among themselves—and unable, upon any one
important point, whether it relates to foreign or domestic policy, to
arrive at a common conclusion. Take the case now before us. But for
Palmerston and Russell, and their other adherents in the Cabinet,
Lord Aberdeen might have established the principle of non-
interference between Russia and Turkey—and there would have been
no war. But for Lord Aberdeen and his adherents, Palmerston and
Russell might have checked the designs and met the overtures of the
Czar, by declaring at once that they would not suffer him to send a
single soldier across the Pruth, and that if he persisted in his design,
they would invite the co-operation of France, and defend Turkey to
the uttermost—and in that case also there would have been no war.
But the Cabinet was split into two, if not three, parties; and the
adoption of a middle course, of feeble dissuasion, unaccompanied by
any hint of ulterior consequences, but rather couched in terms of
extreme and unworthy subserviency, deceived the Czar, encouraged
him to proceed,—and now war is all but declared, and our fleet is
riding in the Baltic. We have approached the subject in anything but
a party spirit—we have perused the correspondence, recently
published, over and over again, in the hope that we might gather
from it a justification of the course which the British Ministry has
pursued—but we are unable to arrive at any conclusion except this,
that but for the formation of the Coalition Cabinet, the ambitious
schemes of Russia would not have been developed; and that, but for
its continuance and internal divisions, those schemes would have
been effectually checked. In plain language, had it not been
determined by a secret cabal that Lord Derby’s Government should
be overthrown by the most extraordinary combination of parties ever
known in this country, there would have been no war; and it is right
that the country should know to whom they are indebted for the
burdens which are now to be imposed upon us.
We do not object to the principle upon which the war proceeds. We
think it full time that the grasping ambition, insidious progress, and
inordinate arrogance of Russia should receive a check. It is to us
matter of pride and congratulation to know that, in the coming
struggle, the colours of Britain and France will be displayed side by
side. But we detest war, for its own sake, as fervently as any member
of the Peace Society can do, and we are perfectly alive to the awful
consequences which it entails. What we wish is, that the public
should not misapprehend the real cause of the present rupture of the
peace of Europe. That it originally arose from the exorbitant
ambition of the Czar, is beyond all question; but ambition can be
controlled, and, fortunately, the Czar is not yet master of the
universe. Nay, he is not yet master of Europe; for although, by
spoliation and absorption, he has secured to himself a vast extent of
territory to which he had no patrimonial claim; and although he
exercises a great influence over States which, in former times, have
acquired accretions by unprincipled subserviency to his house, he
has yet to encounter the exerted power and civilisation of the West.
Had our Cabinet been united, and true to their trust, that encounter
might have been avoided. But it was not so. Some of them were
Russian, and some anti-Russian in their views, principles, and
antecedents; and so, in consequence of having a Coalition Ministry,
which, after being warned of the designs of Russia, egregiously
bungled our finance, and left us with a prospect of a deficit, we are to
be forced into a war of which no man can foresee the issue.
Let those who shudder at the cost, at least know to whom the cost
is due. We are now paying, and are likely to pay for a long time to
come, for the privilege of having a Coalition Ministry. But we submit,
that the continuance of such a form of government is not desirable.
We have shown, in regard to foreign affairs, and from evidence which
cannot be gainsayed, what are its results; we could show, if space
allowed us, its results upon domestic legislation. But we shall not
enter into the lesser topics now. We have, as yet, but touched upon a
part of the expediency of coalition; and our deliberate conclusion is,
that to the fact of the formation of the Coalition Ministry we must
attribute the development of the schemes of Russia, and to its
extraordinary vacillation and want of concert the catastrophe of a
European war.

Printed by William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh.

