Tips and Tricks for your Studies

October 1, 2015 | Information Event for International Master and Mobility

Students
Orientation & Coaching for Students / International Student Support /
Student Exchange Office
Academic Services Student Exchange Office / International Student Support

Autumn semester 2015 |

Content
Part 1: The Expert View
18:15

Tips & tricks for your studies: Semester planning

Barbara Koch-Kiennast (SOC)

18:30

Tips & tricks for your studies: Oral examinations

Daniel Kchli (SOC)

Part 2: The Student View

18:45

Panel discussion with 4 students

Murat Anadol (MSc Biology)
Mariia Dobrynina (MSc Statistics)
Solt Kovacs (MSc Mathematics)
George Rosenberg (MSc Health Sciences and Technology)
Daniel Kchli (Chair, SOC)
Open discussion

~ 19:30

Snacks & drinks outside

Individual questions to the coaches/students

Academic Services Student Exchange Office / International Student Support

Autumn semester 2015 |

Tips and tricks for your studies

Barbara Koch-Kiennast
Orientation & Coaching for Students (Studienorientierung & Coaching)

Ask the person next to you

What is your goal for this semester?

Have you enrolled in your courses and exams yet?
Do you know what kind of exams you need to prepare for
and when they take place?
Do you know how to cope with the workload?

What is your goal for this semester?

Think of how it feels, when you have reached this goal
Connect this positive feeling to a picture

Like

Have you enrolled in your courses and exams?

Good to know
ETH is not flexible at all about deadlines
(NONE of them!)
Read your mails!
You will always be informed about the registration for
exams, deadlines etc.

Do you know what kind of exams you need to

prepare for and when they take place?
Good to know
When do your exams take place?
Session exams
Semester exams

What kind of exams?

Written exams
Oral exams

Academic calendar 2015/16

semester start
14th
September

Exam
registration
deadline for
exams
11th October

semester end
18th December

semester exams
at the beginning of
December

Exams
deregistration
deadline:
15thJanuary

session exams
start 25th January

Do you know how to cope with the workload?

1. Learning schedules
2. Study monitoring tool

Learning schedules

Before you make one think of your semester goal picture

Its easier to start with a defined goal

Plan your study time

Make weekly goals
Helps you to keep the overview

Be realistic
I can do this later- define when exactly later is

Take one day off

you also need to relax and recreate

Example of a learning schedule during the semester

Study Time

Study
Time

Study
Time

Study Time

Study
Time

Study
Time

Study
Time

Study
Time
Study
Time

Study
Time

Study
Time

Study
Time

My learning schedule did not work out

Feel sorry for yourself

And then...
Appreciate this as a valuable piece of information!
Why did it not work out?
This is important information with which you can change your
strategy
Understanding your mistakes will help you to improve

Study monitoring tool

Helps you to keep the overview

Helps you to stay on track
Is an excellent base to plan your exam preparation time
Has to be updated after every lecture or exercice
Is so easy to make

Study-monitoring tool
course

topic

3
.
.

.
.
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.

three main
points
1.Xxxxxxxxxx
2.Xxxxxxxx
3.xxxxxxxxx
1.
2.
3.
.
.
.
.

exercise
deadline

+/-/ ~

21.09.14

29.09.14

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

To dos

Define your semester goal

Read your mails
Enroll in courses/exams
Make your personal learning schedule for the semester
Begin using the study-monitoring tool
Enjoy your time at the ETH

Contact:
Barbara Koch-Kiennast
D-HEST, D-INFK & D-GESS
Rmistrasse 101, HG F 67.4
CH-8092 Zrich
E-Mail:
barbara.koch@soc.ethz.ch
Tel. +41 44 632 97 16

Tips and Tricks

Dr. Daniel Kchli
Orientation & Coaching for Students (Studienorientierung & Coaching)

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 18

Oral exams

What to expect
Examiners view
How to behave
The great things
about oral exams
How to prepare

images: www.pixabay.com
Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 19

Oral exams what to expect

Who is there?
!!!

???

1. You
2. Examiner
3. Observer
Observer

You

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Examiner

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 20

Oral exams what to expect

What happens?
examiner wants to find out what you know
(not what you do not know)!
..!?!?

?!..!?

discussion

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 21

Oral exams examiners view (MY view)

I am human, too
I want students to be

interested in my topic
open to new ideas
honest and clear
competent in the field

it is tricky to give fair marks based on oral exams

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 22

Oral exams examiners view (MY view)

This may effect how I mark you in oral exams:
you speak fast
I know you from earlier
I like you

I know, that you performed well earlier

(Source: K. Frey & A. Frey-Eiling, Allgemeine Didaktik (2004))

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 23

Oral exams how to behave

Before the exam
be early
gather your thoughts

Starting the exam

on time
well dressed and groomed
shake hands, know their names
eye contact
Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 24

Oral exams how to behave

During the exam
listen and look carefully
take notes
think first and then speak
do not interrupt the examiner
eye contact

admit mistakes, wrong conclusions and ignorance

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 25

Oral exams how to behave

Narrow question
short, precise answer
Broad question
give structure (main idea details)
speak in your own words, argue
be precise
differentiate between knowledge and opinion

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 26

Oral exams how to behave

if you are uncertain, do not hesitate to
ask for clarification
repeat the question
think aloud

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 27

Oral exams how to behave

Finishing the exam
leave a good impression
shake hands
know their names
eye contact

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 28

Oral exams the great things

You can

get help during the exam

get instant feedback
influence the course of the exam
interact and discuss
learn something new

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 29

Oral exams how to prepare

Find out before you start to study:
when, where and how long?
what aids are allowed?
who is the examiner and who will observe?
who else will be present?
how many questions will be asked?
what kind of questions will be asked?
how many topics will be looked at?
which are the important topics?
Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 30

Oral exams how to prepare

do I get time to prepare my answers?
how to respond?

global understanding
detailed knowledge
critical thinking
analytical skills
short and precise answers

what do I need for a good mark?

when will I get my mark?
Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 31

Oral exams how to prepare

explain
sth to sb
understand
read

speak

listen

Studienorientierung & Coaching

look

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 32

Oral exams how to prepare

practice orally
explain to someone else
explain to yourself, aloud, and making real sentences

practice your speaking skills

practice your confidence
practice together with a fellow student
create your own exam questions
check for old exams with your student association

get help
Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 33

Take home messages

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 34

Take home messages

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

examiners are humans, too

find out as much as possible about the exam
practice orally
remember the advantages of oral exams
influence the course of the exam, be active

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 35

Good luck!

Sources
1. images: www.pixabay.com
2. brain areas:
1. https://cramlingtonmuse.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/cooperativelearning-more-than-just-group-work/
2. Naturheilpraxis heute (ISBN: 978-3-437-55243-4)

3. reading:
1. Prfungsvorbereitung - aber richtig! (ISBN: 3-7281-2746-9 )
2. http://www.student-online.net/content/Muendliche-Pruefungen.pdf

Studienorientierung & Coaching

Dr. Daniel Kchli | 01.10.2015 | 37

Panel discussion: participants

Murat Can Anadol
(MSc Biology)
Mariia Dobrynina
(MSc Statistics)
Solt Kovacs
(MSc Mathematics)
George Rosenberg
(MSc Health Sciences and Technology)
Daniel Kchli (Chair, SOC)

Academic Services Student Exchange Office / International Student Support

Autumn semester 2015 | 38

We wish you much success for

your studies at ETH Zurich!
Drinks and snacks outside
Discussion / individual questions to the coaches / students

Academic Services Student Exchange Office / International Student Support

Autumn semester 2015 | 39