frequently asked questions (faqs)imm-gsm.s3.amazonaws.com/elearn/general documents_ updated … ·...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Date: January 2018

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© IMM Graduate School of Marketing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This is a collection of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) collected from our students over the years. Apart from answering some of the questions you may have, this could also unlock some great advice should you decide to simply read through the next few pages. FAQs are often updated as students ask more questions:

1. “I’ve registered for an IMM Graduate School programme and selected the modules I want to do, how can I best manage my time?”

a. Make time to read the Welcome Guide available on eLearn. b. Be sure to visit the eLearn website and access module related information such as

assessment dates, assignment papers, the student pacer and tutorial letters. c. Be sure to download and work through the Harvard Referencing System Guide as

well as the ‘How to…’ guide.

2. “Is there a key success factor for ensuring academic achievement at a University?”

Researchers tell us that successful students have a clear set of goals indicating which chapters of a textbook they will have completed by which date and a time management study plan to accompany and support the goals.

3. “How do I plan my life as a student for greatest success?”

To be most successful in your studies you will need to consider Time Management and Information Management, as both of these will contribute to your success at the IMM Graduate School.

Time Management: Make sure that you know when your assignment is due so that you can plan. A Student Pacer is available on eLearn which breaks down your module content into weeks. This will help you to prepare for assignments and examinations. There is a myriad of time management tools that can help you with allocating study times to your day, organising your additional reading sources for assignments and even break down examination study time into bite-size portions. There are also apps that can assist you. One such app is Todoist. This is a free app available at http://www.todoist.com. Todoist helps you plan your time and set reminders, and can be accessed from any platform cell phone, laptop, desktop, etc. You will also find the option of using Trello useful for setting up reminders and sending these as timely prompts to keep you abreast of what you need to do to keep up. The app is also free and available at www.trello.com.

Information Management: You may find it helpful to keep lists of information and resources used in your independent study. For example, information that you use for an assignment must be managed correctly so that you use it and reference it with ease. You may choose to use an app or to keep written lists, but whichever tool you use should be kept in a safe place and easy to access. One app you may consider using (as an example) is ZOTERO. This app connects to your Google page and can be used to

http://www.todoist.com/

http://www.trello.com/

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organise information that you have found online so that any piece of information found is easy to retrieve when you want to put together an assignment or prepare for an examination. Zotero helps you to index and locate all additional independent work from various articles, blogsites, video sites, etc., under particular modules. https://www.zotero.org

4. “What is an essential ingredient for success, besides the information at my disposal?”

As has been mentioned, Time Management and Information Management play pivotal roles in the success of students at the IMM Graduate School. The third ingredient for success would have to be “application”. This is what distinguishes IMM Graduate School graduates - their ability to analyse real situations with theoretical models and then use that knowledge to create marketing solutions in the real world. Therefore, every time you observe a potential marketing situation or are presented with a question you should be asking yourself “What would the theory ask me to look at?”. Similarly, when working through theoretical concepts in your textbook and study guides you should be asking yourself “What real-life situations can I think of that demonstrate this concept in action.” Assignments and examinations are both geared towards helping you to develop this type of critical thinking.

Application and its more advanced form critical reflective thinking (required of our postgraduate students) is not something that always comes naturally, so it must be learned, and practiced. Our assignment questions and study guides are carefully crafted to assist you in learning this very valuable skill.

Application can definitely mean the difference between a pass and a fail, or a pass and a distinction.

Application is about asking yourself the following when approaching assignment questions:

o In this question, what does theory say? Is there a theoretical model I can use to ‘x-ray’ this case study or the situation that I’m being asked about?

o How is the theory relevant or applicable to my answer? o What examples can I give of situations in real life that will substantiate the theoretical

portion of my answer? 5. “Is there a generic structure for assignments to which most assignments should

conform?”

Unless stated otherwise in the specific assignment instructions, the following are core components of assignments:

An IMM Graduate School official cover page with declaration for assignments not submitted online

An additional cover page with your name, student number, module code

https://www.zotero.org/

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Your name, student number and module code as the header appearing on every page

An “Index/contents page” listing the main headings and the page numbers for these

The pages numbered at the bottom of every page

Every new question started at the top of a new page

A “Reference List” on the last page – before the addendums, if included

Numbered headings and sub-headings

Font size, spacing and centred according to the rules specified.

