How the Library's Online Courses Help with Study and Assignments
By previous Warwick student, Andra Drasovean
Did you know the Library has its own collection of online courses? These were designed to equip students with key study skills, such as researching for their assignments, creating engaging presentations or knowing how to reference properly. For this reason, they can be a valuable resource when planning your essays and assignments. Andra is here to tell you all about how valuable they really are!
The Library Online Courses are Moodle courses available throughout the year and open to all Warwick students.
Unlike most online modules that are part of your course, and which have specific deadlines, you can work through these courses at your own pace.
This means that if you have a free hour to fill during one rainy afternoon, that might be enough for you to get to grips with the basics of referencing.
Or you could just as well decide to browse through the course material and only access those sections and activities that are relevant for you at a given time. Most importantly, it means that you can revisit the Library’s Online Courses anytime during your studies for a refresher.
"…don’t feel shy of repeating a course section…"
How can the Library’s Online Courses help you with your study/assignments? It all comes down to understanding what knowledge and study skills you can gain from accessing these courses.
For this reason, I will move on to give you a brief description of three of the Library’s most popular online courses and highlight the specific study skills you can hope to gain from each of these.
(The order is random, so which courses you take and in what order is completely at your own discretion).
Understand Plagiarism
Plagiarism is one of those scary words that can give university students recurrent nightmares, especially before an assignment deadline. This needn’t be the case: although plagiarism is a very serious academic offence, respecting some basic principles makes it easy to avoid it.
“Avoiding plagiarism” was developed as a quick, accessible, and friendly introduction to the topic of plagiarism. The course provides an overview of the different types of plagiarism (e.g. deliberate, unintentional, self-plagiarism, etc.), along with relevant case-studies and helpful advice on how to avoid it.
Passing the final quiz with a good score will also earn you a certificate, which proves that you have completed the course successfully (you might be required to have a certificate by your department).
“Avoiding plagiarism” is, perhaps, the most popular and essential of all Library Online Courses, so do feel free to take a look at this course if you haven’t done so already.
Master the basics of referencing
Avoiding plagiarism and writing good quality academic papers becomes much easier once you learn to reference correctly. As the name tells you, the “Introduction to Referencing” course explains what referencing is and guides you through some basic referencing principles.
"...you can work through these courses at your own pace..."
Another section of the course deals with the structure of references and how this might vary slightly, depending on what type of source you are referencing: printed book, website, video, etc. You can take a quick quiz at the end to test what you’ve learned or check your understanding through scenarios.
Step up your research skills
Good research skills are your (not so) secret weapon when it comes to writing successful papers. As you start planning your assignments, you will most likely find that you need to read more broadly and find sources that are not included in your reading lists.
“Finding Information: Researching for Assignments” can help you get to grips with how and where to find relevant resources on your topic of interest. If you are interested to know more about researching an academic database, creating effective search strategies, or what counts as a ‘scholarly’ resource, this course is a great place to start.
And some final tips...
If you’ve found any of the above courses useful, I encourage you to explore the other Moodle courses provided by the Library, such as “Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity” or “Presenting and Visualizing Information”.
Also, don’t feel shy of repeating a course section or even an entire course if you feel some information is not clear.
Finally, don’t forget that help is always at hand. Many courses will include a “find out more section” at the end – here you can find information on additional help and support available throughout the University.
You can always email the LibraryLink opens in a new window with your questions or contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian.
Have you seen these other Library tips and tricks?
Finding Your Perfect Study Spot in the Library
By Library Student Partner, Shuangting Chen
One of the best things about Warwick’s Library is that it’s not just a single room filled with books; it’s an entire ecosystem of study spaces, each designed to suit different moods, tasks, and study styles. Whether you need total silence for writing up your essay, a comfy corner for relaxed reading, or a collaborative area to work on group projects, the Library has you covered. Here’s a quick guide from Shuangting to help you find your perfect study spot.
How the Library can Accommodate Your Needs as a Disabled Student
By Library Student Partner, Charlene Chan
The Library is incredibly dedicated to accessibility, with an Accessibility Specialist and disabled students’ feedback being directly involved in the running and creation of accommodations for different needs. Charlene is sharing some ways that the Library can accommodate your needs as a disabled student.
Making the most of Accessible Study Rooms
By Library Student Partner, Sophie Morris
Accessible study rooms are a brilliant feature of the Library and a personal lifesaver in maintaining productivity and relaxation in the sometimes-hectic university environment. Within this toolkit guide Sophie will share some of her favourite features and some helpful ways to use the rooms.
24-Hour Library: How Not To Leave Things to the Last Minute
By a previous Warwick student
The Library is 24/7 but you don’t need to be. Sometimes it’s inevitable that we end up leaving things to the last minute, but it’s better if that doesn’t happen all the time. So here’s one students’ best advice on how to avoid too many all-nighters and beat the procrastination bug!
How the Library's Online Courses Help with Study and Assignments
By previous Warwick student, Andra Drasovean
Did you know the Library has its own collection of online courses? These were designed to equip students with key study skills, such as researching for their assignments, creating engaging presentations or knowing how to reference properly. For this reason, they can be a valuable resource when planning your essays and assignments. Andra is here to tell you all about how valuable they really are!