How the Uni Work at ANU Compares to UOM

By Alex Moore, ANU, Canberra Australia

When I was preparing for my year abroad I have to admit that the academic side of the move did slip to the back of my mind. But I also think it is important to understand what you will be doing at your host university as there are some differences that I have noticed in my first semester here at ANU.

The main adjustment that I have had to make is in the assessment style of ANU. At UOM I would have two weeks a semester where all my deadlines would fall, one in the middle of the semester and one at the end. So far at ANU it has been more of a little and often assessment structure. There has still been a final exam period at the end of the semester but instead of one other big essay or report at the mid way mark, there has instead been multiple smaller but more frequent essays, reports, quizzes and presentations. A lot of courses also have small weekly assessments as well as participation marks (usually around 10%) for tutorial participation.

Another difference for me is that I have to do 4 modules (or courses) a semester. At Manchester, in both my first and second years I only had 3 modules each semester. This may be more of a course-specific difference (Politics and International Relations) but for me this meant that I had to adjust to a busier timetable and having more subjects to juggle.

The teaching style is very similar to what I experienced at UOM which is lectures (either one 2 hour or two 1 hour lectures per week) and then a tutorial that is very student led. I have found tutorials to be structured more towards group work and slightly more independent.

Finally, there has been a greater range in the different styles of assignments. I have had more group and media based assignments than I had in my first two years at Manchester, these have included a 10 minute podcast which was definitely a first for me. So it has been interesting to have to apply the lecture and course material in new and more creative ways. I have also been using the few elective courses that I can take to explore subjects away from the field of Politics. I have taken a ceramics and Aboriginal history module to allow myself to take full advantage of the courses that would not be able to me in Manchester which has been one of the highlights of my exchange to ANU.