Frequently asked questions - Language and Learning Services

Is it better to attend LLS classes or individual sessions?
Only a minority of students need individual sessions. An LLS staff member will always help you if you make an appointment or if your lecturer refers you, but they may then advise you to attend an LLS class or recommend resources for you to use as follow-up. LLS classes, both general and discipline-specific, are suited to the broad range of students. A number of them are targeted particularly for international and other students whose first language is not English. Many of the skills developed, such as speaking in class, pronunciation, giving oral presentations, are best worked on in a group setting.

Is LLS only for first-year students?
LLS is particularly helpful for students entering tertiary education, but later-year students often find themselves studying subjects with unexpectedly demanding academic tasks and so seek help to develop their repertoire of linguistic and academic skills.

Can honours and postgraduate students benefit from LLS assistance?
For these students, it can be the first experience they have of producing a long and sophisticated piece of writing. Attending thesis or project-writing classes or individual sessions can set them on the right track.

Will LLS staff proof-read my assignment?
LLS staff work with students to develop their writing and other academic skills with a view to fostering independent learning. LLS staff teach: they do not "correct" student work. Students requiring editing or proof-reading services are free to contact external providers on the LLS proof-reading register, or use services offered by postgraduate/later-year students on a fee-paying basis.

Do LLS staff work on both graded and ungraded assignments?
LLS staff generally prefer to work with students on ungraded assignments, because it is during this process that students are most motivated to improve and are most receptive to comments. The LLS staff member may ask to see earlier (graded) assignments in order to pinpoint recurring problems, and the student's lecturer may refer the student on the basis of an unsatisfactory piece of work which then needs to be analysed. For most students, however, once an assignment is graded it is history, and they have moved on mentally to the next set of challenges.

Am I gaining an "unfair advantage" by getting LLS staff to help me improve my assignments?
It is the student's choice to seek assistance to improve their academic performance. They can also seek help from their tutor or lecturer. LLS staff exercise their professional judgement as to how best to help students to develop their analytic and communicative skills so they can transfer these skills and approaches to future tasks. The Unit does not guarantee "better marks" for an assignment.

How can LLS staff help me if they are not content specialists?
It is precisely because LLS staff are language and not content specialists that they can focus squarely on the academic task and the student's understanding of it. LLS staff also bring extensive experience of students' learning in the particular disciplines: they have often conducted language and learning research in specific discipline-areas. Students usually find that they can articulate their difficulties more easily knowing that an LLS staff member is not going to pass judgement on them. They also gain confidence realising that, in relation to the LLS staff member, they are themselves the "subject expert".

Can I have regular appointments with LLS staff?
The LLS staff member determines the student's need for appointments according to their professional judgement, considering also if the student has been referred. It is rare for a student to have more than one appointment a week during a semester. The average for both international and local students is just over two appointments per person; thus, regular appointments are the exception, not the rule. The aim is always to get the student to a point where they can work successfully on their own.

Will LLS staff look at more than one draft of an assignment?
If the staff member has advised on one draft, it is then normally the student's responsibility to prepare the final copy.

I am a native speaker of English.  Can LLS staff help me?
Native speakers of English are equally welcome. Mature-age students or students writing projects or theses benefit from LLS assistance, but so do many students straight from school. Even those studying subjects they did at school can find them looking strangely unfamiliar, the approaches they used at school no longer working so well.

I'm working on a group project.  Can I get advice from LLS staff on it?
LLS staff prefer all the members to attend so they can all benefit from the advice given.

Do LLS staff help with take-home exams?
Not usually, and only with the subject leader's permission.

Can I ask my lecturer/supervisor to arrange LLS teaching to help with a particular task in a subject?
It is recommended that students raise this question with their subject lecturer wherever they feel they would benefit from LLS staff teaching.

I am a Parkville student, but I live closer to Clayton.  Can I go there to see a staff member?
It is best for students to attend at their home campus because the LLS staff member there is most familiar with the subjects and the students' learning issues. It is still possible to attend at another campus.