Auckland University Online Education — What to Expect

Most Auckland University (AU) online programs are 100 percent online so that students do not come to the school campus. Instead, AU has designed a media-rich, easy-to-use learning environment through a Learning Management System (LMS).

· Discipline (纪律)

With disciplined work habits, you are likely to succeed as an online student. It is up to you to log on to your course and meet your own deadlines.

· Time Management

In order to earn competitive grades, plan on spending a minimum of 20 — 25 hours a week on each course. AU courses operate on a seven-week schedule, with start dates in January, March, May, July, September and November. Students are able to complete two courses per semester by taking one seven-week course at a time.

· Professional Connections

Many of the AU faculty (教员) who teach online have connections to industry, so the online learning environment ensures access to diverse expertise and practice. It includes an extensive network of professionals in a variety of industries.

“I work as an IT manager. And right from the very beginning, every class I took was relevant to what I was doing at work. The wide range of courses gave me a strong foundation for my career development.”

— Jim Heilman, Computer Information Systems graduate

· Technology

It goes without saying that technology plays a vital role in online learning. You will need a high-speed Internet connection and basic computer skills. For specifics, please click here to visit our Technology page.

You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvaev doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast be for c heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created Lampbrella, a lamppost with its own Tain-sensing umbrella

The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy (伞篷) built into a street lamp.” he said.

The Lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器) then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.

In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360°motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone is using the Lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.

According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians(行人) .Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lightning strike. Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed(安装) at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.

While there are no plans to take the Lampbrella into production, Belvaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department, and insists his creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.

Masks that helped to save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren’t going away any time soon — but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.

In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps (带子) of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.

The biggest effect may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world’s oceans last year, accounting for around 6200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.

Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another of the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems,” he added.

There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic (疫情) has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to lower the risk of depression by fourfold. While 7.6 percent of the 13,000 people surveyed reported depressive symptoms, just 1.5 percent of the chocolate eaters did. The study also found that the people who consumed the most of any chocolate were also 57 percent less likely to report depressive symptoms.

The study is the first to examine the association with depression according to the type of chocolate consumed. The team assessed data from 13,626 adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

A range of other factors including height weight, marital status, education, household income, physical activity,   smoking and chronic(慢性的) health problems were also taken into account to ensure the study only measured chocolate’s effect on depressive symptoms.

Then it was found that individuals who reported eating any dark chocolate in two 24-hour periods had 70 percent lower odds of reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms in the previous two weeks than those who reported not eating chocolate at all.

Chocolate contains a number of psychoactive ingredients(精神活性成分) which produce a feeling of euphoria(狂喜) similar to that of cannabinoid(大麻素) .It also contains phenylethylamine(苯乙胺), which is believed to be important for regulating people’s moods.

However, British scientists urged caution about the findings, suggesting that the decision to eat dark chocolate could be linked to other health factors. For example, people who choose dark chocolate maybe more health-conscious in general, which is known to protect against depression.

Depressed people are also more likely to crave more sugary fatty foods and so could be less likely to pick a dark alternative when choosing chocolate.

People-pleasers want everyone around them to be happy and they will do whatever is asked of them to keep it that way.     16    . For some, saying “yes” is a habit; for others, it’s almost an addiction that makes them feel like they need to be needed. This makes them feel important and like they’re contributing to someone else’s life.

    17    . Not only does it put a lot of pressure and stress on you, but essentially you can make yourself sick from doing too much. In the worst case, you’ll wake up and find yourself depressed, because you’re on such overload because you possibly can’t do it all.

Here’s a list of strategies to help you stop being a people-pleaser and finally say “no”.

Think about it.

Whenever someone asks you for a favor, it’s perfectly OK to say that you’ll need time to consider.     18    . It is also important to ask the person for details about the commitment. Ask yourself: Do I have the time to do this? How pressured am I going to feel? These questions are key because you need time to think of your must-do list and things you don’t want to do.

    19    .

It’s tempting (诱人的) to want to defend your decision to say “no” to someone so they understand your reasoning. But this actually backfires. As soon as you start explaining, you give the other person lots of room to come back and say, “Oh, you can do that later,” “You can adjust your schedule” or “That’s not as important as what I’m asking.”

Don’t apologize—if it’s not your fault.

People-pleasers tend to be serial apologists. Pay attention to when you’re apologizing and consider if you’re really at fault.     20    . Usually, the answer is “no”.

If you’re feeling that life just can’t be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive thoughts. When you’re stressed, depressed, ________, or in a negative state of mind because you feel “bad things” ________ happening to you, it’s important to change those ________thoughts to something positive. If not, you’ll only attract more “bad things”.

It’s often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be ________that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. You can choose to think ________by beginning with the smallest of steps.

If you start one small, positive thing and ________it during the course of your day, you’ll begin to move into a more positive ________: positive thoughts, feelings and opportunities. With practice, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be ________, regardless of the events around you.

Here are some examples for you to ________. Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful day!” When you see gas prices rising, say “I’m so glad to have a ________in which to get around.” When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.” If you are having health problems, be ________for what does work: “I do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, and my ________ write.” Write down whatever you’re thankful for each day. In moments when you’re feeling really down, read aloud what you ________beforehand. This will certainly help uplift your spirits. If you practice this ________, you will find your list getting longer and longer.

The________to making it a moment of joyful peace is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough. The more you practice, the happier you’ll be.