6. “How do we know what our assignment marks are based on?”

When approaching an assignment or examination question, take note of the marks per question. This will give you an indication of the time and space you should dedicate to answering each question.

If a question is out of 3 marks, you are quite possibly required to simply list something from theory.

If a question is out of more than a few marks, you should expect that some application will be required.

Lastly, a general feedback document is made available to students once all assignments are marked. By reviewing what the general concerns were, where students typically went wrong and what students typically did right, you will be able to gauge which areas of learning you may need to focus on for your examination.

7. “How do I use a model from the learning materials in an assignment or examination as part of my answer?”

The use of a model to support your argument is often a good idea when answering an examination or assignment question. There is, however, a formula for doing this correctly:

i. start by writing a sentence or two explaining the model regarding what it is used for, ii. write a sentence or two explaining why you think the model applies to the answer,

iii. insert the model, iv. write about the application of the model: - apply it to the question or the idea you are

discussing in the answer.

8. “I am not sure how to answer questions based on a case study?”

It is important to answer these questions using the content of the case study. There is a sample answer in the “How to…” document on eLearn to help you with guidance on how to do this.

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9. “I submitted this project before and did not pass because there were some mistakes in my submission which were pointed out to me and which I’ve corrected now. Is there anything wrong with submitting the same content with just the corrections made for the next examination?”

Universities, internationally, have a simple rule which says that the same piece of work should never be submitted more than once for assessment purposes. The Turnitin system is bound to highlight the fact that the same content had been submitted before and will therefore highlight repeated content right away as a warning signal to the examiner who will have no option but to reject the submission as being inadequate.

10. “Why are there marks deducted for presentation issues in assignments?”

It is important for students to become aware of and to adopt the correct way of compiling and submitting academic work. There are some internationally accepted standards academic submissions have to conform to. All assignments need to have an index, numbered pages, numbered headings and sub-headings, citations and a reference list. If these elements are not present in the submitted document, the submission is incomplete, and the student will lose marks.

11. “What are the spacing issues I have to be aware of when compiling an assignment?”

All assignments must conform to the following requirements which all relate to spacing:

the typeface needs to be spaced in the 1,5 format,

every new answer must be started on a new page,

there must be an open space between paragraphs,

the ‘Reference List’ must be on a separate page (the last page),

the header must be separate from the first sentence on the page. 12. “How do I number pages in my assignment?”

Page numbers appear at the bottom of the page. The initial pages must be numbered using Roman numerals (I, II, II, etc.) with normal numbers appearing from the ‘Introduction’ onwards.

13. “What should be included in the ‘header’ of my assignment pages?”

You should include in this section of the page:

your initials and surname,

the course code,

your student number.

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14. “Why is there a word count on all assignments?”

There is a significant skill in being able to be succinct in answering assignment questions. Being able to do that, suggests insight and understanding of the materials as it is often people who are not sure of their point of view who are inclined to be excessively verbose in answering questions. Being focused and exact in your answer suggest knowledge and understanding of the study materials.

15. “I’ve prepared my assignment and am ready to upload, but I’m worried that I may have missed something! Help!”

Here’s a checklist:

Have you read the presentations that assist you with how to approach case study questions before you tackled the assignment?

Have you carefully worked through your study guide and textbook before you tackled the assignment?

Now to the assignment:

Have you followed the assignment instructions carefully?

Have you referenced correctly in accordance with the IMM Graduate School’s Harvard Referencing guidelines?

Have you named, identified and thoroughly explained the various theoretical models that you may have identified in the various questions?

Have you given real-world examples where these were requested (application) and explained how the theory is applicable (application)?

16. “How do I check my marked assignment?”

Marked assignments can be picked up at the venue where it was submitted. Alternatively, you need to notify the Centre of your intention to collect the marked script by sending a message to [email protected] after which you will be able to collect it.

The marked assignment may contain some valuable clues and guidelines from the examiner who could make a huge difference to your effectiveness in preparing for and writing the examination.

