Busting exam stress with technology 💻

This blogpost has been written by Jeffrey Clark, Student Digital Champion

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That sinking feeling…

With exams around the corner, there’s no doubt that you’re all feeling the pressure. Sometimes that pressure can be overwhelming and lead to periods of high stress and anxiety. No student should have to feel like that! In this blogpost, I’ll go over some tips and useful apps that can help you and other students tackle stress during this difficult period.

Striking a balance âš–

Here is an example of how I would organize a typical revision weekday using Microsoft Teams

It is perfectly normal to feel mild to moderate levels of stress during your time at university. There is a lot going on! From reading and writing essays to hanging out with friends, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at times. Even if you really enjoy your degree, it can still be stressful trying to find the time to manage all your modules. That is why I recommend managing your time and controlling your routine rather than letting it control you. Apps like Microsoft To-Do have been incredibly helpful to me since I’m always on-the-go. Microsoft-To-Do is a free cloud-based task management app available for desktops, Androids and Apple devices. The app contains some useful features for keeping you on track such as a customizable calendar and reminders that can be arranged in any order you desire.

Microsoft Teams also features an incredibly customizable calendar that is useful for scheduling meetings as well as keeping you up to date with your university task. Managing your time reduces stress by minimizing unpredictability and giving you the ability to work WITH deadlines as opposed to AGAINST them. Another good tip to reduce exam stress is to focus on one thing at a time. Whilst revising, focus your attention on just one of your modules a day, if you can. This makes it easier to retain information on the module that you’re studying which will make taking an exam all that easier. If you must study multiple modules, make sure you give yourself a meaningful break during your studies. Taking a break is important while studying for any amount of time. Incorporating breaks into your schedule is key to reducing stress and avoiding ‘burnout’, which we will discuss in greater detail later in this post.

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LinkedIn Learning Collections to support students preparing for their exams

As exam season approaches we have put together a couple of collections on LinkedIn Learning to help you banish the stress of exams and to help you revise more effectively.

This collection has some tips and advice to help you revise and study for your exams.

Exam season can be a challenging time for students, this collection gives you some strategies and advice for managing your stress levels around exams.

All Aberystwyth University students and staff have free access to LinkedIn Learning. Please see our login instructions and more general FAQ’s to help you during exam time. 

Ten Top Library and Information Services Tips

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Starting university can be a daunting and navigating the IT side of things can be confusing. We’ve therefore put together a collecting of helpful links and videos to cover any questions you may have about our IT and library services at Aberystwyth University.

Tip1: Where is everything in the Hugh Owen Library? Watch this virtual library tour:

Tip 2: Which buildings on campus have student printers? Here is the location of all printers on campus.

Tip 3: How do I print from a university printer? Watch this short demo video:

Tip 4: How do I top up my AberCard? Log into your account here to top up your AberCard.

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Fake News & Plagiarism: Stop the Spread! Part 2 – Preventing Plagiarism

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Don’t be a copycat!
Welcome to part 2 of our series on fake news and plagiarism. In part one we looked at the world of smoke and mirrors that is fake news. In this part, we will go over the many forms of plagiarism, how to avoid accidental plagiarism, and ways you can combat deliberate acts of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s work as if it were your own without giving credit to the original author(s) of the work. In other words, plagiarism is a form of theft but instead of physical property it is the idea of someone else, or intellectual property. There are several ways of committing plagiarism, many accidental and others intentional. Fortunately, virtually every course at Aberystwyth University goes over the basics of academic integrity as well as the proper referencing scheme to use for your course. More information on plagiarism can be found through the LibGuides page on plagiarism.

Referencing & Plagiarism Awareness LibGuide

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Student Digital Experience Insights Survey

Students, tell us about your recent digital learning experience.

Take part in the Student Digital Experience Insights Survey – a short online survey to find out how you use technology and how this affects your learning experience.

This is an opportunity to voice your opinions, shape your digital experience and to win a £100 voucher or one of five £20 vouchers.

FREE Microsoft Cloud Computing Certification for Students

Cloud computing is often rated as one of the most sought-after tech skills, and with the recent shift towards remote working and learning, there’s no surprise that employers are searching for graduates with these skills.

Students, don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity by Microsoft to access their live training webinars, exam practice tests and Microsoft Fundamentals certification exams for FREE!

The three courses available for free are:

  • 5th April 2022 – AI Fundamentals
  • 7th April 2022 – Azure Fundamentals
  • 8th April 2022 – Security Fundamentals

For more information about these free courses, download this information flyer by Microsoft:

You can also register your place for these courses through Cloud Ready Skills.

LinkedIn Learning resources to help you prepare for your exams

The examination period can be a stressful time for most students. Here are some short videos and courses that we’ve pulled together from LinkedIn Learning to help you develop skills to prepare and revise more efficiently for your exams. A number of these skills will also be beneficial for your studies in general, in addition to helping you to improve your digital wellbeing. 

  1. Overcoming procrastination (19 minutes)
  2. Improving your Memory (1 hour 29 minutes)
  3. Learning speed reading (58 minutes)
  4. Time Management Tips for students (2 minutes 59 seconds)
  5. Note-taking techniques (4 minutes 9 seconds)
  6. Improving your memory (1 hour 29 minutes)
  7. Creating a study plan (1 minutes 59 seconds)
  8. Taking strategic breaks while studying (2 minutes 14 seconds)

All Aberystwyth University students and staff have free access to LinkedIn Learning. Visit this blog post to learn more about LinkedIn Learning. Login instructions can be found here and follow this video to learn how to get started with LinkedIn Learning. 

Here are some general FAQ’s to help you during exam time