My Oxford Brookes Experience Thus Far..

On the 13th of September I left my home country Zimbabwe, to embark on a new exciting journey of learning in the United Kingdom at an exceptional university Oxford Brookes. This has come with many pleasant experiences.

As a learner in the foundation year plan before going into my Law degree at Oxford Brookes University (OBU) next year I have learnt about different cultures and their different learning techniques first and foremost, not only that but with the large group of internationals diversity and many different ideas have come about in our group discussions which have opened my mind to areas never explored before. Linked to this is the Thursday lectures one in particular that stands out was the lecture on Human Rights(week 3) and also the one on Environmental Sustainability(week 4), together with the lecture and further research such lectures will always have a great bearing on my actions especially once back in Zimbabwe.Week 5  we had to learn how to use the library which seemed complex but with the aid of the Thursday lecture and the website the task was simple.

The visit to Cadbury's Chocolate World was exciting especially the marketing tutorial we had before going around the facility, as this was related to the other modules I am taking. It was startling how companies will pay to be on the end of the aisle where everyone walks past.The amount of money that is spent on creating a brand logo with a specific meaning, such as the Amazon logo which has an arrow from the first A to the Z symbolising from A to Z ,or Wikipedia with the missing piece of the puzzle symbolising they will always have something they do not know.

Most if not all of my personal experiences at OBU have been positive, my first blog entry was though the one regret I had as the mark did not come as expected. However the teacher Gill was very supportive and helpful and this negative experience was soon turned into a positive learning experience. Positive experiences have been the amount of help and knowledge gained, an example is with the Human Rights essay the Tuesday teacher Dana was extremely helpful with my essay which was Article 28, she told me on what mainly to focus on as I was going in the opposite direction. The science lecture and then the TED video by Susan Lim on stem cells was informative as before this lecture I knew little about the science world and genetic modification.

As a person though I feel I have changed as a person. The main aim of coming to England all the way from Zimbabwe was for personal growth and to learn more this has come to me in many different experiences, all as a lesson. I have become more independent as a person as at university there are no parents to wake you up or to get you to do your assignments or study or check your emails to see what is going on.

The way I learn has changed dramatically with the amount of time one gets to do their assignments. This gives you a longer time span to view different sources, and to only sieve out the vital information which was not what I used to do before.

As a learner going into the second semester a number of lessons and new habits I wish to continue. Handing in assignments much earlier than the deadline is one aspect I would like to continue as this will help in case you send the wrong lecture or there arises a vital emergency on the day the assignments where due. The use of Moodle on a daily basis is one trend I would like to start as this will keep me up to date on lectures and ahead. Overall the first semester has been nothing short of a wonderful learning experience and the trend looks set to continue!

An Interesting Experience from A Lawyers View of The OBU Library

Located in the magnificent John Henry Brookes building, to the right hand side lies the Oxford Brookes University Library. A centre of studying, learning and acquiring new knowledge from a vast selection of books located on 5 different floors.

As shown in the picture, the library offers short term to long term loans. This comes with a designated room for loans before taking the book and after reading the book. Inside this room there are some computers where one can work,with also a self service centre should one feel they do not need help.

This information centre or bibliotheca has a help zone in case one should get lost or one cannot find the books they are searching for. This help zone comes with friendly staff who are willing to help in searching for a book electronically or manually. 

One can access the library web page through www.brookes.ac.uk/library/ as the picture shows below. 

The web page offers numerous links where one can search for the book or newspaper they are searching for. An insight is offered on the availability of the book. If the book is available, then they distinguish which campus library the book is at, for example some books may only be available at the Headington campus library and not available at the Wheatley campus library. In addition to finding a book the electronic library also assists in whether the book is only available electronically or hard copy. The OBU library web page has a number of quick links such as the reading lists where one can type in their module title and find books related to their module, this is especially helpful for law students due to the large selection of law books.

In regards to locating the law books, one can ask Charlie Lythgoe the law librarian who will be able to assist with any queries whatsoever. Most if not all the law books are located on the second floor of the library towards the computers.

The library is equipped with computers which require your student number and password to log in. This makes it easier for one to study in the library should they not want to leave the quiet atmosphere.

The library uses the Dewey Decimal System which is a proprietary library classification system first published in the United States by Melvil Dewey in 1876. This system is used for the numbering of the books, as certain books will come under a certain number for example for books pertaining to law they would come under the number 300. The picture below shows the Dewey system used for numbering the books and aisles to locate the books.

                                                    

In conclusion this library is uniquely different to any other library one has visited due to the ease of accessibility. There are so many ways one can acquire help, and the experience in itself somewhat feels relaxing!

The John Henry Brookes Building - An Architectural Feat

28 October 2015, 10.30am, rushing out of the class for our 30 minute break which seems to fly by as compared to the lesson, we rushed to the John Henry Brooke's cafeteria on the  first floor of this magnificent building which in 2014 won the RIBA prize (prestigious award for architectural feats and designs).

Together with most of the class we rushed to grab a coffee outside the JHB building where there is a Starbucks and back into the deli in the JHB to grab one of their delicious treats I opted this time for the chicken and avocado burger. This is what happens or will continue to happen on a daily basis especially when we do not have lectures in the building.

The classes in the JHB are extremely modern with the classroom temperature changing according to the levels of CO2 produced by the students! Specifically on the fourth floor of the building there are five or six computers situated along the corridor for students to use in case their lost and need to find their classrooms or directions. Entering the JHB there is a reception which is highly helpful should you get lost.

The JHB building is also really spacious as is shown with the pictures, with four floors, well lit on all floors with state of the art technology.

The JHB building is well equipped with a library situated mainly on the second floor. Together with my friend we visited the JHB library on Tuesday just to have a look around the building and get acquainted with the features and rows.The library and the staircase leading to the library provide a peaceful and calming environment I feel is essential for a good studying environment.

In conclusion the JHB is a wonderful building and even for those who have finished their studies at other unis I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful building!

corridor going to my Friday lesson in room 401, computers situated further down the corner to the right hand of the aisle

inside the jhb building, the common area on the ground floor