Study related support and resources

Congratulations on your decision to embark on this life changing experience. We know you are excited to get your studies underway and probably a little nervous about what to do next, so let’s get you started on the right path:

1. Complete Orientation – if you haven’t already done so, you should complete the Orientation Program. This Program guides you through finding your way around the student learning portal and includes practical hints, tips and activities for building a study network, managing your learning, getting ready for assessments, and setting yourself up for success.
2. Connect with fellow students – one of the most valuable things you’ll get out of your MBA is a lifelong connection with a global professional network. We encourage you to connect with fellow students embarking on their MBA journey by heading over to our AIB Community Hub and joining one of our student communities.
3. Order your textbook – information on your prescribed textbook can be found here. You are welcome to use either a physical copy of the prescribed textbook or an eTextbook; the choice is yours.
4. Access your subject learning material – we understand that effective time management and organisational skills cannot be underestimated when studying an online qualification. To assist you with getting ahead, your subject learning material will be made available 14 days prior to the subject start date.
   1. Head to the Subject Overview section; these pages give you an overview of the subject you’ll be learning about and will set you up with an overall sense of the subject.
   2. Next head over to the assessment section to find out when your assessments are due. This is a good time to add these dates to your personal calendar.
5. Access your class discussion forum and introduce yourself to your fellow students – to help you get started, the subject forum for Leadership will be live from the day you gain access to your learning material. We recommend you jump in and introduce yourself to your fellow students.

 Important points

• You’ll only gain access to the subject forums prior to the official start date in Leadership and Project (your first and last subjects). In all other subjects, the subject forum will open once the subject is formally underway.
• Your online learning facilitator will be available as soon as your subject is formally underway. Your OLF will support you through your subject content and is your go-to for any subject-related questions. They will also mark your assessments, so it’s important to keep the communication channels open.

Tools for study

As an AIB student, you’ll have access to several complimentary tools, to make study easier. We recommend you have a look or download these before you start your studies:

• Office 365 – this will allow you to download and access any applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook that you may need.
• myAIB learning portal app – using the AIB mobile app will help you to keep track of key due dates, download your entire subject, listen to audio files and be able to communicate on the go.
• Zoom – we use Zoom for our webinars and for recording oral presentations. More information and video tutorials are available in the Tools for Study section of the student learning portal.

Top tips from one of your fellow students…

You might also be interested in…

1. When will I know who my online learning facilitator (OLF) is and how do I contact them?
2. How can I obtain academic support for my subject?
3. Can I print my learning material?
4. Is there an audio version of the learning material? How can I download a copy for offline listening?

Once your subject has officially started and is underway, you’ll be introduced to your Online Learning Facilitator and you can contact them in a couple of ways:

1. Add a message to your class forum or,
2. Send a private message to your facilitator. We recommend that you use this if your message is of a sensitive or private nature.

 Adding a message to your class forum

To add a message to your class forum:

1. click on ‘Class Forum’ tab within your subject,
2. click ‘Add a new discussion topic’ if this is a new message. Alternatively, you can reply to an existing message.
3. Type your message. When you’re finished composing your message, click ‘Post to forum’ and your message will be added to the top of the forum thread. Once you’ve posted your message, you have 5 minutes to edit it; after this time your post will be locked, and you won’t be able to make any changes or updates.

Sending a private message

The easiest way to private message your OLF is via the messaging menu. To access this, click on your profile picture and then Messages. Your Online Learning Facilitator (OLF) should appear in the list. If they don’t appear in the list, search for them using the search box and select their name to send a private message.

Alternatively, click on their name from one of their forum messages. This will take you to your Facilitator’s profile within the student learning portal; the ‘message’ button is at the top of the page.

Your Online Learning Facilitator (OLF) is best placed to answer any subject-specific questions you may have, and you can contact them via the subject forum, email or a direct message in the learning portal. Your OLF will conduct weekly webinar sessions to allow you to ask questions in real-time however don’t worry if you can’t attend – these sessions are recorded and will be made available shortly afterwards. In addition to the webinar sessions with the OLF, your Subject Coordinator will run a drop-in session each week, usually on a Friday. These are informal sessions where you can raise any general questions you may have

Have you tried….?
As an AIB student, there are several tools available to you to help with your studies. Head to our Study Support site for more details.

• Academic Study Skills – we have a dedicated site for these vital skills. You’ll find help on preparing assessments, writing support, referencing and paraphrasing. This section also contains contact information for our Academic Study Skills Support Team, who can provide you with one-to-one support on the above as well as information on our library and research resources.
• Academic Skills Advisors: At AIB, we have dedicated Academic Skills Advisors who are available to provide guidance and support in areas such as referencing, research, and writing skills. They can assist you in understanding the requirements of academic writing, offer feedback on how to improve on your current writing skills, and provide valuable insights to help you improve the overall quality of your assessments. You will find more information, including contact details for our Academic Skills Advisors, by clicking here
• Orientation Program – The Orientation Program isn’t just for new starters…here you’ll find interactive resources to promote well-being and academic resilience to support you through your studies. You will find the Orientation Program listed within your current subjects.
• LinkedIn Learning – you also have free access to LinkedIn Learning. These short videos may be able to shed some light on your subjects’ concepts or help with academic writing skills. Give it a try!

You might also be interested in:

1. Can I submit an assessment for feedback before submitting the final version?
2. When will I know who my online learning facilitator (OLF) is and how do I contact them?

