FOOD FOR THOUGTH

THE SEVEN SOCIAL SINS BY MAHATMA GANDHI

Wealth with work

Pleasure without Conscience

Knowledge without character

Business without morality

Science without humanity

Religion without sacrifice

Politics without principles

YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IS IMPORTANT

Psychological well-being is a concept that encompasses a well-rounded, balanced, and comprehensive experience of life. It includes health in social, physical, mental, emotional, career, and spiritual domains. When things are not going right in all of these areas we probably are not experiencing as much joy, serenity, and … as we could be, and may be experiencing greater stress, worry, and anxiety. 

Here are a few areas to focus on to enhance psychological well-being

Self-acceptance: A major source of well-being and living a happy life is self acceptance, or the attitude we hold about ourselves. This relates to feeling satisfied with who you are, making peace with the past, and contentment with your current situation. Acceptance is about coming to terms with what we cannot change or control.

Self-growth: Growing as a person and expanding your knowledge is a never ending process. We can grow as people every day if we are willing to be open to new experiences and seek out our potential. Self-growth is about taking a curious and interested view of life and seeking out opportunities to expand as a person.

Purpose and meaning: There is a real sense of aliveness when we have direction and something to strive for. Purpose and meaning can come from using your natural strengths and talents, developing intimate relationships and growing spiritually. Consider if your goals and intentions offer a sense of something greater than yourself.

Autonomy: Do you remember the first time you felt independent and free? Maybe it was your first time driving, going to college, or having a family of your own.  It feels great to know we are able take care of life and have some control of our destiny. Autonomy is the sense that we are a distinct, unique person with our own identity, values, and purpose and a sense that we can think and act for ourselves.

Connectedness:  There is nothing more important than having caring, trusting and loving relationships in life. My heart really does go out to anyone who does not have close friends or family. Unless you are a hermit, you need to feel connected, accepted and have the opportunity to love and progress with the aid and support of others.

Mastery: We need to have mastery over our environment and learn how to adapt and modify our circumstances to have healthy development. This comes from having the skills and competence necessary to progress and achieve what we need, as well as having the confidence and belief in our abilities. Mastery provides a sense of pride and success and is a catalyst for further motivation. Well-being is when we are at a place in life where everything has come together and we are proud and comfortable with what has, is, and will take place. Understanding and incorporating the above ideas can bring greater wisdom, self-awareness and psychological well-being.

SETTING YOUR ACADEMIC GOAL

Welcome to 2017/2018 academic session. what is your academic goal for the session? I will show you the different CGPA and their corresponding classes to assist you in making that decision.

    CGPA            CLASS OF DEGREE
1. 4.50-5.00        First Class (1st Class)
2. 3.50-4.49        Second Class Upper (2:1)
3. 2.40-3.49        Second Class Lower(2:2)
4. 1.50-2.39         Third Class (3rd Class)
5. 1.00-1.49         Pass Degree.

So, I ask again, what is your academic goal for this session? If you are already in the first three classes, I say keep it up. You can still to better. But if you are in the last two classes or even below, there is still room for improvement. You need to work hard. Success is achievable if you work for it. I want you to know that nothing good comes easy. What it requires is your planning of your time, manage your time well to incorporate your study into your daily routine and make sacrifices, at the end you shall succeed.

The LMS

Learning Management System (LMS): An integral part of Open Distance Education

          A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application that is used to plan, deliver, publish and place self-paced online courses in online catalogs. Facilitators and Learners login to the LMS by using a browser, which enable learners to select courses from the online catalog and begin their online study.  

         A LMS makes it easy for a course administrator/facilitator to track course completions, current status or performance of each learner. All learners’ activity in the LMS can be tracked and are useful for performance evaluation and other related functions. In Open Distance Education (ODE), the LMS is very important. For you to keep track of all academic activities, you must visit LMS page at least twice weekly, ideally you are suppose to login every day.

Few Benefits of the LMS

1. It saves time: Unlike the traditional method of teaching (face to Face) it saves time, has learners don’t have to travel from their location or seek permit from their employers to attend lectures.