17. “I didn’t get the mark I thought I’d get – where did I go wrong?”

Review question 15 and check to see if you have met the requirements of that checklist. You may have lost marks on referencing, application, missing facts or structural requirements.

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Remember to always consult the general feedback on assignments document to see how you can improve your approach to your studies (available on eLearn).

18. “Where can I find the guideline that was used to mark my assignment?”

The guidelines for undergraduate modules are uploaded to elearn more or less 3 weeks after the submission date. No post graduate guidelines are uploaded as application is expected.

19. “How do I know that marking has been done fairly?”

All IMM Graduate School markers are carefully selected academics. Marking is not about ticking off facts, as we gear our students towards application and critical thinking. Therefore, marking is centred on learning objectives and academics will be looking for a blend of theoretical facts and application and reflection (demonstration that you can apply and think through situations and theory). That said, our markers do receive marking guidelines, and all results are moderated and triple checked.

20. “How important is referencing?”

One of the core values of the IMM Graduate School is to inculcate a spirit of ethics and integrity into our work, and this is translated to our students through a specific referencing framework, the Harvard Referencing System. For this reason, negative marking has been applied to issues such as structure and referencing in an assignment, and the penalties may mean the difference between a pass and a fail. To best equip you with the Harvard Referencing System in a world where opinions on everything may confuse as to what is required by such a referencing system, the IMM Graduate School has laid out the specific requirements on how to reference in the Harvard Referencing Guidelines. These are available on eLearn in pdf (printable) format, for your ease of reference.

21. “What about Harvard referencing?”

All documents submitted for assessment unless otherwise stated, must contain citations and a reference list compiled according to the Harvard referencing style. The style guide for the Harvard referencing acceptable to the IMM Graduate School is available on eLearn under “Study Support”.

22. “What is in-text citation?”

Every source consulted in the writing up of an assignment must carry a citation in the text where the source information was used. The simple formula for a citation is (Surname, date of publication). If the writing contains direct quotes from the source the formula is (Surname, date, page number from the source used). Note that the full-stop denoting the end of the sentence containing the citation always comes after the citation – as in the two examples above.

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23. “How often should I use a citation from the same source?”

There is no need to repeat the citation every time after every sentence based on the source. The citation could be used at the end of the paragraph constructed from the source or at the beginning of the paragraph followed by the information from the source.

24. “Is it acceptable to quote directly from a source?”

The use of extensive direct quotes is not at all encouraged. If an author said something which may be considered seminal or so profound that paraphrasing would ruin it for your line of argument in the assignment, you may quote directly. As a general rule, however, you should refrain from doing direct quotes and rather paraphrase – put what the source says in your own words but always still cite it to indicate that it came from another source.

25. “We are supposed to use materials from a ‘Peer-reviewed journal’ in answering assignment questions. What is a ‘Peer-reviewed journal?’”

These journals constitute collections of articles written by academics and then submitted to a panel of their peers for vetting and approval before publication. These articles often contain the newest thinking in the subject field, cutting-edge academic thought and the exploration of new ideas and thinking.

26. “How do I recognise a peer-reviewed article?”

These articles do not appear in popular magazines, in newspapers or on Internet blogs. Academic journals like for example: The Journal of Modern Science, The Journal of Contemporary Marketing, The Journal of Modern Branding and others are examples of academic journals. The structure of a peer-reviewed article is always immediately clear:

Title of the article

The authors and the universities they are attached to

An ‘Abstract’

An ‘Introduction’

The constructs (which form the basis of the article)

27. “Paraphrasing is something I am not sure about”

It is important that you are very careful about quoting word-for-word from another source. Whenever you use information or ideas from another source in your projects or assignments, you need to paraphrase the information and still reference it. ‘Paraphrase’ essentially means ‘writing in your own words’. Here are two examples to help you see what paraphrasing is about:

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“Learning occurs in the brain. Emotions arise in the brain. Consequently, emotions can aid or disrupt learning. If we are interested in maximising our students’ learning, then it can’t hurt to know something about the neurophysiology of learning and how we can positively or negatively impact our students’ emotions. In short, fear and anxiety hinder motivation and learning, whereas confidence increases motivation and learning” (McGuire, 2015, p. 74).

