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Every degree requires a substantial amount of written work to be completed. If you are aiming for a fist class degree, you will need to work even harder, spending more time editing and polishing your degree assignments. You will work much faster on your degree assignments if you are able to touch type.

Touch typing teaches you to:

  • Make use of all digits on both hands, not just your index fingers!
  • Look at the screen, or document you are copying from, not the keyboard.
  • Type at least around twice as fast as finger and thumb methods

Learning to touch type allows you to work more fluidly, the fact that you are looking at the screen (your output) and not the keyboard means you are concentrating fully on the content of your document / degree assignment.

You can see instantly when you have made a mistake and correct it.

I used a CD Rom to learn to touch type which gets you looking at the screen (not the keyboard) immediately.

I used an old (pre 2000 I think) version of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing from Mindscape, available used on Amazon for less than five pounds.

Advantages

  • It is cheap
  • You can sell it on to another student when once you’ve learned, you won’t need to use it again!
  • It is very effective (I learned the keyboard in ten hours)
  • You will save hundreds of hours on written work for your degree
  • Your degree work will flow more easily
  • It is a life long skill which surprisingly, only a minority of people posses

Disadvantages

  • The commentary on Mavis Beacon is irritating, but you learn just as easily with the sound off. :-)

Related Posts

  • Learn about referencing, writing reports and essays and improve your degree marks
  • How To Get A First Class Degree
  • Get into a “Flow” if you want a First Class Degree
  • Learn to use your wordprocessor and get better degree marks
  • Has a Degree Education Lost its Value
  • Email This Post Email This Post      Print This Post Print This Post      


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    5 Comments »

    2006-12-19 16:52:07

    […] Learn to touch type before your degree starts Learn to use your word processor Learn about referencing, writing reports and essays Working to a schedule on your degree Planning your degree work Prioritising your degree work You could also have a look at the post: […]

     
    2006-12-20 13:59:47

    […] I found being able to touch type really helped me arrive at this state as it allows you to concentrate more on your content, it also helps you capitalise on on this state when it happens, as you are able to work a lot faster. […]

     
    2006-12-20 16:47:33

    […] If are taking the advice given in posts on learning to touch type, and learn to use your wordprocessor then you can make better use of your time by practicing your typing and word processing skills whilst writing in the style of an academic report or essay. […]

     
    2006-12-20 16:51:47

    […] It is important to get the best from your word processor on a university degree course as it will enable you to produce better quality degree assignments in a s shorter space of time. This knowledge combined with the ability to touch type will give you a real advantage if you are aiming for a first class degree. Make sure you learn how to: […]

     
    2007-02-08 01:34:07

    […] Learn to touch type, it will save you hundreds of hours […]

     
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