Types of teaching and learning

During a lecture, your lecturer presents information to the class. They'll expect you to take your own notes on the subject as they speak. Some lectures are followed by seminars on similar subjects where you'll be able to discuss and expand on the information you've been given – so it's important that you make good notes that you'll be able to understand outside of the lecture hall.

Lectures vary in size. Some subjects have classes of 25–30 people, but if lots of students study the same unit they may involve up to 300 people. Make sure you are on time. It can be off-putting for your lecturer and peers if you arrive late.

Top tips for getting the most out of your lectures

Before a lecture it is vital that you prepare - the more informed you are beforehand, the more you will be able to engage with the concepts, questions and debates being presented and discussed. It is a good idea to read around the topic including checking the Moodle page or the course handbook. A good idea is to familiarize yourself with terminology as well as key names and concepts.

During a lecture you will mainly listen to an educational talk on a particular topic to do with your subject. So it is important that, during the lecture, you listen and take notes on key concepts and ideas. You will then be able to use your notes to help you when doing independent study, for example. Those notes will also be useful if you are in a seminar group devoted to further discussion on the lecture – you can use them to clarify any points you didn’t quite understand, or terminology that is unfamiliar.

After you have attended a lecture it is important to go over the notes you have made. You may want to spend additional time looking into areas you didn’t quite understand – talking to other students after the lecture can help when in this situation.

Seminars are discussion-based sessions led by your lecturer. Your lecturer will introduce a topic and guide the discussion around it, but you and your peers do most of the talking. Compared to the lectures, these are smaller-sized sessions up to 16-20 people. Seminars are quite common and most students across all courses are expected to take part in them.

You should do any pre-seminar reading or research that your lecturer sets, so you can participate in the debate during your session. If you're unsure about some of the subject material, the seminar is your chance to ask your lecturer and peers to help.

To get the most out of your seminars you'll need to play an active part in the discussion and speak up when you have an opinion or idea. You can exchange views with your peers and discover new ideas and concepts that you hadn’t thought of before. You should be supportive of your peers by listening to them and engaging in their ideas as well as your own.

Your degree may include practical classes depending on your course subject. These are more common for science and technology-based courses.

Practical classes can be lab-based or computer-based or involve clinical practice or fieldwork. Classes are typically directed by a tutor or lab technician and give you the chance to experience the dynamics of a workplace, and to practice skills you'll need to work in a similar environment after you graduate.

In these sessions, you'll learn subject-specific skills and techniques vital to your professional development. Depending on your discipline you may be assessed on your competency in learning and applying new techniques, and how you gather, record and analyse your data.

You may need to prepare before your practical classes, and you should check your course handbook to see if you need to bring any equipment or materials to your session. It's a good idea to take notes during practical classes, to help you evidence your work.

Workshops are smaller-size classes. They are an excellent opportunity to work on a prototype or a design idea you have come up with and you will work alongside other students from your cohort, as well as postgraduate students.

These types of sessions are common across our creative and art-based courses. You will also have access to specialist equipment within your workshop environment.

This type of sessions is hosted by your personal tutor and they usually on 1 to 1 basis. This is your opportunity to bring any questions both academic or personal that you need extra support.

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.

Clinical placements are an important element of your learning as a student on a healthcare course. They allow you to build your skills and knowledge in a real-life clinical setting and apply what you have learned as part of your lectures and practical classes.

The amount of hours you’ll spend on placement varies between the different health courses and the placements are designed in line with the requirements from the specific regulatory bodies.

As part of the placement, you’ll be allocated a mentor from the clinical setting you will be working in and you’ll experience the profession in a controlled environment that will build your confidence and skills.

Most of your time at university will be spent studying independently. Independent study happens outside of your timetabled ‘contact’ activities (lectures, seminars, tutorials and practicals) and includes the reading and research you undertake when you’re preparing for a lecture, writing an essay, or taking part in a group activity.

Independent study requires you to proactively search for information and then critically engage with it. When you're at uni, it'll be your responsibility to set your own study schedule, and to prioritise your workload. You should use a diary or calendar – either a paper one or a digital planner – to plan your studies. 

To get the most out of your time you can visit the library, set up independent study groups with your peers, and access online resources. Studying independently will improve your research skills, critical thinking, problem solving, action planning, motivation and time management.

At some point during your course you will be expected to work in a group. Group work can be done by face-to-face meetings at, say, the Library. However, there are ways to work collaboratively without actually being in the same room. Our Digital Skills page can give you more information on how those tools can support your studies. Being able to work well in a group is a skill that many graduate employers look for, and group assignments are a great way to show your ability to work in a group.

Groups are usually set up by your lecturer and can differ in size, although they're normally no larger than 10 people. When you work in a group at uni, you'll have responsibility for specific tasks and develop valuable skills like teamwork, communication, collaborative working, thinking and time management.

Working in groups is a great way to gain collective ideas from your peers – individuals bring different perspectives to a problem which can help you consider different ways to completing your task.

You should turn up on time to organised meetings and be prepared for subject discussions. You should have any relevant work with you at the start of the meeting and be ready to focus and stick to the meeting plan.

Online learning will play a big part in your studies. You could find yourself using online tools to organise your time, manage notes, research key terms, access course materials, document your findings, share work, and talk with peers. You will be able to do that through the Virtual Learning Environment – Moodle which is an integral online tool which will support you throughout your studies.

Many units on Moodle make use of a Turnitin dropbox. Turnitin allows you to submit an assignment for marking. Turnitin also provides you with a ‘similarity score’ for your work: the software compares a student’s work against a vast database of websites, books and journals, and highlights content that has been used in the submission but not referenced correctly. Turnitin thus helps identify cases of plagiarism – but you should think of it as a tool that can help you improve your academic writing skills.

In addition, there is a huge number of online tools are available to assist you with any part of your learning – the AppsAnywhere site will help you as a University of Portsmouth student to find apps and platforms that support your studies. These include the conventional tools from the MS365 package as well as access to specialist software tailored to the needs of your specific course.