Here is the paragraph from above in paraphrased format: The fact that emotions and learning are both functions of the brain means that the one may influence the other; the emotions experienced by the student could either disrupt or enhance the learning process. It could be valuable for educators to know more about the neurophysiology of learning to enable them to impact positively on the process of knowledge acquisition. Influencing the students’ levels of motivation to complete a task positively, may cause improved learning while instilling feelings of fear and anxiety in students will have the opposite effect (McGuire, 2015).

Can you see that the meaning of the paragraph was not changed during the paraphrase process and the use of different words did not lessen the impact of the message?

Here is another, more challenging example: “The Internet usage in Southern Africa more than tripled in 2016” (Anon, 2017, p.3). Some students may be inclined to think that it is not possible to paraphrase such a short, factual sentence. Below is evidence that it can be done.

The usage of the Internet in the Southern tip of the African continent increased more than three times in 2016 from its previous levels in 2015 (Anon, 2017).

28. “Apart from ProQuest, are there any other sources for peer-reviewed academic journal articles?”

You could also explore GOOGLE Scholar as this is another rich source of academic journal articles. You could also look at on (www.jstor.com) where some of their articles are open for free access and the Directory of Open Access Journals which provides free and open access to the site at https://doaj.org as another option.

29. “How do I access ProQuest?”

You need to access eLearn using your student number and pin. The access to ProQuest is available on eLearn.

30. “What is ProQuest?”

This is a platform containing access to articles from peer reviewed academic journals – your key source when you want to quote an academic opinion or theory in an assignment or project.

http://www.jstor.com/

https://doaj.org/

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31. “Why do have to work with case studies in assignments and examinations?”

Case studies are written to reflect real life situations about real life challenges being experienced in businesses. The case study allows students the opportunity to identify the problem, analyse the situation using theoretical frameworks from the study materials and generate a solution using the outcomes from the application of the theory. Doing all of this reminds students of the value of the theory they have covered, allows them to become practicing managers who are aware of the effective use of theoretical frameworks, sensitive to the reality of managers needing to analyse and reflect on situations, broadening their understanding of contingency management and the need for the consideration of a broad range of options when making management decisions.

32. “Where do I find Good Answer Booklets that cover the assignments I am registered for?”

Good Answer Booklets are available on eLearn, but for undergraduate students only and only for 5 modules.

Given the nature of postgraduate modules, these are not supplied at this level. There are after all only so many models in each module and only a limited amount of questions that can be asked. The IMM Graduate School has been in operation for over 65 years, and our examination and assignment questions change every semester, meaning that at some point we will possibly have asked every possible question on every module. Hence the decision of our Academic Board is not to give out answers, to avoid the inevitable problems related to doing so. Besides, at a postgraduate study level we don’t want to test if you can find an answer and write it down we want to test your understanding of what you have read and if you can apply it critically. For this reason, postgraduate examinations are open book examinations.

33. “Can I still write the examination if I did not submit an assignment for the module?”

You will need to do so much better in the examination to pass the module if you did not get an assignment mark but having submitted an assignment is not a prerequisite for admission to the examination.

34. “What do I do when I am convinced I passed the examination but still get a “fail” outcome?”

You may apply for a ‘Result Appeal’ or an ‘Assessment Feedback Report’. But do remember to do this immediately when the results become available as the window for these applications is limited and late applications are not considered.

35. “How do I know that all the pages in my examination answer booklet have been marked? I may have left pages in it open thinking that I’d return to it later to complete and answer, but I never got so far. I am now worried that the examiner may not page through the entire answer booklet and see all my answers.”

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Every examination script is marked by an experienced examiner with many years’ experience in the subject field and with lots of practical exposure to marking scripts.

Marked scripts are returned in specified bundles to the IMM Graduate School Examination Administration where each script is individually checked, the marks are recounted, and the entire booklet is paged through to ensure that the examiner did indeed mark and allocate marks for everything the student had written. If it is discovered that the examiner did indeed skip marking a page, the script is returned to the examiner for marking.

36. “Is it possible to have a submission or examination paper re-marked?”

