Tip 1:Seek advice! Make sure you use the facilities available to you that are provided by the university you are attending. All universities in the UK, and I guarantee this, will have extensive support structures available for students. This ranges from writing support, to support with avoiding plagiarism and CV writing. At some universities you can receive one-to-one help, including help with English (this is good not just for international students). You have paid for the course, take advantage of the university’s facilities. The UK National Student Survey (also known as the NSS) which is backed by the British government has seen some improvement in the support available to students with universities vying for position in the NSS rankings.Tip 2:In the UK marking criteria rule! The vast majority of assignments will have specific marking criteria. This is what your assignment will be judged against. Make sure you thereforea) Understand the criteria;b) Work on the assignment with the criteria next to you.This is such a simple tip that can make a massive difference to your grades.Tip 3:In contrast to educational traditions in many other countries where only a core text is used, in the UK it is common to be required to read extensively around your subject. Whether it be a report, essay or presentation you need to provide evidence of wider reading. This is done by citing sources in your work. These can be books, academic articles or industry reports. It is OK to reference websites but better still to reference academic sources. Remember, there is no official quality control for websites but there are for academic journals and, to a lesser extent, for books too.Tip 4:Do not simply regurgitate what others have said. As per previous point, some educational traditions place a lot of emphasis on rote learning. In the UK however, while you may get away with simply describing others’ thoughts in your first year, as you progress through higher education you will need to compare, contrast, and analyse also. The marking guidelines should be clear on this, i.e. whether you need to critically evaluate, compare or discuss. Again, if in any doubt speak to your lecturer/tutor who will be more than happy to help you (provided you have made some effort in understanding the requirements). According to UK quality benchmark statements (set out by the Quality Assurance Agency) students should progress through their studies from ‘basic level’ skills to more advanced levels of critical analysis and evaluation in the final year.Tip 5:Do not study in isolation! I am not saying this just to ensure you enjoy your studies, although I hope you do, but you will get so much more out of your time at university if you mix with others on your course. This also means moving out of your comfort zone and, if you are part of a large international community, you should venture beyond the group of people of the same nationality as you. British students should be more adept at understanding what is required. After all, they are used to the British education system. Chatting to UK students might provide you with insights you would otherwise not obtain (for example, which lecturers require what, which books are most relevant, etc.).Tip 6: Inform yourself about which university you would like to study at. The UK government has supported the collation and presentation of key information on each UK university ( Unistats ). This is the official website for comparing UK higher education course data and covers a whole range of issues such as overall satisfaction with the course, average salary six months after the course etc. As with all data, they need to be interpreted with care, however, there is probably something here of value to the prospective student.

Approximately 56.6 million students attended elementary and secondary school in the United States in 2019. With the current COVID-19 global pandemic, school districts across the nation made the tough decision to close schools and move to online classes due to public health and safety concerns. Parents and caregivers have been charged with stepping into a more active role of facilitating their child’s educational learning. Below are a few educational tips, strategies and resources for parents.1. Ensure that student is participating in all required online activities including instructional time and any additional online chats’ participation.2. Discuss with teachers your child’s ongoing academic progress including completion of homework assignments, projects and exam scores.3. Parents are recommended to supplement their child’s learning with additional academic enrichment activities including educational websites, at home science projects or fun learning games.4. Parents should make sure to create an at home learning environment to help their child focus including having a quiet place away from distractions, routine homework and study times and learning materials including a computer/laptop, textbooks, etc.5. For students who are receiving exceptional student education (ESE) services, are under an IEP or 504 plan, should follow-up with the school counselor or school psychologist to determine if there are any required pending updates or meetings required prior to the end of the school year.6. If your child was undergoing a psychoeducational evaluation for determination of special education services, please follow-up with school personnel for a status report and to see if the school psychologist may be conducting testing over the summer.7. If your child was unable to start his/her evaluation prior to school closing, discuss with school staff if it is possible for your child to have a private psychoeducational evaluation completed if you are very concerned about the potential delay at the start of the next school year. Please be mindful that a private psychoeducational evaluation may be at your own expense and the school does not have to accept the results or recommendations. Additionally, if submitted to the school it becomes a part of your child’s educational record. Please take all of the above into consideration before spending hundreds of dollars for a private evaluation.8. If you would like to pursue a private psychoeducational evaluation, consider a more affordable alternative of having the evaluation conducted at a nearby university that has a university-based clinic with graduate students who can complete the testing under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist or certified school psychologist.9. Students finishing their senior year and planning to attend college in the fall, should contact their selected college/university to determine if classes will start on time as previously outlined.10. Graduating students already admitted to college for 2020-2021, should follow-up on the status of their financial aid including any awarded grants, scholarships or G.I. bill disbursements.EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES:Abcmouse- subscription-based digital education program for children ages 2-8.BrainPOP- Animated educational sites for kidsDiscovery Education- standards-based digital curriculum resources for K-12 classrooms worldwideFunbrain- online educational games for kidsKhan Academy- offers practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard for self-paced learningPhET Simulations- provides free fun interactive math and science simulationsScholastic- offers books, literacy resources and educational solutions for kidsScistarter- connects people to citizen science projects, scientists and resourcesStarfall- reading, phonics, and math educational games and activities for kids in preschool through 2nd gradeTutor.com/military- The program provides on-demand academic support 24/7 online in more than 100 subjects for grades kindergarten through college students. Now available at no cost to any adult or child in a DoD civilian or Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve or Wounded Warrior military family.FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS:Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)-studentaid.govFastWeb- online college scholarship search providerINFORMATIONAL ARTICLES:”20 Tips for Applying for College Scholarship”, Felecia D. Sheffield, PhD, EzineArticles.com”Minimizing Summer Learning Loss- 5 Tips for Parents”, Felecia D. Sheffield & Shameeka T. Meredith, ezinerarticles.comParent Center Hub, Center for Parent Information and Resources- “All About the IEP”Parent Center Hub, Center for Parent Information and Resources- “Developing Your Child’s IEP”U.S. Department of Education, “A Guide to the Individualized Education Program”Greatschools.org “A parent’s guide to Section 504 in public schools”Additudemag.com “is an IEP or 504 Plan best for Your Child? How to Decide”Copyright © 2020 Felecia D. Sheffield. PhD, HSP All Rights Reserved Worldwide in all Media.