Christine Sinclair is a lecturer in the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement at the University of Strathclyde. She works with both staff and students on all aspects of teaching and learning. She has also worked at the Universities of Glasgow and Paisley and is a philosophy graduate from the University of Stirling. When she first graduated, she became a journalist on a women's magazine. When she came back into education, she also began to study again so that she could understand what students were experiencing. She has a PhD from the Open University, with a thesis entitled Students and Discourse: an Insider Perspective. This book is based on her experiences as a student in a completely new subject -- mechanical engineering. Christine has already completed one book for the Open University Press: Understanding University: a Guide to Another Planet.