Online Learning for Adults & Professionals.
Tips for effective home study.
How to do the reports?
The Bircham International University distance learning higher education does not imply painful memorization. It teaches students to think critically and increase their intellectual capacity. It is the student's thinking ability that is evaluated, and not the data memorization. BIU's innovative methodology of online learning makes home study achievable, time-effective, and highly productive.
HOW TO DO THE REPORTS
While completing your home study degree program, you are required to read specific textbooks and write the corresponding reports (in English), following the instructions outlined in your Academic Evaluation Control (AE form). Not all textbooks entail submitting reports; some are just assigned as supporting material. All this (and other information) will be specified in your AE form.
Examination Unit = Report
At BIU, exams consist of writing reports.
Just as anybody would do in their professional life.
SENDING YOUR REPORT
Reports can be sent to Bircham International University office by regular mail or by email (as a PDF attachment). Electronic copy is preferred, and it is much faster to process.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
Reports must follow a specific format consisting of a title page, table of contents, minimum and maximum length, numbered pages, etc... The instructions and requirements for writing reports are not open to discussion. They correspond to the careful and pedagogical home study plan of the BIU distance learning higher education, in order to maximize your capacity of online learning, and to facilitate academic work assessment.
Each report should be written in English (unless another language is authorized by BIU) on white paper and typed on one side of the page only. White standard-size paper (A4 or US Letter). Any font. Font size ranging 10 to 14 for the body of the paper. Headings and subtitles do not have any format restrictions.
REPORT STRUCTURE
The report’s length ranges between 20 pages (minimum) and 35 pages (maximum). Your report may not be accepted if the length limits are not respected. Students have to understand that the length limitations set forth for an important purpose. Fitting the report's content within these limits oblige the student to process the book's information several times. In certain cases, a summary reaches the maximum number of pages allowed, and needs to be synthesized again; in other cases, the key concepts need to be further developed to meet the minimum number of pages. Either way, the active processing of the assigned textbook information, to meet the report requirements, will definitely consolidate the knowledge, without the need of excessive memory effort. This is one of the home study foundations for the effective distance learning higher education for adults offered by BIU.
A report that exceeds the length limits will not be accepted by Bircham International University. The report will have to rewritten until the format requirements are met.
FRONT PAGE
The front page should include the student’s first and last name, degree program and field of study, title of the book, and date. The student’s signature and the following statement must appear on the front page: "I do hereby attest that I am the sole author of this report and that its contents are only the result of my reading of the above mentioned textbook."
TABLE OF CONTENTS - KEY CONCEPTS
Include a table of contents detailing the structure of the report and listing its main concepts or key ideas. This index should not be over three pages long. Pages should be numbered and clearly referred to this index.
ANALYTIC SUMMARY
A comprehensive synopsis about the assigned textbook has to be developed according to the organization and hierarchy established by the table of contents. This summary should range from 15 to 25 pages.
In the case of lengthy books, BIU may assign several reports about the same book. The structure of this extended report is the same; but its capacity to cover a good book summary gets multiplied.
CASE STUDIES OR CONCLUSION
Depending on the topic, case studies or personal conclusion, or both, should be included in the report. This part should range from 5 to 10 pages.
* Case studies: One to three case studies from the assigned textbook have to be critically analyzed by the student. Depending on his/her own preference, a student may choose one single complex case study with several interrelated issues, or three simple ones.
* Conclusion: The student is encouraged to provide his own solution or opinion based, not only on the principles learned from the textbook, but also on his/her own criteria, such as personal conclusions, or the application of the theoretical concepts to his/her profession.
CRITICAL THINKING
The report mostly consists of a summary of each of the textbooks studied, but it should demonstrate much more than the student's synthesis skills. The report has to reveal the student's level of understanding and knowledge. For this reason, the student is encouraged to add his/her own comments, thoughts, or opinions (good or bad) about the book contents. Reference to the cases studied and professional experience provide good illustrations of the application of the concepts learned. Any personal conclusion, or demonstration of knowledge applicability, will be highly valued.
For scientific disciplines: charts, formulas, figures, and exercises may be included in a report, but only as a complement to the written text. The report must always be elaborated in full written form; an outline will not be accepted. The only section that will be accepted in outline format is the table of contents.
Do not copy and paste content. Try to elaborate the full report using your own words and writing style. Note that 1/3 of the final grade is allocated to personal quality thinking, which is mostly evaluated from your case studies, conclusion, and your writing style.
HOW TO DO THE REPORT?
We suggest that first you do a quick reading of the assigned textbook. Check the table of contents, chapter's introduction and other interesting parts. Take notes of the key concepts resulting from this preliminary quick review. The goal is to familiarize yourself with the book. Once the review is concluded, start with the comprehensive reading of the textbook. At the same time, do mark relevant paragraphs, and take your own notes about the reading. Once you finish the analytic reading, you will have en extensive written summary of the book, resulting from your notes. Use this notes, organized according to the key concepts of the subject, to write your final report.
A GOOD FINAL REPORT = A GOOD EXAM
The student has to submit for evaluation a report ranging from 20 to 35 pages that must integrate in a harmonic way the previously described steps: the table of contents, the analytic summary, and the practical application of the knowledge learned, in the form of case studies or conclusion. In order to elaborate a good report, it might be necessary to re-write the work to match the format and length requirements, and to improve the writing style, content flow, and continuity.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need assistance with your home study.
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