Studying an Arts subject at university involves a wide range of different skills. Some of these are developments of things you will already have done at school, but in other respects university study is quite different from anything you may have done before. This questionnaire focuses on the ‘generic’, non-subject-specific skills that are common to all Arts subjects. You should complete it early in the first term, to help identify areas where you may need to put in extra effort or undertake specific training, and then review your answers several times over the course of the year to see how far you are making progress.

Critical thinking

How confident are you…

• that you take effective lecture notes, rather than just writing down everything that the lecturer says?
• that you are able to evaluate the arguments of other writers, rather than accepting everything they say at face value?
• that you can develop your own perspective on a topic?
• that you can successfully transfer ideas and knowledge from one topic to help you understand another?
• that you can develop your ideas into a properly supported, persuasive argument?

Information literacy

How confident are you…

• that you know how to find relevant books on a particular topic?
• that you know how to find journal articles on a particular topic?
• that you can evaluate the quality and reliability of material you find?

Referencing and academic conventions

How confident are you…

• that you know when and how to reference material you've found in books?
• that you know when and how to reference material you've found on the web?
• that you know how to format a bibliography correctly?
• that you know what plagiarism is, and why you should avoid it?

Presentation skills

How confident are you…

• that your written English is clear, correct and well presented?
• in contributing to discussion in class?
• that you can present your ideas clearly to an audience, and keep them engaged?

Personal organisation

How confident are you…

• that you will always start researching a topic early enough?
• that you will get your work in on time even if you're ill for a few days or suffer some other interruption?
• that you can manage your time effectively, and prioritise different tasks?

Developing your learning

How confident are you…

• that you are able to respond properly to constructive criticism?
• that you are able to reflect on your own learning, and learn from experience?