Student Academic Support

Successfully pass your first year in Computer Graphics

Service d’Aide à la Réussite (Student Academic Support Office)
Advisor: Marie Gouvars
Tel: 0032 81 24 70 39
Email: marie.gouvars(Remplacez cette parenthèse et son contenu par le signe @)coordination.heaj.be

In order to help succeed in your first year in higher education the Student Academic Support Office offers different activities and services. You will find more information about this below.

Maximize your chances

Get prepared before the start of the academic year: preparatory courses (early September)

Any student starting their first year can take preparatory courses. Their objective is to facilitate the transition to higher education.

During this week you will have the opportunity to:

• review important elements in some subjects (English, drawing, maths, computer science)
• discover before the others the environment in which you will attend classes
• establish initial contacts with other students and some teachers
• learn about your new ‘job’ as a student
• identify possible weak points and discover the way to remedy them

Which are the assets to succeed in your first year?

The failure rate in the first year of higher education is fairly high. So what are the assets necessary to succeed? Here are some:

• get to work spontaneously without waiting for external deadlines
• don’t miss classes
• go further than the minimum requirements with additional research (for example, follow our cultural agenda on Twitter)
• take the initiative to exchange with teachers and students
• make the subject yours in details
• adapt your way of working
• believe in your own abilities

(Source : ROMAINVILLE M., Problèmes de pédagogie relatifs à l’enseignement supérieur, P.U.B., 2005)

Efficient ways of working to get through it

It is sometimes difficult to adapt to the new requirements, the more sustained pace and the more important workload in higher education.
To face all these new things you will have to develop efficient ways of working: managing your time, organizing your work, taking notes, memorizing,…

In order to help you improve your method, several workshops are held during the year:

• taking notes
• preparing and managing assessment/examination periods
• organizing yourself and managing your time
• understanding instructions and answering exam questions

You can also find some advice in the information sheets below (in French):

• Préparer sa session (pdf, 97 ko)
• Gérer sa session (pdf, 65 ko)
• Mémoriser (pdf, 66 ko)
• Gérer son stress (pdf, 108 ko)
• Répondre à un examen théorique (pdf, 30 ko)
• Prendre note (pdf, 65 ko)
• Gérer son temps (pdf, 143 ko)
• Résumer (pdf, 50 ko)

Our institution is there to help you succeed

• by organizing remedial help in English, drawing, programming, maths (in the evening or during the day all year round).
• by organizing supervised lab sessions during which you can use the school computers and receive advice from your teachers (4 evenings a week from 6.30 to 9.30 pm all year long and during the day in the week before the exams).
• by publishing online self-assessment tests that enable you to assess your knowledge in some subjects (maths, English, programming).
• by holding ‘work method’ workshops at different times of the year (see above).
• by giving you the opportunity to get an appointment with the Student Academic Support advisor to get answers to your questions, to ask for advice, to share your worries,…

Key moments of the year

September 15: start of the academic year!

Various activities are held during the first weeks of the academic year.

The academic year starts on September 15: the new students are welcomed by the Head of department and the educational team in the morning.
During the first academic week you will attend an information session about the Student Academic Support Office and the Financial Support Committee and this will also allow you to discover the school and your class.

A mentoring activity is held at the end of September. This activity allows first-year students to meet second-year and third-year students who have accepted to become their mentor, i.e. to give them advice, to share their experience and to support them during this first year in computer graphics, and this in a friendly atmosphere.

January: first assessments

The January assessments are held at the end of the first term (four months).

These assessments can lead to exemptions, i.e. they allow you to be exempted from the whole or part of a course subject (and they are not taken into account in case of failure).
This means that the assessment period is your chance to make your examination period in June much lighter: seize it!

February: after the assessments, a first review

You’ve got your results. Do they surprise you? Had you assessed yourself correctly? If your results are not satisfactory, the most important thing to do is to identify the problems: your way of working was not efficient, you did not understand the subject correctly, you did not memorize enough, you did not master some technical skills correctly,… Whatever the reasons, it is not too late to react. Remedial sessions, evening lab sessions and ‘Work methods’ workshops continue being held in the second term.

Would you prefer to reorientate your studies?

After your January assessment period, do you get the impression that you haven’t chosen the studies that suit you? Would you prefer to reorientate your studies? The “Rebond” (rebound) training can help you. This training is aimed at first-year higher-education students who would like to give up their current curriculum and make the most out of the second term. Different modules will allow your to build a new study or professional project and to check if it is relevant and feasible. If you wish to participate in this, you can register in February with the student academic support advisor.

June: first examination period

The regular student can automatically participate in the first examination period taking place in June. Contrary to the January assessments, examinations are organized for all the courses in the curriculum. The number of exams is thus more important and a good preparation is therefore really necessary.

August: your last chance

The regular student who failed in the first exam period can register for the second exam period in August. This means you have a second chance to pass your first year successfully provided you get to work rapidly and persevere all the way through.

Efficiently preparing and managing your exam period: some advice

Whether for the January assessments, June or August exam periods, efficiently preparing your exams is an essential step: preparing your study materials (plans, summaries, syntheses), planning your work,… If you prepare this efficiently, it will be easier to manage your exam period and you will be less stressed.

In the week before the exams don’t forget to create a nice work environment, to eat healthily, to sleep enough, to have some breaks,…
The information sheets below (in French) can help you with these key moments:

• Préparer sa session (pdf, 97 ko)
• Gérer sa session (pdf, 65 ko)
• Mémoriser (pdf, 66 ko)
• Gérer son stress (pdf, 108 ko)
• Répondre à un examen théorique (pdf, 30 ko)
• Gérer son temps (pdf, 143 ko)