2.It is Flexible: This is not a regimented teaching learning process where a learner has to be in a class to attend lectures. Implementing an LMS fixes this. Learners can log in to their platform to complete courses wherever they are. Whether it’s on the bus to work, during a coffee break or setting aside half an hour at their desk, there are significant time savings for them.

3.It is Cost effective: Traditional learning not only wastes time, it wastes money too. Instructors, training days, travel costs, training materials, location hiring etc. The use of the LMS reduces this. Facilitators interact online, meaning learners can train at any time.

How to Use the LMS

Course Creation

Once the LMS is activated, it allows the facilitator to create courses by uploading each module. The materials could be in document, video or audio formats. The facilitator is able to create examinations, quizzes, and surveys within the system to assess learners’ performance and gather feedback.  Some of this feedback can be used as part of your continuous assessment.

Enrollment

Once a course is published learners are to be enrolled. On a rudimentary level, facilitators can send an invitation by email to learners to access the course or a code can be given to class leaders to enable learners enroll. It’s important to understand that each course has its own code, and for learners to enroll for all courses you must get all codes for each courses.

After enrollment it is important for learners to login constantly to keep track of academic activities which include getting course online course materials on time, doing continuous assessment before they expire etc. The Learning Management System is your classroom in ODE, so it is important you explore it to the fullest.

WELCOME MESSAGE
I want to welcome both the returning and all our fresh students for the 2017/18 academic session. I want to congratulate the returning students on their success of the last session’s exams and also rejoice with the fresh students on their admission to the Distance Learning Institute; University of Lagos. The start of the year is always a special time for students particularly the D.L.I students. I wish to take this opportunity to share with you an important topic which is Stress management.
In trying to cope with academic, family and work you may experience stress at some. As students; who combines work and study, events come up almost daily in your work place that can result in undue stress which can affect you if you do not learn how to schedule your time and manage your activities properly. You should note that there are different categories of stress. These categories of stress have different effect on individuals.  Low level stress may not be noticeable; mild ones may be tolerable while high ones can be harmful and even lead to chronic disease. Students are one of the most common victims of stress. Factors like financial expenses, over commitment, family expectations and workload all can induce stress. Practical stress management can help students deal with their worries and become more productive, competent and effective. Here are a few tips for managing stress

MAXIMISE YOUR TIME

MAXIMISING YOUR TIME

You are welcome to this session 2016/2017 residential programme, for the first timers (100/200 direct entry) the last post already addressed what this period is all about and your role as a student during your stay on campus. However, it is important to know that this is a period to maximise your time. It is assumed that majority of DLI students are working class and may not have has much time needed at a stretch to study hard and effectively, however this period make up for that and should be used judiciously. To achieve success either academically or otherwise, time management is a key factor.

Maximising your time is all about properly prioritising things, so how well  do you ensure that your set goals are achieved. In this residential period, your main goal as a student is to study hard in other to achieve academic success.

Click on this link below for effective tips on time management:

https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/health/article/top-12-ways-to-maximise-your-time/

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMME

The Residential programme is a period set aside for Distance Learning students to come on campus and reside for a stipulated  period of time to:

• have intensive revision of the courses that they have been studying individually or during study centre meetings with their facilitators
• have a feel of campus life as university students
• have enough time to study their course materials and
• eventually write their examination.

In  Distance Learning Institute, the University of Lagos, you are given the privilege to reside in different halls of residence within the campus for the purpose of  the residential. 

This Session, the residential programme would commence on Monday the 30th of October, 2017. You would come on campus for revision and examination. This will last between 30th of October to the 17th of December. 

My candid counsel to you my student.

As you move into the halls of residence, kindly be conscious of the following

1. You are here for something important.
2. Your future is very important and you cannot afford to play with it.
3. Be mindful of the major reason why you are on campus and do not play away your time.
4. Watch the company you keep.
5. Secure your life and your property.
6.  Your self-esteem is to be protected.
7. Do not do anything that will tarnish your image or drag your name to the mud.

I wish you well. 

Contact the Learner Support Unit, if you are experiencing any form of challenge that may be detrimental to your success.