Topic outline
Welcome
Welcome to Study and research support for Education. On this site you will find guides, tools and resources to build your skills and knowledge in university study, research and assessment. These core skills, such as critical thinking, effective research and teamwork will also serve you well throughout your professional career.
Scroll down the page, or navigate to individual sections using the menu. If you have questions, or require further support, please contact us.
Acknowledgement of first peoples
USQ acknowledges the Giabal and Jarowair peoples of the Toowoomba area, the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples of Ipswich and Springfield, the Kambuwal peoples of Stanthorpe and the Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation, Sydney as the keepers of ancient knowledge where USQ campuses and hubs have been built and whose cultures and customs continue to nurture this land. USQ also pays respect to Elders – past, present and future. (USQ, 2017)
Finding Information
Throughout your university study, and your professional career, you will need to find, assess and utilise information. This section offers an introduction to effective ways to search, and offers advice on the best resources to use for your assignments.
Information literacy is a skill you will grow and develop throughout your lives. While you may not be aware of it, you use it constantly in your everyday life.
You may need to use a wide variety of information for your assignments throughout the course of your degree. Different types of evidence can be used to respond to different questions or problems.
While much of the content on the internet is inappropriate to use in your scholarly and professional lives, there is specific information that you will need to source from the web.
Databases are collections of resources grouped by information type or subject area. Here are a few key databases that may be useful to get started in Education.
Do you find yourself spending hours going through search results to find the actual information you are looking for? A search strategy targets your search so your results are more relevant, and less numerous.
What is good information? This tutorial offers some guidance on how to evaluate the quality of the information you have found for your assignments.
Looking for specialist resources, such as maps and standards? This section offers links and guides for finding these resources for your study.
Start searching, or explore other support available through USQ Library.
Need further help? Contact USQ Library in person or online.
Assessment & Study Skills
We introduce some core study skills in this section, such as time management, communication skills, reading and notetaking and important contacts in other areas of the university.
Group work can be challenging in some situations, but there are ways to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.
This section provides you with a 7-step guide to approaching written assessments at university.
University is an excellent opportunity to develop the writing skills that will be essential to your future careers.
Reflective Practice allows you to grow and improve. This section provides an overview of reflective practice and writing.
Critical thinking is an important skill you will develop at university, this section provides an overview of what critical thinking is and some links to further resources.
In this section we provide some tips and advice on revising and preparing for exams.
Mathematics
A series of videos to help you get up to speed with the mathematics requirements for your courses.
QuickTips are short pdf documents which can be used to support your learning.
Mathematics is often a part of university study, so it is important to develop the mathematical skills necessary for study within most disciplines. Resources are available for students who have maths anxiety or for students who are studying mathematics off-campus.
A series of booklets for Sharp and Casio calculators are available to assist USQ students with learning how to use their calculator effectively.
Referencing
Referencing is giving credit where credit is due. When you reference, you are recognising the work of others and their contribution to the development of your ideas.
Referencing is required in all university study.
Any time you fail to reference, you are claiming your content is all original work and ideas. This is unethical, and contravenes both university and professional standards.
Originally designed as a standard for publications in the field of psychology, the APA (American Psychological Association) style has been widely adopted by other social sciences, including Education.
If you are studying in any of the USQ Education programs you will need to use the APA referencing style.
The official USQ guides to APA referencing with templates and examples of in text citations and reference list entries. Select from APA 6 or APA 7 referencing style. Please consult your StudyDesks, course materials, and course examiners for advice on which APA style you are required to use.
APA referencing – in-text citations
APA referencing – the reference list
Further information on referencing can be found through the library website.
Specialist Resources
As a Teacher, you will need to be able to find, access, use, and create specialist resources, such as Curriculum and syllabus materials. This section offers links and guides for finding these resources for your study.
The USQ Library holds a wide selection of resources to address preparation for classes, and learning and teaching materials for loan during practicum. Listed in the catalogue, Curriculum material is available to students at each campus library, and to external students via our document delivery service. Special extended loans are available by arrangement, to cater for rural and remote practicum.
The Online environment provides access to teaching materials, class activities, assessment items and lesson plans. Sites which allow students to create and store their own materials are also available.
Postgraduate Support
Higher Degree Research (HDR) students require more advanced research skills to complete literature reviews and research projects. This section will take you through the research process and offer guides, tutorials and resources to help you conduct in depth research.
USQ Staff and Students only. Log-in required.
This is designed to introduce you to the advanced learning, information retrieval, and management skills required to undertake a Higher Degree by Research.
This MUST be completed prior to Confirmation of Candidature.
A literature review is a comprehensive assessment and documentation of the literature related to your area of research or your problem.
Here are a few key databases that may be useful to get started in your postgraduate research (USQ Log-in required).
Can't find a complete copy of the article? Here are some tips for accessing the full text of books and articles.
Endnote is a bibliographic management program provided by the university. It allows you to create, search, sort and annotate a personal library of research. Using Endnote you can insert properly formatted citations directly into the text or reference list of your document in Word.
This is where you will find the HDR Thesis Presentation Schedule which outlines the formatting requirements for USQ theses. Other official forms and guides for completing your HDR program can also be found at the Office of Research site. The Office of Research produces ReDTrain, a series of initiatives and events to help you develop your skills and knowledge.
This community offers a good space to connect with other USQ research students for advice and support. This is a closed Facebook group for USQ research students. You will need to request access to join.
Need help with statistics? USQ's Statistical Consulting Unit (SCU) offers workshops and consultations on research design, data collection, analysis and interpretation. This service is only available to postgraduate research students at USQ. You can self-enrol to access this site.
Not all of your literature will be books or articles available through the library. You may also need to find professional information such as standards, legislation or policies.
Course Specific Guides
There may be specific support resources offered within your course Study Desk.
In addition, FYI provides a collection of guides, tutorials and links to resources with a specific Education focus, and also instructions on how to access Curriculum resources such as Scootle, C2C, and The Learning Place.
(USQ Log-in Required)