1. Histoire des Marionettes en Europe depuis l’antiquité jusqu’à nos jours. Par
Charles Magnin, Member de l’Institut. Paris, 1852.
2. These common Italian marionettes have travelled far. Daniel Clarke found
them in Tartary, all the fashion amongst the Cossacks of the Don.—Vide his
Travels in Various Countries, part I.; Russia, &c., p. 233.
3. Casperle is a comic countryman, who replaced Jack Padding on the stage of
the Austrian puppet-shows, and became so popular that the principal marionette
theatre of the Vienna faubourgs received the name of the Casperle Theatre, and the
coin which was the price of a place in the pit was called a casperle.
4. “You have exactly caught his manner of clearing his throat and spitting, but
as for his genius....”—Wallenstein’s Lager, Scene vi.
5. The accomplished and lamented author of La Chartreuse di Parme; Le
Rouge et le Noir; Rome, Naples, et Florence, &c. &c., of whose complete works a
new edition is now appearing at Paris, under the editorship of his friend, M.
Prosper Mérimée.
6. M. Magnin here refers to an engraving at page 47 of the fifth volume of the
Théatre de la Foire (1722) to prove that Punch’s humps, both in front and rear,
were formerly much less prominent. It is easy to understand how, in the hands of
ignorant showmen and manufacturers of puppets, that which was at first the
reflection of a popular metaphor (of origin difficult to trace) was exaggerated into a
senseless and scarcely ludicrous deformity. Rire comme un bossu, to laugh like a
hunchback, is to the present day one of the vulgarest of French colloquial similes.
It is not easy to say whence it arose, or why a hump between the shoulders should
render the bearer more prone to laughter than his straighter made fellows.
7. Another strange office of the headsman, at least in some parts of Germany,
was to collect the periodical fine or impost levied from houses of an infamous class.
Some striking particulars of his various opprobrious functions in the Middle Ages,
which the peculiar genius of the German people and their literature has environed
with a ghastly mystery that at times borders on the supernatural, is to be found in a
curious work, entitled Das Malefiz Buch, reviewed in Blackwood’s Magazine for
February 1848.
8. On the 31st May M. Drouyn de Lhuys wrote to Count Walewski, the French
Ambassador in London, in the following terms:—“Monsieur le Comte, as I have
already several times mentioned, there is by the side of diplomatic negotiations
another action to exercise, and it is the attitude assumed by the Cabinet of St
Petersburg itself which has shown the necessity of it. When we knew that the army
cantoned in the south of Russia was on a war footing, that it was provisioned as on
the eve of a campaign—when the fleet at Sebastopol was ready to weigh anchor—
when considerable purchases of wood were made for throwing bridges over the
Pruth and the Danube—if all this did not indicate that hostilities were declared, it
at least showed that they were approaching, and that their commencement only
depended on a word. Who could guarantee us that, under the influence of a first
movement, that word would not be pronounced at St Petersburg, and that, if it had
been, that the city of Constantinople would be protected from a coup de main? It
was a danger of this kind that we feared, and as, if it were to be realised, the game
would be lost at the outset, prudence imposed on us the duty of doing everything to
prevent it. In what could such a measure of foresight more resemble a provocation
than did the armaments of Russia herself? Why should not France and England,
for the object of maintaining the treaty of 1841, have the right of doing that which
one of the Powers which signed that convention was doing with such very different
designs? Such are the considerations which determined us to send our fleet to
Salamis, and which we now recommend to draw closer to the Dardanelles, not to
take the initiative in an aggression, not to encourage Turkey to refuse every
arrangement, but to secure her against an immediate danger, and to reserve in case
of need to diplomacy the resources which it would no longer have if it had to
struggle against faits accomplis.”
9. It is but fair to say that the noble Lord seemed to feel the sarcasm conveyed
in the term “beau,” as the word is translated “important” in the papers laid before
Parliament.
10. Evenings in my Tent; or, Wanderings in Balad Ejjareed. Illustrating the
Moral, Social, and Political Conditions of various Arab Tribes of the African
Sahara. By the Rev. W. Davis, F.R.S.S.A. 2 vols. London: 1854.
11. In January 1850 (vide article “The Year of Reaction”), after commenting on
the interposition of Russia to save Austria in the Hungarian war, we stated our
belief that the Czar did not render such a service to his brother-despot for nothing.
“It is more than probable,” we said, “that a secret treaty, offensive and defensive,
already unites the two powers; that the crushing of the Magyars was bought by the
condition that the extension of Muscovite influence in Turkey was to be connived
at; and that the Czar will one day advance to Constantinople without fear,
because he knows that his right flank is secure on the side of Austria.”
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and
variations in spelling.
2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings
as printed.
3. Re-indexed footnotes using numbers and collected
together at the end of the last chapter.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLACKWOOD'S
EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, VOL. 75, NO. 462, APRIL 1854 ***

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