We understand that effective time management and organisational skills cannot be underestimated when studying an online qualification. To assist you with getting ahead, your subject learning material is available 14 days prior to the subject start date.  Before you can jump in and start studying, you’ll need to select your preferred class webinar time, if you’re undertaking a core subject, otherwise you’re good to start studying ahead of the official start date.

A couple of starting points:

1. All core subjects, except for Project, ask you to select your preferred Webinar time before your subject officially starts. This is an important step as it also allocates you to a class and an Online Learning Facilitator (OLF) who will respond to your queries, mark your assignments etc. If you’re unable to select your class in time, you’ll be automatically assigned.
2. Next, head over to the Subject Overview section; these pages give you an overview of the subject you’ll be learning about and will set you up with an overall sense of the subject.
3. Next, head to the assessment section to find out when your assessments are due. This is a good time to add these dates to your personal calendar.

Important point

You’ll only gain access to the subject forums prior to the official start date in Leadership and Project (your first and last subjects). In all other subjects, the subject forum will open once the subject is formally underway.

You might also be interested in…

1. I am new to AIB, how do I get started; what are the first things I should do?

Studying any course or subject can be challenging at times. This is normal and most students experience a period of anxiety. The most important things to remember is that the AIB team are here to help.

Have you tried…?

1. Your Online Learning Facilitator is here to support you throughout your subject. No question is too big or too small. The team are on-hand to help you see how the subject principles can be applied to your business or situation. Pop your question onto the subject forum or send a private message if you’d prefer. Either way, they will be delighted to help.
2. The Orientation Program isn’t just for new starters…here you’ll find interactive resources to promote well-being and academic resilience to support you through your studies. You’ll find the Orientation Program listed within your current subjects.
3. Sometimes you just need a different viewpoint, so why not reach out to your fellow students. You can either pop your question into your subject forum or head over to the Community Hub and pop your question onto one of our subject Facebook groups.
4. For those personal matters, you and your family have complimentary access to a confidential counselling service through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider, Converge International. This friendly and informal counselling service is delivered by qualified and experienced professionals who have extensive training in counselling and coaching.
5. As an AIB student you have free access to LinkedIn Learning. These short videos may be able to shed some light on your subjects’ concepts or help with academic writing skills. Give it a try!

Do you need help with your academic skills?

In addition to the extensive support you’ll receive from your Online Learning Facilitator (OLF), you can also seek support from our dedicated Academic Skills Advisors who are available to provide guidance and support in areas such as referencing, research, and writing skills. They can assist you in understanding the requirements of academic writing, offer feedback on how to improve your current writing skills and provide valuable insights to help you improve the overall quality of your assessments. You will find more information, including contact details for our Academic Skills Advisors, by clicking here.

You might also be interested in:

1. Are there any additional resources to develop critical thinking and academic writing skills?
2. How do I request an extension for an assignment, report or Project?
3. When will I know who my online learning facilitator (OLF) is and how do I contact them?
4. Can I submit an assessment for feedback before submitting the final version?
5. How do I contact Student Central?

The Orientation Program and AIB Academic Study Skills sites both contain resources and tools on academic writing, referencing, critical thinking and information literacy. Your Subject Coordinators will also be able to point out resources relevant to your assessments and skill development.

The AIB Style Guide is one of the main documents you’ll need to be familiar with and is available to you throughout your studies. This guide takes you through some tips and techniques for getting the most out of your writing, how to produce different types of academic writing (e.g. descriptive, evaluative, analytical and critical) and a section to guide you through Referencing with examples of how to apply this within your assignments.

Do you need help with your academic skills?

In addition to the extensive support you’ll receive from your Online Learning Facilitator (OLF), you can also seek support from our dedicated Academic Skills Advisor who will help you to get your referencing, research and writing skills in tip top shape. If you’d like us to put you in contact, please reach out to our Student Central team who will be happy to help. Contact details are also listed within the Study Support section of the Student Learning Portal.

You might also be interested in…

1. Can I submit an assessment for feedback before submitting the final version?
2. How do I contact Student Central?

Many subjects require you to purchase the prescribed textbook, so please check the textbook list for your subject before it starts. If your subject does require a textbook, this will be critical in guiding you through your learning material and supplementing your knowledge.

The textbook list contains all the information you’ll need on your prescribed textbook including eTextbook options. The list also includes any upcoming changes to textbooks and is updated every term, so keep an eye on it.

It’s important to note that textbooks change from time to time and whilst we make every effort to ensure all future changes are added to the textbook glossary list well in advance of the start of the subject, this is not always possible. For this reason, we do not recommend that you purchase your textbook more than 4 weeks in advance of your subject start date.

Can you use an eTextbook?

Absolutely! The choice between a physical copy or eTextbooks is a personal thing and you have the flexibility to choose; the decision is entirely yours. You can purchase your textbook from any supplier of your choice and some recommended suppliers are listed on the Purchasing Textbooks page in the Student Learning Portal.

Textbook Marketplace

To help keep the cost of study down, many of our students pass or sell any textbooks they no longer need. If you’d like to investigate this, head to the AIB Textbook Marketplace Facebook site. As this is a private group, you will need to provide your AIB student ID to gain access.

As an AIB student, you have 24/7 access to an extensive online library of academic journals, articles and industry reports. The information within the library is structured to help you find what you’re looking for quickly and is continually being updated. You’ll find the library link is always at the top of your screen for easy access.

Are you new to the AIB Library or need some help?
To get off to the best start, head to the Searching for credible sources page within our library site. Here you’ll find hints and tips for researching and evaluating information.

If you need help finding your way around various sources and finding full text articles, please feel free to contact our librarian, via the library pages.