The IMM Graduate School does not offer a re-mark option, but there are two other options you need to be aware of:

A ‘Results Appeal’ could be lodged provided that you obtained:

* 40 – 49% as an assignment result, * 40 – 49% as a final result after having written your examination (not as an

examination result) * 70 – 74% as a result of either an examination or an assignment or project.

An ‘Assessment Feedback Report’ could be applied for in the event of a mark obtained which you feel is not appropriate or correct. This will earn you a full report on what your answers covered, what it should have covered and where you had gone wrong in the process.

The ‘Script Viewing’ option is available to students wanting to see their marked examination scripts only after they had used one of the two options mentioned above and may, in spite of what they have seen, still not be fully satisfied.

Keep in mind that there is a fee to be paid for the above services and a very strictly applied time window of opportunity in which to successfully apply for this following the release of the results.

37. “Are there supplementary examinations provided for at the IMM Graduate School?”

Supplementary examinations will be available to students after the May 2018 examination season. There are rules attached to and minimum requirements you have to adhere to before you will be able to qualify for a supplementary examination. Make sure that you are aware of this and look out for the publication of the rules governing supplementary examinations when it is published during the first semester in 2018.

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38. “I have failed the same module several times. What should I do?”

You need to speak to someone at the Student Support Centres and take your marked assignments with you as the marked assignment may often contain clues as to the mistakes you could be made in answering the examination papers.

39. “Are there information sessions available for students who wish to engage in face to face learning?”

The IMM Graduate School is always looking for ways to improve your learning experience. For this reason, various topics are covered at various intervals through our IMM Student Support Centres, but it must be borne in mind at all times that we are a distance learning institution. However, do stay in touch with your nearest branch for information on such sessions. Other learning opportunities that may be made available include online tutorials and information sessions. You will find more information about these on eLearn. However, remember to check the following:

Have you downloaded the presentations and academic support documents available on eLearn, including assignment and examination resources?

Have you worked through the “Harvard Referencing Guidelines” tutorial and downloaded the full pdf document that addresses this? Harvard Referencing is critical given our negative marking policy.

40. “Besides eLearn, what academic student support is available to me as a student?”

Although the IMM Graduate School is a distance learning institution, faculty members are available for module specific questions where you have specific queries. If in the process of working through the study guide, textbook, or an assignment you encounter concepts that you are battling with, or you feel confused about how to tackle any subject matter, there is help available. Email the relevant person for theoretic and module assistance.

Undergraduate: [email protected] Postgraduate: [email protected]

These email addresses are for academic (module) related queries only. For registrations, accounts, payments or other operational queries, please visit the last page of your Yearbook where you will find a list of email addresses for various IMM Graduate School departments. By contacting the right department, you can help us to address your questions quickly and efficiently.

41. “As a postgraduate student how can I prepare for open book examinations?”

Visit our eLearn website, under Study Support and peruse the Examination Resources on there. Various techniques are outlined including mind mapping and note- taking techniques.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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42. “I am a postgraduate student working on my research dissertation. What types of survey tools can I use to help me to compile a research survey or analyse my results?”

At this point of your studies, you will need to get creative and find tools that will help you to generate, disseminate and retrieve surveys. There are many online portals and apps available, some free and some requiring payment. The IMM Graduate School does not provide a set tool, but we are aware of some of the tools used by students in the past. These include:

1. Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com 2. Typeform: https://www.typeform.com 3. Kwiksurveys: https://kwiksurveys.com 4. LimeSurvey: https://www.limesurvey.org/ 5. PollDaddy: https://polldaddy.com/ 6. Reponster: https://www.responster.com/ 7. SurveyGizmo: https://www.surveygizmo.com/

43. “Why are there two semesters in an academic year?”

A semester is a term used in the academic environment to refer to a period of 6 months. This is the traditional way of dividing a calendar year for academic management.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/

https://www.typeform.com/

https://kwiksurveys.com/

https://www.limesurvey.org/

https://polldaddy.com/

https://www.responster.com/

https://www.surveygizmo.com/

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Reference List McGuire, S. Y., (2015) Teach Students How to Learn Sterling, Virginia. Stylus Publishing

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